I was super skeptical about this tbh. It sounded really dumb, but the more good things I hear the more I hope they will continue it!
The 70ktons website confirms that there will be another metal cruise.
So more details about the cruise, was it just fans or was it also open to non-metal ppl? What cruiseline was it?
It was only open to metalheads booking through the 70,000 Tons website. The cruise line is Royal Caribbean and the ship was
Majesty of the Seas. I checked that week's sailing on Royal Caribbean's website and it wasn't listed at all, being a private charter. (The ship's captain told me back in October that it's extremely unusual for that ship, too.)
The restaurants were ok, I'm a foodie so I thought they sucked, but for the masses I'm sure they are fine. The fine dining restaurant was kind of funny, hundreds of black metal shirted long haired metal heads drinking wine and being served by tuxedoed waiters!!
heh, I was wondering how that would work. Incidentally, I thought the food in the Main Dining Room (we were in Moonlight on Deck 3 on my cruise) was quite good...I'm wondering if they backed off a bit on the menu or something. I heard that the onboard Johnny Rocket's was sub-par compared to a land-based location. On the other hand, I liked the Compass Deli, which is a bit of a hidden treasure (it's behind the pizza place) and is unique to
Majesty of the Seas in RCI's fleet.
The guy that fixed up our room each day always left something funny in the room and was good spirited. Surprisingly, it was pretty quiet at bedtime (3-7am for me) so I never had trouble sleeping.
You'd better have gotten at least an elephant, made out of towels.
Ok this was a CRUISE. Which was had its charm, but at times it was uncomfortable. The room was a closet and the shower, well hell I have no idea how some people even fit in that thing. It was tiny (but I never smelled BO so I guess people used the pool or something).
Yep, the staterooms on that ship are among the smallest in the cruise industry. I'd hate to share a cabin with someone else unless it's a spouse or something. And some of those cabins are rigged for four berths. (!)
The boat rocked back and forth a LOT. Even the staff said it was unusual to be so rocky and this did make for some interesting stumbling around and some disorientation. I never got sick or saw anyone get sick but it was generally unsettling (and a lot of band members made jokes about it).
I think you had that problem more than on my cruise because the ship was probably steaming pretty fast. Miami -> Cozumel and back is a longer hike than Miami -> Key West -> Nassau -> CocoCay -> Miami. (We only had a lot of ship-motion on the Key West -> Nassau leg.)
The outdoor deck was VERY windy at times and on the colder side.
There were times on my cruise on that ship where I thought "surely these deck chairs are gonna blow around or blow overboard!" Not all the time, but if the ship is steaming into a decent breeze, expect a lot of wind..... At least back in October it was a reasonably warm wind.
I have no idea what they would have done if it would have really rained on the outdoor stage since it didn't have a roof.
The ship can steam around thunderstorms to some degree, but not always, and not when close to port.
Check in check out was a pain, but not as bad as getting on or off a plane.
I assume they kicked everyone's asses out of the ship by 10am Friday, right? It'd be like the unkindest cut of all after a hard-drinkin' metal cruise.
Overall the entire experience was amazing. What went into this event must be truly daunting and for a first time especially I can't give them enough respect. You felt like you were in metal heaven for 4 days and I think everyone was a little depressed the last day. I'm proud I was able to be part of this historical event. Everyone who attended (bands and fans) took a "gamble" and it paid off in a big way I think. I have no doubt that this will become absolutely LEGENDARY and that it will sell out easily every single year forward if similar quailty bands are booked. Nothing will ever beat ProgPower 1-3 for me but this was very close.
Awesome!
I'm seriously considering booking for next year when it's announced!
