This. Glancing at the roster, roughly half of the currently announced bands can headline a US tour on their own (or at least have in the past). What kind of bands could realistically be bigger than say, Iced Earth or Blind Guardian, and still be feasible for this cruise? Dream Theater?
(Majesty of the Seas) Cool! Blind Guardian and Blackguard were just added to it.
I just got back from my cruise on the same ship, so if you have any questions about the ship itself and stuff, fire away! (This goes for anyone else, too.)
I had a few thoughts about the fest after seeing the ship and talking to some of her crew, including the captain...
-- I dunno how they're going to get the ship ready in time. They're building a custom stage for the pool deck, but unless I'm missing something, Majesty of the Seas returns from her prior cruise the same morning as their departure for 70ktons, later that afternoon. And after their return, she departs for the next cruise later the same day. These are realllly tight windows. As Glenn put it, if something breaks, they can't just drive over to Guitar Center and pick up a replacement.
-- They're having some of the shows in one of the theaters on the ship (it's called The Chorus Line). It's really elegant...and has fixed seats. Or at least, they will be attached to the floor at the beginning of the cruise; dunno about the end.
-- On-board staff and crew, especially the ones who are basically tipped automatically (dining room staff and cabin attendant) were really courteous. Not sure how crowded the 'formal night' in the dining rooms will be during 70 ktons, though. How many metalheads will bring a suit and tie, or a dress?
-- Majesty is an older and smaller ship by today's cruise standards, but it's still decent sized and the refit makes it look pretty good. For the normal (i.e., reduced) price that RCI charges I thought it was a fair deal. For a higher price such as 70 ktons is charging, well.....it will be interesting to see how it turns out.
BTW, I was expecting my 119 sq ft. interior cabin to be smaller than it actually was. It helped that I wasn't sharing with anyone.
No idea...I think that JL said in an interview that they're planning on getting into the studio sometime around January, so perhaps they'll have their drummer by then. It would be feasible to rehearse, and the first show with the new drummer would certainly be a draw for some people.
i absolutely loved our visit there. There are some absolutely fantastic places to eat if you do a little research (or ask the right person) 
They are taking out the seats according to the organizers...
The stage wouldn't take more than a day to build... and they confirmed that there is no dress code
-- observed, this ship is just about perfect for a first-time cruise.I think I said it in another thread, or even this one, but...
I'm a 25 year old guy in a permanent full-time job and still taking university classes. Paying rent, paying car, and still going on this trip. $1000 is a lot in one fell swoop yeah, but realistically all of us here can put aside $80 a month from missing one concert (especially from someone on the boat) and not eating out (or drinking) as much. Or smoking less, if you love your cancer and ED. And maybe I'm in the minority, but if I take all the bands I love on the cruise and would pay to see as a headliner in my hometown (15 of them so far), that would cost more than the entertainment fee of the cruise.
Anyways...I love progpower and have been several times, but that's no reason to look for any fault possible in what's looking to be an awesome cruise.
I'm not looking to find fault with it and I think it's gonna be an awesome time for all. If I hadn't just blown 40 hours of vacation-time on this last cruise and could have found at least one other person to share a cabin with, I think I'd have gone on this, too. It would have been an awesome birthday present.
After reading a few cruise-review websites, I can certainly see the benefits of a back-to-back cruise on the same ship: you only get kicked out once. 
