Several cruisers asked us to post the daily schedules from our 5-day sailing on board Margaritaville at Sea Islander. These should give a good idea of some of the events hosted on board. As you’ll quickly see, there’s a LOT to do on the ship every single day. Keep in mind, your schedules, events, ports/sea days, and times WILL vary. Please refer to your Islander Cruise News for the most current information related to your sailing!
Below is a quick summary of each of the days on board. Each of the Islander Cruise News daily schedules are linked at the bottom of the page.
Note: If you’re looking for schedules on the 4-day Margaritaville at Sea sailing, check out our post Margaritaville at Sea Islander Daily Schedules (4-day).
Day 1: Embarkation
We did a back-to-back sailing, and so we were on the ship before anyone else at around 9:15am! We enjoyed having the ship completely to ourselves for about 45 minutes. However, keep in mind that nothing starts on the schedule until 10:30am when guests begin boarding. Also, lunch does not open until 11:00am on embarkation morning, so keep that in mind if you have an early boarding time.
The first day is all about exploring the ship, eating food, and muster drill! A couple don’t-miss activities: the 5 o’Clock Somewhere Sail-Away Party is a lot of fun. There’s also live music across the ship. And in the theater, there’s a Variety Show that provides a sample of the entertainment on board.
Day 2: Day at Sea
Our second day on this voyage was a day at sea. We took advantage of everything there was to do on board. Highlight for your sea day: Don’t miss Cruise Director Trivia if it’s on the schedule. It was so much fun! During the day there was live music, pool games, scavenger hunts, movies, charades, bingo, and so much more. At night, don your Country Western wear and don’t miss the Captain’s Margarita Toast, the stage show (Conky Tonkin’ At Sea) and Quest for the Lost Shaker of Salt (18+, no photos please!).
Day 3: Cozumel
We docked at the Punta Langosta pier on our visit to Cozumel. Unlike our previous visit to Cozumel, we decided to just explore the port. Like the other piers in Cozumel, there’s lots of shopping, tequila tasting, restaurants, and great spots to take photos of the ship! It’s also easy to navigate to private tours or ride-share services if you’re looking to explore. Once we got back on, there was plenty of live music, more bingo, and a late-night comedian.
Day 4: Progreso
Believe it or not, after over 100 cruises, this was our first stop to Progreso! We booked Blue Hole, Cenotes & Swim Adventure through Margaritaville at Sea and really enjoyed this experience. We swam in both open-air and underground cenotes, enjoyed a delicious lunch, and of course, tequila tasting! The excursion description doesn’t mention this, but keep in mind, it’s about a 75-minute bus ride to get to the cenotes. While it was a comfortable ride and we LOVED learning more about Progreso along the way, we think this should be mentioned in the description of the excursion.
Sadly, the excursion ate up all of our time in port and so when we got back, we had to get right back on board. The evening featured karaoke, live music around the ship, a Very Merry Holiday Sing Along, a magician, and an After Hours party with DJ Craigmatic in the nightclub!
Day 5: Day at Sea
Our final day at sea was chock full of activities! Once again, we attended the Cruise Director Trivia (don’t miss it!). Speaking of don’t-miss activities, we enjoyed Bubbles Brunch in the Islander Dining Room. This dining option is included in some of the dining packages or you can pay on the ship for the experience. It includes a mimosa and we loved the food. This was the only service on the ship, however, that was kind of slow.
Another activity on the schedule not to miss: Salute to Heroes. What a powerful event on board; bring tissues. There was an Ugly Sweater Competition, more live music, and football playing across the ship. At night, don’t miss the stage show Caribbean Heat Remix. Everyone loved karaoke again and we ended the night in the Hot, Hot, Hot Nightclub with DJ Craigmatic. An awesome last evening on board!
Bonus Item: Behind The Scenes Tour and Engine Control Room
If you’ve never done a behind-the-scenes tour on a cruise ship, we highly recommend checking out the Behind The Scenes Tour and Engine Control Room experience on board Islander! Upon meeting your group, you’re handed your very own Captain’s hat! You then make your way to exclusive areas of the ship that require security escorts. Super cool.
Description from Margaritaville at Sea: “Experience an exclusive, up-close look at parts of the ship that are vital to setting sail. Tour the bridge and ECR and see what it feels like to be the captain and crew! Tour includes Captain’s hat & complimentary commemorative photo (4×6″).”
Note: You can only book this tour on board, and space is extremely limited due to the nature of the tour. If interested, be sure to reserve a spot on Day 1.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander Daily Schedules (5-day)
While we shared some of the “don’t miss” activities above, be sure to check out each day’s detailed schedule below! And if there’s anything you’d add to the don’t-miss list, let us know in the comments below!
