My Review of America's Worst Rated Cruise Ship - I Liked It! Margaritaville at Sea Paradise

I appreciate a review from someone who actually had reasonable expectations for the price. You might have changed our minds about giving it a shot.

I am happy I stumbled across this review. My husband booked this cruise for me as a birthday getaway last year and we also got the license to chill package and I keep telling ppl for the price this cruise is not bad at all! The rooms were spacious the dining room service was always on point. The food was good. We didn't go to the buffet because our package had breakfast in the steak house for both days and then we had dinner in both restaurants. The vibe was awesome, it was a lot of fun! The ship was clean and the crew was great. We made so many friends and we always suggest this cruise to people who may just want a quick get away, a couples trip or a girls getaway. Drinks were good. Ppl should really give it a chance! We did the Freeport beach excursion and the beach was beautiful, the restaurant there served really good food and drinks and getting off the ship and getting back on was smooth. Definitely give the Margaritaville. Also with our package we got a free spa package and the massages were great!

Your positivity is refreshing. I don't plan on going on this frat house at sea but the internet is full of snobs so it is nice to see.

You certainly gave a very thorough review and I have to agree it is not as bad as people make it out to be. My issue on any cruise are rude and disgusting passengers. Good manners seem to be a thing of the past.

You did change my mind. I would consider the Margaritaville at Sea Cruise after seeing your close up review and being realistic in what to expect for $99. I also like the idea of using it as transportation to the island and back.

Puts on my best David Attenborough voice: “And here we see the very elusive Markus who is rarely ever seen. What a treat! We can only wonder what brought him out of his usual hideaway.” 😁

You almost had it, the restaurant with the jousting is called Medieval Times. I did a side-to-side (Celebrity to Princess) out of Fort Lauderdale last Spring. There was a 2 day gap in between, I wish I had thought of trying this cruise line out rather than just stay in a hotel.

I would try this cruise just to chill out, have some drinks by the pool, sleep in late, etc. You wouldn't have to feel obligated to do anything because you didn't spend big dollars on it. This cruise looks like it is for people with Margaritaville attitude only!

I haven’t gone yet but ive been paying attention to all the vlogs/reviews and Honestly Margaritaville at sea has grown on me. Lol It has improved so much over the past year and some change. It started really ugly and dull and now its become something fun. Theres still things that need to be fixed but its also very noticeable that they are always working on things. Which is great. From your review it looks like more renovations on the ship and the terminal have been done, main dining room looks nice, more activities are being offered, the sail away party is getting more fun, and the website is getting more seamless. Ive always liked the Margaritaville brand. I look forward to whatever changes is next. I think they have the potential to rock the weekend trip market niche with their cruises!

When we boarded just before Halloween, boarding started at 1130. We enjoyed Margaritaville at Sea very much. I expected a cheaper experience and was surprised at every turn with better than i expected.

We’ve been on this ship twice already and we love it. It’s even better now that you don’t pay for childcare up until midnight. I was surprised that they had a 18 and up club as the last time that space was an arcade. We did the day pass to Taino beach that gave us access to the beach and pool area which was very relaxing. You could order food from the restaurant or take the ferry into town to shop. Speaking from experience, it’s best to purchase all packages at booking or before boarding as there will be a significant difference in price.

It's nice to see an honest review that accepts Margaritaville as what it is, a fun economy get away. If I didn't live in Tennessee, and refuse to fly any more, I would be tempted to take it.

I had assumed Margaritaville wasn't for me. And it sort of isn't, since what I want in a cruise is a lot more time. Six days, minimum, preferably 7 or more. But now I do know I'd be glad to use it as a hotel if I'm ever stuck there.

I always think it looks like a great time. The fact you can use it as an overnight ferry for a trip to the Bahamas is also great.

I'd consider using Margaritaville as transportation to and from a resort. That would be fun.

Similar experience. We were happy we did it, and would probably do it again, just struggling with the question "who would we recommend it to?" Our biggest issue was the breakfast, but the bagels were surprisingly good. Think the important thing is managing expectations. we literally said "pre cruise hotel" (prior to your thumbnail and found it very entertaining when you posted that) and "ferry to a day in Freeport" a lot, along with "dont judge us" when talking to cruise friends. Service was excellent, salt water pools were nice (and back pool empty!), Hot tubs were HOT (probably too hot, but i liked it), and though the shows were good.

Great video, Morgan! I agree with you that, based upon your video, the theater on the ship does look like a dinner theater stage, such as Medieval Times or the Pirate Dinner Adventure in Orlando. We live in Oregon so we would not book Margaritaville at Sea as a single destination, but it would be fun to do what you and Marcus did and make it part of a back-to-back type of vacation experience.

Thank you so much for your honest and complete review. We live in Port St. Lucie Florida, and we thought about trying this just to get over to the Bahamas. Sounds like it’s worth it to me!

I'm so glad to see this review - I'm considering booking one of these cruises, and was terrified when I started to research and see some of the reviews. Personally, I think a cruise is generally only 'bad' if you have incorrect expectations. I was told by someone on Cunard in August that they hated Margaritaville when they tried it as it 'just wasn't Cunard' (SIGH!)...

Thanks so much. I grew up in West Palm Beach and my first cruise was in 1963 to Nassau- metal bunks and sink in cabin I shared with my brother. We got off to stay on land a few days and then cruises home.