Margaritaville at Sea is poised to expand its footprint substantially, later in 2026, when it takes delivery of its third vessel, Beachcomber. Sailings will begin in January 2027, with the ship operating 7-to-10-night itineraries from PortMiami to Eastern Caribbean ports of call. Beachcomber is the former 2003-built Costa Fortuna.
This complements the deployment of Margaritaville at Sea Paradise from West Palm Beach and Margaritaville at Sea Islander from the Port of Tampa, giving the relative newcomer cruise line a hold on three distinct homeports in the state of Florida.
In the meantime, the line just finished a substantial refit of the 1991-built Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. Built as Costa Classica for Costa Cruises, Paradise now boasts a number of new features, including a completely redesigned Euphoria Lounge, an upgraded casino, a permanent tattoo parlour, and a brand-new food concept, the High Tide Market Food Hall.
In addition, Margaritaville at Sea spent considerable time upgrading and enhancing Paradise’s pool deck, public spaces, and technical spaces. The ship returned to service in late January from the Port of West Palm Beach.
The line also announced a new partnership with the Zac Brown Band, sponsoring their upcoming “Love and Fear Tour” as a headlining partner. The alliance with the Grammy Award–winning southern rock group will further bolster the company’s brand awareness.
After starting as a one-ship operation in 2021,Margaritaville at Sea has found a niche in the Caribbean and Bahamas market out of Florida. Initially offering only two-night jaunts to Freeport, the line has, in recent years, expanded into three and four-night sailings with Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, and weeklong sailings aboard Margaritaville at Sea Islander. Its sailings and original product offering have appealed to the value-driven passenger as an alternative to other mainstream offerings like Carnival Cruise Line and MSC Cruises, while continuing to grow its business with crossover clientele from its Resorts and Hotels product on-shore.
Having Beachcomber operate from PortMiami further increases the visibility of Margaritaville at Sea and its unique product offerings, while acquiring previous tonnage sourced mostly from Costa Crusies has allowed the line to expand rapidly without the need to wait in line for newbuilds, focusing instead on extensive refits to create authentic experiences onboard.
With the refurbishment of Paradise and the introduction of Beachcomber at the end of the year, Margaritaville at Sea is poised for increased growth and popularity as it enters its fifth year in business. No longer a bit player, the line is giving value-driven consumers even more choice at some of Florida’s busiest and most popular homeports.
— Aaron Saunders, Digital Editor
