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Carnival Adventure vs Margaritaville at Sea Islander
The Carnival Adventure was built in 2000. It was renovated in 2025. The Carnival Adventure is a rebranded ship, previously sailing as Golden Princess with Princess Cruises and the Pacific Adventure for P&O Australia. It has been brought into the Carnival family and they added things like the HUB app and Camp Ocean, but it missing several key Carnival elements. For example, they charge for pizza outside of lunch hours and there is no complimentary soft serve ice cream or burgers. The Margaritaville at Sea Islander was built in 2000 and renovated in 2024. The Islander formerly sailed as the Costa Atlantica before it was brought to the Margaritaville fleet.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Adventure is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 951 feet long and 118 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 2.2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Margaritaville at Sea Islander, the Adventure is 27% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Adventure holds 25% more passengers than the Islander based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Adventure has more space per person compared to the Islander. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
| Carnival Adventure | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Adventure | MAS Spirit |
| Gross Tonnage | 108,865 | 85,619 |
| Length | 951 | 960 |
| Beam/Width | 118 | 127 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 11 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,636 | 2,114 |
| Crew | 1,100 | 920 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 40 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Adventure has ten different dining options like Dragon Lady, Angelo's, and Waterfront Restaurant. Of those options, six are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.
The Islander has two more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are JWB Prime Steakhouse, Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar, and Far Side Sushi. six of these restaurants are complementary and the other six have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Islander might be a better choice. It has 20% more dining options than the Adventure.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Carnival Adventure | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 10 | 12 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 6 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 5 | 6 |
| % of Included Options | 50% | 50% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Adventure serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Islander serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Adventure and the Islander below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Adventure has a total of 4 pools and 8 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander has fewer pools than the Adventure and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Islander. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools are adults only on Adventure.| Carnival Adventure | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 8 | 3 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 6 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Adventure. Only 60% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Islander, 69% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Adventure | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Show | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dry kid's play area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Edge Adventure Park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pickleball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterslide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival and Margaritaville at Sea are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Carnival Adventure | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $2.95 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $8.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | 64.99 |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $17.99 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
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