Trip Report: Margaritaville At Sea Paradise

This is the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, docked at Port of Palm Beach. Every other day it offers 2-night cruises to Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas. This article is a summary of the ship and the trip, for those wondering about the experience. The ship previously operated as Grand Classica for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and previous to that as Costa Classica for Costa Cruises. With the conversion to the Jimmy Buffet theme, it has been extensively refurbished. 

The port has a modern cruise terminal that can accommodate just one cruise ship per day.

The ship can carry around 1600 passengers and we were told there were 1300 on our sailing this past Thursday. The Labor Day sailing today is sold out. On the sailing prior, there were just 400 guests. So if you're looking for a party ship, pick a weekend sailing but if you're looking for peace and quiet, a sailing that departs on weekdays is your best bet. The Embarkation Desk was fast and efficient. If you're vaccinated, Covid-19 testing is no longer required. If you're not vaccinated, you must present a fresh Covid-19 negative test result.

After you get your boarding card, various kiosks offer drink packages and premium dining packages. I purchased the $99 drink package that got a special wristband good for 10 alcoholic drinks on board. This is a pretty good value compared to what that many drinks on board would cost.

There's nothing like that feeling when you reach the final gangway and the ship is just steps away!

You arrive in the ship's Deck 5 atrium, rethemed to the Margaritaville vibe. The ship's Reception Desk is located here along with the SHOREX Desk.

On this ship, it's not 5 o'clock somewhere, it's 5 o'clock everywhere!

While the ship is old and one can spot a few areas that are dated, it has been extensively refurbished including all the cabins.

I did not eat any meals in the MDR. My food home was the Port of Indecision Buffet where there was a carvery serving roast beef or roast pork.

Being a meat and potatoes kind of guy, there's no time for appetizer service, salad service, soup service, main course service, dessert service, after dinner coffee drink service, etc.  Many people like that and more power to them, but while they're doing that, I can go back for another slab of meat!

The buffet is also open late night for sandwiches and desserts to soak up that alcohol.

The 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar was a popular place to grab a drink near the buffet.

The ship does have a full casino.

There are slots and table games. Please be aware that since Hurricane Dorian, Grand Bahama Island no longer has a land-based casino so this one on the ship is it.

One area lacking on this ship is free pizza. Every cruise ship I've been on has offered free pizza, often available 24/7. On Margaritaville at Sea, Frank & Lola's Pizzeria has pizza but you'll have to pay for it. You can get it boxed to go or eat it in their seating area where a robot will deliver it to your table.

The ship has two outdoor pools.

In the ship's prior life that observatory was home to the ship's dance club Crow's Nest Disco. It is not currently in use except as a game room.

The ship does have a late-night dance club in the Oasis Room.

Here we found DJ Chippy (RP) aka DJ 12 Volt leading the festivities.

He had the dance floor packed!

Euphoria Lounge is another home to live activities.

On the first night they had a Decades Party with live band playing music from the 70's, 80's & 90's while on the second night we saw the Quest game taking place in here! Adults only.

Welcome to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas.

The ship offers numerous excursions at pretty decent prices. I took the shared taxi service to Port Lucaya, a shopping area. The ride is $6pp one way/$12 roundtrip. Since it's nearly a half hour drive from the port, it's a good value. There are a couple dozen shops and restaurants open for business but sadly, many remain shuttered post-Dorian. There is also a straw market and it's home to UNEXSO, the Underwater Explorers Society where you can "swim with the dolphins".

High rise hotels line the beach, sadly all still closed. But there is beach access just a little ways down so it's possible to come here via shared taxi and not have to purchase an excursion.

If another cruise ship is in port such as Carnival Elation yesterday, there is a festival marketplace over there that features numerous shops and bars including a Señor Frog's. But again, they only open if another ship is in port and it's about a 20-minute walk over there.

So that's our summary of Margaritaville at Sea. Please note that since this is a closed loop cruise, U.S. citizens can either use a passport or an original birth certificate with raised seal + Drivers License. It was a fun trip and exceeded expectations. For more about the entertainment onboard, see our OEN article here. Come check it out for yourself!

CW Update: RCC To Become DCC

Red Coconut Club at Universal CityWalk has been closed since covid19 first hit and other than some private events in there , it's literally been "dead". Well it appears that RCC is going to live up to it's status as it's rebranded to a most-appropriate Dead Coconut Club.

Featuring Universal monsters!

We were hoping that perhaps they would offer a spooky dance club or maybe even a spooky floor show, but it appears from peeking inside and reading that sign that says "Films Shown Nightly" that it's going to be a "theater" showing classic Universal horror films such as Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, etc. There might still be characters walking around, we don't know. There will surely be spooky cocktails.

Looks like the adjacent Island Market might become a Dead Coconut Club logo store. DCC will be open on select Halloween Horror Nights only and we're told admission will be free. Interesting use of "dead" space. Big thanks to Blog-reader Doc John for the heads-up.

Labor Day Weekend In Techno Town

Big holiday weekend with tons of "big name" DJ events taking place!!

WED   31AUG    PARLAY     DJ Saeed Younan (IRQ/USA)  TONIGHT

THU   01SEP      CELINE     DJ Vampa (USA)

FRI     02SEP     HEIST LOUNGE     DJ Aphrodite (GB)

FRI     02SEP     VANGUARD     DJ duo Gorgon City (GB)

FRI    02SEP      CELINE     DJ Thunderpony (USA)

SAT   03SEP      VANGUARD     DJ Deadmau5 (CDN)

SAT   03SEP     GILT CONCERT VENUE     DJ Lucii (USA)

SAT   03SEP     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Markem (YV/USA)

SAT   03SEP     IRON COW     DJ Mathew Scot (USA)

SAT  03SEP     GEEK EASY     DJ Ghost Data (USA)

SUN  04SEP    HOUSE OF BLUES  DJ Magic Mike (USA), DJ Icey (USA) & more!

SUN  04SEP    BARBARELLA 2.0     DJ Lavidicus (USA), DJ Rob Bates (USA)

SUN  04SEP    MCQUEENS     DJ Omnom (USA)

SUN  04SEP   SUNDAY SUNDAYS @ THE PATIO     DJ Diana Montoya (USA)

SUN  04SEP    ELIXIR BAR     DJ Eli Brown (GB)

MON 05SEP    ELIXIR BAR     DJ Miane (E)

MON 05SEP   RAYN    Daytime Pool Party: DJ Chino (USA) & more!      

DS Update: What Happened To The DJ's?

This past New Years Eve one could look in every nook and corner of Disney Springs and find a DJ playing. Indeed, this is the list we published a few days prior to the big night:

 Water Fountain Stage (Disney Springs Marketplace)

DJ Michael Wycoff

Waterside Stage (Disney Springs Marketplace)

DJ JW Jaeger alternating with a live band

Waterview Stage (Disney Springs Pleasure Island)

DJ Elliot & DJ Atomic Blonde alternating with a live band

The Edison (Disney Springs Pleasure Island)

DJ Mynd (alternating with live band & other entertainment)

                   STK Restaurant (Disney Springs Pleasure Island)

                   Main Room/Ground Level: DJ Lu_s

Upstairs Outdoor Level: DJ Marc Sparcs

Orange Node (Disney Springs West Side) (Near Orange Garage)

DJ Marjory Andrade & DJ Sebastian Rodriguez

But what's happened since then? No DJ's playing anywhere! If one looks at the weekly Disney Springs entertainment schedule such as this week's line-up here, there are plenty of vocalists, duos and bands.....but not a single DJ! "Late Night Disney Springs" with its family DJ dance parties has never returned either. We're just not sure what's going on! 

PHOTO ABOVE: DJ Scott King at Waterside Stage

DS Update: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Disney Springs Parking (But Were Afraid To Ask)

One of the biggest events to ever hit Disney Springs is happening this coming Sunday night, September 4th! It's the Labor Day Bash at House of Blues ft. DJ Magic Mike (USA), DJ Icey (USA), DJ Kimball Collins (USA), DJ Baby Anne (USA) and DJ Jimmy Joslin (USA). Most of Save Pleasure Island Blog readers are familiar with Disney Springs parking but there will be a lot of people attending, including many former Pleasure Islanders, that have not been out there in a few years. Thus, our sister website Orlando Entertainment News has a parking tips article today which you can find here.

 

Club Reports: 1-Up Orlando, Elixir Bar

Is it a game room with a bar or a bar with games? The new 1-Up has finally opened on Church Street downtown and it was the first stop last night for Orlando Entertainment News. Check it out here.

 

Concert Report: DJ Stacey Pullen (Level13 Event Center)

DJ Stacey Pullen (USA) was the headliner at last night's concert at the Level13 Event Center in Lockhart and Orlando Entertainment News was there for the pictures. You can find them here.

 

Friday Funny

 

PI Update: Club Spotting!

                 Let's go up in this beautiful balloon to do some club spotting!

Near the lower right corner, Adventurers Club lives on in the form of The Edison. It was heavily renovated but when you're in there, there are numerous places where you can see Adventurers Club.

That silver metal building of course was 8TRAX. The front of the old club was sawed-off and replaced by the new construction Sanuk flip-flop store you see there. Today most of the building serves as part of the kitchen for the adjoining Morimoto Asia restaurant and you can see where the two buildings connect. Reliable sources tell us that behind Sanuk and before the Morimoto connection is a small area where the old 8TRAX still exists!

Of course Morimoto Asia itself is our former Mannequins Dance Palace and we suspect the old revolving dance floor is still under a faux-floor installed during restaurant construction. Don't think we'll ever know for sure. If you've never eaten at Morimoto, we can tell you the food is really good! And we can also tell you that when you're inside this cavernous venue, you can see many things that scream-out Mannequins!

Beautiful Pleasure Island. That's the extent of our former clubs. Comedy Warehouse, BET Soundstage and Motion all met the wrecking ball so no remnants remain. Kungaloosh!

This Weekend In Techno Town

August is quickly coming to a conclusion!

FRI     26AUG     IRON COW     DJ Arina Krondeva (RUS/USA)

FRI     26AUG     LEVEL 13 EVENT CENTER     DJ Stacey Pullen (USA)

FRI     26AUG     CELINE     DJ Pickle (USA)

FRI     26AUG     LIL INDIES     DJ BMF (USA)

SAT    27AUG     VANGUARD     DJ Slushii (USA) 

SAT    27AUG     GILT CONCERT VENUE     DJ Champagne Drip (USA)

SAT    27AUG     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Mystic Bill (USA)

SUN   28AUG     ELIXIR BAR     DJ Marten Hørger (D)

SUN   28AUG    SUNDOWN SUNDAYS @ THE PATIO     DJ Carlos Mendoza (USA)

 

PI Update: 10 Years Ago This Month

 

Ten years ago this month, a food truck made it's fist appearance into Downtown Disney.

At Celebration Plaza, the live music being offered there began playing from a small raised stage instead of just within a roped-off area. Shown: Andre Caram Band

Our beloved 8TRAX was dark in August, 2012 but would surely reopen soon.

Ditto for Mannequins which was actually lit-up again outside after having gone dark for a few years. Groups of partiers would still arrive hoping to go clubbing, only to be told by Disney Security that the clubs had closed four years earlier.

But even with the clubs closed, a good time was had by all.  LOL.

DS Update: Theme Parks From The Air

Did you know that you can see most of the Disney theme parks from Disney Springs? Yes you can, if you go up in the tethered balloon ride! Looking at EPCOT, you can see the famous ball known as Spaceship Earth while the new Guardians of the Galaxy building is near it.

Over at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror certainly stands out.

 

The farthest theme park from Disney Springs is Disney's Animal Kingdom where the snowy peak of Expedition Everest dominates the area.

The only park that's mostly impossible to see is Magic Kingdom. You can see parts of it but unfortunately the Contemporary Resort blocks off most of it including Cinderella's Castle. Disney Springs is in the incorporated city of Lake Buena Vista, Florida while all 4 theme parks are in the incorporated city of Bay Lake, Florida. So now you know.

Club Reports: Rayn, Barbarella 2.0, Elixir Bar

DJ KC Lights (GB) at Elixir Bar was the highlight of our Saturday evening in the city. All the pics can be found on sister website Orlando Entertainment News here.

 

Club Reports: Bellhop, Elixir Bar, Celine, Iron Cow

DJ Rafa Barrios (E) headlined at Celine last night but it was just one of four great stops. All the pictures are on our sister website Orlando Entertainment News here.