Margaritaville at Sea Expanding Fleet With Carnival-Owned Ship
Good things come in threes and on Margaritaville at Sea cruise line’s third anniversary, May 14, 2025, it has announced it is introducing a third ship to its roster in 2026.
Parrothead cruisers first got to eat cheeseburgers in paradise aboard the aptly named Margaritaville at Sea Paradise when the Jimmy Buffett-branded, island-themed ship launched the cruise line in 2022.
Just two years later, passengers were able to waste away again on Margaritaville at Sea Islander when it debuted in June 2024 to provide one more way to sail to the islands.
Now there’s another reason to find that shaker of salt as the cruise line will bring its biggest vessel to date to the Caribbean seas in 2026.
“Over the last three years, we have been incredibly focused on building Margaritaville at Sea by delivering more of what our guests love – a uniquely laid-back island attitude with award-winning hospitality,” said Christopher Ivy, CEO of Margaritaville at Sea.
“With the acquisition of our third ship in three years, we are proud to once again invite guests to step into the Margaritaville state of mind on the open ocean,” he continued.
Although the cruise line has not yet confirmed an exact debut date or name for the new ship, it has revealed the new addition is actually the 102,500-gross-ton Costa Fortuna, currently sailing under Costa Cruises.
Costa Fortuna, which was constructed in the early 2000s, accommodates 3,450 passengers at double capacity in more than 1,340 staterooms. The 13-passenger deck vessel features a large multi-deck atrium and expansive outdoor decks.
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While the ship will remain under Costa Cruises flag until late 2025, Margaritaville at Sea plans to reimagine the ship with its own branding and décor, updating public spaces to reflect the cruise line’s casual, tropical theme.
“We’re thrilled to once again expand the experience of our brand on the water and share the cruise line’s signature experiences and amenities with even more guests,” said John Cohlan, CEO of Margaritaville.
The unnamed vessel is expected to enter dry dock at an undisclosed shipyard by the end of the 2026. Costa Cruises had recently disclosed Costa Fortuna was scheduled to be transferred to a new owner in September 2026.
Fleet Built from Costa Ships
The new Margaritaville at Sea ship follows in the wake of its sister ships as former vessels of Costa Cruises, owned by Carnival Corporation.
The 52,926-gross-ton Margaritaville at Sea Paradise was originally Costa Cruises’ Costa Classica, which was built in 1991 and sold to Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line in 2018 before Margaritaville entered the cruise space and took over operations.
The larger 85,619-gross-ton Margaritaville at Sea Islander was also a Costa Cruises’ vessel. Built in 2000, the former Costa Atlantica sailed in Asia as a Carnival Corporation and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) passenger ship.
That vessel drydocked for four months at Harland & Wolff Shipyard in Belfast, Ireland, where updates to staterooms and public areas were completed, along with the addition of new features like the LandShark Bar at Sea.
Margaritaville at Sea currently homeports its Islander in Tampa, sailing to destinations along the Gulf of Mexico, including Key West, Florida, and Cozumel and Progresso, Mexico, on 4- and 5-night adventures.
Paradise sails out of Palm Beach, Florida, on 2- and 3-night journeys to Nassau, Bahamas, and longer cruises to Key West and Freeport, Bahamas.
It is likely the third ship will offer similar sailings from a Florida port, with the cruise line hinting a new homeport will be revealed ahead of her 2026 launch.
Margaritaville at Sea Expanding Fleet With Carnival-Owned Ship