Margaritaville at Sea Islander! Learn the good, bad, and ugly of this inaugural cruise!

Explore the brand-new Margaritaville at Sea ship, Islander, which recently launched from the Port of Tampa! Completely refurbished and beautifully branded with Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville theme, this ship offers an immersive experience in all public spaces and staterooms.
In this detailed review, discover what went well during our journey and where there are challenges to be addressed. Is the Islander the perfect cruise ship for you? Watch now to find out!
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:37 Overview
03:08 Ship Design
08:13 Cabin / Entertainment
12:36 Ports
15:36 Food / Dining
20:41 Service
24:09 Demographic
25:00 Final Score

[@teresa978]

Thank you for the detailed review.

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

Glad it was helpful! I hope that you consider trying it once they have the processes corrected and a few more sailings under their belt. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

[@LackosleepYT]

Thx for the excellent review! I'm a RC fan and they have ALWAYS given a perfect experience for us. Utopia next for us! But this to me, is something else. We live in Tampa and a short hop on a ship is super convenient, and at these low prices it doesn't hurt the bank so much. I am booking a trip for September... the same one port Cozumel itinerary you took, at an absolutely ridiculous low price for a Grand Terrace Suite. I figure even if the rest of the ship experience stinks (which it won't per your review), we'll at least have a nice retreat to hang in (plus it comes with the Islander dinner perk too). I will not expect much, definitely not expect a Royal treatment, but rather treat it like a laid back, low Key casual Caribbean party... kind of like a roadside resort on Key Largo. We'll just go with it and have fun! I hope it matches my expectations!

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

I think that you are going into this with the correct attitude and expectations. Most any day at sea is better than doing nothing at home! Glad to hear that you are getting a suite and will have the Islander dining option. If you also get the champagne brunch in the Islander dining room as a suite perk I highly recommend you do that for breakfast and not the MDR or the buffet. I am still seeing several reports of the erroneous charges for gratuities for drinks and other charges showing up on accounts so when the guest services line is small, ask for a printout so you can keep track and get charges removed - especially if you get the drink package. As I said in the video, JWB Steakhouse is worth the up charge. Have a great cruise and thinks for watching!

[@johnmcmahon9807]

when you have 2 days of rain....at times you like to watch a movie of sports in your cabin.....your sports channels was cricket and collage field hockey...as for movies TCM old decaying movies.....oh also 18 channels of the same on board muster drills

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

Yes, indeed! The selection was extremely limited for sure.

[@thejokerspeaks]

We've moved from Carnival to HAL in less than a decade, with a deal on Azamara coming up that is too good to pass up (no more expensive than mass market). Still, our first cruise is still one of our favorites, and I'm glad to see a new company enter the budget market. Hopefully they improve or at least hold the current line and expand from there, with the advantage of not having all that covid debt.

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

I agree! I think they will be a strong product out of Tampa for the budget segment. I met the CEO onboard and had a nice chat. I think they have some challenges, but I am confident that they will build on what they have started. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

[@richarddeason1845]

I feel the cruise line will fit the problems From what i understand the cruise line has big plans This ship will help the cruise line grow Someone told me the cruise line plans to add more cruise ships down the road

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

I agree that they will work out the system kinks and hopefully get the food temps corrected. I did have lunch with one of the senior leadership team while in the buffet and he confirmed that they are already in discussions for the next ship. The CEO also approached me and introduced himself. We had a really nice discussion. He is completely committed to correcting some of the inaugural glitches.

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

I don't think Margaritaville is for me at this time. But they say, never say never. I find that even on Celebrity, breakfast is tough to bear day after day. I often just get something simple like oatmeal or grits, to go with my whole pot of coffee. (I told you I can drink and not _really_ get drunk? Coffee has almost no effect as well.)

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

I don't think that this would be for you either. I agree that breakfasts do get a bit boring and that is why I like to switch between the buffet and the MDR for a sit down experience but the eggs benedict station normally gets to know me well during the cruise. I'll substitute some cheeses and fruit for breakfasts too.

[@FireWaterCooking]

I have been on about 40 cruises, they all stay on Ship time, not local time...

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

Completely agree but many times ship time IS local time due to the ship making an overnight time change. The time changes happen on most cruises. That was the point I was making. Sorry for the confusion and I completely understand and agree with your comment. Thanks for watching!

[@randijaffe-7665]

Room service? Free continental in A.M.?

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

Their website lists it as an A La Carte offering for room service so there is a charge per item. There is not a free continental A.M. option as far as I know. Many posts and reviews have stated that room service was not available on our inaugural sailing. I did not see a menu in my cabin and did not attempt room service. There are several for-an-added-fee items on the ship in order to increase revenues so that falls in line with other venues.

[@johnmcmahon9807]

no need for the deck music to be full blast at 7am.....give us a freaking break!!!

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

Oh wow - really? I didn't notice that. I would agree that is a bit much as well. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

[@SilverHonda0767]

No tere level status at this point. Toilets and dining rooms flooded. Pay extra for a second meal and food is luke warm. No thank you ! At this time I’ll wait another year. I rather pay extra at Royal Caribbean.

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

I'd have to agree with you. The cold food was questionable so I did not finish my MDR breakfast and there were many service issues. I see that the cruise after mine still had the erroneous gratuities for drinks still added to the guest bills sporadically and should have been included with the drink packages. Guest services still did not delete them off of my final bill. Give it 6 months and I'll check reports but I will not be on the ship anytime soon.

[@SilverHonda0767]

@@seemoreseascruises3791 we have vacation time in October was thinking about booking for then but that’s only four months away. The more I think about it we might try Royal Caribbean a short trip in October instead and rack up the loyalty points.

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

@@SilverHonda0767 Where are you located? Contact me. If you are looking for a short weekend cruise, a Royal Caribbean to Coco Cay might be a much better option but travel costs might offset the added expense.

[@SilverHonda0767]

@@seemoreseascruises3791 are you a travel agent? We live south of Tampa just south of the Skyway Bridge. I only book directly with Royal Caribbean.

[@seemoreseascruises3791]

@@SilverHonda0767 Yes, I am an independent travel agent and my agency is See More Seas Travel, LLC. My contact information is in the video description. I'd be honored to work with you. If you are looking to book a new cruise, you can email me at [e-mail] Thanks so much for asking!