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I have some thoughts on who might enjoy the Margaritaville at Sea Islander!

I’m not going to bury the lead here — the Islander is a surprisingly great option for families. There are lots of pool areas, and the plethora of fast-casual food options means you aren’t tied to a traditional dining room. MAS has a kids club program similar to other cruise lines. (Don’t worry, adults — there’s an 18+ area on the back of the ship with a pool just for you. It even has a tiki bar!)

It won’t surprise you that the Islander is a great option for Jimmy Buffett fans. The theming is impeccable, from the names of venues (and even decks!) to the graphics throughout the ship. The Islander’s “speakeasy” experience, Quietly Making Noise, was so awesome for this Buffett fan that it deserves its own blog post. By my estimate, about 50-60% of the music played on the ship was Jimmy’s, including some of the less popular b-sides and unreleased songs.

Something that might surprise you is that the Islander is a great choice for craft cocktail fans. You might think that this ship is only about margaritas and Jimmy’s Landshark beer (which is a surprisingly tasty lager, btw), but you’ll find a variety of drink menus at different bars throughout the ship. That’s a nice change from legacy cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival, which often have the same menus at each bar. I’ll put some pictures of the cocktail menus at the end of this post.

In my opinion, I think there’s something for just about everyone on the Margaritaville at Sea Islander. It’s not my first choice for foodies or someone who’s looking for a luxury vacation, though they apparently have some nice suites that I’d like to check out some time.