Calling all Parrotheads: Margaritaville at Sea is expanding its fleet.
The cruise line will add a third ship in 2026, according to a Wednesday news release. The line is acquiring the vessel from Costa Cruises, which will continue sailing as Costa Fortuna until late next year.
The line’s second ship, Margaritaville at Sea Islander, “really outperformed expectations” following its launch last summer, the line’s CEO Christopher Ivy told USA TODAY ahead of the announcement.
“I think we’ve been able to really refine the model with Islander, and had the opportunity to acquire the Fortuna and it just made sense, given all the momentum that we have at the moment,” Ivy said.
During a preview cruise last year, USA TODAY found that the Islander had plenty to offer Jimmy Buffett fans and non-listeners alike.
While the new ship will bear some similarities to Islander – which was also a former Costa vessel, Costa Atlantica – it will be the largest in the fleet at more than 102,500 gross tons and room for around 3,450 passengers (Islander has a capacity of 2,650 guests). The ship will be similarly reimagined in Margaritaville style.
The “nice incremental size upgrade gives us the ability to bring over a lot of the things that people really love about Islander,” Ivy said, while also adding others. Guests can expect to see “fan favorites” from both Islander and Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, and the line is in the early stage of developing new concepts.
Given the popularity of its “Heroes Sail Free” program, for example, Ivy said the line is considering how it could “bring a physical space to life to help celebrate the significant number of heroes that we have on board our ships.” Additional details about onboard amenities – as well as the ship’s homeport and itineraries – are still to come.
The cruise line, which celebrates its third anniversary on Wednesday, has also been expanding its range of sailings with longer itineraries after launching with round-trip, two-night cruises to the Bahamas from Palm Beach.
“I always say, like, a two-night getaway, everybody needs one, but it’s not a replacement for a vacation,” said Ivy. Passengers will still find plenty of shorter sailings – roughly 70% of cruises aboard Paradise are between two and three nights – but the company wants to offer guests variety.
“As we look to this (new) vessel, what we’re really looking for and what we will do is continue to provide optionality,” he said.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
