Margaritaville at Sea Islander Departs Tampa on Longest 2026 Cruise
Formerly Costa Atlantica, Islander joined Margaritaville at Sea in 2024 and now sails year-round from Tampa to the Western Caribbean, Florida and the Bahamas.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander departed Port Tampa Bay on Sept. 5 for a 10-night Southern and Western Caribbean voyage, the ship’s longest cruise of 2026. The sailing calls at George Town, Oranjestad, Willemstad and Ocho Rios before returning to Tampa on Sept. 15.
The extended itinerary goes beyond Islander’s usual schedule of four- to eight-night cruises. It also includes revised calls in Aruba and Curaçao after Margaritaville at Sea changed the order and hours for both ports.
Aruba and Curaçao calls revised
After a day at sea, Islander is scheduled to visit George Town in the Cayman Islands from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 7. Another sea day precedes the ship’s calls at Oranjestad on Sept. 9 and Willemstad on Sept. 10.
Margaritaville at Sea notified passengers in August that the Curaçao and Aruba days would be reversed. The Aruba call shifted from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. to 2-11 p.m., while Curaçao moved from noon-11 p.m. to 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Each revised call provides one hour less in port.
Passengers with independently booked excursions may need to revise their arrangements with tour operators. The changes do not affect the George Town and Ocho Rios calls or the ship’s departure and return times in Tampa.
Following Curaçao, Islander will spend a day at sea before visiting Ocho Rios from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 12. Two additional sea days follow before the ship reaches Tampa.
Islander’s Tampa deployment
The 85,861-gt, 960-foot Islander carries approximately 2,114 guests. Formerly Costa Atlantica, the ship joined Margaritaville at Sea in 2024 and now operates year-round from Tampa.
Its regular itineraries cover the Western Caribbean, Florida and the Bahamas, with destinations including Cozumel, Key West and Nassau. Margaritaville at Sea launched in May 2022 and currently operates Islander alongside Margaritaville at Sea Paradise.
Islander’s next extended departure is scheduled for mid-September 2027, when Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic will be added to the route.
