Posts Tagged with #Margaritaville at Sea
Margaritaville is a fun 2-day adventure
The crew are the BEST I've ever dealt with on a cruise. The ship is small enough to find everything but large enough to get lost if you want to. There are a lot of activities. I would do this again in a minute!!
Small, but friendly staff and dealers are a lot of fun.
Improvement Needed
I’m going to keep this review brief as I’m writing a more detailed one for my upcoming blog Pink Suitcase Lady.
When I approached the ship there was a long line to get on. Luckily, I purchased the Concierge Package so I skipped the line entirely and had a personal porter escort me through security and into the waiting area. He handed me off to another employee and that is where the ball started to drop. Her instructions were to escort me the places i needed to be and the things I needed to sign up for. After making my dinner reservations she disappeared. I wandered into the area where a lot of people were sitting, apparently that was the safety briefing. No one was paying attention it seemed.
I saw a roped off area with refreshments and decided that was where i was supposed to be. It was. I met the Cruise Ambassador Sule and she made sure that I was aware of the perks and activities that came with the package.
Embarkation was easy and quick. The people in the lounge were the first ones on the boat. We were greeted with plastic leis. It was cute.
Our rooms were not ready so i just walked around trying to get a feel for the ship. There were 5 floors that were accessible to the passengers.
I stopped at the buffet and was so disappointed. I only had a salad and the meat that I thought was shredded was just cut up lunch meat. The bread was hard, the desserts were not fresh.
Made my way into the casino and it was smaller than I expected. Not many games or variety. I expected, since this was the Margaritaville brand that they would have the slot to play. Nope. When I did come into play there were a few machines that needed serviced but somehow never got it. One needed paper, the other had a drawer open. Two simple, routine tasks that were not taken care of the duration of the time i was there.
The pools were super small. I sincerely thought they were hot tubs at first. They also don’t have no lifeguards on duty. It’s small and shallow but that still feels like a tremendous oversight.
I had a 25 minute back massage as part of the Concierge package. It was so good. It felt like the masseuse went over time and she really focused on my problem areas. One of the best experiences I had on the cruise.
By this time the rooms were ready. I tried to find my room but there was some sort of issue. A porter went to switch it for me. It took about 15 minutes. When I finally got my room It was on par with the rest of the ship. I have no complaints.
I see that I have made this review way longer than I meant to so I’ll sum it up.
The food at the specialty restaurants were obviously buffet food with an occasional added sauce. I was beyond disappointed. I had an omelette that was missing key ingredients and was very obviously premade. I ended up abruptly leaving dinner because the food was bad.
I went to the Grand Lucayan for my port excursion. I’m going to stay there next time. It was beautiful.
The music and activities on the boat were ok
I think this cruise is good for families and older people. It was not something I would take again, except maybe as transportation to the Bahamas.
Worst experience ever on this ship
Overall this experience on this ship rating would be a 3 star out of a 10… The ship food was awful and the rooms were hot would not cool off at all. The steakhouse was descent, and the casino was small … the food wasn’t good at all, and won’t go back or recommend anyone for Margaritville at Sea Paradise
Loved the casino and the food was delicious. Ready to go again
Wonderful cruise experience, Excellent food, great drinks and smoothies
Great cruise
We had a great time. We did hit a lot of smaller jackpots $729.00 was my biggest. On a lot of the machines you can change the currency to make them a dollar machine. We can’t wait to go again.
Blog Post
Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Cruise Policies (Bahamas Paradise)
The Bahamian Government announced, recently, that cruise ships will only be permitted to enter a Bahamian port, including private destinations, if all passengers ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated.
*EVERY GUEST MUST UNDERTAKE A PRE-BOARDING COVID TEST
Requirements for Vaccinated and Non-Vaccinated Guests
For sailings departing Port of Palm Beach starting July 2, 2021: It is strongly recommend all guests 16 years of age and older be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. To be considered fully vaccinated, the final dose of the vaccine must be completed at least 14 days before sailing.
Fully vaccinated guests who voluntarily show proof of vaccination will receive a wristband and will follow more relaxed guidance as per the CDC. All vaccinated guests must also undertake an Antigen test at the terminal, the cost of which needs to be paid to the third-party vendor but will be reimbursed by Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line as Onboard Credit to your stateroom on the ship.
At check-in at the terminal at the Port of Palm Beach, guests can voluntarily provide documentation of their vaccination, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (“CDC”) COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card. Guests are not required to show proof of vaccine, however guests that voluntarily provide proof of vaccine will not be subject to further protocols. Guests who are 16 and older and do not have, are unable to provide, or choose not to provide documentation will be considered unvaccinated.
Guests are not required to show proof of vaccination.
Guests who are 16 and older and do not have, are unable to provide, or choose not to provide documentation will be considered unvaccinated.
Our unvaccinated guests must undergo additional COVID-19 testing at check-in at their own expense, and follow the health protocols described below, which are based on guidance from the CDC.
All crew onboard Grand Classica will be fully vaccinated.
Before you cruise, please carefully read the following requirements.
- ALL guests over the age of 2 are required to take a COVID-19 antigen test before arrival at the terminal.
- Guests aged 2-11 will not be charged.
- All guests must register for the required antigen test, please visit https://www.solvhealth.com/book-online/ABb2DA at least 24 hours before your sailing date.
- The antigen test will be conducted in a drive-thru site located on the Southside of the SkyPass Bridge area of the Port of Palm Beach.
- All guests must go to the drive-thru testing site before driving to the terminal. No guest will be permitted into the terminal area without having taken the necessary COVID test at the designated testing site.
Antigen Test Fees for Vaccinated Guests:
Vaccinated guests ages 12 and older who voluntarily show proof of vaccination will pay $25 per person. The $25 per person fee is paid directly to the third-party lab. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line will reimburse that $25 cost in the form of an onboard credit.
Antigen Test Fees for Non-Vaccinated Guests:
All non-vaccinated guests ages 12 and older will be required to provide a negative PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR) taken at least 72 hours before the sailing. In addition, guests will need to take a COVID-19 antigen test at the drive-up testing site prior to arrival at the terminal. If guests show proof of their negative PCR test, the cost of the antigen test is $25 per person non-refundable and with no reimbursement.
For non-vaccinated guests 12 and older who do not provide a negative PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR) taken at least 72 hours before the sailing, a PCR test can be conducted at the designated drive-thru testing site. The total charge from the third-party testing vendor for this test is $120.00 per guest, non-refundable, and with no reimbursement.
IMPORTANT: All guests must arrive at the test site by 3:30 pm at the latest to give ample time to conduct antigen tests and check-in before boarding.
To review all Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line's safety procedures go to https://www.bahamasparadisecruise.com/sailing-procedures.php
Blog Post
Casino Comp Questions with Craig Vol 22.
Will URComped work with Bahamas Paradise again?
Yes! They will be returning to service on July 2, sailing from West Palm Beach, FL. We've been working with Bahamas Paradise executives to gather final details for the casino offer, and should have that LIVE mid-late June 2021.
Do I need to send my Win/Loss statement to URComped?
For players who have not yet taken a trip through URComped, Win/Loss statements and tier status updates can be helpful, but the best thing to send us are your updated, best offers. Once you've taken a trip with us, your offers are based on your play data from your URComped trip(s), so unless there is a rare situation where we would ask for it, you don't have to send it to us.
Why have my cruise offers seem to have gone down recently?
Due to supply and demand, some Cruise lines are raising their cabin prices. There is all this FCC that is in the system that is also causing the price of a cabin to go up. Because the prices are going up, the criteria to get a comp is as well. It is not that we are being penalized, it's that the cruise lines are saying to their casino department, "these cabins are more expensive so you, as the casino department, are going to have to pay more."
Not sure what URComped is?
URComped works with Casino Partners to give Qualified Members new offers (comps) to Caribbean Resorts and Cruise Lines that they have never been to/ played at before. Think you may be qualified?? SIGN UP (IT'S FREE) upload offers that you've received from either land-based casinos or cruise lines to see what NEW COMPS you qualify for!
jessica