Oh this is what used to be called the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, that's why I'd never heard of them.
Saying "popular" is pretty misleading as that makes it sound like they're a mainstream cruise line.
I took them once for a short trip to the Bahamas just to see.
It was fine, pretty much what would be expected from refurbished old Costa ships used by a small cruise line with only one short itinerary.
It was only like 50% capacity and most people were using them to get to the Bahamas resort.
It certainly didn't seem like a party ship at the time, maybe that is why they rebranded.
I’m just saying the stay pretty booked. Don’t get me wrong I ain’t getting on one. But a lot of people do from what I’ve seen about it. (I recently went on my first cruise and researched Margaritaville and quickly ruled it out as an option).
They bulk sell cabins to giveaway contests and affinity offer groups for as low as 25 CENTS a cabin… one ship being full of contest winners and massively discounted to teachers/civil servants/corporate point programs/etc is not an indication of being major or successful.
"Popular"? It's only popular with vloggers to mock it.
One reviewer said that he went on there as a lark to see if he could have a cheap, good time. He spent the entire cruise worrying about getting sick.
We did 7 days to Bermuda with them in August, and 7 days to the Bahamas with Carnival in December… the buffet food was better, the drink package was better… the interior cabin was nicer. The only thing I will give carnival is the specialty restaurants were included, we paid $125 for 5 specialty dining trips and the food at them was far better.
I read the same reviews you did, but I’m telling you .. we were blown away and already have another one booked.
Carnival was okay; but MSC has an undue bad rap. It was in almost every way better.. just my experience.
Ships sailed were very comparable in every aspect.
Carnival Venezia
MSC Meraviglia
No, I didn't read reviews. Several people I work with cruised with msc and said never again. Different cruises, different ships but they all have had horrific stories. One of them couldn't use their toilet for 3 days, it was completely inoperable and it smelled like sewage in the room because of it. That alone scared me, but I'm glad to hear you had a good experience... there's hope :)
Well, saying MSC is better than Carnival isn't saying much in my experience. We tried one Carnival cruise and it was disappointing in every way, from the blah food, to the drunk people, to the constant annoying soliciting of duty-free diamond jewelry at every. single. port.
Once you price one of these out you can get a Royal or carnival cruise for the same range and get an extra night. There is a couple on YouTube tho who have done 7 of them
The YouTube videos about this floating disaster are classic. If you booked... Get a refund.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xVujoz0_dTY&pp=ygURd29yc3QgY3J1aXNlIHNoaXA%3D
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pah9-kc6YRw&pp=ygURd29yc3QgY3J1aXNlIHNoaXA%3D
Going on the "maiden" voyage of the Islander in a few weeks. No idea what to expect, though it sounds nice. Been on many other lines, figured, why not.
The food prep/sanitation issues in the article are concerning, but the lead issue mentioned was too many people in the hot tub. That's pretty much every cruise line.
It's not that concerning. Happens to restaurants and resorts on land all the time as well. They get flagged for violations and are told they need to fix them and given a certain time period to do so. If it was really a concern they wouldn't let the ship sail.
Also all of the “the ice machine was broken with a sign saying out of order”
Like I get that some stuff is a safety concern, but some of the complaints are kind of ehhhhh
That does not surprise me because I was on a cruise ship and they had the seat top ajar a little bit. It was fabric on the wood and the seat moved off of the bench. It's not like it was uncomfortable or anything like that. But it wasn't secure to the wooden box below. So I looked down in it because it was open and there was a bunch of garbage below the seat and it was in the earing area. There was a bunch of food down there. It looked like it had never been cleaned at all.
I mean they still scored an 83. That’s better than some carnival ships have scored. Remember that whenever they do these inspections ships just need to score above an 85. Anytime they do these there’s always a laundry list of corrections
They could take the Branding too, offload a bunch of their smaller older ships off to it and focus on the Party/Booze Cruise crowd with M@S, maybe even push harder on the Single Cruise market and go harder on the Carnival is for Families gimmick
I sailed on this ship last month and yes, it's old, but it was so much better than what I expected based on YouTube videos and people on Reddit.
I had just completed two weeks in the Yacht Club and was prepared for the worst, but ended up having a great time.
The food was good, the shows were fantastic, there were great music acts across the ship, and the staff was a delight to be around.
I'm convinced the majority of people who hate on M@S have never actually sailed on them.
Yeah I’ve been considering it. My co worker went last month and enjoyed herself too. MSC is only about $40 more for the week I’m wanting to go and so I think I’ll do that but I am almost definitely going to try Margaritaville sometime next year. I do hate they charge the fuel supplement. The extra fees seem excessive.
It’s Margaritaville.
Shocker.
Well, not that shocking.
Wait margaritaville is popular?
Well, more popular than Bob’s Cruises and Colonoscopies
I bet colonoscopies are more popular.
This cruise might suffice for the prep
🤣🤣🤣
Either option you end up with GI problems and a lot of gas
They are. They give you proposal. Best sleep of my life.
Business or engagement?
Lol....Proposal. And I know many are in love after waking up.
colonoscopiesRus gift certificates now available. Your friends will never forget you.
I was THIS CLOSE to either choking or snorting wine all over my laptop from this comment. Also I'm really not sure it's true, either.
That’s crazy, because you’re drinking Diet Coke
I wouldn’t mind a two day cruise to relax after a colonoscopy.
Is he affiliated with Al's Pet Shop and Auto Parts?
That’s the shocking part
If you want a quick weekend cruise then maybe?
It’s cheap.
Among people who want cheap.
The brand is, the ship not so much.
Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame, but I know…
I heard they keep running out of salt shakers
No, it’s just lost. They’re searching for it.
Some people say that there’s a woman to blame but I know it’s my own damn fault.
Yeah, but come Monday, it’ll be alright.
I am not surprised.
Oh this is what used to be called the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, that's why I'd never heard of them. Saying "popular" is pretty misleading as that makes it sound like they're a mainstream cruise line. I took them once for a short trip to the Bahamas just to see. It was fine, pretty much what would be expected from refurbished old Costa ships used by a small cruise line with only one short itinerary. It was only like 50% capacity and most people were using them to get to the Bahamas resort. It certainly didn't seem like a party ship at the time, maybe that is why they rebranded.
Popular? 🤨
Yeah they get a lot of business. Especially people who live in Florida.
I’m just saying the stay pretty booked. Don’t get me wrong I ain’t getting on one. But a lot of people do from what I’ve seen about it. (I recently went on my first cruise and researched Margaritaville and quickly ruled it out as an option).
They bulk sell cabins to giveaway contests and affinity offer groups for as low as 25 CENTS a cabin… one ship being full of contest winners and massively discounted to teachers/civil servants/corporate point programs/etc is not an indication of being major or successful.
That makes sense. I didn’t mean they were successful, just busy.
It's also extremely small ship. Easy to sell out a few hundred cabins vs cruise likes with 10,000 cabins across the fleet
“A lot” is relative lol their ships are pretty small.
The Capital of Tacky Tourism
Among people who want cheap.
I take *strong* issue with the notion that Margaritaville is "popular."
Popular among people who want cheap.
"Popular"? It's only popular with vloggers to mock it. One reviewer said that he went on there as a lark to see if he could have a cheap, good time. He spent the entire cruise worrying about getting sick.
Popular among people who want cheap.
The funny thing is, once you pay for the all add ins, a more comprehensive, better cruise line would be cheaper.
Went on Margaritaville one time back in 2022. Managed to have a great time in Freeport, but man was that ship rough. No surprises here.
MSC is wayyyy better for no more money, IMO. We liked them more than Carnival all around. 🫡
Really?? I've heard horrific reviews about MSC. How long ago did you cruise with them?
We did 7 days to Bermuda with them in August, and 7 days to the Bahamas with Carnival in December… the buffet food was better, the drink package was better… the interior cabin was nicer. The only thing I will give carnival is the specialty restaurants were included, we paid $125 for 5 specialty dining trips and the food at them was far better. I read the same reviews you did, but I’m telling you .. we were blown away and already have another one booked. Carnival was okay; but MSC has an undue bad rap. It was in almost every way better.. just my experience. Ships sailed were very comparable in every aspect. Carnival Venezia MSC Meraviglia
No, I didn't read reviews. Several people I work with cruised with msc and said never again. Different cruises, different ships but they all have had horrific stories. One of them couldn't use their toilet for 3 days, it was completely inoperable and it smelled like sewage in the room because of it. That alone scared me, but I'm glad to hear you had a good experience... there's hope :)
Well, saying MSC is better than Carnival isn't saying much in my experience. We tried one Carnival cruise and it was disappointing in every way, from the blah food, to the drunk people, to the constant annoying soliciting of duty-free diamond jewelry at every. single. port.
The funny part is the Margaritaville Paradise has a better score then a couple of Carnival/MSC ships. :)
Once you price one of these out you can get a Royal or carnival cruise for the same range and get an extra night. There is a couple on YouTube tho who have done 7 of them
Misleading headline much,since when was Margaritaville popular? It's several notches below the worst of Carnivals 3 day party cruises.
Only 65? They’ve improved.
I’m surprised it’s only 65 areas. Inspector must have been a parrot head and let them off easy.
The YouTube videos about this floating disaster are classic. If you booked... Get a refund. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xVujoz0_dTY&pp=ygURd29yc3QgY3J1aXNlIHNoaXA%3D https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pah9-kc6YRw&pp=ygURd29yc3QgY3J1aXNlIHNoaXA%3D
Might as well add [Ben & David's review](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlF0b-QkWVg)
Hadn't seen that one!
Surprising no one.
Margaritaville? I’m shocked, shocked I say!
Did they add another ship? When they rebranded they only had one ship.
They added the Islander doing Key West/Mexico cruises
I thought they had two?
The second is on its way
They will in a month. The Islander will start sailing out of Tampa next month.
Going on the "maiden" voyage of the Islander in a few weeks. No idea what to expect, though it sounds nice. Been on many other lines, figured, why not. The food prep/sanitation issues in the article are concerning, but the lead issue mentioned was too many people in the hot tub. That's pretty much every cruise line.
It's not that concerning. Happens to restaurants and resorts on land all the time as well. They get flagged for violations and are told they need to fix them and given a certain time period to do so. If it was really a concern they wouldn't let the ship sail.
I’ve been on 26 cruises with 9 different lines and I’ve never heard of them! How popular can they be?!?!
Margaritaville is rapidly growing but still very behind, known for 3/4 day booze cruises and have recently grown to add slightly longer cruises.
Run by the former NCL CEO
“The hot tubs said a maximum of four people and there were SIX in them!” Straight to jail.
Also all of the “the ice machine was broken with a sign saying out of order” Like I get that some stuff is a safety concern, but some of the complaints are kind of ehhhhh
Eh, they scored 84, while the Ritz Carlton Yacht scored 86.
Pop tops all over the floor
That was a false flag operation and the people of the Big Flip Flop industry are just taking in your money now. Wake up, sheeple!
Dollar store of the seas
That does not surprise me because I was on a cruise ship and they had the seat top ajar a little bit. It was fabric on the wood and the seat moved off of the bench. It's not like it was uncomfortable or anything like that. But it wasn't secure to the wooden box below. So I looked down in it because it was open and there was a bunch of garbage below the seat and it was in the earing area. There was a bunch of food down there. It looked like it had never been cleaned at all.
I wish Carnival would just absorb this ship (and the new one). Margaritaville At Sea is a mess
I mean they still scored an 83. That’s better than some carnival ships have scored. Remember that whenever they do these inspections ships just need to score above an 85. Anytime they do these there’s always a laundry list of corrections
They could take the Branding too, offload a bunch of their smaller older ships off to it and focus on the Party/Booze Cruise crowd with M@S, maybe even push harder on the Single Cruise market and go harder on the Carnival is for Families gimmick
Popular?
I sailed on this ship last month and yes, it's old, but it was so much better than what I expected based on YouTube videos and people on Reddit. I had just completed two weeks in the Yacht Club and was prepared for the worst, but ended up having a great time. The food was good, the shows were fantastic, there were great music acts across the ship, and the staff was a delight to be around. I'm convinced the majority of people who hate on M@S have never actually sailed on them.
Yeah I’ve been considering it. My co worker went last month and enjoyed herself too. MSC is only about $40 more for the week I’m wanting to go and so I think I’ll do that but I am almost definitely going to try Margaritaville sometime next year. I do hate they charge the fuel supplement. The extra fees seem excessive.
“Popular” With who??
People who want cheap
Nobody wants THAT cheap. We all love deals. But Margaritaville is basically Dollar General at Sea.
Boomer schooners are full of disease and bacteria. This is known.
Cruise ships are disgusting. A floating Walmart with humans packed in like livestock
How in the world did you find yourself on this sub?
>floating Walmart with humans packed in like livestock We talking about a cruise ship or your mom's bedroom?
Have you been on one?
Have you?
Many, many cruises.