Margaritaville at Sea will begin operating weekly cruises from Galveston, Texas, in October 2027, becoming the port's seventh cruise line.
The Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees unanimously approved an agreement with the operator on 25 August 2026. Sailings will depart on Fridays, adding a new departure day and another cruise brand to the port's expanding programme.
Margaritaville at Sea has not yet identified the ship that will be based in Galveston or published its itineraries. Those details are due to be announced at a special event at the port in September 2026.
Weekly cruises from Terminal 28
The new service will operate principally from Cruise Terminal 28. Port documents reported by Chron indicate that a limited number of departures will instead use Terminal 25 between December 2027 and March 2028.
Both terminals are already shared by established operators, including Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line and Princess Cruises.
The port's public announcement described an initial one-year agreement with options for two additional five-year terms. More detailed agreement documents refer to an initial 13-month operating period.
According to those documents, Margaritaville at Sea must record at least 200,000 passenger movements during the initial term. The thresholds would rise to 210,000 during the first five-year extension and 220,000 during the second. Passenger movements count embarkations and disembarkations rather than individual travellers.
Ship and itineraries remain unconfirmed
The cruise line said its Galveston programme will include a mixture of new ports of call and established favourites in the Caribbean and Central America. It has not yet disclosed voyage lengths, destinations or fares.
Crucially, the homeported ship also remains unannounced. Margaritaville at Sea currently has three vessels in its fleet: Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, Margaritaville at Sea Islander and the forthcoming Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber.
Beachcomber, the former Costa Fortuna, is due to enter service from Miami in 2027 after a major transformation at Harland & Wolff's Belfast shipyard. Nothing in the Galveston announcement confirms that it—or either existing fleet member—will operate the Texas programme.
Christopher Ivy, chief executive of Margaritaville at Sea, described Galveston as an important and growing cruise gateway. He said the agreement was another significant step in the expansion of the brand and would introduce its music-led, resort-style experience to more passengers across Texas and the central United States.
Galveston becomes a seven-line homeport
The Port of Galveston ranks as the fourth-largest cruise homeport in the United States. It expects to handle a record 3.9 million passenger movements and 446 cruise sailings during 2026.
The arrival of Margaritaville at Sea will give the port seven cruise lines and broaden its appeal as a drive-to departure point for a large regional market. Port officials estimate that approximately 46 million people live within its drive market.
Galveston has invested heavily in cruise infrastructure as demand has increased. Its fourth cruise terminal opened to support additional capacity, while continuing work covers transport links, passenger facilities and other improvements around the harbour.
Port director and chief executive Rodger Rees said the new Friday departures would round out Galveston's weekly cruise schedule and give passengers more choice over when and where they sail.
Another step in Margaritaville's expansion
Margaritaville at Sea began operating under its present identity in 2022 following the rebranding of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line. Its network has since expanded beyond short Bahamas cruises from Palm Beach.
Islander operates from Tampa, while Beachcomber is scheduled to join the fleet from Miami. Adding Galveston will establish a fourth homeport and give the company direct access to the large Texas cruise market.
The new agreement follows confirmation that Beachcomber will undergo a multi-million-pound refit in Belfast beginning in September 2026. Together, the two announcements point to a period of substantial fleet and homeport growth for the relatively young cruise brand.
Related: Read more about the major Harland & Wolff refit of Margaritaville at Sea Beachcomber.