‘Margaritaville at Sea Islander’: Honoring Jimmy Buffett At Sea
Contributor Jackie Sheckler Finch recounts the loving Jimmy Buffett touches on the Margaritaville at Sea Islander cruise, which features musical stories, inspirational life experiences, and a final message to devoted Parrot Head fans.
When we boarded Margaritaville at Sea Islander for a seven-night cruise, the couple in front of me wondered why a replica of a seaplane was hanging from the ship’s ceiling, along with gigantic artificial parrots.
I knew the answer. As a longtime Jimmy Buffett fan, I remembered a tune Buffett had penned three decades ago named Jamaica Mistaica.\”
A licensed commercial pilot, Buffett’s most famous airplane was a 1954 Grumman HU-16 called Hemisphere Dancer. The two-engine amphibious flying boat was used primarily by the military as a search-and-rescue aircraft.
On Jan. 16, 1996, Buffett had taxied the Hemisphere Dancer in the water near Negril, Jamaica. Local authorities thought it was a drug-running plane and fired on it.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. But the plane did sustain several bullet holes. Flying with Buffett was U2’s Bono.
Like the great writer he was, Buffett wrote about the incident in his autobiographical book A Pirate Looks at 50. Buffett also sang “Jamaica Mistaica” on his album “Banana Wind.”
The plane reminds me of the now-poignant words in his song “Wings,” where Buffett sang, “Way up high, I feel free on those wings you can’t see.”
The beloved singer, songwriter, musician, author, and businessman died Sept. 1, 2023, at age 76 after a long battle with a rare skin cancer. But his Islander is filled with touches of Buffett’s songs, writings, and businesses.
The Story Behind Margaritaville
As for the name Margaritaville at Sea, a Buffett tale is behind it, too. One of Buffett’s most popular songs was “Margaritaville,” and the ship’s exterior is brightly painted with island touches. Anyone who sees a Margaritaville ship docked somewhere won’t doubt who is being honored.
Once upon a time, Buffett was in Austin when the inspiration struck for “Margaritaville.” He and a friend had stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant before she dropped him at the airport for a flight home to Key West. They got to drinking margaritas.
Buffett also got to thinking how it would be nice to have a real place named Margaritaville where, as the song goes, “there’s booze in the blender and soon it will render that frozen concoction that helps me hang on.”
On the plane, Buffett wrote part of his 1977 hit song. He mostly finished it while driving down to the Keys where a wreck on Seven Mile Bridge stopped traffic for about an hour. Buffett finalized “Margaritaville” and performed it the next night in a Key West bar.
The Soon-To-Be Three Margaritaville At Sea Fleet
Launched in May 2022, the 1,680-passenger Margaritaville at Sea Paradise sails from Palm Beach with cruises ranging from two to five nights to Key West and the Bahamas.
Launched in June 2024, the 2,114-passenger Margaritaville at Sea Islander, which I recently sailed on, is the second ship in the fleet, cruising from Port Tampa Bay to Key West, Aruba, Curaçao, Jamaica, Mexico, and beyond on 4- to 10-night cruises.
Launching in January 2027, the 2,716-passenger Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber will sail from Miami to explore Caribbean itineraries for four-to-eight-night cruises and from Galveston, Texas, beginning in October 2027 on four-to-seven-night journeys.
Boarding the Islander
Spanning 12 decks, the Margarita at Sea Islander features 12 eateries plus 13 bars and lounges, each with its own cocktail menu. For example, Hemisphere Dancer, the name of Buffett’s airplane, on Deck 2 offers my favorite cocktail. The Mile High is made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, black cherry syrup, sweet vermouth, orange bitters, and smoke.
That’s right. Smoke. The Hemisphere Dancer barman uses a glass decanter filled with the smoky drink. Something you best see to believe.
Also look at one of the Hemisphere Dancer drink menus. It looks like it has bullet holes in it, a reference to Buffett and Bono’s landing in Jamaica.
Flip-Flop Sculpture: Another Nod to Buffett
Stepping on board, we were greeted by a huge 14-foot flip-flop sculpture with a pop-top beneath it in the main ship atrium. The sculpture is a reference to Margaritaville lyrics, “stepped on a pop-top, blew out my flip-flop.”
A welcoming sign notes, “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” and another offers cruisers a “License to chill, and I believe I will.”
After all, this ship is a tribute to Buffett, with lively beach colors, a bold, dramatic style, delicious Caribbean cuisine, creative cocktails, and energetic entertainment.
The ship has an appealing airy feeling with expansive windows, glass elevators that zoom up to Deck 10, and sweeping staircases.
My Stateroom on Margarita at Sea Islander
My stateroom 5264 was large, with a comfy bed, a long sofa, a chair, a coffee table, a mini-fridge, a lighted desk, a big flat-screen TV on the wall, a safe, closets, a robe and slippers, and plenty of storage space.
The cabin décor featured sea and beach colors and paintings. The roomy bathroom had a jetted tub and shower, generous storage space, and a fog-free mirror over the double sinks.
But what I liked best about my stateroom was the balcony. One of the largest I’ve ever had on a cruise ship, my balcony had two chairs, a table, and a lounger. The expansive balcony doors and glass door next to my bed let me fall asleep with the sights and sounds of the ocean.
The bed and pillows were just the right firmness, and the white coverlet had a nice touch – embossed parrots. A little boy on the cruise told me the parrots glowed in the dark and sang him to sleep at night. Don’t know about that.
Dining Options on Margarita at Sea Islander
Dining is an important part of any cruise, and the Islander offers many tasty options. The ship has five complimentary dining spots: Mexican Cutie Cantina, Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar, Fins Dining Room, Port of Indecision buffet (for breakfast, lunch and dinner), and Frank and Lola’s Pizzeria.
Named after lines from Buffett’s song on the album “Last Mango in Paris,” Frank and Lola’s has the best pizza I’ve ever enjoyed on any cruise ship. Crisp, tasty crust—not too thin and not too thick, yummy sauce, generous cheese, and pepperoni. Baked just right.
Décor in the main dining rooms features wonderful wide windows, lovely chandeliers, and soothing blue-and-gold colors, with large seascape paintings.
Specialty dining options, available for an extra charge, include Far Side Sushi, Island Eats, Tiki Bar, Margaritaville Coffee Shop, Islander Dining Room, and JWB (James William Buffett) Prime Steakhouse.
The JWB Prime Steakhouse at the top of the ship has a large menu with seafood, steak, lamb, and pork. The key lime pie was my favorite Islander dessert.
Shipboard Activities: Active and Quiet
Islander has a casino, theater, three swimming pool areas, spa, kids’ clubs, arcades, hot tubs, fitness center, shops, and plenty of quiet places to enjoy the Caribbean cruise.
Games and activities include cornhole, mini-golf, pickleball, scavenger hunts, craft classes, karaoke, line dancing and salsa classes, exercise classes, and much more.
Plenty of Entertainment
Plenty of live music can be heard around the ship – a solo violinist, a guitarist, a ship band, a steelpan player, a pianist, and other talents.
Main shows are in the huge three-deck Stars on the Water Theater, named after Buffett’s 1983 country-rock hit. Along with a comedian and magician, there are excellent stage shows with singers, dancers, acrobats, aerialists, and the ship band.
Among the stage shows are Caribbean Heat Remix, Radio Margaritaville: Live at Sea, and Conky Tonkin’ (the original name for Buffett and Kenny Chesney’s 2004 “License to Chill” hit).
How Buffett Fans Became Parrot Heads
The omnipresent parrots on Islander are a nod to Buffett fans, known as Parrot Heads. How did his followers get that name?
The story goes that Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band were performing at King’s Island in Cincinnati when bass player Timothy Schmidt looked out over the audience, clad in gaudy Hawaiian shirts and carrying inflatable parrots, and quipped that they looked like Deadheads (fans of the Grateful Dead) in tropical garb.
“They’re like Parrot Heads,” Schmidt reportedly said. Buffett immediately took up the term, the tale goes, and threw it out over his microphone. Buffett lovers adopted the name from the get-go.
Now there are more than 200 registered Parrot Head clubs worldwide honoring Buffett and his legacy.
Shore Excursions on My Islander Itinerary
The itinerary for my cruise offered stops in Key West, Florida; Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico. Shore excursions at the ports of call cost extra and offer a wide range of activities and sights.
From renting water sports equipment to guided tours, there’s something for everyone and every budget. Popular tours can sell out quickly, so book in advance or as soon as you board.
I’ll just share my favorite shore stop—Key West, where I visited some of Buffett’s old stomping grounds. Seems a most appropriate way to start the cruise. After all, it was Key West where Margaritaville singer Jimmy Buffett was said to have found his voice.
Visiting Jimmy Buffett Sites in Key West
After moving to Key West in 1971, Jimmy Buffett played for free on the streets and in bars. At Captain Tony’s Saloon, Jimmy was frequently paid in tequila for performing.
Jimmy later immortalized the bar and Captain Tony in his song, “Last Mango in Paris.” The building for Captain Tony’s Saloon has a long history.
Constructed in 1851, the building was once an ice house and Key West morgue. The building went through several different lives – cigar factory, speakeasy, gambling joint, one-time favorite haunt of writer Ernest Hemingway, and more.
In 1958, charter boat Captain Tony Tarracino bought the building and now it remains the oldest bar in Florida.
I also stopped at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Café at 500 Duval Street in Key West. Was told that Buffett often would drop by and surprise people with some music. Never too rich and famous to forget his fans.
Bubbles Up
Jimmy Buffett knew he was dying. But he wanted to record one more album with an important message for his Parrot Heads.
Buffett’s 32nd album, “Equal Strain on All Parts,” was completed before his death and released posthumously on Nov. 3, 2023.
The album title comes from a saying Buffett’s grandfather used to describe a good nap, one that puts equal strain on all parts of the body.
A Bubbles Up bar on the Islander offers smoke-topped margaritas, while framed lyrics of the song hanging on a wall are a reminder to enjoy life.
The reflective ballad “Bubbles Up” offers advice for sailors, pilots, and others who might unexpectedly end up in deep water.
The phrase used to help people get oriented and survive is to just follow the bubbles, and they’ll take you to the surface.
The same thing, Buffett sang, can be said about tough times in life:
“Bubbles up
They will point you towards home
No matter how deep or how far you roam
They will show you the surface, the plot and the purpose
So when the journey gets long
Just know that you are loved
There is light up above
And the joy is always enough
Bubbles up”
Disclosure: The author was a guest of Margaritaville at Sea but any opinions expressed in this post are her own.
IF YOU GO
Seven-night Key West and Western Caribbean on Margaritaville at Sea Islander
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