10 Things that SURPRISED us on Margaritaville's NEWEST Cruise Ship

We just got back from cruising on the Islander, Margaritaville at Sea's NEWEST cruise ship🛳️. There were a lot of things that surprised us about this experience, and in this video we are going to cover 10 of them, including topics like drinks, dining, excursions and more.
Thank you to Margaritaville at Sea for hosting us on the Islander during this cruise! The Islander is currently sailing out of Port Tampa Bay to the Western Caribbean offering 4- through 7- night itineraries.
If you want to see a full tour of the ship, we'd recommend watching our Ultimate Islander Tour next: • MARGARITAVILLE ISLANDE...
If you are considering booking a cruise on the Islander, visit www.margaritavilleatsea.com
‪@margaritavilleatsea‬
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Timeline:
00:00 A lot of things surprised us...
00:18: #1
01:43: #2
02:26: #3
03:42: #4
04:22: Martini Break
04:44: #5
09:20: #6
10:44: #7
11:46: #8
12:54: #9
14:06: #10
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Music Courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com:
All to Myself (Instrumental Version) - Spring Gang
Augusto Caliente - Los Principes del Flamenco
Cocktails and Dreams - Dexter & The Disciples
Coconut Cove - Rymdklang Soundtracks
Gimme All Summer Please - Arc De Soleil
In Leather - A Month of Sleep
Mimicking Your Breathing - Harper Rey
Pursuing Tikiness - The Fly Guy Five
Island Dream - Chris Haugen

[@Tokyo_Fan]

Great cruise tour. Thank you for sharing.

[@Explorcation]

Our pleasure. Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@ScullyPop]

Best Travel Channel.

[@Explorcation]

Thank you Scully!

[@ryanladendorf1678]

I may have to check out this cruiseline. Thanks so much for sharing and have a blessed day!!!

[@Explorcation]

Thanks, Ryan. It's definitely worth a look!

[@negano5654]

Thanks for sharing the experience at this cruise! ❤ i am a foodie at heart and seeing the food in this cruise, the sushi specially, it must be so worth to be on this cruise but also everything else you guys have shown.

[@Explorcation]

Thanks you so much for watching and taking the time to comment! Yes, cruise ships in general are great for foodies, and this one was no exception! And that sushi really was excellent!

[@ginsil7284]

Just found you, glad I did. Subscribed today. We have been planning on a move to Florida once I'm semi retired family nurse practitioner. Love Sun, Sand, Beach and we have been to Florida many times. Keep making content!

[@Explorcation]

We're so glad you discovered our channel and are enjoying it! That's exciting to hear about your plans to move to FL once you semi-retire! Hopefully our channel will help motivate you to make the move and to determine which area of FL will be the right fit for you!

[@MrTmiket0007]

Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful video like always 🤗❤️

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for always tuning in!

[@ginsil7284]

You two are so cute! Keep making content!

[@Explorcation]

Thank you! As long as the channel keeps growing we'll keep making content! 🙂

[@BeefromSC]

Great overall view of this ship, thanks for sharing 🛳️🛳️

[@Explorcation]

Our pleasure. Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@toddjones1403]

Espresso martini to start the night Skyler!!! Heck Yeah!!!!…I’m sure you broke even!!!!

[@Explorcation]

If not for espresso martinis, I wouldn't make it through half the dinners on cruises 😂

[@mdenisen]

15 drinks???? C’mon Skyler, you can do it. Great video, thanks for sharing.

[@Explorcation]

If I started early and stuck to light beers, I think I could do it. But unfortunately after the first couple beers I tend to transition into the martinis and stiff cocktails! Thanks for tuning in and taking the time to comment, as always.

[@BobCarlson]

Since I’ve been to 3 Margaritaville hotels, this seems to be a great cruise choice for me. Super professional and informative video. I recently went swimming with sting rays at Discovery Cove in Orlando. And Dolphins. There are tons of videos on that place but they sure could use one by you two.

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, if you enjoy Margaritaville hotels/resorts, we see know reason why you wouldn't enjoy this cruise (unless you just hate cruising in general). Glad to hear you got to enjoy the sting ray experience too! We've had plenty of dolphins swim close to us in the gulf, but we've never done an actual dolphin swimming experience. I'm sure it would be a blast. I'm not sure how our content would fare against all the other Orlando content out there. There are so many creators that do exclusively Orlando/theme park stuff, but we may just have to give it a try one of these days.

[@elmenomaronido6653]

Cruise on that ship back in 2004 as the Costa Atlantica and after 35 cruises still one of my favorites !!

[@Explorcation]

Wow, I would have loved to see what that shipped looked back way back then compared to now! We found the layout of the shp to be a bit unusual, but we really liked it! 35 is an impressive amount of cruises. I think we'll get there within the next 2-3 years, but we've got a ways to go!

[@mbrennecke]

We had written this off due to other bad reviews but it seems maybe it deserves another look as long as we know what to expect for the price.

[@Explorcation]

We think it's definitely worth giving it a chance. Most of the bad reviews we've seen out there are for the Margaritaville Paradise which is a much smaller ship sailing out of Palm Beach. That said, people who like a more formal/elegant cruise ship experience will probably not love the Islander.

[@melindamiller9515]

After hearing this, we want to give the Islander Cruise a try. Thanks for the review. Cinci Parrotheads

[@rhondalyn100]

I LOVE this video! You packed so much information and just plain FUN in here that I've definitely put this ship on my Cruise Wish List. I love that you always include your food and drink choices in your cruise videos and the excursion info in this one is very helpful for future ideas. As for music, you can never go wrong with Zeppelin and the Doors. Congrats on getting WAY close to 50k! Won't be long...🙂

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much, Rhonda. We enjoy every cruise we go on but we are a bit surprised by how much we loved this one. It was totally our type of vibe, and we LOVED the music. We actually had a goal of hitting 45K by the time we got back from our Dominican trip, and we hit it the morning we flew home! 5k more to till the next big milestone!

[@JeremyCrandall-n4r]

Love your content. My wife and I are looking forward to visiting many of the Florida locations you showcase. Keep up the great work 👍

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much, Jeremy! We hope our channel helps you and your wife make the most of your Florida adventures!

[@JillianaMariah]

Good morning!! Your videos are a great way to wake up on a sleepy Saturday morning!! I'm still Florida dreaming. Can't wait to get back home there in Clearwater. The cruise looks like great fun. Thank you again for the best travel videos on KZbin!! ❤❤❤

[@Explorcation]

We're so happy to hear that you start our Saturdays off with our videos, Jilliana! Sooner or later you'll get back to Florida, and until then hopefully we can keep brining a little bit of Florida to you!

[@lildeena1]

We went on the cruise and had a wonderful time. The alcohol choices were spectacular. The country show was great. The NCL spirit we did last year in Alaska also had a country show and we are all undecided which show was better. We felt the ship was a little warm but nothing extreme. The staff was top notch!

[@Explorcation]

We're so happy to hear that you had as great of a time on the Island as we did! Good to know that NCL also does a country show! They are hard to come by on a cruise ship!

[@genehinders9639]

You're sure making me miss Key West...loosely planning on getting back down there in '26

[@Explorcation]

We are really hoping to get down there ourselves for a few days. While we've been able to visit twice in two months via cruise, we haven't felt like we've had nearly enough time to really experience it. We do have a keys tripped planned soon, but the furthest we'll be making it to is Marathon.

[@genehinders9639]

@@Explorcation stop by Castaway Waterfront Restaurant and have John serve ya up some King of the Jungle Roll. And Sparky's Landing...the Shrimp and Bacon pizza 🍕 😋 both in Marathon...oh oh oh...Ire Island Eats too!! 😋 Lots of amazing places between Key Largo and Key West!

[@deniseorth5569]

You mention that they "hosted" you so did they provide freebies! Looking at this ship for November!

[@Explorcation]

Yes the cruise was complimentary, but we were encouraged to provide an honest critique of the ship, which we did. We really did love it... but then again, it's totally our type of vibe. If you do decide to book a cruise on this ship, we hope you enjoy it every bit as much as we did!

[@havingfun3619]

Glad you mentioned the music on the ship. After eating one dinner at Margaritavile @ City Walk, I thought I'd never get J. Buffett's music out of my head.

[@Explorcation]

LOL yeah we had a similar experience at a Margaritaville once. Great experience, but a little too much Jimmy for us!

[@bryantsteury8910]

Love it! As a frequent margaritaville visitor in Vegas, I'm annoyed their ship quality isn't better BUT I'm happy it's not a bait and switch as far as promising 5 start service and not delivering. Also, next time you go to any margaritaville ask for a "perfect margarita". It is absolutely rocket fuel that tastes like a fresh lime. Good luck Skyler! And dealing with the hangover after Jamie! 😂 what a premier Florida channel, you guys do such a great job ❤

[@Explorcation]

Thank you for the tip on the "perfect margarita", Bryant. Sounds amazing! We've yet to visit the Margaritaville in Vegas, but we're gonna have to one of these days! But yeah, we were really impressed with the Islander, and it sounds like it is big improvement over their first ship. We'll definitely sail on it again when we need a mini vacation from filming and editing!

[@davidpoo66]

Great video! Can you start mentioning 🍸 alcoholic drinks more in the future 😮? Thx

[@Explorcation]

We can work on it, but no promises 😂 Thanks so much for watching, David!

[@Jacksonzole57]

u guys are crushing it!

[@Explorcation]

Thank you! It definitely helps that Jamie is now working on the channel full time with me (Skylar).

[@edwardlatwinas3131]

Do they reimburse you seeing your para sailing was cancelled? By the way, love your videos.

[@Explorcation]

Yes, everyone who booked the trip was reimbursed. We're really glad you are enjoying our videos! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@Eeeekamouse]

Oooh, that ship looks like a ton of fun, and the drinks looked amazing! I probably shouldn't have watched during my workout 😅 made it tough!! I'm gonna have to use that line - "They didn't have any Gatorade, so I got margaritas instead." 😂😂😂

[@Explorcation]

It definitely was a ton of fun, and the majority of the drinks we tried were good/great! We tried to drink a water or Gatorade in between every alcoholic drink... but sometimes you just have to drink what the bar had available 😂

[@waltbaker8036]

Will there be a video on things you did not like? Were you allowed to film when areas were closed since there was no one in the backgrounds? Thanks.

[@Explorcation]

No, there weren't really enough things we didn't like to make a full video about it. Basically the only negatives were that the ship was on the warm side the first couple of days, some of the automatic doors didn't work properly, and the gym was really small and didn't have good ocean views. That said, this was totally our type of cruise as we're more the live music and tiki bar types than the find dining types. If you're more into dressing up and going to fancy dinners, this may not be the right cruise for you.

[@TheRiverPirate13]

I noticed it doesn't have a jumbotron screen on the pool deck lime most cruise ships have now. Islander looks much more like a land based Margaritaville than the Paradise does.

[@Explorcation]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. The vibe on the Islander really is similar to what you'd find at a Margaritaville resort. Very unique when compared to other cruise ships.

[@TheRiverPirate13]

@@Explorcation I do want to book Margaritaville at Sea Islander at some point in the next year or two.

[@gustofpv4470]

Who says that only Carnival can have "fun ships" !!!

[@Explorcation]

Exactly! Margaritaville is a more laid back type of fun than Carnival, but still fun nonetheless.

[@TripReviews]

Nice review! There are so many terrible reviews out there regarding this cruise line, perhaps though the majority of the online content is in regard to their other ship. The food looks great, the entertainment looks really good and the atmosphere seems to be just right. I guess those bad reviews we’ve all seen are posted by cruise snobs? Let me say it this way, we’ve been on 16 Carnival cruises and enjoyed almost everything aboard but we were talked into a Princess cruise and did a 20 day b2b on the Enchanted which we did not enjoy. Too boring! Old stuffy style entertainment and maybe one comedy show! After the first leg of the b2b we wanted off the ship! There were a couple of good points one being the breakfast buffet’s juice bar. Cheers🍻

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, I do think that the vast majority of the bad reviews for this cruise line are from the Paradise. We have not sailed on that ship, and not sure we will honestly when we have the Islander right here in our backyard. We really did love the islander, but it's 100% our type of vibe, as it has live music everywhere, a laid back atmosphere, and a huge variety of cocktails. People who cruise for the elegant/fancy dining experiences and high-end shopping would probably not live this ship. Very interesting to hear about your experience on Princess. We've yet to sail with them but have been talking about it for a while. When we do finally book with them, we'll definitely be sure to "test the waters" with a shorter cruise. Cheers 🍻

[@TripReviews]

@@Explorcation yes you are right about testing with a shorter cruise. You may like it, you may not or you might find it just ok. We had the better package and did find it nice although neither of us are drinkers so to speak, my wife would have a 7up or mocktail over a mixed drink. We found the adult area noisy as there was always canned music pumped over the loud speakers which if we remember correctly they have quietness on carnivals serenity deck and always canned music playing in the atrium area and sometimes live music which was not usually of our liking. It was Also difficult to find a waiter around anywhere and the bars always had a line up. We came under the conclusion that the bar waiters that were on the floor didn’t care if you were served or not and I think it’s due to the fact that most passengers had drink packages and the medallions so no signature required to relieve your drink so that passengers didn’t seem to be tipping as much as they do on carnival. Not saying I would never go on another princess cruise but it would have to be the right price and the right ports of call.

[@jerrylesnau2414]

I have never heard of a cruise review that was 100% positive as this one is. There must have been something about the cruise you did not like

[@Explorcation]

Honestly it's just really our type of cruise. We are pretty laid back people. We're not really into dressing up fancy and going to elegant dinners. We much more enjoy live music and tiki bars... which is the vibe on the Islander. That said, I think we did mention in the video that the ship was abnormally warm the first couple of the days and that some of the automatic doors didn't work. Those were both negatives. We'd also say that the layout of the ship is somewhat confusing and that the gym was the smallest we've ever seen on a cruise ship. None of those things were anywhere close to dealbreakers for us though.

[@genehinders9639]

If we were ever tempted to do a cruise ship I think it would be this one.

[@Explorcation]

It would probably be the one we would recommend to you. The food is not quite at the level of Celebrity, but the vibe is way more fun and relaxed.

[@samo8204]

Love your videos! Is the only difference between Miami and Tampa the SIZE of the ships you can book? We've never been on a cruise but we definitely want to try it sometime. I'm just guessing here but would assume a bigger ship would mean you'd be less likely to feel the motion?

[@01akqueen]

We went on a 5 day cruise on the Islander and it was a great time. Not sure why they get such a bad rap:-}

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, we had a great time too. I think it takes a certain type of person to love this ship. I'm guessing a lot of the people who are complaining prefer a more "upscale/elegant" cruising atmosphere. We personally loved how chill it was.

[@aretheybiting2251]

I like your videos ...but you have to STOP doing the hand-held mics! No other vlog-ers do this and we can hear them perfectly fine. Just trying to help you get to the next level 😎👍

[@Explorcation]

Appreciate the feedback. The reason for the mic holding is that we often record our talking parts in locations that are very loud. Specifically on cruise ships, there is often time music playing. If that music is picked up by our mics, then we have to deal with copyright issues on our videos. So the reason we hold the mics so close, is to ensure that they pick up our voice only (and not the noise in the background). All that said, the mics we were using in this video were not the best quality and we have since upgraded, so we're hopeful that the times we actually have to hold the mics are fewer and farther between.

[@AbdulRahim-cu7y]

Hi! Do you handle editing yourself or you hired someone? I’m an editor and would love to discuss, if you’re interested

[@Explorcation]

Hi Abdul. We edit ourselves. Would love to outsource someday, but no room in the budget to do so right now, unfortunately. Thanks for reaching out though.