Margaritaville At Sea Paradise 2024 Full Review: What we Loved, Didn’t Love, and Hated

We sailed Margaritaville At Sea Paradise and captured our full experience for you. We talk
about the Food, Drink, Entertainment along with the ship itself and embark/debark. There’s a lot
to love about Margaritaville At Sea and we share that in the video. But there’s also several
things we didn’t love, and, unfortunately, some things that we hated. One of which is a
dealbreaker that turned our paradise into a bit of a nightmare.
We’ll be putting out a stateroom tour and several additional videos about our experience on
board Margaritaville At Sea Paradise, so be sure to Subscribe if you haven’t already.
In the video, we reference several links which you can find below. As always, thank you for
tuning in and for supporting this cruise life of ours. We hope you enjoy this latest adventure!
-Mark and Rocky
**Links**
Margaritaville At Sea Dinner Menus:
www.thiscruiselife.com/cruise...
dining-room/
Frozen Havanas and Bananas short:
• Mark’s first drink on ...
Outlet splitter:
amzn.to/48tOSl5
#Margaritaville #margaritavilleatsea #margaritavilleatseaparadise #cruise #cruisereview
00:00 Intro
00:34 What we LOVED
15:40 What we DIDN'T LOVE
25:08 What we HATED
33:43 Conclusion

[@Kris1974F]

That was a Great review! I’m so glad that you showed the positive and the negative and giving your honest opinion of Margaritaville at Sea. Keep it up guys!

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you for the kind words and for tuning in! We always like to lead with the positive as we believe there’s always something good to an experience we have. To your comment, we try to share the complete picture so that fellow cruisers know all the details. Appreciate you joining the adventure!

[@TheTheatreDude101]

What a great video, it made me subscribe! I cruised in December 2023 and I thought this video was a pretty good overview. I will say our room was NOTHING LIKE your room, We were actually surprised at how clean our stateroom was. It was rough around the edges and showing it's age a bit, but it was definitely not dirty at all. I will say to prospective cruisers that If you go into the trip with a totally open mind you'll be pleasantly surprised!!

[@thiscruiselife]

100% agree; we always encourage fellow cruisers to go in with an open mind! We heard so many negative reviews and comments - but there’s a lot to love about Margaritaville At Sea! :) We are soooo glad to hear your room was nice and clean. We definitely talked to several other groups of people that did not experience the things we saw in our room, so I am very hopeful it was an anomaly. Though, being itchy for 5 days post cruise was kind of a dealbreaker for me. 😂 We are excited to check out Islander in a few months. In fact, we’re working on a full ship walkthrough as I type this! Thanks for tuning in and subscribing. Excited to have you join our journey. :) -mark

[@CallMeVie]

Okay I am glad you disclosed the dealbreaker. I would have been sleeping on a chaise lounge forsure vs looking up at that dirty ceiling LOL

[@thiscruiselife]

Haha. Thankfully we are fully recovered from that experience and are hitting the high seas without hesitation!

[@FLL_Rob]

That bathroom is giving Bates Motel vibes! 😱

[@thiscruiselife]

Haha. So true. What a visual!

[@jonathankent5898]

Great review video guys! I've seen other reviews where people just harp on the negatives. Thank you for pointing out the good with the not so good! I'm planning on doing a solo trip with them this September...

[@thiscruiselife]

We hope you have an amazing cruise! And if you do encounter any issues along the way, don't delay talking to the Guest Services counter - they're there to help! ;-)

[@bradcolby3624]

Wow guys great to see your review. We have never been on these ships before. Your review was eye opening. When we saw your dirty bed sheets and bathroom..we were shocked but not surprised. Glad you pointed out what you liked as well. I guess you get what you pay for plus a fuel surcharge lol. The sauna incident sounded bizarre. You pointed out the Muster drill. That is not a good feeling. Growing up on the water here, I remember seeing the old Carnival Ecstasy on fire as it was heading down the coast. The engine room was destroyed and the crew did not know what to do. These old ships need to be thoroughly checked more often by the authorities. Thanks for the professional presentation. All the Best

[@thiscruiselife]

The great news is that the older ships are mandated by maritime laws to go into dry dock more frequently, however in some cases, that’s still not enough. And as for what’s looked at while docked is also unknown. We’re glad we had the opportunity to check out this ship. We thoroughly enjoyed our glimpse into the past and we hope that things will continue to improve with this cruise line! Too many negative reviews will certainly impact their operations later on.

[@juliemolthop8980]

You did a LOT on a 2 day cruise! Darlings, I could never! ❤❤

[@thiscruiselife]

We definitely stayed busy! So much content to capture for our viewers!

[@richarddeason1845]

The cruise line has 2nd ship coming in June The ship is base on carnival spirit class Will have 4 and 5 days cruise I feel big upgrade

[@thiscruiselife]

We just finished a couple day recording where we compare the new ship (Islander) to the Carnival Miracle and are working on edits now. We spent a couple days scouring the deck plans for Margaritaville At Sea Islander, Carnival Miracle, as well as Costa Atlantica to give a deck by deck preview of the new ship! Stay tuned to the channel for that full walkthrough. :)

[@its_eli]

Two nights is never enough. Looked like you had a great time, regardless. If it's not at least 5 days, I'm like 😭😞😜

[@thiscruiselife]

Two nights was sooooo short! Happy that they’ll be launching longer itineraries with Islander. Thanks for watching!! Hope you are doing well this wonderful weekend!

[@bkf3857]

I agree that not being transparent on a price is something I absolutely hate. One of the reasons I hate buying a car. Lol. Love your videos! We own into Hilton Grand Vacations Club and have our own share of traveling. Visiting Hawaii annually is one of them. Cruise ships for this Aquarius definitely tugs my heart strings.

[@thiscruiselife]

Yeah. It shouldn't be that difficult to still earn business when you're up front about the price. If anything that earns people's trust more! Awesome that you get to visit Hawaii as frequently as you do. Neither of us have been, but it's on our cruise wish-lists!

[@SandiC518]

Dirty bedding is an absolute dealbreaker for me. YUCK. I probably would have slept on deck on a lounge chair.

[@thiscruiselife]

We actually saw a few people doing that, though we figured it was because the weather was so nice out. Hindsight says it could have been for other reasons...

[@eddavid159]

I have

[@TheSMCCOLE]

gurrrrrllll. Bed bugs and beyond at Sea is not for me . Thank you for your honesty. Instant subscribe!

[@thiscruiselife]

You’re welcome. Fortunately they were not bed bugs, but still definitely a scare a little too close to home. Thanks for watching!

[@andrewleeadkins93]

Yeah some of the stuff you mentioned ruined okay you get around. But yes the dirty stateroom stuff is a total no. That would’ve been a call to guest services and someone would’ve been coming in to fix right there even at 1:00 AM or I would be moved to a new cabin. I know cruise ship crews are worked to death already but that is an unacceptable. I would do the same exact thing if I was in a hotel.

[@thiscruiselife]

For sure. Lesson learned on our part. That will be our game plan next time we encounter a similar situation (which hopefully isn't soon). We're scarred from the experience! In the end, we did manage to enjoy the cruise and the ship, though.

[@deborahkirkle9047]

Did you have the bed bug bites that are 3 close to each other?? That could shut them down. In the future at any hotel etc check the mattress seams.

[@thiscruiselife]

Thankfully, they were not bed bug patterned (they even asked that same question at guest services which leads me to believe they’ve perhaps seen that once or twice…) Thankfully, the flea spray and quarantine seemed to do the trick when we got home!

[@seanras1965]

They also allow hero's to sail free as long as there is a paying customer with them. We booked on thier new to them ship, the Islander, and we saved 3700 because I'm a vet!!

[@thiscruiselife]

We love that the cruise lines do that. Such a great program! Thank you for your service!

[@danieldahlheimer3216]

I've cruised plenty, never have spent 3700, so I don't know why you think your saving that much.

[@seanras1965]

@danieldahlheimer3216 well, this was for a suit on a 5 day cruise in June.

[@JMastro2010]

So im going on this cruise in May and have watched a ton of reviews and you qre the FIRST that have said it's not clean! One person even brought a black light and nothing showed up. Out of all the things people complain about this is the first time I've heard the room isnt clean. Hope it was just a fluke situation for you and that this isn't a norm.

[@thiscruiselife]

We hope it was a one-off situation as well. Should’ve asked to move to a different room. Hope you have an awesome time on board!

[@kathyp2794]

Thanks for the awesome review, guys! You had quite the adventure, huh? I was so grossed out by your cabin experience 🤢Sorry you had to go thru that. Thinking I'm gonna pass on this one.

[@thiscruiselife]

Haha. It was definitely an experience, to say the least. We’re glad to have been able to check it out first-hand, though!

[@kayancaramakeupgirls]

Oh my gosh!! Lucas and Jacob! I freaked out when I saw them lol. Fun fact: Lucas was the first person to hit 1 million subscribers on KZbin.

[@thiscruiselife]

Oh wow! We had no idea! We’re aiming for that lofty place as well. Haha.

[@ashleehillger8458]

I was wondering, when you board the ship and after leaving, was there any extra fees aside from paying for the cruise?

[@thiscruiselife]

Great question! There was an unexpected fuel surcharge that we were responsible for. It is listed in the cruise ticket contract (as most cruise lines have it), however Margaritaville at Sea is the only cruise line where we've actually seen it charged. Aside from that, no other hidden fees - we already knew about gratuities.

[@CherylelaineRayment]

New to the channel

[@thiscruiselife]

Welcome! Glad to have you as part of our growing cruise community! 💙 -m

[@hekz27]

Is it true you also have to pay some sort of fee when you are checking in the cruise.

[@thiscruiselife]

We didn’t have any fees at check in, however, there was a $15 per person, per day fuel surcharge that kind of surprised us at the end. All of the cruise contracts include language about it, but this was the first time we’ve ever seen it charged. On Paradise you do have the option at boarding to add things like a drinks wrist band (we did, and loved it!) this was also an additional charge. Finally, the other thing to remember is gratuities are also applied at the end. This sometimes surprises new cruisers. Let me know if you have any other questions! -mark

[@CruisingTipsDotCom]

Yeah, this pretty much confirms for me everything I'd already thought about MAS. It's definitely a no for me. Crumbs in the bed? I mean, they'd already lost me at the whole "shower curtain" thing. Come on, kids, it's 2024. I'm basically Joan Crawford screaming, "No more plastic curtains!" I'll be interested to see if their new ship is better in the "upkeep" department. As always, love your wildly honest reviews, both good and bad.

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you for watching! It's so important to showcase everything that a cruise has to offer, not just the thing everyone is wanting to see. We're also super curios about the new ship, though it might not be a fair comparison since it'll be new without anyone else sleeping in the beds, or using the stateroom bathrooms. 😂

[@jacksimmons4843]

Bites?! Oh no, definitely a no go for me.

[@thiscruiselife]

It was definitely unexpected.

[@blakeshoemaker2478]

I’m really curious how the experience will be on the newer ship, because this review made me want to take an antihistamine. 🤣

[@thiscruiselife]

I’m currently itching my arm with my phone while I type this… 😂

[@SeanJ2A]

Well the newer ship is just as an old. It’s basically them buying an older ship and rebranding it just as they did this one.

[@thiscruiselife]

@@SeanJ2A we’ve been following the work being done on the newer ship and we’re so excited to check it out! This one should have more life in it as she’s almost 15 years younger than the Paradise.

[@ac-ir9gs]

Why would they scan the bags at debark??? Lol

[@thiscruiselife]

We’re not exactly sure. Was definitely strange and unexpected!

[@ac-ir9gs]

@@thiscruiselife make sure you didn't steal the nasty towels apparently

[@benton.]

DEALBREAKER -the way you say sauna.

[@thiscruiselife]

Hey there! Here's a quick language lesson on how "au" is pronounced in the Finnish language where the word sauna originates. So the next time you hear "saw-na," you'll know it's not the actual Finnish pronunciation of the word. As the song goes, "toe-mato, tah-mato." :) Thanks for watching! -Mark kzbin.info/www/bejne/maLHl5ieesyKlck&ab_channel=HerFinland

[@benton.]

@@thiscruiselife oh wow. Cool. I didn’t know. Anyways it makes my ears hurt when you say it. Thanks!

[@lmalocca1586]

QUESTION WHAT DECK AND ROOM # WAS THAT?

[@thiscruiselife]

We stayed in cabin 5106 on deck 5. Check out all the details from that cabin in our room review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJWwm5ykiNuioM0

[@lmalocca1586]

@@thiscruiselife Thank you! Looks like there are good and not so good reviews for this ship! But it also looks like recent ones have improved thankfully lol. We wanted to give it ago looking for a 2 day getaway with drink package and simply just have fun so we booked the july 4-6th 2 day getaway. We are on deck 7 so hopefully we do not witness what you guys did in the room. I enjoyed your video and give us some good tips prior to sailing. Thank you.

[@thiscruiselife]

@@lmalocca1586 here’s the best advice we can share: if you encounter issues with your cabin, talk to guest services to see if you can be moved. And keep that positive outlook so you can maximize your fun! Enjoy your cruise!

[@lmalocca1586]

@@thiscruiselife Yes, I am well traveled and always check the beds as soon as i enter any accommodations lol. Again thank you both for your input. Any advise on what to do or see other than beaches in FREEPORT? with out paying a lot .

[@Misto7781]

🥺🥺🥺🥺

[@thiscruiselife]

You were absolutely right about the food! Thank you for all the tips and tricks you shared with us as we went into this adventure!

[@shanesorenson]

We typically won't sail anything shorter than a 5 day just because it takes us that long to unpug and enjoy ourselves, but with the lack of cleanliness, mediocre food, and low service standards, it seems like 2 nights was too much! I've been to a margaritaville resort, which I'd define as "trailer park meets luxury vacation" and somehow I think this cruise might be a similar experience. It wasn't even so much about the facilities as it was the people vacationing there as well. I worked hard to leave the trailer behind and I ain't going back for a floating trailer vacation!

[@thiscruiselife]

Thanks for watching and sharing your own experience! Agreed; a 2-night cruise isn’t enough time to disconnect (let alone, unpack! lol) We went in thinking it was going to be a party cruise the entire time (like a Carnival 3 day), but we were pleasantly surprised by all of the folks we met. Kind, friendly, courteous. Sure, there were some folks we saw partying it up, but even they weren’t obnoxious like we’ve seen on some other lines. Rocky said maybe because it was a Monday-Wednesday cruise? Or, maybe the line attracts a different clientele. Either way, we definitely enjoyed ourselves. With that said, the itchiness for a week after the cruise left me not wanting to book another one any time soon. They offered us a free sailing if we’d come back to Paradise and we kindly declined. Will wait to sail them again until Islander in June for her inaugural. :) Thank you guys for supporting us and the channel. Miss you!! -m

[@supermom788]

OMG DIRTY bedding. I would have thrown up & the shower curtain. Gross!!!

[@thiscruiselife]

Haha. Yeah. Definitely not the greatest things to see when you have to spend several hours each night there. If the spa showers were an option, we would’ve used those instead of the cabin shower!

[@KimberlyStephenson-FL]

I live 20 minutes from the cruise port and I will not go on that cruise ship. I travel an hour and a half to Miami or an hour to Fort Lauderdale or 2 1/2 hours to Port Canaveral to get on a decent cruise ship.

[@thiscruiselife]

Understandable. Besides, a 2-night cruise is just a tease! You’ll find many more options out there that don’t just go to Freeport and back!

[@macarenam2069]

I believe you guys got some kind of incentive to say only good things about this cruise. Because everyone else, hate this cruise. 99% do. Fact.

[@thiscruiselife]

Zero incentive. We paid 100% of our own way. We met a bunch of people on board that really enjoyed themselves, so the “99%” you state is simply not accurate. And if you think we receive incentive or only had positive things to say, I would recommend watching the entire video for our complete and balanced review… Thanks for watching, -Mark

[@davidpp330]

There’s no way a $99 cruise had “good” food. It was probably expired and secondhand ingredients that you didn’t even know about. Cookies and juice, how juvenile. The things you are mentioning you loved about this cruise happens on every cruise except better! You Guys sound so desperate!

[@thiscruiselife]

If you watch the review, we share how we were surprised at how good the food was compared to what we had read and seen online. There were indeed multiple things that we loved about the food - Cheeseburger In Paradise, Paninis, and even the MDR was surprisingly tasty. Were the food offerings as expansive as other ships that charge a significant premium to what MAS charges? Absolutely not. But we didn’t expect that going into a cruise that cost us $60/person. Before you pass judgement on the brand, you might want to give it a try yourself. :) And be sure to finish watching the complete review video to get our full and balanced perspective! -mark Ps- and if you really want to see some food we loved, check out our new MSC Yacht Club dinners or search the channel for our thoughts on Celebrity Cruises Eden Restaurant. Cheers!