In the cruise market, at least the affordable part of it alongside Royal Caribbean, Carnival and, to a lesser extent, Norwegian Cruise Line, a new player will find it hard to fill a niche.
Virgin Voyages has been trying to crash the market, with mixed success, by being both age-18-and-older and a little more upscale.
MSC Cruises has made some headway with its deep pockets, operating innovative new ships that show itself willing to challenge Royal Caribbean and Carnival's latest megaships.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line shares a key smoking policy
Margaritaville at Seas, which had spent most of its existence as a single-ship cruise line, seemed like a fringe player.
Aside from its branding by the singer Jimmy Buffett, the cruise line seemed closer to a novelty booze or casino cruise than a legitimate alternative to any of the major players.
MAS Paradise sails two-night cruises out of West Palm Beach, Fla. It's a smaller, older ship with one pool, a limited number of balcony rooms, and limitations due to its size. It's priced well — many sailings are $99 per person per night — but two nights is more of a break than a vacation.
But the cruise line's new ship, MAS Islander, is a game-changer for the brand. It's a remodel of an older ship, but Islander, while still small by modern standards, has an expanded pool deck with three pools plus what seems an endless array of distinctive bars and restaurants.
Islander channels Jimmy Buffett
MAS Islander has been built for people who like the Jimmy Buffett lifestyle. That's not to say the ship is filled with the recently departed star's music. The cruise line caters to adults but it does offer kids' clubs, and it doesn't play party music in its halls, while its rivals do.
Instead, you're more likely to hear Tom Petty, Jack Johnson and other artists who offer both Americana and beach vibes. That follows through to the live musicians on the ship (and they are everywhere), who range from solo guitarists and acoustic duos to Caribbean bands, a steel-drum player, and a woman who plays electric violin.
Music, of course, is very much a part of the daily programming with performers playing in multiple venues across the ship and on the pool deck. But while Buffett's music is heard and often interpreted, it's not overbearing if he's not one of your favorite performers.
Islander also has nighttime shows in theaters, which also rely heavily on music, as well as a sports bar with multiple rooms to allow for different games to air with their accompanying audio.
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Image source: Daniel Kline/The Street
Bars are the star on MAS Islander
While Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian all have some spectacular dining venues and some innovative bars, the size of their ships prevents them from having a cohesive theme.
Every space on MAS Islander, while distinctive, ties back to Buffett.
The pool deck, near the top of the ship on Deck 9, has some of Buffett's trademark bars, including the Landshark and 5 O'Clock Somewhere, which borrow heavily from the tropical drinks offered at the land-based Margaritaville and Landshark bars. Think a lot of margarita variants, tropical drinks and other fruity concoctions.
There's also a Tiki Bar on the pool deck in the 18+ area, which has a small food menu as well and waiters offering roaming service.
The menus are well-designed, making it worth checking out all the spots near the pools. But many of the bars themselves have tall chairs, so shorter folks have their legs dangling, and the wooden Tiki idol chairs at the Tiki Bar are downright uncomfortable.
As you move indoors the beverage menus move away from fully tropical. The Bubbly Bar offers versions of island classics incorporating champagne and other carbonated wines.
Hemisphere Dancer, an aviation-themed mixology bar, has a deep menu of drinks, many of which are visually stunning.
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MAS Islander is also strong on food
As for food, Islander's pool deck offers a small buffet, and also has some of the better free pizza you'll find at sea. Just outside the Port of Indecision Buffet is the Mexican Cutie Cantina, a free Mexican eatery that was a bit limited compared with the similar offerings on many Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships.
Opposite the Mexican Eatery, however, is Cheeseburger in Paradise, an included burger place that serves nothing but burgers and fries (no plant-based options were on offer, which bothered some passengers).
And while some Guy Fieri fans may lobby for his burger on Carnival, the MAS Islander's burger restaurant offers simple Smashburgers with a nice char — arguably the best free burger at sea.
The main dining room consists of two rooms. Fins offers a daily-changing dinner menu that's diverse and more innovative than you see on many cruise lines. There's a fish dish each night, for example, but the fish used changes based on what's fresh and available.
Islander, the second dining room, serves the same menu along with a daily list of elevated specials, That eatery is open to suite passengers; everyone else can partake there for an added fee.
The ship also has a JWB Steakhouse and a limited-menu small sushi bar, including some excellent sashimi and a Sake-driven bar menu.
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Inside the MAS Islander
The ship, which has about 1,100 cabins accommodating around 2,100 passengers, has been redone floor to ceiling. It's heavily tied to Buffett iconography, with large parrots hanging from the ceiling seen as you ride the elevator.
A large flip-flop marks the Flip Flop lobby bar, and every public space gives off the Buffett vibe without being overwhelming.
Cabins have been redone: They're modern with smart touches like USB ports, outlets and lights near the bed. TVs are large but programming was, at least at this point, limited. Rooms are comfortable and feel new.
The only places on the ship that suggest that it's not a new build is the public-area bathrooms, which are functional but dated.
MAS can't compete with Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian and the others players that have fleets of ships.
Islander, however, offers a distinctive product for adults who appreciate good food and drinks but who aren't overly precious about either one. It's a relaxed good time that does the singer's spirit proud.
MAS Islander sails four- and five-day Caribbean itineraries out of Tampa.
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