5 Night Caribbean Cruise on the Islander, Margaritaville at Sea's Newest Ship

The Islander cruises from the Port of Tampa in Florida. If you are looking for pre and post trip accommodations, I highly recommend JW Marriott Tampa Water Street. Situated just a short distance away from the cruise terminal, makes it an ideal hotel to relax before and after your sailing. Although they do not offer a hotel shuttle, there are an abundance of ride share services available. TECO's Streetcar system also has a station directly in front of the hotel. You will need to allow for a longer travel time, but it is a fun, free option to get to and from the ship.

Image 1: Theme night, drop the trop ; Image 2: Key West

Fortunately for us, Tampa is in our backyard. We prepaid for self-parking which was located directly in front of the terminal. We found it to be efficient and easy to navigate in and out of the lot.

Our boarding time was scheduled for 11:30 to 12. We arrived closer to 12 and because of this, did not have to wait long before checking in to board the ship. I would not recommend getting there much earlier than your scheduled time because you may end up just waiting. Water bottles are allowed on board however make sure they are empty before you go through security. I highly recommend upgrading to a package that includes express check-in. We did not have the express boarding and waited quite some time to get on board. I think this could be more efficient if they had separate lines for those with passports and those with birth certificates. I also recognize this was only their fourth sailing and some of the kinks were still to be worked out.

Image 1: Favorite lounge for cocktails ; Image 2: Pool deck

Once on board, we were able to drop off our belongings and start exploring the beautiful ship. We registered our kids (14 and 11) for the kids clubs and decided to purchase the drink package. The package was the same price on board as prior to sailing which was definitely worth it, as the cocktails were amazing!

We opted for Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar for lunch, which was the first of many visits for a delicious burger. The other free options were the Port of Indecision Buffet and the Mexican Cutie Cantina for tacos. The buffet offered a salad bar, hot dogs, soup and a few other items. We found this to be lacking compared to other cruise lines but the burgers and ice cream were always a win.

For dinner, we mostly ate at Finn's, the main dining room. We found getting there right when it opened at 5:30 avoided having to wait to be seated. The food here was okay; some nights better than others. The service did seem a bit slow usually taking at least an hour for the meal. For this reason, we opted to eat at the buffet one night and discovered that the buffet menu was basically the same items as in the dining room. We did not try any of the up-charge restaurants. I heard very good things about the JW Steakhouse and will add this to my list for next time. The Islander dining room always offered a few more additional items than what Finn's offered. The Islander dining room is included for suites and some premium balcony rooms.

Our first port of call was Key West. We reserved an electric golf cart in advance through HydroThunder rentals. I am thankful for having done this as there were families in front of us being turned away because they did not have any more carts available. We spent the day exploring the island and were able to cover a lot of ground. July in the keys is very hot and my kids definitely enjoyed the open air vehicle to stay cool and not have to walk everywhere!

Originally, we were scheduled to go to Progreso, Mexico. However, Hurricane Beryl had other plans for us and the captain rerouted us to Nassau, Bahamas. Although it was disappointing to miss Progreso, I was quite relieved to be in smooth waters. Nassau was a beach day for us. We took a short walk through the shops to Junkanoo Beach where we spend a few hours in the water.

We had a total of two sea days during our trip. There were times that I questioned if the ship was moving because it was so smooth the entire time. There are two family pools and one adult-only pool. As expected, they got pretty crowded on sea days. My biggest complaint of the trip was that guests would get up very early and claim loungers by the pool and then not return for hours. We never had a problem finding a lounger on the deck above. However, there was no shade and it was more of an annoyance when wanting to cool down. On a more positive note, The Landshark Bar on deck 10 (above the pool) served drinks in aluminum cups. This kept our drinks much colder than the clear plastic cups from the bars on deck nine. I'll call that a win!

There was plenty of entertainment to keep you busy, if that is what you like. They offered dance classes, bingo, family games and karaoke throughout the day. The nightly shows that we attended were impressive. They had two themed nights, Boots and Bubbles and Drop the Trop (Tropical night), both of which were fun. We found a mix of people who participated and some who did not. The cruise atmosphere was very laid back. On the back of the ship there was also a pickle ball court, miniature golf, and a fun cornhole/mini golf combo and water slide.

My teen used the teen club more so than my 11-year-old. They both attended the activities on the first day of the cruise. This helped them to meet friends that they then spend the remainder of the days together. Each night there was a dedicated time in the dance club for just the teens. This was definitely a fun time for them but it is limited to ages 13-17.

I am not a huge drinker but I have to say the cocktails were amazing. If you are a wine drinker, I did find this to be a little lacking. The Hemisphere Lounge was my favorite for unique cocktails and espresso martinis! Jolly at the pool bar was one of the most personable staff I met on the ship. After only one short interaction, I was greated the next day with "Hi Sara, from Tampa!" If you plan to drink more than five drinks a day, than the drink package is well worth it. If not, you can pay as you go.

A few things to mention. We brought snacks and are glad that we did. There are not a lot of 24 hour food options like on other lines. At night, after dinner, pizza was the only option. And although it was delicious, there were often lines to wait for it. It would have been nice to have a few other options to choose from.

Our family stayed in connecting Breezy Balcony rooms on deck seven (7222 and 7226). This was great for us as it gave the kids their own space. They do have some balcony rooms that fit families of four, but at the time of our booking they were no longer available. The interior rooms look spacious, and the suites come with some added benefits.

Overall, we had a positive experience and we will definitely sail again with Margaritaville at Sea.

I recommend Margaritaville at Sea for families and anyone looking to get away for a casual, laid back vacation.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to the Caribbean. In need of further inspiration? Check out Heather Budd’s guide, A Caribbean Christmas in Grenada.