Last month we celebrated Sharon’s birthday with a Margaritaville at Sea cruise to Freeport, Bahamas from Palm Beach, FL. We went on the Free Cruises & More for Heroes | Margaritaville at Sea and we had a great time! We took advantage of the free cruise for 2 program where you must be a verified member through GOVX or ShopVCS platform.
We went with another couple and that was more fun than when we cruised with just the two of us in the past. Sharon walked around with a Birthday Queen sash and crown, so everyone said “happy birthday” to her.
Here’s what Sharon wrote about the cruise on the day after on Facebook. See her group at: (15) Amazing Travel by Sharon: Cruise, All Inclusive & Las Vegas Vacations | Facebook
Margaritaville cruise 8/21-8/23
This was our 1st time trying the Margaritaville at Sea cruise. We left out of Palm Beach. We drove over the day before and stayed the night at Holiday Inn Express. It was about 15 mins from the port. Once we arrived things went smoothly. There was no line for valet so no wait with that. We gave the guy our luggage and were instructed to go check in. Checking in was a breeze, there was no line, and I feel that is because of being there early.
We had the Faster Chill package. We went to this VIP room where there were a few things like sandwiches, drinks and pastries for you. I would say we were there about 30 mins. before they called us to go on board. Our 1st thing was our muster drill and that took less than five mins. The crew member just showed us where to go and signed us off.
Our next stop was to the bar to get our bracelets for the drink packages. When we got to our room our luggage was not there. The luggage porter told us that our luggage would be in our room by 2:30 but it was way after 2:30 when we arrived to the room and no luggage yet.
My friend and I tried the buffet, and my husband tried the cheeseburger place. I will talk more about that later in the bullet points. All the workers on the ship were very nice and friendly and they always remembered your name. My birthday was on the 1st day, which was Wednesday the 21st but on the 22nd I came back to my room, and it was all decorated. They were a day late, and I loved the way our steward decorated it.
We did not do any excursions but went to the terminal and we took a taxi to one of the markets. They have some different shops where they were selling different things. There was a popcorn shop and a glass making shop and there were also some food vendors.
Not sure if the ship was at full capacity or not but other than the buffet area everywhere else was not crowded at all. Not a long wait for the elevator. Did not see many people in the pool. The dining room was not even half full. We went to the club last night and that was fun. There were lots of activities and entertainment to choose from on the ship. Disembarkation was so easy and smooth. We were walking off the ship by 8:30 am.
Pros:
1. Faster Chill or the License to Chill is totally worth it.
2. Staff very friendly.
3. Nice rooms
4. No wait for drinks there was a waiter or waitress always around.
Cons:
1. Very pushy with wanting you to purchase different things.
2. Food was very bland and tasteless.
3. The area for buffet seating is small.
4. Cheeseburger in paradise closes at 6 pm.
Overall, I would say this is a great starter cruise for someone who has never been on a cruise before. Let me help you plan your cruise for FREE.
Here’s a gallery of my photos of Freeport and the ship.
