Table Of Content
For breakfast, you could enjoy eggs, bacon and sausage, pancakes, waffles, continental items, and even a custom omelet bar. For lunch and dinner, there was a salad bar, a pasta bar, and a decent selection of warm entrees that varied each day. On Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, there are two pools, including the adults only 12-Volt Bar and Pool aft on Deck 11.
Onboard activities hosted by the Cruise Director & Fins Up Crew
The main pool, located in the center of this deck, is a rather small sunken pool. These pool areas feature chairs, loungers, and daybeds that are a mix of old and new. If you book a package through the ship, transfers from the port in Freeport to the resort and back again are included in your fare.
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Margaritaville Cruise and Stay Vacations
Both are small and square, and once 10 or so people were in the water, I felt there wasn't much room for anyone else. I loved that Margaritaville at Sea provided beach balls and floats (cheeseburger- and parrot-shaped inflatables, of course), but they took up most of the pool's real estate. If I'd known this in advance of my cruise, I would have waited to book until the rebranding process was complete for the full Margaritaville experience. I'm more of an IPA gal than a cocktail drinker, but I was a big fan of the margaritas (both frozen and on the rocks) on board the ship. One night, I had dinner at Fins, the included sit-down restaurant, and on the second night, I ate at the 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill.
Nightlife and Entertainment
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Margaritaville at Sea’s Paradise ship docks in an area of the island that is not close to many attractions or beaches. For this reason, guests will need some form of transportation to best explore the island once they arrive. When it comes to dining, it is unfortunate to see that all the Margaritaville-inspired venues did cost extra money. Yes, there is the specialty restaurant JWB Steakhouse, but even the pizza parlor and grill came at an up-charge.
This is intended to make it a great choice for a quick tropical getaway. Given the current ship’s small nature, the short itinerary makes sense. And if you want some more time in the Margaritaville state of mind you can book the land package.
I went back onboard Margaritaville at Sea to see what has been improved
While there's no denying that the dry dock focused on refreshing the onboard experiences, Margaritaville at Sea also took time to expand its shore excursion offerings on Grand Bahama Island. Working out during vacation may not be for everyone, but for those cruisers who pride themselves on their fitness, there is a completely refreshed fitness center onboard to enjoy. Dueling pianos is such a fun and interactive form of live music entertainment. I think this is an excellent addition to Margaritaville at Sea’s Paradise. Currently, Margaritaville at Sea also conducts karaoke sessions with the ship’s activity team here.
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise Has No Real Dress Code; Come As You Are
The Oasis Lounge hosted karaoke, dance classes, a piano performer, and a musical duo, along with a bar. Other entertainment included live music and game shows in several venues around the ship. For a short cruise, there were a variety of onboard activities.
I thought the onboard cruise entertainment was corny and boring
After a few songs, we meandered up to the Tropical Glow Party on the pool deck. Still, Natasha and the Fins Up Crew were dancing and engaging the crowd. Here, we grabbed our last drink of the cruise then returned to catch the final few songs of the piano player after about 30 minutes at the party. The waitstaff were friendly and accommodating even if the service was slow again tonight. Our drinks did arrive quicker this time, but it still took close to an hour for our appetizers to arrive. Following breakfast, we found some loungers on the starboard side of the License to Chill Pool (main pool area).
Bouncing Around the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
The concerning part is that the television in our cabin was “buffering” for hours, so we didn’t actually watch the safety drill until hours after we had already sailed away. Even worse, the television in our deck 4 cabin during the preview cruise didn’t work. While we made it a point to locate our assigned muster station, I can only imagine that many other passengers did not. Finished with our informal ship tour, we returned to our cabin for a bit.
The entire process from getting off the ship, through customs, and curbside for an Uber took only about 15 minutes. This was much smoother than the media event’s disembarkation process a few days earlier. Like others on the cruise, we were disappointed in the lack of communication, especially important announcements like what time we needed to be ready to disembark tomorrow morning.
Just as when Margaritaville at Sea first made its debut, Paradise still sails its original 2-night itinerary from the Port of West Palm Beach to Grand Bahama Island and back. There are also new connected bikes, rowing equipment, and more. Live piano performances have been something that has been present onboard Margaritaville at Sea’s Paradise from the very beginning. The large Caribbean map mural on the walls is a fun way to envision your path as you sail toward Grand Bahama Island and back to the Port of Palm Beach. While I was hosted onboard Margaritaville at Sea's Paradise, all the following observations and personal opinions are completely my own. Everything was in working order, but the bathroom fixtures and colors looked the same as photos I had seen of the ship prior to being refurbished.
I found more than enough USB ports for one guest, but two or more people trying to charge their devices may get into a few scuffles. By the end of my two-night voyage to Grand Bahama Island, however, I realized the best advice I could give to future cruisers is to hold off until the Margaritaville dream has been fully realized. Unsuccessful with that, we took up shop for several hours in the pre-security area with Starbucks and laptops in hand. Through the porthole window, we could see the ship was already close to the port. Thus, we anticipated being cleared earlier than originally stated. My fried oyster appetizer was well balanced and flavorful, without being heavy.
Items like croissants, cinnamon buns, doughnuts, and ice cream are all an up-charge. This restaurant, actually a small curtained off section of the main dining room, serves up prime cuts and seafood selections. The up-charge to dine at JWB Steakhouse is $58 per person, and reservations are required. Currently, reservations can be made in the terminal prior to boarding the ship. Since this was the inaugural cruise, service was predictably slow.
Even a palm tree-dotted shower curtain would have made the room feel fresh and on brand. After chatting with other passengers, I learned that the ship is currently only in phase one of a three-phase refurbishment. My $15 burger and fries from the 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill were equally delicious and I loved the addition of the shark fin toothpick in my burger. The menu also had nachos and a few other burger and sandwich options, all priced a la carte. The fried cauliflower starter and braised short rib entree I ate at Fins were tasty and well cooked.
It would be nice if there was an alternative venue offering small bites and snacks throughout the day similar to cafes on other cruise lines. The retail plaza and the 5 O’clock Somewhere Bar and Grill were exactly what we would expect to find on a cruise ship bearing this name. Not to mention, the main theater show rivaled the offerings found on other contemporary cruise lines.
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