[Mal2000]

Is there ever again going to be Barge To Hell cruise?
I am reading conflicting messages, like one from Stover's blog, where one reader posted in comments : During the press conference, Andy said that he has no plans for another Barge any time soon. He wants to focus solely on 70K

Did anyone heard this press conference? do you know or heard any rummors that BTH will not be?
Until today I was a believer, especially that Andy told me during last (and first) Barge that he will organize the next Barge.

I am confused, depressed and in need for some soothing assurance

[doomguy]

I watched an interview with Andy on YouTube in which when asked about it, he said something like "I don't like to spend so much time and work so hard on something, only to do it once" and that there will definitely be another BTH, but not at the same time of year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKtD6atS3nM

[Stained Class]

Yeah I think that was out of context what Stover said. He doesn't have any IMMEDIATE plans for Barge but there will almost definitely be one in 2014. Rumours right now are either March or November.

[X-Thor]

Yeah I think that was out of context what Stover said. He doesn't have any IMMEDIATE plans for Barge but there will almost definitely be one in 2014. Rumours right now are either March or November.

So in this case SOOn meant IMMEDIATE?

[Stained Class]

Yeah I think that was out of context what Stover said. He doesn't have any IMMEDIATE plans for Barge but there will almost definitely be one in 2014. Rumours right now are either March or November.

So in this case SOOn meant IMMEDIATE?

Soon means soon! Get it straight!

[mooyagi]

Soon means soon! Get it straight!

Sounds about right

[X-Thor]

Yeah I think that was out of context what Stover said. He doesn't have any IMMEDIATE plans for Barge but there will almost definitely be one in 2014. Rumours right now are either March or November.

So in this case SOOn meant IMMEDIATE?

Soon means soon! Get it straight!

You are right.

[SatansWrath]

Me and my girl were at the second press conference. And BTH will happen again, no worries, BUt the time schedule will be changed. That was what we were told.

[Mal2000]

Well, 70k gets awareness quite early this time - great

I hope Barge dates will be announced SOON.
I can't go to both cruises, most probably but IF BTH will not happen then I will book 70k.
ehhhhhh, choices, choices.........

[Mal2000]

Gnoff,

You got me - I gave up - you won

[deathmetalpat]

If BTH ever happens again ,it would have to be either on a smaller ship (different cruise line because Majesty is the smallest RC ship) or after economic conditions improve.There is only a small window to do these cruises in say Dec.1st though April 15th or so (hurricanes and summer festival season in Europe other times) ,so having 2 cruises close together you need the demand.Ultimate Metal Cruises did a good job with one but found out the hard way you not going to make twice as much money with two.BTH will not happen March or April (or any other time before April 2014) on the Majesty of the Seas because there are no open sailing dates.There would be little reason to outright tell people this because it would hurt 70k's image and maybe in the future it would be maybe a semi-anual event or something.I think ths year UMC wants to get back to an easy and earlier sell out on 70k.

[Stained Class]

If BTH ever happens again ,it would have to be either on a smaller ship (different cruise line because Majesty is the smallest RC ship) or after economic conditions improve.There is only a small window to do these cruises in say Dec.1st though April 15th or so (hurricanes and summer festival season in Europe other times) ,so having 2 cruises close together you need the demand.Ultimate Metal Cruises did a good job with one but found out the hard way you not going to make twice as much money with two.BTH will not happen March or April (or any other time before April 2014) on the Majesty of the Seas because there are no open sailing dates.There would be little reason to outright tell people this because it would hurt 70k's image and maybe in the future it would be maybe a semi-anual event or something.I think ths year UMC wants to get back to an easy and earlier sell out on 70k.

You have some good points. November was also mentioned as an option. I think even this time around if he had done it in a time that wasn't really hard for people to travel it would have done a lot better. Maybe not sold out but would've been profitable. I think next winter we're only gonna get one cruise though which is good cus all the awesome people here will be on the same boat!

[CaptOblivious]

If BTH ever happens again ,it would have to be either on a smaller ship (different cruise line because Majesty is the smallest RC ship) or after economic conditions improve.There is only a small window to do these cruises in say Dec.1st though April 15th or so (hurricanes and summer festival season in Europe other times) ,so having 2 cruises close together you need the demand.Ultimate Metal Cruises did a good job with one but found out the hard way you not going to make twice as much money with two.BTH will not happen March or April (or any other time before April 2014) on the Majesty of the Seas because there are no open sailing dates.There would be little reason to outright tell people this because it would hurt 70k's image and maybe in the future it would be maybe a semi-anual event or something.I think ths year UMC wants to get back to an easy and earlier sell out on 70k.

You have some good points. November was also mentioned as an option. I think even this time around if he had done it in a time that wasn't really hard for people to travel it would have done a lot better. Maybe not sold out but would've been profitable. I think next winter we're only gonna get one cruise though which is good cus all the awesome people here will be on the same boat!

the only real problem with a November sail date is that is still in the Atlantic hurricane season ( ends December 1 though late season hurricanes can last past that date ) now if he wanted to sail from say the west coast somewhere that does open more options but i do not know what the hurricane season is like down Mexico way as all i ever hear on the news is about some rich dudes Florida ocean front home being destroyed again and that his insurance isn't willing to pay out this time wah wah wah so on and so forth

[DJ Old Man Stares]

November would be terrible for me because that is when the Holiday season starts at my place of employment. I sent UMC a polite letter and asking about the Barge date and have heard no response from UMC. If 70k 2014 is the only cruise for 2014 then I am alright with that because in theory the lineup will be similar to the first two cruises with more powerhouse bands and less last minute money grabs.

[Laura]

^^ well, November would actually be *ideal* for me so every situation is different (and I definitely would not have cancelled Barge 2012 ultimately had it been in November rather than December)....but holy moly/for christ's sakes - re the future of Barge, 70K, or anything for that matter....really? Seriously??? I say...que sera sera - and I do not wait with bated breath for any of it. I'm pretty much completely over the whole UMC soon/anticipation/soon/build-up/soon/wait/soon/MEGA drag-out announcement process... it was - maybe - a bit exciting and intriiguing the first *few* go rounds, but for me at least, it got quite old pretty quickly. *feeling jaded at the moment*

Time for a new strategy methinks - announce the whole god-damn, fucking line-up (or a least the lion's share of it) within a couple month's time of announcing the new dates. Voila!! Is that really so hard??

[Evican]

^^ well, November would actually be *ideal* for me so every situation is different (and I definitely would not have cancelled Barge 2012 ultimately had it been in November rather than December)....but holy moly/for christ's sakes - re the future of Barge, 70K, or anything for that matter....really? Seriously??? I say...que sera sera - and I do not wait with bated breath for any of it. I'm pretty much completely over the whole UMC soon/anticipation/soon/build-up/soon/wait/soon/MEGA drag-out announcement process... it was - maybe - a bit exciting and intriiguing the first *few* go rounds, but for me at least, it got quite old pretty quickly. *feeling jaded at the moment*

Time for a new strategy methinks - announce the whole god-damn, fucking line-up (or a least the lion's share of it) within a couple month's time of announcing the new dates. Voila!! Is that really so hard??

I agree completely Laura. The dragged out announcements and the bread crumbs thing got old after the first round. I'll more than likely be doing 70000 Tons next year, but it would be nice if we get a good portion of the line up confirmed within the first few months. However 70K sold out this year and Andy didn't change the way the announcements were made, so it's unlikely that anything different will happen for the announcements of the 2014 bands.

[Laura]

Hi Rachael! Nice to see you here again!!

Well, it really isn't like me to swear like that on the forum.... but what occurred to me over the weekend is this: the whole dragging out of the announcements/anticipation build-up is reminiscent to me of a carrot & stick routine....also a combination of being teasing and even somewhat condescending in my view...like the way some parents may treat a young child to get them to do something.

So, that is what the marketing gimmick is perhaps, but wears thin over time (to me at least). Although as you said, they still sold out without changing a thing, and they know they've got a great "end product" and there will be many who will book no matter what (like the people who go to Wacken every year), so I suspect things will not change as well.

Make no mistake, I'm not dissing the product at all (which is amazingly wonderful), I just really don't care for the "process" (anymore) which I find increasingly irritating three years down the road.

/end rant

On a lighter note....bring on da next Barge!!!

[mooyagi]

Just to put the other side out there for the sake of discussion, many bands that have played the cruises were asked very late to be on. This shows that not every band is booked early so in that case there isn't even an announcement to give. From talking to Andy it sounds like there are also some contractual obligations to keep things quiet as well (such as if a band is touring).

As I've said many times before, as long as the company delivers the final product, I'm happy.

[Laura]

^^^ yes, I am aware of the presence and the reality of some of these issues to some extent, but I suspect that at least some portion of the megaaaaa drag out announcement/sooooon scenarios have been part "gimmick" and that is what I (and only speaking for myself here which basically effects nothing! ) find really tiresome at this point. But that is the beauty of our western, capitalistic society after all - the one who comes up with just the right formula/product that creates a perpetual (really strong!! e.g. OMG, OMG, OMG - I'm just really gonna die if I miss one) desire in a particular consumer base that is somewhat self-sustaining over a relatively long period of time - BINGO!! (i.e. wins BIG!!). This is a great thing really in many ways in my view. The other really great thing about our western capitalistic society is that we consumers have the right/can (and often do) bitch about what it is the sellers are selling us and how they're selling it.

The forum is slow now...I'm purposely (and hopefully obviously) simply being part provocateur here for the sake of discussion (even though I do genuinely mean & believe everything I said here and in the last couple posts).

[mooyagi]

It certainly has annoyed quite a large number of people and many have voiced their concerns right here on the forum. The thing is, the slow announcements have not affected ticket sales and probably won't as long as a lot of us continue to book immediately. If it was enough of an annoyance that people actually stop booking or even cancel in large numbers, then that could force a change. Until then, it's probably something we have to live with since they seem to have created that strong desire you mention. Sure it's annoying, but it seems to be working. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The latest string of noannouncements is probably giving a lot of people false hope that it'll be different this time.

[DJ Old Man Stares]

After the wait for the last 70k, I officially am tired of the wait. I was really upset over the fact that I didn't know about four of the bands when I flew out. I told myself that I wont go unless the lineup is really stellar because of that fact. It was highly annoying especially when I don't have that much money and am shelling out just about all of it to head out on this thing.

[KevinP]

It certainly has annoyed quite a large number of people and many have voiced their concerns right here on the forum. The thing is, the slow announcements have not affected ticket sales and probably won't as long as a lot of us continue to book immediately. If it was enough of an annoyance that people actually stop booking or even cancel in large numbers, then that could force a change. Until then, it's probably something we have to live with since they seem to have created that strong desire you mention. Sure it's annoying, but it seems to be working. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The latest string of noannouncements is probably giving a lot of people false hope that it'll be different this time.

But you have to wonder, how many people who don't post and see all the whining and complaining and who then think "hmmm" and causes them to pause.

If they saw everyone raving and just being uber excited all the time, that might push them towards going.

Just a thought.

[mooyagi]

It certainly has annoyed quite a large number of people and many have voiced their concerns right here on the forum. The thing is, the slow announcements have not affected ticket sales and probably won't as long as a lot of us continue to book immediately. If it was enough of an annoyance that people actually stop booking or even cancel in large numbers, then that could force a change. Until then, it's probably something we have to live with since they seem to have created that strong desire you mention. Sure it's annoying, but it seems to be working. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The latest string of noannouncements is probably giving a lot of people false hope that it'll be different this time.

But you have to wonder, how many people who don't post and see all the whining and complaining and who then think "hmmm" and causes them to pause.

If they saw everyone raving and just being uber excited all the time, that might push them towards going.

Just a thought.

Agreed although the cruises have still sold out. Definitely sucks to have all the bad publicity for people that are on the fence.

[KevinP]

The blame falls squarely on Aaron & Vincent's shoulders

(I mean, why not, right? )

[Anka]

I hope there will be one! And i understand there WILL be one. But like i said, i only book once i have something that satisfies me enough to make me giggly. Repeats and debuting bands won't do it, not even some of the legendary ones haha.

At every show i go to and i wear my Barge shirt I often get asked about it or i get praised for ever attending it I always have at least two strangers asking me about it. I advise everyone to wait for the lineup and only book when they are happy with it - given the long waits before. Even if there're gonna be more expensive cabins, at least i know it's worth it :)

[hvymtl8604]

I would LOVE to do the Barge but I'm sure knowing how UMC operates that they wont tell us what they are doing with the barge untill after they've opened booking for 70K and kind of forced some peoples hands vacation and money wise.

Love the product but dispise the operating/marketing aspect of this company.

[rwalters]

The issue at this point is there really isn't any other band (for the most part) that I have never seen that they can get on these cruises. It would be all repeats. They really hit everybody in the last 2 years for me (which I will forever appreciate). They would just need to have an overall amazing lineup of repeats for me to go again. The bands they haven't gotten on these cruises, you can easily see in the U.S. for 1/1000th of the price.

They talked about on the last 70K setting up a third cruise of mostly newer acts. That could get me to bite. The entire NWOAHM 2000s scene on a boat would be special for me.

Really hoping for a Barge though as I heavily prefer that cruise to the 70K one.

[alex_canada]

Can't really see another UMC specialty cruise in the same vein. What bands of that type weren't booked the first time around, are the right size to headline, that would sell tickets?

[Stained Class]

If they were gonna do a third type of cruise I had assumed they would do one with a really big band like Iron Maiden etc and then only have a handful of other bands. That was just my guess though.

[KevinP]

Can't really see another UMC specialty cruise in the same vein. What bands of that type weren't booked the first time around, are the right size to headline, that would sell tickets?

Bolt Thrower


Then you can add:

Morbid Angel
Carcass


that would get things off to a very healthy start. I'm hoping Andy is keeping track of how fast almost all of their US shows have sold out this year. The demand is BIG for BT.

Plus I already told Andy over and over and over I want BOLT THROWER.

[stoverkill]

Baaarrrrrrgggge!!!!!!!

[Metalwrath]

Can't really see another UMC specialty cruise in the same vein. What bands of that type weren't booked the first time around, are the right size to headline, that would sell tickets?

Bolt Thrower


Then you can add:

Morbid Angel
Carcass


that would get things off to a very healthy start. I'm hoping Andy is keeping track of how fast almost all of their US shows have sold out this year. The demand is BIG for BT.

Plus I already told Andy over and over and over I want BOLT THROWER.

Unless those shows cost 900 dollars i fail to see your point.

[doomguy]

Can't really see another UMC specialty cruise in the same vein. What bands of that type weren't booked the first time around, are the right size to headline, that would sell tickets?

Bolt Thrower


Then you can add:

Morbid Angel
Carcass


that would get things off to a very healthy start. I'm hoping Andy is keeping track of how fast almost all of their US shows have sold out this year. The demand is BIG for BT.

Plus I already told Andy over and over and over I want BOLT THROWER.

Unless those shows cost 900 dollars i fail to see your point.

Logic has never been one of Kevin's strengths...