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Margaritaville at Sea Paradise vs Carnival Festivale
The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise was built in 1991. It was renovated in 2018. The Paradise previously sailed under two different names, the Costa Classica and Grand Classica, before being purchased by Margaritaville to launch their new cruise line. It's 36 years older than the Festivale, which was built in 2027. The Festivale is named after the original ship that sailed with Carnival from 1977 - 1996. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships. Unlike the first Excel Class ships, Festivale does NOT have a BOLT roller coaster, instead it has a waterpark called "Sunsation Point." The ship will sail from Port Canaveral starting in Spring 2027.
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 Paradise is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 722 feet long and 102 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2 football fields, as wide as 1.9 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Carnival Festivale, the Paradise is 71% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise holds 76% fewer passengers than the Festivale 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 Paradise has more space per person compared to the Festivale. 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.
The Festivale uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Carnival Festivale | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Classica | Excel |
| Gross Tonnage | 52,926 | 182,800 |
| Length | 722 | 1,130 |
| Beam/Width | 102 | 137 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 17 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 1,308 | 5,400 |
| Crew | 620 | 1,700 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.1 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 40 | 35 |
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 Paradise has seven different dining options like Fins Dining, JWB Prime Steakhouse, and Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar. Of those options, five are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other two options have an additional fee.
The Festivale has sixteen more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse (Excel-ship), Seafood Shack, and Bonsai Teppanyaki. nineteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Festivale might be a better choice. It has 229% more dining options than the Paradise.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Paradise might be a better choice then the Festivale. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Carnival Festivale | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 7 | 23 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 5 | 19 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 2 | 9 |
| % of Included Options | 71% | 61% |
| See the options | See the options |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Paradise serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. The Festivale serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Paradise and the Festivale 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 Margaritaville at Sea Paradise has a total of 2 pools and 2 hot tubs.
Carnival Festivale has more pools than the Paradise and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Festivale. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Paradise.| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Carnival Festivale | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 6 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 2 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 |
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 Paradise. Only 56% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Festivale, 65% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Carnival Festivale | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Show | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cooking Class | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor gym | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pickleball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✗ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Margaritaville at Sea and Carnival 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. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Margaritaville at Sea Paradise will likely be cheaper than on Carnival Festivale.
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.
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Carnival Festivale | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $2.95 | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.50 See drink menus | $8.75 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | 64.99 | $83 - $88 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $17.99 per device per day | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
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