| Margaritaville at Sea | |
| Foundation: | 2014 as Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line 2021 as Margaritaville at Sea (as a cruise line) |
| Location: | Deerfield Beach, Florida, United States |
| Key People: | Christopher Ivy (CEO) |
| Area Served: | The Bahamas, The Caribbean |
| Former Name: | Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line |
| Industry: | Tourism |
| Products: | Cruises |
Margaritaville at Sea (formerly Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line) is a cruise line that operates cruises out of Florida to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. The company was incorporated in 2018 as Classica Cruise Operator Limited Incorporated. Originally founded as Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line in late 2014, they began operating its first cruises in February 2015 with the now retired Grand Celebration, and later in 2018 with the addition of the Grand Classica. In May 2022, the company was rebranded to Margaritaville at Sea following a partnership between Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville brand. The Grand Classica was refurbished and renamed the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. In 2024, a second ship was acquired; the former Costa Atlantica was also refurbished and renamed the Margaritaville at Sea Islander. Before the cruise line's rebranding, Margaritaville at Sea was previously a small chain of Margaritaville-style restaurants and bars that were included or later added to the newer Norwegian Cruise Line ships starting in 2015 with the Norwegian Escape. The partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line ended in late 2019. The restaurants were later unbranded and converted into other dining venues.[1] [2]
The cruise line was formed after Celebration Cruise Line ceased operations following a grounding incident that left its only ship, the, damaged beyond repair.[3] Former Celebration Cruise Line executives formed Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and purchased the Costa Celebration to take over the route formerly operated by the Bahamas Celebration.[4] [5] The cruise line's first cruise was scheduled to depart on February 1, 2015. Due to technical difficulties, the voyage was cancelled. Repairs were made and the ship set sail on February 3.[6]
The company is currently majority-owned by the family of former Norwegian Cruise Line President and former CEO Kevin Sheehan.[7]
On September 19, 2017 the Federal Emergency Management Agency chartered the ship for a 90-day period through December 2017 to house the National Guard in St. Thomas, which was devastated by Hurricane Irma.[8] The ship returned to service on December 23, 2017.
It was announced in December 2017 that the cruise line purchased the former Costa Cruises ship Costa neoClassica. It entered service on April 13, 2018 as the Grand Classica.[9]
Beginning in September 2019, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line began running Humanitarian missions to Grand Bahama Island in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.[10]
In November 2020, the cruise line sold Grand Celebration to an undisclosed buyer,[11] and in January 2021 she was beached in Alang for scrapping.[12]
In September 2021, all cruises were cancelled as Grand Classica was chartered to Entergy in New Orleans to house over 1500 workers restoring power to the area following Hurricane Ida.
On December 8, 2021, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville announced the partnership with the cruise line to rebrand it as Margaritaville at Sea while still retaining the same ownership and CEO as before. The last voyage under Bahamas Paradise took place on April 16, 2022. Upon the completion of the final cruise, the Grand Classica sailed to the Grand Bahama Shipyard for a rebranding and refit of the ship's interiors and venues to be themed under the Margaritaville brand. During the refit, the ship was renamed the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. It began sailing for the rebranded line on April 30.[13] [14] It continues to offer two-night cruises, and additional three- and four-night cruises from the Port of Palm Beach to Freeport, Bahamas and Key West, Florida.[15]
On December 4, 2023, Margaritaville at Sea announced that a second ship would be acquired and sail four- and five-night cruises to Key West and Mexico from the Port Tampa Bay.[16] The ship is a sprit-class cruise ship previously operated by Costa Cruises, and was renamed to the Margaritaville at Sea Islander. The ship's inaugural sailing for the company was on June 14, 2024.[17]
| Ship | Class | Built | In service | Capacity | Tonnage | Flag | Homeport | Notes | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current fleet | ||||||||||
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | 1991 | 2018 - present | 1,308 | 52,926 GT | Port of Palm Beach | Renamed the Margaritaville Paradise in April 2022. It began sailing for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line as the Grand Classica in 2018. Prior to that, the ship was the Costa NeoClassica and originally the Costa Classica that operated for Costa Cruises.[18] | ||||
| Margaritaville at Sea Islander | Spirit class | 2000 | 2024 - present | 2,680 | 85,619 GT | Port Tampa Bay | Originally transferred to Adora Cruises in 2020, but in October 2023, it was sold to Margaritaville at Sea.[19] Prior to that, the ship was the Costa Atlantica that operated for Costa Cruises. | |||
| Former fleet | ||||||||||
| 1987 | 2015–2020 | 1,496 | 47,262 GT | Operated for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line prior to the rebranding. Previously was the Celebration for Carnival Cruise Lines, Grand Celebration for Ibero Cruises, and Costa Celebration for Costa Cruises. The ship was purchased on November 21, 2014, one day before she was to operate for Costa Cruises.[20] In November 2020, the company confirmed she had been sold to an undisclosed buyer, in January 2021 she was beached in Alang to be scrapped. | ||||||