Margaritaville at Sea Paradise Return Delayed by Severe Weather
Margaritaville at Sea will extend onboard beverage and Wi-Fi packages at no charge, while each stateroom will receive a $50 credit toward a future sailing.
Updated October 27, 2026
Severe weather has delayed Margaritaville at Sea Paradise’s return to the Port of Palm Beach. Arrival is now expected Wednesday, Oct. 28, weather permitting. Port officials advised the cruise line that the ship could not make its scheduled Tuesday return to Riviera Beach, Florida.
The ship departed Palm Beach on Friday, Oct. 23, for a four-night itinerary and visited Key West before weather disrupted the rest of the voyage. Its scheduled Freeport call on Monday, Oct. 26, was cancelled because of high winds and dangerous swells. Paradise instead spent Monday at sea. Prepaid Margaritaville at Sea excursions in Freeport were automatically cancelled and refunded to guests’ stateroom accounts. Paradise is scheduled to make an additional call at Nassau on Tuesday, the day it was originally due to return to Palm Beach.
The delay extends the current voyage by one full day. The Oct. 27 departure has been shortened by one day because of the delayed return. Booked passengers were notified by email and text message.
Margaritaville at Sea said the Port of Palm Beach was expected to close Tuesday because of the forecast conditions. The return schedule remains subject to further direction from port officials.
“The safety of our guests and crew remains our highest priority, and we will return to port as soon as conditions safely permit,” the cruise line said in a statement.
Built by Fincantieri in 1991, the 52,926-gross-ton Paradise accommodates 1,308 passengers at double occupancy and up to 1,680 at maximum capacity. Its Palm Beach schedule runs two- to five-night voyages to destinations including the Bahamas and Key West.
Compensating guests for the itinerary changes
For passengers aboard the extended voyage, the line is extending beverage and Wi-Fi packages through the additional day at no extra charge. Crew members remain available to help with individual concerns during the extended sailing.
Passengers on the shortened Oct. 27 cruise will receive prorated refund credits for per-day purchases such as beverage and Wi-Fi packages. The amount may change if weather conditions, the itinerary or port guidance changes.
Passengers can apply the package credits toward service charges or gratuities. Any unused balance will be returned to the original payment method approximately seven to 10 business days after the voyage ends.
Each stateroom on the shortened sailing will also receive a $50 future cruise credit that can be used on any future Margaritaville at Sea sailing. Guests who do not want to continue with the revised itinerary can move their booking to another departure without a rebooking fee.
Coastal flooding and hazardous seas
Severe weather has hit the region between the Bahamas and South Florida. King tides have flooded coastal streets in Palm Beach County. Strong winds have also produced rough conditions along the beaches.
The National Weather Service in Miami has a coastal flood warning in effect through the ship’s expected arrival day, with significant saltwater flooding possible. A high surf advisory also extends at least through that day, and beaches face a high risk of rip currents.
A gale warning is scheduled to remain in effect through Tuesday night. The weather service has advised inexperienced mariners, particularly those operating smaller vessels, to avoid the hazardous wind and wave conditions.
