Margaritaville Sets Harland & Wolff Conversion and Galveston Introduction
Margaritaville at Sea has selected Harland & Wolff as the location for the conversion of its third cruise ship as part of its expansion plans. The line will refurbish its largest cruise ship, the former Costa Fortuna (102,587 gross tons), ahead of its January 2027 introduction and, as part of its expansion, also announced it will be homeporting a ship in Galveston, Texas.
The cruise line, which brings the styles and spirit of legendary musician Jimmy Buffett to sea, launched in 2022 with one cruise ship, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, sailing from the Port of Palm Beach, Florida, and has continued to expand. In 2024, it also selected Harland & Wolff in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to convert the former Costa Atlantica into its second cruise ship, and today it confirmed the yard, now owned by Navantia, will undertake the third conversion as well.
Margaritaville at Sea acquired the Costa Fortuna in 2025 and is set to take delivery of the ship in just a few more weeks. The ship is making its final cruise from Piraeus, Greece, from September 4 to 11, and then will be handed over. Built in 2003 by Fincantieri, she is the largest of the three ships operated by Margaritaville.
The cruise ship is 893 feet in length (272 meters) and has 1,358 passenger staterooms. It has accommodations for approximately 2,700 passengers and over 1,000 crewmembers. The ship is scheduled to relaunch in January 2027 as the Margaretville at Sea Beachcomber.
Margaritaville has grown to three ships after its 2022 launch (Margaritaville at Sea)
Harland & Wolff, which was acquired by Spain’s Navantia Group, highlights that the contract is the largest investment in a cruise ship revitalization for the yard since it was relaunched as part of Navantia UK. It refers to the contract as a multi-million-pound project and says it could generate approximately £40 million for the Belfast region, through the engagement of the repair yard, its facilities, and workforce, as well as a large force of contractors that will be working on the ship.
Earlier this year, Northern Ireland-headquartered Rathbane Group reported its companies MJM Marine and Mivan would be executing the refurbishment program. The company reported it would be a 12-week dry dock period. It included the refurbishment of all the public spaces aboard the ship, accommodations, and exterior work to reflect the playful and colorful island style of the line. The yard will also be sandblasting and painting the ship in the colorful style of the cruise line.
It will be an extensive transformation program, with MJM Marine and Mivan developing key elements of the onboard experience. Work will include the central atrium, spa, children’s facilities, specialty dining venues, and nightclub. The companies also worked with Harland & Wolff in 2024 for the conversion of the prior ship, which became Margaritaville at Sea Islander.
The ship will feature the line’s signature spaces built off the Buffett hit songs, including the Beachcomber Bar, 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar, and LandShark Sports Bar. There will be a Flip Flop Bar and other surprises on the larger ship. It is scheduled to launch Caribbean cruises from PortMiami. It is in addition to the current cruise programs from the Port of Tampa and the Port of Palm Beach.
The Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees also announced that it voted unanimously on August 25 to accept an agreement with Margaritaville at Sea. The cruise line will launch weekly sailings on Friday starting in October 2027. It has a one-year agreement with the port along with options to renew for two additional five-year terms. Margaritaville at Sea will announce the details on the new program at an event scheduled for September.
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For each of the organizations, this is a growth project. The cruise line will become the seventh to homeport in Galveston, which is already the fourth largest cruise homeport with a projected 446 sailings in 2026. The port has forecasted that it will handle 3.9 million passenger movements this year for a new record. In addition to Margaritaville at Sea, Carnival Cruise Line has announced it will be homeporting a new cruise ship in Galveston, and Royal Caribbean International will reposition one of the world’s largest ships, Icon of the Seas, to Galveston.
Navantia highlights that across its group it handles repairs and maintenance for more than 200 vessels annually, with its Cadiz, Spain yard becoming one of the leaders in cruise ship projects. It reports handling over 100 major cruise ship projects and looks to expand its operations, including with the Belfast yard. It notes that the overall ship repair market is valued at more than $38 billion and continues to grow. Belfast, it notes, offers one of the largest repair facilities in Western Europe, with two of the largest dry docks and more than 1,300 meters of berths.
