As a travel advisor I was recently able to take a tour of the Margaritaville at Sea Islander as it was in port to end one cruise and begin another. I had been on the Paradise that sails out of The Port of West Palm Beach but never the Islander, which sails out of Tampa. I also live in the Tampa area so that’s weird right?
Also, when I was on the Paradise we only had inside cabins as we were sailing with 4 and that’s what can accommodate 4 on that ship. No windows for you if you have more than 3 in a cabin. But it is no problem as we spent very little time in the room other than bedtime. They are, in my opinion, pretty spacious for the cheapest room. Plenty of cabinet space and room to get around.
But that’s not what we’re here to talk and see about is it? Nope. We’re onboard the Islander today. It is larger than the Paradise. Check the graphic below:
While it is larger in everyway you can think of, it still has the same vibe as the Paradise, which I really enjoyed. They did a great job of bringing the Margaritaville spirit to a larger ship. I look forward to trying out the Beachcomber when it starts up in January of 2027. That one is even bigger than the Islander. More on that in later posts, I’m sure.
But let’s get to it shall we.
Here is a breakdown of the different room types and numbers of them on each ship for reference:
| Room type | Islander | Paradise |
|---|---|---|
| Cozy Interior Staterooms | 228 | 216 |
| Ocean View Staterooms | 167 | 430 |
| Balcony Staterooms | 640 | — |
| Serene Junior Suites | — | 2 |
| Grand Terrace Suites | 64 | 10 |
| Signature Grand Suites | 6 | — |
| Total staterooms and suites | 1,105 | 658 |
So as you can see there are about the same amount of interior staterooms, and they upgraded the ocean view rooms to balcony rooms on the Islander. The Paradise only has 12 balcony rooms, whoa! It was a different time when that ship was built for sure. That would never fly, I mean sail, today. There are also many more suites onboard the Islander.
I got to tour most of the room types on the Islander. Let’s make a list and then you can watch the video to see them for yourself. I went into the Wakeview Balcony, Breezy Balcony, Serene Junior Suite, Grand Terrace Corner Suite, Grand Suite, and a Cozy Interior Stateroom.
Here’s the video I made just for you!
Pretty cool, eh? Are you ready to book your cruise and check it out in person? Margaritaville cruises are such a great value and they are so fun! Get in touch with me to discuss your options, I would love to help!
