Royal Caribbean and Carnival dominate the short cruise business from Florida's east coast. Both cruise lines have multiple ships sailing Friday through Monday 3-day sailings and Monday through Friday 4-day cruises.
Carnival generally has older ships sailing those routes, which usually stop in Nassau, Cozumel, or Bimini and/or the cruise line's private island. Royal Caribbean now sails 3-4 day sailings out of Port Canaveral on Allure of the Seas, a member of its largest class of ships.
Related: Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise passengers face a new charge
And, starting in July of 2024, Royal Caribbean (RCL) -) will bring its newest ship Utopia of the Seas to Port Canaveral to take over for Allure. That's a huge commitment from the cruise line as it will be committing its newest (and perhaps last) Oasis-class ship to short itineraries when previously new ships generally sailed higher-priced week-long itineraries.
Royal Caribbean appears to be using Utopia to lure first-time cruisers on either side of a Disney World vacation. By offering them a top-tier Oasis-class ship, the company essentially puts its best foot forward with first-time or long-lapsed cruises.
Margaritaville At Sea, part of the recently deceased singer Jimmy Buffett's lifestyle brand empire, has so far taken a different approach. Its sole ship, The Paradise is a very old ship that started sailing in 1991 under Carnival Cruise Line's (CCL) -) Costa brand.
It has had numerous names and, while it has been retrofitted to add elements of Buffett's lifestyle brand, it's hard to hide that it's an older ship. So, the company has built its brand on value by offering 2-night sailings that can often be under $100 per person.
And while the Margaritaville resorts on land are decidedly upscale brands, the singer's ship is more of a dressed-up dive bar. You can have a good time, but the experience is not on par with even the older (but still newer than Paradise) Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships sailing the same itineraries.
Image source: Margaritaville at Sea
Margaritaville at Sea adds a second ship
In October, news slipped out that the Margaritaville at Sea had quietly purchased a second ship. The cruise line bought the former Costa Atlantica from China's Adora Cruises and had its new purchase in drydock getting updated.
The ship, which has not sailed since the covid pandemic, has been rechristened as the Margaritaville at Sea Islander and it will be sailing four-day itineraries out of Port Tampa.
Royal Caribbean and Carnival both sail out of Port Tampa on the northern end of Florida's west coast, but a bridge there forces them to sail older, smaller ships. Carnival offers 4 and 5-day sailings from the port on Carnival Paradise while Royal Caribbean currently has a variety of its smaller ships sailing everything from 4 to 14-night itineraries.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander will sail a number of different 4 and 5-night itineraries, some of which will include stops in Key West, a city closely associated with Buffett.
A look at Margaritaville at Sea's new ship
Islander, which is about twice the size of Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, can carry 2,680 passengers. That's in line with the Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships sailing out of Tampa. The upstart company has not shared pricing for the 4 and 5-night Islander sailings, but if it keeps to the value pricing model it may be a better proposition for passengers on the west coast than those with a variety of choices across the east coast.
The cruise has shared on its website that Islander will offer trips that stop in Cozumel, Key West, and Progresso. Margaritaville at Sea has a "Book Now" button on its website that leads to a signup page where people can join a mailing list for the new ship.
In addition, the company shared a little bit of what customers can expect on its new ship.
"Margaritaville at Sea Islander is a completely new way to float into an island state of mind, where the journey is as much fun as the destination," the cruise line posted on its website. "Featuring innovative and favorite eateries, uniquely themed bars and lounges, the first three-story poolside Landshark Bar, The adult-only Tiki Bar and Pool, a soaring 14-story tropical atrium, Caribbean Amphibian Splash and Slide, and more, the Islander will deliver a new way to experience the fun and escapism of Margaritaville."
