Since we have a whole year between our last cruise and our next one, we decided to take a quick cruise from Florida on the MAS Islander. It sails from Tampa Bay so it was a quick drive from where we’re staying in Clermont.

We were a little concerned about the quality of the Margaritaville at Sea cruiseline but decided to give it a try. Glad we did, the ship was beautiful, the staff was great and the food was good. Our room steward was great and made the cutist towel animals – he kept using Candi’s glasses as accents!!

We had originally booked an interior cabin but a few days before sailing we got an upgrade offer for a balcony room. It was nice to sit out on the balcony and we had some great views.

We went to a musical dance show that was a lot of fun, and saw Rob Little, one of the best comedians we’ve ever seen. There were also a lot of small bars with great musicians. We loved listening to Muzi’s soft guitar style. There was also a great Latin duo that had beautiful voices. We enjoyed the steel pan drum player, but in small doses (it was a little loud!).

We attended a wine tasting that featured wines from Ste Michelle Wine Estates in Washington state. We really liked their Eroica Riesling and were surprised to like their Domaine Ste Michelle Brut. We’re not red wine fans but we thought their Grand Estates Merlot would make a great Sangria. Luckily we didn’t buy any bottles on board, even at the 30% discount they were offering the prices were double what they are at Total Wine! We even got certificates to show our new expertise!

Debarkation was a little more confusing than we’re used to. The announcements weren’t broadcast in the rooms and weren’t clear. But we found our way off the ship and didn’t have to wait long at all for the shuttle to pick up our truck at The Car Park.