Key Aspects:
- Margaritaville at Sea Islander has swapped two port days for her September 5, 2026 departure from Port Tampa Bay.
- The ship will still be visiting all the planned destinations, but the days and times for Aruba and Curacao have been changed.
- The other two ports on the itinerary, Grand Cayman and Jamaica, are not impacted, and there are no homeport time changes.
Itinerary changes can happen to any sailing, and depending on the nature of the change, it can be frustrating for guests who have already made plans for their port visits. For guests onboard an upcoming 10-night sailing of Margaritaville at Sea Islander, what may seem to be relatively minor changes could be more disruptive than anticipated.
The impacted sailing is the ship’s September 5, 2026 departure from Port Tampa Bay. While the cruise will still visit all the planned ports of call, guests are now being notified by email that the order and times are changed for two out of the four destinations.
Originally, the itinerary was as follows:
- Saturday, September 5 – Embarkation at Port Tampa Bay
- Sunday – Day at Sea
- Monday – George Town, Grand Cayman from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Tuesday – Day at Sea
- Wednesday – Willemstad, Curacao from noon to 11 p.m.
- Thursday – Oranjestad, Aruba from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday – Day at Sea
- Saturday – Ocho Rios, Jamaica from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Sunday – Day at Sea
- Monday – Day at Sea
- Tuesday, September 15 – Debarkation at Port Tampa Bay
While most of the itinerary is the same, the days in Curacao and Aruba have been swapped. The 2,114-guest Margaritaville at Sea Islander will now visit Aruba on Wednesday, September 9 followed by Curacao on Thursday, September 10.
Change May Be More Disruptive Due to Time Adjustments
The change in days can certainly be disruptive to guests who may have planned shore tours or other activities in port. While cruise lines will typically change any pre-booked tours booked through the line automatically (or cancel and refund them if necessary), not all independent tour operators may accommodate the change. Guests will need to reach out to their tour operators for options.
It is a change in visit times, however, that may be even more upsetting to some guests.
In Aruba, rather than visiting from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the ship will now be docked from 2-11 p.m. Meanwhile in Curacao, instead of being docked from noon to 11 p.m., the ship will be visiting from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Overall, these time changes are a one-hour loss of overall port time in each port, but it isn’t the shortened visit that may be most upsetting.
Guests who may have preferred early morning activities in Aruba, such as enjoying the beach, hiking, or more active tours when the temperature is cooler, will now have to wait until the late afternoon for their time ashore.
Similarly, guests who had hoped to enjoy the later hours in Curacao, perhaps for dinner or nightlife, will now have to head back to the ship much earlier to avoid missing the vessel’s departure.
No other port visits or times on the itinerary are impacted, nor is the ship’s departure from or return to Port Tampa Bay adjusted.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander, formerly Costa Atlantica before she joined Margaritaville at Sea in 2024, is homeported year-round from Tampa, offering diverse itineraries from 4-10 nights. Cruise Hive previously reported on her arrival to the Sunshine State, which more than doubled the guest capacity of the unique cruise line.
In addition to Grand Cayman, Curacao, and Aruba, depending on the sailing date and cruise length, the ship visits ports such as Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico; Key West, Florida; Belize City, Belize; and New Orleans, Louisiana.
