Margaritaville poured millions of dollars into updating its older cruise ship. I'm not convinced it did enough.

Brittany ChangJul 18, 2023, 15:54 IST

The updated Margaritaville at Sea Paradise set sail with new amenities like a pickleball court, dueling piano bar, and updated entertainment.Margaritaville at Sea

In May, Margaritaville at Sea spent millions of dollars updating its flagship Paradise cruise vessel.
Areas like the staterooms have been refreshed while amenities like a pickleball court have been added.

Jimmy Buffett's famed franchise Margaritaville recently unveiled a multimillion-dollar refresh on its notorious 30-year-old cruise vessel. But after my lackluster experience sailing on the ship in 2022, I'm not sure these upgrades will be enough to turn its "Spirit Airlines of the sea" reputation around.

When I was invited on the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise's one-night inaugural sailing in early 2022, I was disappointed by the unfinished spaces, lack of cohesive branding, the ship's age, and quality issues. But in mid-May, the cruise line announced it would spend the next two weeks upgrading the ship ahead of its June 2 relaunch.

I'm not the only one who's had complaints about Margaritaville's nascent cruise line.

The Margaritaville Paradise.The McBride Company

In an effort to "enhance guests' sailing experience," Kevin Sheehan, Jr., the cruise line's president and CEO, said in a release, the cruise ship has undergone a "multimillion-dollar" refresh.

Margaritaville at Sea

In an effort to "enhance guests' sailing experience," Kevin Sheehan, Jr., the cruise line's president and CEO, said in a release, the cruise ship has undergone a "multimillion-dollar" refresh.

This refresh was definitely needed. Before it became a Margaritaville resort at sea, the ship was budget cruise line Bahamas' Paradise Cruise Line's 30-year-old flagship vessel.

Brittany Chang/Insider

This refresh was definitely needed. Before it became a Margaritaville resort at sea, the ship was budget cruise line Bahamas' Paradise Cruise Line's 30-year-old flagship vessel.

The new and improved Margaritaville at Sea Paradise set sail in early June.

Margaritaville at Sea

From new pickleball courts to a new restaurant, these changes give the ship a much-needed update.

Margaritaville at Sea

The nighttime entertainment has been upgraded as well.

Margaritaville at Sea

Travelers now have more food options too.

Margaritaville at Sea

When I first sailed on the ship in 2022, the signs for the children's clubs (shown on the left below) hadn't been updated to fit Margaritaville's brand yet.

Margaritaville at Sea

But it's not just about the children. The adult spaces have also received a facelift.

Margaritaville at Sea

Off the ship, the micro cruise line is now offering new onshore excursions.

Margaritaville at Sea

Back onboard, the ship's 658 staterooms were also freshened up. This was my stateroom's bathroom before the update.

Brittany Chang/Insider

But a recent review of the refreshed stateroom was not glowing.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Is this update enough? I won't sugarcoat it. The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise before its refresh was disappointing.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The previous ship looked nothing like any Margaritaville property I've been to.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Can a couple of million dollars and updates in just a handful of spaces fix that?

Brittany Chang/Insider

I don't think a handful of changes will fix what I consider to be an aesthetic issue.

Brittany Chang/Insider

I paid $400 to stay at a bubble hotel in Iceland. Here are 7 things that surprised me.

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Margaritaville poured millions of dollars into updating its older cruise ship. I'm not convinced it did enough.

I'm not the only one who's had complaints about Margaritaville's nascent cruise line.

In an effort to "enhance guests' sailing experience," Kevin Sheehan, Jr., the cruise line's president and CEO, said in a release, the cruise ship has undergone a "multimillion-dollar" refresh.

This refresh was definitely needed. Before it became a Margaritaville resort at sea, the ship was budget cruise line Bahamas' Paradise Cruise Line's 30-year-old flagship vessel.

The new and improved Margaritaville at Sea Paradise set sail in early June.

From new pickleball courts to a new restaurant, these changes give the ship a much-needed update.

The nighttime entertainment has been upgraded as well.

Travelers now have more food options too.

When I first sailed on the ship in 2022, the signs for the children's clubs (shown on the left below) hadn't been updated to fit Margaritaville's brand yet.

But it's not just about the children. The adult spaces have also received a facelift.

Off the ship, the micro cruise line is now offering new onshore excursions.

Back onboard, the ship's 658 staterooms were also freshened up. This was my stateroom's bathroom before the update.

But a recent review of the refreshed stateroom was not glowing.

Is this update enough? I won't sugarcoat it. The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise before its refresh was disappointing.

The previous ship looked nothing like any Margaritaville property I've been to.

Can a couple of million dollars and updates in just a handful of spaces fix that?

I don't think a handful of changes will fix what I consider to be an aesthetic issue.