Margaritaville at Sea has put its full 2028 schedule on sale, and it's the biggest yet: 30 itineraries calling at 25 destinations, including two ports the laid-back cruise line has never visited before.
The headline news is Central America. For the first time, the line's Islander will dock in Limon, Costa Rica and Colon, Panama, on new eight-night voyages sailing from Tampa. Those longer trips also bundle in Grand Cayman and four days at sea — a proper deep-dive into the southern end of the Caribbean rather than a quick hop.
Elsewhere on the map, the 2028 calendar covers familiar favourites: Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Belize, Roatán, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Bimini, Nassau and Progreso. From Galveston, the Beachcomber — which debuts from PortMiami in 2027 before shifting to Texas — will run new itinerary combinations, including a three-stop Mexico route taking in Cozumel, Progreso and Veracruz. The Islander, meanwhile, will push further afield into the Southern Caribbean, and Tampa gains a rare ABC-islands sailing visiting Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.
As usual with this line, the speciality sailings are half the appeal. After a first-ever Mardi Gras cruise in 2027, the Islander returns to New Orleans for the 2028 celebrations with an overnight stay in the city — essentially a floating hotel for one of America's great parties. The same overnight format applies to the signature Halloween voyage, back for its third year and newly built around a night in the Crescent City. There's also a five-night Key West and Bimini escape departing 25 June 2028, plus holiday-themed trips around St Patrick's Day in Key West, Mother's Day (Key West and Cozumel), Memorial Day, Father's Day and the Fourth of July. Music-focused sailings with chart-topping artists and exclusive onboard performances continue too.
Why does this matter for travellers? Margaritaville at Sea sits in the affordable, fun-first corner of cruising — more casual than the mega-lines, with a strong Gulf-coast and Florida base. Booking this early means the widest cabin choice and typically the best fares, and the new eight-night Tampa sailings open up Costa Rica and Panama to travellers who'd otherwise need a longer, pricier itinerary. If a Mardi Gras or Halloween trip with an overnight in New Orleans sounds like your kind of chaos, 2028 is the year to lock it in. All 30 itineraries are on sale now via the line's website.
