Margaritaville at Sea has named a very special godmother for the cruise line’s second vessel, Margaritaville at Sea Islander. The honor goes to Savannah Buffett, eldest daughter of the late singer, songwriter, and sailor Jimmy Buffet, who passed away on September 1, 2023.

The choice is a spectacular one, as Savannah carries on her own legacy of maritime culture as well as diverse cultural talents, including acting, literature, and photography. She co-authored two children’s books with her father, has hosted radio shows, and was a back-up singer in the 1998 music video “Jamaica Farewell.”

“We are honored to have Savannah as the Godmother of the Islander as she embodies the lifestyle Jimmy was passionate about: life on the water, great food, entertainment, and everything our guests have come to enjoy while vacationing with Margaritaville at Sea,” said Christopher Ivy, CEO of Margaritaville at Sea.

Savannah will officially christen the new ship when it is ready to set sail in what is sure to be a lively and colorful ceremony befitting the Margaritaville vibe and the ship’s new image.

“I’m beyond excited to be named Godmother of Margaritaville at Sea Islander and look forward to rendering the right concoction of love and luck so she may plow the seas amidst smooth, untroubled waters in search of that one particular harbor,” said Savannah. 

“As a descendent of captains and boat builders, I accept this honor in tribute to the legacy of my seafaring ancestors. Cheers to many a lovely cruise!”

The date and other details of the ship’s naming ceremony have not been announced, but is likely to be close to the ship’s debut in mid-June.

“Jimmy would be thrilled that Savannah is the Godmother of the Islander,” said John Cohlan, CEO of Margaritaville Holdings. “With his eldest daughter holding this honor, the christening of the Islander will be a very, very special day for all of us.”

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Cruise ship christenings typically involve exclusive performances, VIP attendees, various speeches from cruise line executives, blessings for the vessel and all who sail on her, and other memorable activities. The culmination of the event is breaking a bottle of champagne over the ship’s hull in a centuries-old maritime tradition.

Sailing on Margaritaville at Sea Islander

The new cruise ship’s inaugural voyage will depart from Port Tampa Bay on June 14, 2024. The 4-night sailing includes a visit to Cozumel, Mexico, and will also feature two full days at sea for guests to enjoy all the features of the newly renovated ship.

Fan favorites found aboard the cruise line’s first ship, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, will also be found aboard Margaritaville at Sea Islander. This includes pickleball, a Margaritaville-inspired cornhole and mini-golf course, and the famous Cheeseburger in Paradise eatery. The ship also features new, exclusive spaces, including the Caribbean Amphibian Play Pad and Slide.

Formerly Costa Atlantica, the 85,619-gross-ton Margaritaville at Sea Islander is now finishing a full renovation for her new tropical personality, featuring vibrant colors and classic Margaritaville touches. The 12-deck ship can welcome 2,650 passengers for rollicking good times.

In addition to her 4-night sailings to Cozumel, the ship will also offer 5-night cruises that will visit both Key West and Cozumel. Select departure dates will also feature Progreso as a port of call.

In 2025, Margaritaville at Sea Islander will also begin offering select longer itineraries, including 5- and 7-night cruises and expanding port of call offerings to include Costa Maya, Belize, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman.

The ship will remain homeported from Port Tampa Bay year-round at least through 2025.

Passengers eager to experience the Red Sea aboard the first Arabian cruise line can now reserve a stateroom on AROYA Cruises, Saudi Arabia’s inaugural cruise line venture.

Launched by Cruise Saudi, AROYA can accommodate up to 3,362 passengers in 1,678 cabins, including Balcony and Sea View Cabins, Suites, and Villas. The impressive ship stretches over 1,000 feet in length and weighs 151,000 gross tons.

“The launch of our cruise line to commercial markets is an important milestone for both AROYA Cruises and for the tourism landscape in Saudi,” said Dr. Joerg Rudolph, president of AROYA Cruises. “We are thrilled that the public can now book sailings with us as we strive to reinvent the meaning of holidays in Arabia.”

He added, “We have been steadfast in our mission to create a Remarkably Arabian cruise line offering for guests at sea and onshore, commercially and sustainably, and we look forward to sharing this with our passengers.”

The cruise line’s inaugural sailing is set to commence on December 16, 2024. The 3-day roundtrip cruise from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will explore the Red Sea and visit the Cruise Saudi-owned private island for a day on the beach. This announcement comes during a time when multiple cruise lines are cancelling routes via the Red Sea.

Additional 3-day voyages will follow, with similar itineraries offered through May 22, 2025.

Four-day voyages, also roundtrip from Jeddah, launch on December 22, 2024, and call on Egypt’s resort town Sharm El Sheikh, located on the Sinai Peninsula, during the “World of Discoveries” voyage, or Al Aqaba, Jordan, where guests can take excursions to visit Petra during the “Cultures from the Depths of the Sea” journey. These kick off on January 5, 2025.

Three longer cruises are also available, including a 6-night “Legacy of the Desert and the Waves” voyage from Jeddah. Visiting both Al Aqaba and Sharm El Sheik, with an overnight call in the latter, the cruise is available March 31, 2025,

The “From the Shores to a World of Wonders” 7-day voyages, available January 9 and February 20, 2025, add Cairo (Ain Sokhna) to the extended itinerary.

Setting Sail with a Bevy of Amenities and Unique Offerings

The Arabian cruise, which will carry 1,600 crew members, is setting sail as a “floating resort” featuring extensive amenities and entertainment options across its 18 decks. The ship’s entertainment offerings will be diverse, with 20 venues, including a 1,018-seater AROYA Theatre, which will host a variety of performances and movies.

AROYA will also offer a nearly 20,000-square-foot kids’ zone, one of the largest in cruising, with a water park featuring five water slides and a splash zone. There will also be exclusive places for women with dedicated hours, including a swimming pool, gym, and thermal spa. 

The spa, Blossom by AROYA, will be available for men and women and offers a comprehensive range of services in various treatment rooms. 

As an Arabian ship, AYOYA will also feature prayer rooms, including separate rooms for men and women. Also unique will be the more than 17,000-square-foot souk-inspired retail space, which will emulate a traditional Arabian marketplace experience.

AROYA Cruises will include international dining with five complimentary restaurants, 11 specialty restaurants, and 12 cafes and lounges. Notably, IRTH, the first Saudi restaurant at sea, will feature traditional Arabian dining.

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VIP guests can select the Khuzama offerings that include complimentary Internet and Wi-Fi packages, 24-hour in-room dining, and butler service. Exclusive benefits will include preferred services and amenities, from priority boarding, luggage delivery, and disembarkation to priority seat reservations at select entertainment venues.

Khuzama guests will also have access to an exclusive lounge and bar. The category entry begins with 420-square-foot Deluxe Suites, featuring a queen bed and a double sofa bed and balconies that can accommodate four people, and climbs to the 4,219-square-foot Royal Villa, featuring six bedrooms, two living areas, a dining area, a kid’s playroom, and eight bathrooms.

Traditional cabins range from 129-square-foot interior cabins for two to 291-square-foot balcony cabins, which can accommodate up to five people and have a queen bed and a double sofa bed.

Resorts World Cruises, which launched in 2022 to cater to the Asian market, is expanding its global presence. Resorts World One, which was acquired by the new cruise line at the beginning of 2023, will be homeporting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for six months beginning in October of 2024. 

Resorts World One and Genting Dream, which was the first ship to join the new fleet about two years ago, already have a strong presence in Asia. The young cruise line already sails to destinations throughout China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

By embarking on a 6-month deployment in Dubai, the new company intends to expand its reach to the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The 1,856-guest vessel will primarily homeport in Dubai.

Specifically, the 75,338-gross ton ship will dock at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid, which is large enough to accommodate up to seven large cruise ships at once, or around 25,000 passengers at a time – and is currently undergoing an expansion to meet demand. 

As the Middle East’s leading cruise port for the past eight years, it serves as a gateway to the local cuisine, shopping, Dubai’s red sand dunes, museums, and famous sights like the Burj Khalifa, which is the world’s tallest skyscraper. 

But beyond cultivating more of a global presence for the new brand, the goal is to attract a new segment of cruise passengers from Asia, increasing diversity to and boosting the economy in the Arabian Gulf, while also making cruising accessible for Muslim passengers.

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“We are excited to introduce the Resorts World Cruises brand to the Arabian Gulf with the Resorts World One cruise ship. As an international cruise line that is homegrown in Asia, we have decades of valuable experience in the cruise and hospitality sector, especially in catering to the needs of different ethnic and religious markets,” said Mr. Michael Goh, President of Resorts World Cruises. 

“Both cities Dubai and Doha are key international gateways to the Middle East and with the support of the respective local governments, authorities and travel partners, we look forward to further developing cruises to the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” added Goh.

In order to cater to regional Muslim cruisers, Resorts World One is in the process of obtaining her official OIC/SMIIC Standard Halal-Friendly Cruise Ship certification. As part of this, all meat products will be sourced from UAE Halal suppliers, and no pork will be served in any of the ship’s 18 restaurants to avoid any potential cross-contamination. 

In addition, guests will be able to make advance appointments to guarantee they have access to crew members of their same gender for certain onboard services, such as spa treatments. 

The First Arabian Gulf Itineraries From Resorts World Cruises

Resorts World One’s six-month deployment in the Arabian Gulf will begin on October 18, 2024, and last until April 13, 2025. Throughout this time, the ship is scheduled to make 75 port calls and host approximately 150,000 passengers. 

As a new cruise line, this deployment will largely serve as Resorts World Cruises’ introduction to the region. That said, some passengers may already know the Resorts World brand that the cruise line is an extension of – as the parent company owns over 46 luxury properties in 8 countries and 4 continents. 

As of now, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has resulted in numerous cancellations and alterations to cruises bound for the Red Sea region, is not impacting these itineraries. 

From Dubai, the ship will offer 2-night weekend cruises to Sir Bani Yas, UAE, with departures on Fridays; 3-night Oman cruises to Khasab, Oman, and Muscat, Oman, departing on Sundays; and 2-night cruises to Doha, Qatar, departing on Wednesdays.

For guests who want to spend more time at sea, there are flexible options to combine two or all three of the itineraries to increase the cruise length to 4, 5, or 7 nights.

Coinciding with Qatar’s annual school holidays, Resorts World One will temporarily switch its homeport to Doha, Qatar, from October 24 to November 2, 2024. During this window, there will be two separate 2-night, round-trip cruises to Dubai that will embark on October 24 and October 31, as well two five-night sailings based out of Doha that will call on Dubai, Khasab, and Muscat.

All sailings will be all-inclusive, with entertainment, gourmet meals, and onboard experiences like fitness classes, mini golf, dance classes, and even a rope course and 35-meter zipline included in cruise fare.

While the Resorts World Cruises is designed to be luxurious, guests who want to be extra pampered can choose to stay in The Palace, which is like a mini, all-suite hotel on both of the cruise line’s ships. This option even comes with a 24-hour butler service.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, operated by Margaritaville at Sea – formerly Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line – has failed a surprise inspection conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A number of issues were noted during the inspection on May 1, and the ship must now correct those issues or it could be prevented from sailing.

The detailed inspections from the CDC inspect a variety of health and safety issues. Margaritaville at Sea Paradise had concerns noted in 65 different areas, including food preparation in both guest and crew facilities, cleaning procedures, food storage, pool maintenance, plumbing cleanliness, and medical facility cleanliness.

Each violation noted by the inspection team is also given a recommendation for correction as necessary.

For example, the report notes “on several occasions, up to six bathers were noted in each whirlpool. Each whirlpool is designed to have a maximum bather load of 4 persons.” The associated recommendation is to “ensure the maximum passenger bather load number is not exceeded, so the proper halogen and pH values are not adversely affected.”

Potable water lines servicing the ship’s medical facility, garbage room, and engine room all received violations, as did lines servicing select guest cabin areas. These violations included blocked vents, improper marking of the lines, and excessive corrosion.

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For food preparation, crew training was examined and found lacking in several areas. For example, crew members appeared unable to ensure that the proper concentration of antimicrobial solutions for cleaning fruits and vegetables was used.

Several freezers and coolers were not maintaining the proper temperatures for safe guidelines or were out of service, as were several deep fat fryers. Even if such items are not being used, it is an inspection violation that they are not in proper repair.

Poor seals on refrigerators, incorrect fasteners on bar soda guns, torn plastic covers, an empty soap dispenser at a handwashing station, dirty deck space underneath equipment, ice buildup in a freezer, decks in bad condition, and insufficient lighting in some areas were all different violations reported aboard the ship.

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In total, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise‘s score was calculated at 83. The CDC considers any score of 85 or lower to be unsatisfactory. The cruise line will implement as many corrective options as possible and submit a report on their efforts, after which a new surprise inspection will be held to verify those corrections.

Despite the intensity of the inspections, it is possible for cruise ships to receive perfect 100 scores. So far in 2024, ships from Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and Viking Cruises have all received perfect stores.

Previous Inspections

This is not the first time Margaritaville at Sea Paradise has failed a CDC inspection. In July 2019, the ship scored only 81. At that time, a number of corrections were made prior to the next inspection.

More recently, the ship scored 87 in May 2023, 91 in October 2022, and 88 in October 2019 – the first inspection following her previous failure.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise is currently the only ship sailing for Margaritaville at Sea. She is homeported from West Palm Beach, offering 2-night sailings to Freeport, Bahamas. Later this year, the ship’s offerings will expand to include 3- and 4-night itineraries. The 3-night sailings will feature a full day at sea, while the 4-night cruises will also visit Key West.

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The ship debuted in 1991 as Costa Classica for Costa Cruises, before being sold into service for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line as Grand Classica in 2018. In 2022, the cruise line rebranded as Margaritaville at Sea and the ship was renovated for that new ambience.

The 52,926-gross-ton Margaritaville at Sea Paradise can host 1,308 guests at double occupancy or as many as 1,680 travelers when fully booked.

The small cruise line is growing and a second vessel – Margaritaville at Sea Islander – is scheduled to begin offering 4- and 5-night sailings from Tampa from June 14. Depending on cruise length and sailing date, the ship will be visiting Cozumel, Progreso, and Key West.

Margaritaville at Sea Islander is the former Costa Atlantica, built in 2000. The 85,619-gross-ton ship can welcome 2,114 guests at double occupancy, or up to 2,680 passengers when fully booked.