Cruise Line Expands Hugely Popular ‘Heroes Sail Free’ Program

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Margaritaville at Sea will be increasing availability for its “Heroes Sail Free” program, following the overwhelming success of the program since it launched last month.

Under the program, Margaritaville at Sea offers all active military servicemen and women, first responders, and educators a free cruise onboard its Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruise ship.

With more than 30,000 heroes and their guests booked in the first month, the company is adding additional cruises and capacity to accommodate everyone who qualifies under the program. 

Heroes Sail Free Expanded

The Heroes Sail Free program that Palm Beach-based cruise line Margaritaville at Sea introduced on September 7 has proven to be a huge success. Since the start, 30,000 active U.S. military service members and veterans, police, fire, EMS personnel, nurses, and educators have booked themselves on one of the free cruises. 

The Jimmy Buffet-inspired Margaritaville at Sea offers the program in cooperation with GovX.com, a members-only website which thousands of products from hundreds of brands at exclusive, below-retail pricing. 

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise
Photo Courtesy: Margaritaville at Sea

The website caters exclusively to active and veteran U.S. military, firefighters, law enforcement officers, federal agents, healthcare workers, and personnel from related government agencies.

The program received a great deal of attention in the mainstream media. In fact, so much attention was generated that the program quickly filled up. To avoid anyone having to miss out on the program, Margaritaville at Sea and GovX are now adding more voyages to the program.

“Within weeks of the launch, we were pleasantly surprised to see more than 30,000 Heroes and their guests rush to book their free cruise, but that filled nearly all available staterooms in the program through 2023,” said Kevin Sheehan, Jr., President and CEO of Margaritaville at Sea. “Now we’re able to continue supporting our Heroes, which is more deserved than ever, by welcoming them to always sail for free when traveling with a paying guest.”

Margaritaville at Sea Cruise Ship
Photo Courtesy: Margaritaville at Sea

Some spaces are left on the current inventory, but places quickly fill up. Qualified Heroes sailing as single or double occupancy should aim to book by October 11:

“Additional Heroes-only sailings will be offered at a later date, so we encourage everyone to follow us on social media for the latest information and other offers.” Sheehan continued. 

“The response to the ‘Heroes Sail Free’ program has been beyond our greatest expectations,” said Alan Cole, CEO of GovX. “We applaud Margaritaville at Sea for expanding the program and are thrilled to continue booking these cruises through 2023 and beyond.”

Margaritaville at Sea

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line was rebranded last year to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville at Sea. The company offers a 3-day, 2-night cruise to Grand Bahama Island from Palm Beach, Florida, onboard its only cruise ship, the 52,926 gross tonnes Margaritaville at Sea Paradise.

To qualify for a free cruise, guests should be registered members of GovX.com. The offer is open to all active members of the party but does not extend to any other people in the travel party. Anyone who books through October 4 will also receive a complimentary Ocean View upgrade. 

Onboard Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, guests will find all the amenities they would expect onboard a cruise ship. These include WB Prime Steakhouse and the 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill, pools, retail stores, a spa, a casino, and a theater show written and produced by Jimmy Buffet himself. 

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Robert McGillivray
Robert McGillivray
Robert has been involved in the cruise industry since January 2007. He joined his first ship, the Seabourn Pride, in Miami Florida, and never looked back. Robert started his cruise career as a bar-waiter and worked his way up to being a corporate trainer for the same luxury 6-star cruise line. After a short break from ships in 2013, Robert has worked as a Hotel Director onboard several different cruise ships worldwide and even in Antarctica, and on the North Pole. As a writer for Cruise Hive Robert stays on top of all current developments and brings you breaking news, facts, and special reports. As an avid traveler and photographer, Robert has visited no less than 101 countries worldwide and stepped on to his 7th continent on his 30th birthday. His photos have been published by news media like Bloomberg and The New York Times, and are used by Celebrity and Azamara Cruise lines for their promotional materials. Robert currently resides in the Philippines on the tropical island of Panglao, with his wife and two daughters. Find out more about us here.

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