I recently took a 5-night cruise on the newly launched Margaritaville at Sea Islander with my wife and two children, and before we boarded the ship, we were admittedly skeptical.
To say that the cruise line’s first ship, Paradise, doesn’t have many stellar reviews would be a big understatement. Plus, while my wife and I love the Margaritaville brand in general, we are used to bringing our two kids (8 and 6 years old) on extremely kid-friendly Carnival ships.
To our pleasant surprise, we had a fantastic time on the cruise. But there’s no such thing as a perfect cruise experience (at least, I haven’t found one). With that in mind, here’s what we loved about sailing on Islander, and a few things that could use improvement.
Image source: Margaritaville at Sea.
1. We loved MAS Islander's theming and décor
The Margaritaville at Sea Islander isn’t exactly a new ship. It was acquired from Carnival's Costa Cruise Line and was originally launched in 1999 as the Costa Atlantica. So, it’s really a 25-year-old ship.
To be sure, there were some parts of the ship that showed their age. For example, the nightclub is almost identical to what I remember from my first Carnival cruise in the early 2000s.
But for the most part, this feels like a new ship. All rooms and public areas are beautifully renovated, and the décor gave an excellent “Margaritaville” vibe without being over-the-top.
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2. We loved MAS Islander's food and beverage options
After reading some of the early reviews, we didn’t quite know what to expect. But we found the food and beverage venues on the ship to be fantastic.
The Fins main dining room only does walk-in seating (no set dinner times), and we found the menu to be excellent. The Islander dining room offers the same food as Fins, with a few upscale options (for an additional charge unless you are staying iin a suite).
The JWB Steakhouse was the best steak dinner we’ve had on a ship. And the casual food options, including the buffet, Cheeseburger in Paradise, and Mexican Cutie (tacos and burritos), were excellent.
There were over 10 different bars on the ship, and each one had an excellent menu, including a different signature margarita.
3. We loved the MAS Islander crew
Earlier, I mentioned that we took a 5-night cruise. It actually turned into a 7-night cruise due to Hurricane Debby leaving us stuck in the Gulf of Mexico for two extra days. The crew handled the situation beautifully, and the current cruise director Zee-Jay is absolutely fantastic.
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From our stateroom attendant to the servers and bartenders, to the activities and kids’ club staff, the entire crew was upbeat and provided excellent service.
4. We loved MAS Islander's kid-friendliness
The Margaritaville brand is often associated with well, drinking Margaritas, and other adult-oriented activities. So, perhaps the biggest surprise of the trip was how much there was for kids to do.
The pools were very kid-friendly and never felt too crowded, there were several craft events and other things to do throughout the day for kids.
The kids club was a particular standout. Our kids’ ages put them both in the Parakeets Club, and while it’s a smaller space, the staff, and activities were top-notch.
On five different Carnival cruises, our kids have never asked to go to the kids club nearly as much as they did on Islander, and my 8-year-old daughter actually said she preferred the kids' camp to Carnival’s Camp Ocean (that’s high praise – she loves Camp Ocean).
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And, now for the few things we did not like. And, it's worth noting, that Margaritaville at Sea has acknowledged both issues and plans to make changes.
1. The Islander's internet was barely usable
Of course, we didn’t love everything, and I have to start with the internet service. If there was something that would prevent me from sailing on Islander again anytime soon, this would be it. I typically do some writing while on cruises and need at least a decent internet connection.
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Islander has internet packages available, and I had the Premium Internet package for the length of the cruise. But even with the upper-tier package, the internet was barely usable most of the time.
It was decent in some of the public areas, so I went and sat near the coffee shop when I needed to get anything done. In my room, the connection wasn’t strong enough to load a Google doc with any degree of reliability.
2. The Margaritaville at Sea casino program is clunky
I’m a bit of a casino player and generally prefer gambling on cruise ships to land casinos. Not only do cruise lines tend to offer more perks to their players, but I can combine some casual gambling with a family vacation, something that wouldn’t really work in Vegas.
On a positive note, the Islander’s casino was a beautiful space. All the tables and machines are brand new, and it’s 100% non-smoking. But there were a few things I found to be a bit clunky:
First, you need a separate player’s card for the casino and need to get one at the casino host desk (and show your driver’s license, which many people don’t carry around on a ship). On every other cruise line I’ve been on, your room card doubles as a player’s card.
Second, you can’t charge to your room directly from the machines. At least, I couldn’t figure out a way to do it. On other ships, I don’t need to carry around a ton of cash.
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Third, the casino point and status tier systems are confusing, and even the employees don’t seem to know much about it. I asked two different hosts, the casino cashier, and a blackjack dealer, and not one of them could explain anything about how the points worked (although the host did comp us a steak dinner on the last night of the trip!).
This was the sixth cruise we’ve taken as a family, and even though we got stranded for two extra days, it was one of our favorites we’ve ever taken. Margaritaville at Sea has done a fantastic job with Islander, and while it isn’t perfect, we will definitely be back (at least, after they upgrade the internet).
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