Rare CruisingWalter Posted June 23 #1 Share Posted June 23 This post was recognized by Host Jazzbeau! CruisingWalter was awarded the badge 'Great Review' Alright, alright, alright! Margaritaville At Sea Islander! 6 Nights spent onboard over 2 cruises. Key takeaway from the experience, Fun! First off, if you need a shiny new ship, everything has to work perfectly, this is not the ship for you. Islander is a 24 year old ship that has been beautifully renovated by MAS. However she's got warts and things that may not always work correctly, like automatic doors. But she has a lot of charm including original Teak decks both on Deck 4 and the cabin balconies. I LOVED having teak on our balcony, it's so rare anymore. This ship will definitely draw from Carnival along with NCL and Royal Caribbean folks who want a cheaper alternative. This is probably not an "every cruise" cruise line, but a nice alternative to add to the mix. I highly recommend getting the priority boarding upgrade. Islander is the largest ship to homeport in Tampa using the smallest terminal. The Fire Marshal kept stopping the line due to maximum folks being inside. Nothing Islander can do about that, though I did send some suggestions to the team, suggesting they incorporate the Virgin Voyages corrals to alleviate the congestion. The Cabins are lovely, we had both a Breezy Balcony and an Extended Balcony. On the deck plans they look identical, but the Extended Balcony is about twice as deep as the Breezy. We were told they took them down to bare bones and it shows. The bathrooms are original, but were fully restored. Did I mention, there is TEAK on the balconies.It's so great to see teak being kept and restored on these ships. You may have seen posts about toilets that would stop working. That's becuase they descaled the entire system during the crossing and it turned out to be a mistake. As the team explained to us, when you do that, you must continually flush the system to move all the deposits out of the pipes. Nobody was on the ship during the crossing or really until we all got on board June 12. They expect the system to fully work itself out shortlly if it has not already. Muster Drill was hilarious on the Inaugural, we had not been part of an 'old school' muster since about 2016. It was very quick, only about 15 minutes, and the crew made it fun. Yes you're in the heat for 15 minutes, but the same people complaining about that are also going to be spending hours on the outdoor decks upstairs, so what's the difference? Food started out mostly cold and room temperature but improved over the course of the 6 nights to the point where the last night dinner was perfect in Fins Dining Room. VP of F&B Eric told me they were working through some issues that did not come up until the systems were stressed with actual guests. Frank and Lola's Pizza is awesome. Cheeseburger in Paradise might be better than Guy's though Guy's has more choices. Far Side Sushi was good and Mexican Cutie Cantina was good. Overall the flavors were good with most of the dishes, it was the temperature that needed correcting and it looks like they are on their way to getting that corrected. The buffet is not very inspiring but you won't go hungry. There are 13 lounges and bars. Each has their own take on a Margarita so try your own Margarita Crawl. Hemisphere Dancer Craft Bar was my favorite. I didn't expect a high quality craft bar on this ship, but it was great. Smoky Old Fashioned is delicious! Pools and top deck areas were lovely, really fun Jimmy Buffet Vibe. Music was over the top loud at times, but I guess that's expected these days. Really fun mini golf course and a cool corn hole 8 part course. Of course Pickelball is on the top deck too. Conky Tonkin was a fabulous live show and I was really impressed with everything they could do with the stage. Multiple lifts and rotation were unexpected from that ship. Caribbean Remix you may or may not enjoy. It was a miss for us, but it was obvious folks in the audience enjoy it. Music throughout the ship was lovely, they have a lot of live performers in a variety of styles. Zee Jay was an AWESOME cruise director! Overall a very fun and cost effective cruise that you can book for 4, 5, 6, or 7 nights. We'll be back in Sept / Oct and we have a Grand Terrace Corner Suite booked for February. Again, she's not a perfect ship and they have issues with Embarkation / Debarkation due to big ship, small terminal. But they will get it figured out. I'm really looking forward to where MAS goes next! 9 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retired dude Posted June 24 #2 Share Posted June 24 sounds a little to carnivalistic to us, we thank you for the review and the pics, but i think we will stick with rccl and celebrity for now. Wife and i are from cincy and were true parrotheads with dozens of evenings with JB so we will try to keep those wonderful memories intact. life is good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KINGBOBOFTHENORTH Posted June 24 #3 Share Posted June 24 Thanks for the report! Appreciate you taking the time to tell us about it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted June 24 #4 Share Posted June 24 Here's the mark of a great review: I had never considered MAS before, but I immediately went to their website to look into Islander cruises. We have Eastern Carib booked on Silversea for January 2026, and one of these Western Carib cruises might nestle just before – and make a very interesting comparison! [And with Silversea's recent cutbacks, the outcome isn't as certain as one might suppose, especially on value-for-money...] 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toad455 Posted June 24 #5 Share Posted June 24 When do they start doing 7 day cruises? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare angelsil Posted June 24 #6 Share Posted June 24 I hope you come back and let us know how your suite cruise goes. I'm booked with my friends for a girl's weekend cruise in one of the Signature suites next March. It's been challenging to nail down what we actually get for the cabin class. Not stressed, though. Four days at sea with friends and margaritas is all I'm after. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseAdict218 Posted June 24 #7 Share Posted June 24 Great review, love pictures. Really want to try them out soon, since I enjoyed my Carnival Pride sailing so I’m exciting to see a different take on a Spirit Class ship. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisingWalter Posted June 25 Author #8 Share Posted June 25 On 6/23/2024 at 8:21 PM, retired dude said: sounds a little to carnivalistic to us, we thank you for the review and the pics, but i think we will stick with rccl and celebrity for now. It was interesting meeting so many Carnival folks onboard the ship who wanted to see how MAS renovated the Spirit Class ship. Most of those actually preferred what MAS did with the colors and overall renovation. But if you're really set on Celebrity and Royal, you may not like this ship, she's not as well oiled a machine as Celebrity and Royal. Especially Celebrity, those ships are amazing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisingWalter Posted June 25 Author #9 Share Posted June 25 22 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said: Here's the mark of a great review: I had never considered MAS before, but I immediately went to their website to look into Islander cruises. We have Eastern Carib booked on Silversea for January 2026, and one of these Western Carib cruises might nestle just before – and make a very interesting comparison! [And with Silversea's recent cutbacks, the outcome isn't as certain as one might suppose, especially on value-for-money...] Thanks so much for the kind words, I'm glad you were intrigued. But Silversea and Islander? Um... no comparison I'm afraid. 🙂 That would be like me comparing Oceania to the Islander. They're not even remotely the same. The new Silversea Nova is just a gem of a ship. Islander is awesome for what it is. A lower cost, fun escape to the Western Caribbean that unabashedly there for enjoyment. And with a fleet of ships on the way, it's going to be exciting to see how this cruise line impacts the Florida landscape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisingWalter Posted June 25 Author #10 Share Posted June 25 9 hours ago, toad455 said: When do they start doing 7 day cruises? 6 and 7 nighters are available in 2025. Just check the website. We are on the Valentine's Sailing February 11 for 6 nights in Group cruise. 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisingWalter Posted June 25 Author #11 Share Posted June 25 8 hours ago, angelsil said: I'm booked with my friends for a girl's weekend cruise in one of the Signature suites next March. We had some nearby our Extended Balcony and were able to get a quick peek into the cabins. They look pretty much spot on to the renderings. That's what was really impressive about all the cabins, they translated from the renderings beautifully. The Suite Perks are in the Cabin Description. They're pretty basic, much like Carnival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisingWalter Posted June 25 Author #12 Share Posted June 25 4 hours ago, CruiseAdict218 said: Really want to try them out soon, since I enjoyed my Carnival Pride sailing so I’m exciting to see a different take on a Spirit Class ship. I'd love to see your take on that. We were hanging out with This Cruise Life for most of the second cruise and they were just awestruck by the Islander. They have sailed almost every Carnival ship now with the Spirit Class being their favorite. They loved the public spaces onboard the Islander, they're so vibrant and fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare angelsil Posted June 25 #13 Share Posted June 25 Just now, CruisingWalter said: We had some nearby our Extended Balcony and were able to get a quick peek into the cabins. They look pretty much spot on to the renderings. That's what was really impressive about all the cabins, they translated from the renderings beautifully. The Suite Perks are in the Cabin Description. They're pretty basic, much like Carnival. From the folks on the earlier voyages, there has been some confusion (on my end at least) on whether the mini bar - the booze in the cabin - is included or must be purchased for the Signature suites. This is important for my planning. 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ew101 Posted June 26 #14 Share Posted June 26 Lovely job thanks. This line fills a niche - those who don't have $6,000 a week cruise budget and demands to match 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisingWalter Posted June 26 Author #15 Share Posted June 26 On 6/24/2024 at 9:22 PM, angelsil said: From the folks on the earlier voyages, there has been some confusion (on my end at least) on whether the mini bar - the booze in the cabin - is included or must be purchased for the Signature suites. This is important for my planning. 🤣 There should not be any confusion. In the online description for the Suites, Margaritaville At Sea uses the word "Complimentary" for multiple amenities. Mini Bar is not one of them. It's simply listed as being available. So without the word "Complimentary" in front of it, I would expect to pay for the items I use in the Mini Bar. A Mini Bar is not supplied in standard staterooms so the fact that they list it there would be normal as a differentiator from the standard cabins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edspec Posted June 29 #16 Share Posted June 29 Great review, concise and balanced. I've been thinking of trying Islander and this pushes me a little closer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoundForSea Posted July 2 #17 Share Posted July 2 (edited) I really hope MAS continues this success and this raised quality of ship and experience. Paradise was a really rough start (let’s be honest) and transition from the Kevin Sheehan Bahamas Paradise Line, however this is a game changer. If MAS can keep the quality and value from slowly dropping, not raise prices and expand the fleet with equally as great returns we could have a driving force finally in the FL short and medium cruise stage length industry to finally stop the madness in uncontrollable price hikes that the big 5 have been pushing down our throats, along with driving the value of the experience down and down. I hope they are successful and will bring some mitigation to the market prices. NCL and RCL can keep their 3k$ prices for 4 night cruises. No thanks. I’m happy for the line and can’t wait to board her on a 4-5ni. Great review as well!!! Edited July 3 by BoundForSea 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare wasidremin Posted July 3 #18 Share Posted July 3 So just wondering if you have any updated pic of the Menus/Bar Menus. The ones stickied are a year old from the other ship. We are going on the Islander on Sunday and I am happy to hear things are starting to get worked out! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toad455 Posted July 5 #19 Share Posted July 5 If the Islander is successful, I think they look to add a third ship and HomePort it out of Port Canaveral or Jacksonville and do longer cruises to the Bahamas, Key West and the Eastern Caribbean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KINGBOBOFTHENORTH Posted July 5 #20 Share Posted July 5 4 hours ago, toad455 said: If the Islander is successful, I think they look to add a third ship and HomePort it out of Port Canaveral or Jacksonville and do longer cruises to the Bahamas, Key West and the Eastern Caribbean. Well I predicted on CruiseCritic that we'd never see a 2nd ship, yet here we are. Of course the jury is now out on how successful that will be. They've got a LOT of cabins to sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pr8hd Posted July 6 #21 Share Posted July 6 On 7/3/2024 at 3:49 PM, wasidremin said: So just wondering if you have any updated pic of the Menus/Bar Menus. The ones stickied are a year old from the other ship. We are going on the Islander on Sunday and I am happy to hear things are starting to get worked out! Enjoy the trip. Any changes due to Beryl? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisingWalter Posted July 7 Author #22 Share Posted July 7 On 7/5/2024 at 12:23 PM, toad455 said: If the Islander is successful, I think they look to add a third ship and HomePort it out of Port Canaveral or Jacksonville and do longer cruises to the Bahamas, Key West and the Eastern Caribbean. A third ship is already in the works. I don't think I'm permitted to say publicly how many ships were mentioned by the executives in a few conversations we had, but there is a fleet of ships planned for the future. This could be really interesting for the Caribbean, and beyond, cruise market. These ships can go through the Panama Canal so that opens up some really interesting future possibilities. 🙂 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisingWalter Posted July 7 Author #23 Share Posted July 7 On 7/5/2024 at 4:41 PM, KINGBOBOFTHENORTH said: Well I predicted on CruiseCritic that we'd never see a 2nd ship, yet here we are. Of course the jury is now out on how successful that will be. They've got a LOT of cabins to sell. Ship 3 is already in the works. 🙂 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruisingWalter Posted July 7 Author #24 Share Posted July 7 On 6/29/2024 at 8:43 AM, edspec said: Great review, concise and balanced. I've been thinking of trying Islander and this pushes me a little closer. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mandyleighflies Posted July 8 #25 Share Posted July 8 On 7/7/2024 at 7:22 AM, CruisingWalter said: A third ship is already in the works. I don't think I'm permitted to say publicly how many ships were mentioned by the executives in a few conversations we had, but there is a fleet of ships planned for the future. This could be really interesting for the Caribbean, and beyond, cruise market. These ships can go through the Panama Canal so that opens up some really interesting future possibilities. 🙂 This is EXCITING news!! We are Loyal to Royal folks typically but I sailed on Paradise last month and truly enjoyed it. I am currently looking at Islander sailings for possibly the end of this month also. They are great cruises that as someone said earlier "fill a niche" in the market. We are getting tired of paying $3-4k for weekend "getaway" cruises, that amount used to get us a balcony room on a 7 night cruise. I look forward to watching MAS grow and maybe take a "bite" out of the cruise market competition. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now