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I stayed in a 176-square-foot stateroom on Margaritaville's first cruise ship and was severely disappointed — see insidehttps://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/i-stayed-in-a-176-square-foot-stateroom-on-margaritavilleaposs-first-cruise-ship-and-was-severely-disappointed-ampmdashampnbspsee-inside/slidelist/92020253.cms2022-06-05T17:44:27+05:30

I stayed in a 176-square-foot stateroom on Margaritaville's first cruise ship and was severely disappointed — see inside

Brittany ChangJun 5, 2022, 17:44 IST

I spent a night in the oceanview stateroom on Margaritaville's first cruise ship, the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise.

Before the cruise, I expected a modern stateroom decked out with all things Margaritaville and Jimmy Buffett …

… similar to the hotel rooms inside Margaritaville's recent $300 million Times Square property ....

… or the other heavily themed spaces aboard the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruise ship.

Instead, when I first opened the doors to my stateroom, I was left feeling like the space didn't live up to its full sponge cake and sun bake potential.

The actual accommodations felt as old as the original "Margaritaville" song.

And for a company that relies so heavily on its branding, the minimal decorations left me surprised and disappointed.

Margaritaville at Sea is the hospitality empire's first foray into the cruise industry.

But its first ship is nowhere near as new as the brand. It's actually about 30-years-old.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Margaritaville partnered with Florida-based Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line to create the new brand.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The latter has since rebranded to Margaritaville at Sea …

… and its previous flagship vessel has similarly undergone a "multi-million dollar" transformation to become a floating Margaritaville resort.

This initial investment was hefty, but it felt like the staterooms weren't a priority in this ship-wide refreshment.

My accommodation didn't feel as modern and updated as other recently unveiled cruise ships, which might be understandable given the age of the ship.

But in my opinion, the new cruise brand could have done a better job of turning the plain staterooms into an immersive Margaritaville experience.

Brittany Chang/Insider

The Oceanview stateroom I stayed in is the Margaritaville at Sea Paradises' mid-tier stateroom option starting at $200.

To compare, the interior stateroom starts at almost $170 …

… while the Grand Terrace suite has a starting price of almost $800.

It wasn't the grandest option, but my 176-square-foot oceanview stateroom still had all the basics …

… including a television, closet, bed, desk with a chair, and bathroom.

When I first walked in, I saw rows of storage to my right and the bathroom to my left.

A few steps past this, I found a small side table to my right, a desk with a large mirror to my left, and the bed in front of me.

It wasn't as sizable or modern as my last stateroom on the Celebrity Apex (seen below) but my little slice of Margaritaville still had all the bare necessities.

The keyword here is "bare."

I was expecting a bright room with blue, green, and white tropical decorations like this suite at the Margaritaville hotel in New York City, seen below.

Instead, I was confronted with heavy wood-colored accents and a yellowish wall overshadowing whatever could've made the room feel bright and fresh.

The only reminders of Margaritaville were from the tropical wall art, the palm tree graphics on the nightstand, the wallpaper (shown below), and a branded ice bucket, paper pad, and pencil.

If the latter branded items weren't there, my accommodation would've looked like any old (emphasis on "old") cruise ship stateroom.

Not to be fussy, but it didn't look like the picture on Margaritaville at Sea's website. Where's the small living room-like seating space under my windows? While this wasn't on the amenities list, it was in other guests' staterooms and pictured on the brand's website.

The McBridge Company

Source: Margaritaville at Sea, YouTube

Not to be fussy, but it didn't look like the picture on Margaritaville at Sea's website. Where's the small living room-like seating space under my windows? While this wasn't on the amenities list, it was in other guests' staterooms and pictured on the brand's website.

Source: Margaritaville at Sea, YouTube

Or the "nothin' but a breeze" quote above my window that I've come to expect in almost every Margaritaville space?

Or even the decorative Margaritaville pillow which could've at least been a reminder of the cruise ship I was on?

I'm obviously being picky, but these little details would've made the stateroom feel like it belonged to Margaritaville.

Wallpaper and some framed pictures on the wall just don't cut it compared to how immersive Margaritaville's other properties have felt.

And the bathroom wasn't any better. The bedroom may have received some decorative updates but the bathroom still felt very obviously like a 30-year-old room.

There was nothing wrong with it.

But besides the picture of a purple flower, the bathroom was totally plain (are you sensing a theme here)?

And the literal drain hole near the shower floor was definitely a reminder of its age.

Overall, my stateroom was nothing to rave about.

While it had everything I could ask for in a cruise stateroom, it felt its age and didn't have the typical Margaritaville charm I was expecting.

I'm not asking for a live parrot and a mini refrigerator filled with canned margaritas.

But when I step foot onto a Margaritaville-branded property, I expect to be immersed in the tropical laidback lifestyle the brand consistently touts.

Brittany Chang/Insider

Instead, I was greeted by an old stateroom where the only reminder of Margaritaville was the wallpaper, some pictures on the wall, and some branded items.

I'm no "Parrothead," but even I was disappointed by the lack of Margaritaville sparkle.

Luckily, most of my complaints are superficial.

My stateroom — which starts at $200 — was perfectly functional. I don't have any glaring complaints other than my hair dryer blowing the room's power strip fuse (I should've known better).

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I stayed in a 176-square-foot stateroom on Margaritaville's first cruise ship and was severely disappointed &mdash; see inside

I spent a night in the oceanview stateroom on Margaritaville's first cruise ship, the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise.

Before the cruise, I expected a modern stateroom decked out with all things Margaritaville and Jimmy Buffett …

… similar to the hotel rooms inside Margaritaville's recent $300 million Times Square property ....

… or the other heavily themed spaces aboard the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruise ship.

Instead, when I first opened the doors to my stateroom, I was left feeling like the space didn't live up to its full sponge cake and sun bake potential.

The actual accommodations felt as old as the original "Margaritaville" song.

And for a company that relies so heavily on its branding, the minimal decorations left me surprised and disappointed.

Margaritaville at Sea is the hospitality empire's first foray into the cruise industry.

But its first ship is nowhere near as new as the brand. It's actually about 30-years-old.

Margaritaville partnered with Florida-based Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line to create the new brand.

The latter has since rebranded to Margaritaville at Sea …

… and its previous flagship vessel has similarly undergone a "multi-million dollar" transformation to become a floating Margaritaville resort.

This initial investment was hefty, but it felt like the staterooms weren't a priority in this ship-wide refreshment.

My accommodation didn't feel as modern and updated as other recently unveiled cruise ships, which might be understandable given the age of the ship.

But in my opinion, the new cruise brand could have done a better job of turning the plain staterooms into an immersive Margaritaville experience.

The Oceanview stateroom I stayed in is the Margaritaville at Sea Paradises' mid-tier stateroom option starting at $200.

To compare, the interior stateroom starts at almost $170 …

… while the Grand Terrace suite has a starting price of almost $800.

It wasn't the grandest option, but my 176-square-foot oceanview stateroom still had all the basics …

… including a television, closet, bed, desk with a chair, and bathroom.

When I first walked in, I saw rows of storage to my right and the bathroom to my left.

A few steps past this, I found a small side table to my right, a desk with a large mirror to my left, and the bed in front of me.

It wasn't as sizable or modern as my last stateroom on the Celebrity Apex (seen below) but my little slice of Margaritaville still had all the bare necessities.

The keyword here is "bare."

I was expecting a bright room with blue, green, and white tropical decorations like this suite at the Margaritaville hotel in New York City, seen below.

Instead, I was confronted with heavy wood-colored accents and a yellowish wall overshadowing whatever could've made the room feel bright and fresh.

The only reminders of Margaritaville were from the tropical wall art, the palm tree graphics on the nightstand, the wallpaper (shown below), and a branded ice bucket, paper pad, and pencil.

If the latter branded items weren't there, my accommodation would've looked like any old (emphasis on "old") cruise ship stateroom.

Not to be fussy, but it didn't look like the picture on Margaritaville at Sea's website. Where's the small living room-like seating space under my windows? While this wasn't on the amenities list, it was in other guests' staterooms and pictured on the brand's website.

Or the "nothin' but a breeze" quote above my window that I've come to expect in almost every Margaritaville space?

Or even the decorative Margaritaville pillow which could've at least been a reminder of the cruise ship I was on?

I'm obviously being picky, but these little details would've made the stateroom feel like it belonged to Margaritaville.

Wallpaper and some framed pictures on the wall just don't cut it compared to how immersive Margaritaville's other properties have felt.

And the bathroom wasn't any better. The bedroom may have received some decorative updates but the bathroom still felt very obviously like a 30-year-old room.

There was nothing wrong with it.

But besides the picture of a purple flower, the bathroom was totally plain (are you sensing a theme here)?

And the literal drain hole near the shower floor was definitely a reminder of its age.

Overall, my stateroom was nothing to rave about.

While it had everything I could ask for in a cruise stateroom, it felt its age and didn't have the typical Margaritaville charm I was expecting.

I'm not asking for a live parrot and a mini refrigerator filled with canned margaritas.

But when I step foot onto a Margaritaville-branded property, I expect to be immersed in the tropical laidback lifestyle the brand consistently touts.

Instead, I was greeted by an old stateroom where the only reminder of Margaritaville was the wallpaper, some pictures on the wall, and some branded items.

I'm no "Parrothead," but even I was disappointed by the lack of Margaritaville sparkle.

Luckily, most of my complaints are superficial.

My stateroom — which starts at $200 — was perfectly functional. I don't have any glaring complaints other than my hair dryer blowing the room's power strip fuse (I should've known better).

I stayed in a 176-square-foot stateroom on Margaritaville's first cruise ship and was severely disappointed — see inside