Margaritaville at Sea has a new home. The cruise line cut the ribbon on a 22,000 sq ft headquarters in downtown Orlando on Monday, October 19 — an event that, fittingly, kicked off at 5 pm with margarita mocktails in hand.
The office isn't your standard row of desks. The company has themed the space around experiences on its three ships: conference rooms named Bubbles Up, Landsharks and Cowboy in the Jungle, a License to Chill breakroom, a 5 o'Clock Somewhere dining space, and an A1A Walkway running through it all. Around 128 shoreside staff work there, part of a total workforce of roughly 4,000 when crew are counted.
For travellers, the more useful news tucked into the announcement is what's coming next. Margaritaville at Sea has already released its 2028 schedule: 30 itineraries calling at 25 destinations, including two ports the brand has never visited before, plus a set of specialty sailings and holiday-themed escapes. Exact ports and dates haven't been detailed in this announcement, so anyone eyeing a 2028 getaway should watch the line's site for the full rollout.
The Orlando move also says something about where the brand is heading. Margaritaville at Sea has been growing steadily from its early days refurbishing a single ship into a three-ship operation aimed squarely at casual, value-focused cruisers who want a laid-back, music-soaked vibe rather than a formal mega-ship experience. A bigger shoreside base in a major Florida city positions it closer to the cruise industry's heartland — and to the Port Canaveral and Tampa departure points many of its guests drive to.
Who should care? If you're a fan of short, easy-breezy Bahamas-style cruises with island-flavoured branding, this is a line worth tracking as its 2028 programme takes shape. The new ports of call in particular could shake up familiar itineraries, and specialty sailings tend to sell quickly once they open. Even if you've never cruised with the brand, the expansion signals more competition — and potentially more deals — in the affordable short-cruise market.
