No fuel supplement
The line lists Islander at $0 per person per night as of June 1, 2024 and Paradise at $15 — on a five-night trip for four, that’s $300 you keep.
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Islander, in about 30 seconds
Tampa’s easy-going Margaritaville ship.
Islander is the line’s Tampa ship: 4- to 10-night trips, more than 700 balconies, four kids’ clubs and no fuel supplement.
We score her dining 7.0 and her entertainment 5.5 out of 10 — the food and the theme outrun the hardware.
Book her for a relaxed, themed week — if waterslides and ropes courses are the point, look elsewhere.
Greetings
from
Tampa
from
Tampa
Postcard from the advisor
- Dining7.0 / 10
- Entertainment5.5 / 10
- Sails fromPort Tampa Bay
- Fuel$0 a night
- Best forFamilies, groups
the summary
02
Her scores, in one place
One number per guide, each explained on its own page.
7.0Dining
5.5Entertainment
12categories
Cabins · not scoredSeabound has no cabin-score rubric, so cabins get a comparison table and a matcher instead of a number.Cabin guide →Editorial ratings on Seabound’s fixed rubrics, not guest reviews. How we score.
03
Reasons people pick Islander
The case for her, in six cards.
Balconies are the norm
The line counts more than 700 balcony staterooms out of 1,105 — roughly two in three rooms, so balcony choice runs deep, though popular sailings still sell out.
Suite dinner menu, wider than you’d think
Every suite plus Premium Extended and Wake View balconies list a suite-exclusive dinner menu — that reach is why her dining sits at 7.0.
A club for every kid from 3
Jolly Mon, Parakeets, The Hang Out and The Far Out cover ages 3 to 17, and the line calls them complimentary.
The three-story LandShark Bar
What the line calls the world’s only three-story LandShark Bar climbs from the pool deck to a 360° lookout. Very on-theme.
Tampa, four to ten nights
Four-night Cozumel runs, Key West and Mexico combos, Western Caribbean weeks, and from 2027 her first 8-night voyages.
04
What you give up
Every ship trades something. Here’s Islander’s list, priced where we can.
Hardware is modest
You get one waterslide with a splash pad, three pools and pickleball — we found no ropes course, surf simulator or slide complex on any line page.
Specialty dining is thin
JWB Prime Steakhouse is the one full paid dinner — Far Side Sushi, Island Eats and Tiki Grill are à la carte.
Extras add up
Room service, specialty coffee and soda all cost extra, and the line adds a 20% service charge to most optional purchases.
Sizes aren’t published
The line gives no square footage for any Islander cabin, so you compare categories by occupancy, view and perks.
High Tide Market isn’t here yet
The line’s food hall is announced for Islander in 2027 — until then, casual meals mean the Port of Indecision Buffet.
Built in 2000
Her hull dates to 2000 and the Margaritaville conversion to 2024 — a fact about age, not a verdict on condition, so judge the experience by current guest reports, not the birth year.
05
Specs at a glance
*Starred items come from Cruise Industry News and Wikipedia; the line says only that she was “originally built for Costa Cruises.” Everything else is from the line’s deck plan and releases.
- Former name
- Costa Atlantica (2000–2023)*
- Built
- 2000, Kvaerner Masa-Yards*
- Converted
- Harland & Wolff, Belfast, 2024*
- First Islander cruise
- June 14, 2024
- Gross tonnage
- 85,861
- Length / beam
- 960 ft / 127 ft
- Guests
- 2,650 / 2,680
- Crew
- 920
- Passenger decks
- 12
- Staterooms
- 1,105, 700+ balconies
- Cruising speed
- 22 knots
- Homeport
- Port Tampa Bay, Terminal 6
Two numbers that don’t match
Guest capacity is 2,650 in the line’s releases and 2,680 on its deck plan, and neither is labeled double or maximum — use the figure on your quote. The line also calls her atrium “14-story” on a ship with 12 passenger decks.
06
Where she sails, now through 2028
Port Tampa Bay, Cruise Terminal 6, 1333 McKay Street. Pick a year.
Her ship page lists ten itinerary families from Tampa, all 4 to 7 nights:
- 4 nights: Cozumel Express.
- 5 nights: Mexico Duo (Cozumel + Progreso), Key West & Cozumel, Key West & Progreso, and the Bahamas Duo tied to the January 2027 Nassau meet-up.
- 6 nights: Mexico & Western Caribbean (Roatán, Belize, Cozumel).
- 7 nights: Western Caribbean; Key West & Western Caribbean; Jamaica & Western Caribbean (Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel); Key West, Belize & Mexico.
The line’s November 18, 2024 release announced her first 10-day voyage — Grand Cayman, Aruba, Curaçao and Ocho Rios — and added Aruba, Curaçao, Montego Bay and New Orleans from January 2026.
The line announced her first 8-night voyages on April 2, 2025:
- 8-Night Mardi Gras Overnight + Mexico — New Orleans overnight, Progreso, Cozumel.
- 8-Night Jamaica & Western Caribbean — Cozumel, Belize City, Montego Bay, Georgetown.
- Also 7-Night Key West & Mexico, a 5-Night Bahamas Duo (Freeport + Nassau, three sea days) and a 5-Night Key West & Grand Bahama.
High Tide Market is also slated for Islander in 2027 — the line hasn’t named a month, so don’t plan a sailing around it.
Announced October 1, 2026: she stays in Tampa, with a handful of firsts.
- First calls at Limón, Costa Rica and Colón, Panama, on 8-night voyages with Grand Cayman and four sea days.
- A return to New Orleans for Mardi Gras 2028, with an overnight.
- A third year of “Sail the Haunted Seas” at Halloween: New Orleans overnight plus Progreso.
- An International Parrothead Day 5-night to Key West and Bimini, departing June 25, 2028.
Parking, hotels and the drive to Terminal 6 are in our Port Tampa Bay guide.
one night only
07
January 28, 2027: the three-ship Nassau meet-up
On January 28, 2027, all three Margaritaville ships meet in Nassau for a Zac Brown Band concert at the Nassau Cruise Port Amphitheatre.
Islander’s part is a five-night sailing from Tampa to Freeport and Nassau — the concert is for guests on the three participating sailings, not a regular onboard show.
Two things the July 16, 2026 release doesn’t say: whether concert entry is in the fare, and Islander’s exact departure date. VIP packages are sold separately.
It’s a one-off
Don’t book a normal Islander sailing expecting Zac Brown. If you want this one, call us early and we’ll confirm the departure date and what the fare covers.
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What Islander costs on top of the fare
Line-wide fees checked October 9, 2026, then the two Islander bundles worth a look.
Islander has the line’s fee structure with one big difference: no fuel supplement.
Gratuities are automatic for every guest, children included. Suites pay $25 a night instead of $22.
| Charge | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gratuities, staterooms | $22.00 per person, per night | All ships; auto-added, children included |
| Gratuities, suites | $25.00 per person, per night | All ships |
| Fuel supplement | Paradise $15 · Islander $0 · Beachcomber not published | Per person, per night; Paradise and Islander as of June 1, 2024 |
| Service charge on extras | 20% | Room service, spa, specialty dining and drinks, since Feb 1, 2025 |
| Ultimate Beverage Chill | From $49.99 per person, per night + 20% | Every guest 21+ in the cabin must buy; 15 drinks a day, $20 cap per drink |
| Unlimited Soda | $12.00 per person, per night | Souvenir cup and fountain refills |
| Wi-Fi (per device, per night) | $19.99 / $26.99 / $30.99 / $39.99 | Connect, Basic, Premium, Business |
| Drinking age | 21 | Casino 18 |
| Final payment | 76 days (2-5 nights) · 91 days (6-7) · 121 days (8+) | Before sailing |
Islander’s bundles
Islander Signature Chill, from $599 per person for four nights plus 20%: the drink package, one JWB dinner, one Sparkling Brunch, a $150 spa credit, Premium Wi-Fi for one device, express check-in, priority luggage and reserved seats at both production shows. Every adult in the cabin must buy it.
Ultimate Islander Escape, from $799 plus 20%: adds the full dining package, a $200 spa credit and a shore-excursion credit of $100 to $300 depending on trip length.
Cabanas rent from $799 per cruise, non-refundable.
Islander Signature Chill vs. its parts (4 nights)
From-prices for one adult. Untick anything you wouldn’t buy. Express check-in, luggage and show seats aren’t sold separately at a published price, so they aren’t counted. The drink package’s per-night price varies by trip length, so treat this as a floor.
× $239.95
× $55.00
× $19.90
× $150.00
× $123.96
–Bought one by one
$718.80Signature Chill ($599 + 20%)
–Package saves
09
Islander next to her fleetmates and rivals
Inside the fleet, Islander is the middle child: bigger than Paradise, smaller than Beachcomber, and the only one in Tampa.
| Islander | Paradise | Beachcomber (preview) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Sailing since June 2024 | Sailing | Debuts January 2027 |
| Homeport | Tampa | Palm Beach | Miami, then Galveston from Oct 2027 |
| Trip length | 4 to 10 nights | 2 to 5 nights | 4 to 8 nights |
| Built | 2000 | 1991 | 2003 |
| Gross tons | 85,861 | 52,926 | 102,587 |
| Guests (line figure) | 2,650 | 1,680 | 2,702 |
| Fuel supplement | $0 | $15 per person, per night | Not published |
| Balconies | 700+ | Grand Terrace Suites only | See the Beachcomber cabin guide |
| Suite dinner menu | All suites + 2 balcony types | None published | Every suite category, incl. Bridge Wings |
| Casual dining hub | Port of Indecision Buffet (High Tide 2027) | High Tide Market | High Tide Market |
| Dining score | 7.0 | 6.7 | Not yet rated |
| Entertainment score | 5.5 | 5.0 | Not yet rated |
Entertainment, against ships we’ve scored
Wikipedia groups her hull with Carnival’s Spirit class, so Carnival Spirit is the fairest outside comparison. Islander scores ahead of it on entertainment — it’s the bigger, newer ships that stay ahead.
Seabound entertainment scores, same rubric for every ship. Dining comparisons by category live on the Islander dining guide.
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Is Islander your ship?
Answer for your actual group, not your ideal one.
Ship fit check
A preference tool, not a score. Five quick questions.
Where would you rather drive to?
How long a trip?
A Jimmy Buffett theme on every deck sounds…
Big-ship thrills — ropes course, slide complex?
Who’s coming?
11
Our verdict on Islander
Book her if
- You live near Tampa or would rather fly there than to Miami.
- You want a balcony without suite money — she has hundreds.
- Your kids span ages 3 to 17 and need their own clubs.
- You’d rather skip a $15-a-night fuel supplement.
- The Margaritaville theme is half the reason you’re going.
Look elsewhere if
- A ropes course or water park is the main event.
- You want several specialty restaurants to rotate through.
- You need exact cabin sizes before you book.
- You expect free room service or specialty coffee.
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Plan the rest of your Islander trip
Thinking about Islander?
Tell us who’s coming, how long and roughly what you’d spend. We’ll tell you whether Islander, Paradise or another line fits better.
Is Islander good for teens?Islander or Paradise?Which Islander sailing goes to Nassau in January 2027?Does Islander charge a fuel supplement?
A Seabound Journeys advisor checks your question against the line’s current prices for your date.
DiningIslander dining · 7.0/10Every venue scored, and who gets the suite dinner menu.Read it →CabinsIslander cabins, room by roomTwelve categories, occupancy and suite perks.Read it →EntertainmentIslander entertainment · 5.5/10Two original shows, 13 bars and the piano question.Read it →Line guideThe Margaritaville at Sea line guideWhich ship suits whom, plus fees and policies.Read it →FleetmateMargaritaville at Sea ParadiseThe Palm Beach ship, on 2- to 5-night trips.Read it →PreviewMargaritaville at Sea BeachcomberThe 2027 flagship, Miami then Galveston.Read it →Port guidePort Tampa BayParking, hotels and getting to Terminal 6.Read it →FamiliesBest cruise lines for familiesHow the pick changes with kids’ ages.Read it →
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Quick answers
Where does Margaritaville at Sea Islander sail from?
Port Tampa Bay, Cruise Terminal 6, at 1333 McKay Street in Tampa. She sails 4- to 10-night trips to Mexico, Key West, the Bahamas and the Western Caribbean.
What was Islander called before?
Costa Atlantica, built in 2000, according to Cruise Industry News and Wikipedia. The line itself says only that she was originally built for Costa Cruises. She was converted at Harland & Wolff in Belfast and sailed her first Islander cruise on June 14, 2024.
What are Islander’s we score?
Dining 7.0 out of 10 and entertainment 5.5 out of 10, both editorial ratings on Seabound’s weighted rubrics. Cabins aren’t scored; the cabin guide compares categories instead.
Does Islander charge a fuel supplement?
No. The line lists Islander at $0 per person per night as of June 1, 2024, against $15 on Paradise. Gratuities still apply: $22 per person per night in staterooms and $25 in suites.
How many guests does Islander carry?
The line’s releases say 2,650 guests and its deck plan says 2,680 passenger capacity. Neither figure is labeled as double occupancy or maximum. Crew is 920 on the deck plan.
Is Islander part of the January 2027 Nassau concert?
Yes. On January 28, 2027 all three Margaritaville ships meet in Nassau for a Zac Brown Band concert at the Nassau Cruise Port Amphitheatre. Islander’s participating trip is a five-night sailing from Tampa to Freeport and Nassau. It’s a one-time event, and the line hasn’t said whether entry is included in the fare.
Does Islander do 8-night or longer cruises?
Yes. The line announced her first 10-day voyage in November 2024, first 8-night voyages for 2027 including a Mardi Gras New Orleans overnight, and 8-night trips to Limón, Costa Rica and Colón, Panama for 2028.
What kids’ clubs does Islander have?
Four: Jolly Mon, Parakeets, The Hang Out and The Far Out, covering ages 3 to 17. The line’s 2024 release and its fleet kids page give slightly different age bands, so confirm for your child. No under-3 program is published.
Does Islander have High Tide Market?
No, not as of October 2026. The food hall is announced for Islander in 2027 with no month given. She still runs the Port of Indecision Buffet for casual meals.
Is Islander or Paradise better?
Islander is larger, sails longer trips from Tampa, has hundreds of balconies, four kids’ clubs and no fuel supplement. Paradise sails shorter trips from Palm Beach. Seabound scores Islander higher on both dining and entertainment.