Beachcomber Begins Belfast Refit Ahead of 2027 Miami Debut
The former Costa Fortuna, delivered in 2003 with 1,358 cabins, will add a live-music venue created in collaboration with Zac Brown.
Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber has arrived at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for a refurbishment that the shipyard expects to generate about £40 million for the regional economy. The vessel is being prepared for its first passenger departures from PortMiami in January 2027.
The conversion of the former Costa Fortuna will give Margaritaville at Sea its third and largest ship. It is also a repeat assignment for the Belfast yard, which refurbished Margaritaville at Sea Islander in 2024.
The work is scheduled to take 12 weeks, with MJM Marine, Mivan and Madden Marine supporting the conversion. The project includes new venues, changes to public spaces, updated staterooms and Margaritaville branding.
“Their work on Islander demonstrated the quality, craftsmanship and expertise required for a project of this scale,” said Minas Miliaras, chief maritime officer of Margaritaville at Sea. He said that experience gave the operator confidence to return to Belfast for Beachcomber’s conversion.
New venues for the former Costa ship
Delivered by Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard in 2003, the approximately 102,500-gross-ton vessel has 1,358 cabins. Before reaching Belfast, it received its new name during a technical call at Brindisi in southern Italy and changed to the Portuguese flag.
Beachcomber will introduce 15 experiences developed specifically for the ship, including a live-music venue created in collaboration with three-time Grammy Award winner Zac Brown. Its dining and bar lineup will include JWB Steakhouse, the 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar and Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar, alongside Hemisphere Dancer and License to Chill.
A second Margaritaville conversion for Belfast
Harland & Wolff expects the refurbishment to support employment, specialist skills and supply-chain businesses in Belfast and the wider maritime sector. No contract value was disclosed.
Graham Couser, director of ship repair at Navantia UK, said the repeat commission showed the operator’s confidence in the yard’s workforce and facilities, and in its ability to complete complex projects on demanding schedules. “We are investing heavily in our facilities and transferring proven expertise from across the wider Navantia Group,” he said.
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia acquired Harland & Wolff in late 2024 through a deal that saved more than 1,000 jobs. Alongside Islander, the Belfast yard’s cruise work that year included a refit of Villa Vie Odyssey.
Miami sailings before the Texas deployment
After the Belfast work, Beachcomber is scheduled to cross the Atlantic for its inaugural season. The Miami program comprises three- to eight-night cruises to Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, with calls including Cozumel, Freeport and George Town in the Cayman Islands.
The ship will subsequently introduce Margaritaville at Sea to Galveston with four- to seven-night itineraries. Destinations announced for that deployment include Aruba, Curaçao, Key West, Belize, Roatán and Cozumel, as well as Veracruz, Mexico, a new addition to the Galveston cruise market. Those sailings are available for booking.
The Galveston license covers October 1, 2027, through October 31, 2028, with two five-year renewal options exercisable by Margaritaville at Sea. Beachcomber will primarily use Cruise Terminal 28, with some calls at Cruise Terminal 25, where Carnival Cruise Line has priority.
