Margaritaville at Sea Paradise vs Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas

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 10 years older than the Radiance of the Seas, which was built in 2001 and renovated in 2021.

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 Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas, the Paradise is 41% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise holds 39% fewer passengers than the Radiance of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Paradise has less space per person compared to the Radiance of the Seas.

	Margaritaville at Sea Paradise	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Class	Classica	Radiance
Gross Tonnage	52,926	90,090
Length	722	962
Beam/Width	102	106
Passenger Decks	14	12
Passengers (double occupancy)	1,308	2,143
Crew	620	894
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.1	2.4
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	40	42

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 Radiance of the Seas has nine more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Giovanni's Table, Dog House, and Chef's Table. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other seven have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Radiance of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 129% 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 Radiance of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

	Margaritaville at Sea Paradise	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Total Dining Options	7	16
Complimentary Dining Options:	5	9
Additional Fee Dining Options:	2	7
% of Included Options	71%	56%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise has 4 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas. The Paradise has 7 bars like 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill, Keys on the Water and Stars on the Water Bar. On Paradise, you can grab a drink at 11 different bars such as Singapore Sling's, Sky Bar and The Colony Club.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
•12 Volt Bar • 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill • Euphoria • Hemisphere Nightclub • Keys on the Water • License to Chill Bar • Stars on the Water Bar	•Casino Bar • Champagne Bar • English Pub • Jakarta Lounge • Lobby Bar • Pool bar • Schooner Bar • Singapore Sling's • Sky Bar • The Colony Club • Viking Crown Lounge

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Paradise and the Radiance of the Seas 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.

The Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas has the same number of pools as the Paradise and more hot tubs.

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	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Total Pools	2	2
Pools - General Access	1	1
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive		0
Total Hot Tubs	2	3
Hot Tubs - General Access		2
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	1
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 Radiance of the Seas, 70% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Margaritaville at Sea Paradise	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
Comedy Show	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Mini golf	✓	✓
Pickleball	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Margaritaville at Sea and Royal Caribbean 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 Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas.

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	Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.00	$18.50
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	18%
Soda Price	$2.95	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$8.50 See drink menus	$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	64.99	$77 - $118 Learn more
Internet Plan	$17.99 per device per day	$19 to $30 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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