[MMatti]

Back in the real world for 1 week now... Already yearning for the next edition!

I had an absolute blast this year, my fourth. Bands I enjoyed greatly, in no particular order: Rotting Christ, Vreid, Dark Tranquillity, Bathuska, Jungle Rot, Bodyfarm, Fractal Universe, Keep of Kalessin, Melechesh, Belphegor, Nightwish, Oceans of Slumber, Elvenking, Kamelot, Deathless Legacy. Several of these I had seen before, some many times, but somehow the bands seem to bring their A game to the boat.

Elements I enjoyed a lot about this cruise:
- Sound quality. Seemed better than previous years? There were a few exceptions but overall I thought it was good. I have custom earplugs with filters, which helped reduce the dB while maintaining the sound quality.
- Floating rather than cruising. Really helped to reduce the wind at the pool deck. We were very lucky with the weather. It was pretty bad a few days after the cruise. Maybe for more stable weather it would be better to head further south?
- The number of people. Maybe a little more crowded would be better (for the bands as well), but it was nice to always be able to stand pretty much where you wanted.
- Food. I enjoyed the Windjammer and the Texmex place on deck 11. Still haven't done the sit down dining, too busy watching bands! Maybe next year, but that's what I say every year...
- First time taking the waterslides. They are faster than I thought.
- Checking in and out was smooth as butter.

Now bring on the news about the next edition #SOON. Can't wait...

[Madkill]

Thoughts on my Round #9...

The Good:

Checking in was a breeze, loved the RC phone-app, the glossy always cool program, the number of people (... which led to comfortable standing/seating, smooth merch purchases, relaxing vibe around the ship), price of bands' merch, availability/price for old 70K merch, Windjammer/Fancy Restaurant food choices and quality, the usual RC personnel niceness and service, epic sets by Kreator/Hypocrisy/Evergrey/Fractal Universe/Obscura/The Crown/Cynic/Kamelot/Amorphis, and yet another trip without incidents since everyone's there to enjoy themselves, regardless of cultural/nationality/etc. differences... which the whole world should learn from.

The Bad:

Not impressed at all by Bimini. The short distance from FL and steady voyage was much welcomed, but Labadee/Costa Maya/Falmouth it aint. Heard on the last day of the trip about a COVID outbreak on-board, which is obviously a bummer. Bands not taking the opportunity to bring boat-specific merch will always blow my mind.

The Ugly:

The sound on some sets, most notably Obscura which only played for 20 minutes on their first set, and Evergrey where Johan told me and a buddy that the sound guy literally fell asleep (!!!). There's your cue Andy, you may want to replace whoever that company was.


Looking forward to my Round #10 next year. Whatta' lovely 70K Decade it has been...

[Hulk RT]

Had a blast this year on the boat, probably my second favorite, 2018 remains my favorite year. I might have ran around to much trying to see everyone that I wanted but that can be part of the fun. Unfortunately I was one of the people that caught COVID from the boat, oh well shit happens.

[Andy]

Survivors!

Thank you for sailing onbroad Round 11 of 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise! We hope that you enjoyed your time with us.

Your opinions and ideas are very important to us and will help me and my team make 70000TONS OF METAL even better in the future.

Access Codes for you to complete our survey are being sent out. Please be patient as it may take up to 48 hours for the system to send all Access Codes. If you do not receive yours within the next 48 hours, please make sure to check your spam folder and contact us.

This survey will remain open until February 19th, 2023 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

I am looking forward to receiving your feedback and hope to welcome you back on board in 2024 for yet another fantastic edition of 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise!

Cheers,

the Skipper

[toby]

Survey completed. Let's make with the 2024 announcements ASAP.

[cegr80]

Survey filled and submitted.

Let's get more information regarding 2024, please. Destination and dates are important.

Also, let's get back to "normal" times for band announcements and booking. I trust you, Andy. You promised us you'd do better this year.

[toby]

Let's get more information regarding 2024, please. Destination and dates are important.

Yep. At a bare minimum.

[Pellaz]

As they posted on Facebook, if the comment area is too small, you can send your complete comments to info@70000tons.com.
I'd include your booking number or survey code, although they didn't specifically require it.

It accepted all that I typed in, so I'm not sure what novels anyone else was writing to overload it.

[bodomdragon]

All my complaints this year was information coming too late (SURPRISE! Guess I'll be the only one pointing that out), the main dining room only open for dinner (MAJOR disappointment) and the 50% discounts at Eindhoven. And I even forgot to mention the last one on my feedback survey.

[taraimaro]

I heard a rumor that someone overdosed in Bimini and died onbroad and was choppered off the ship. Can anybody confirm or deny that?

It is absolutely confirmed that a passenger had a drug related medical emergency and was transported off the ship in very bad condition via a fire rescue boat. The word the skipper gave at the press conference is that the cruiser was in stable condition being treated at a hospital. Given the fact that the patient was listed as stable, it can be safely assume that it is likely they will recover. That was the latest information at the time of the press conference yesterday at 5 PM. Obviously things can change, but the rumors that the passenger had died were untrue

his sister posted on Facebook saying she talked to him in the hospital and he was alive and recovering

These posts are several days old but apparently someone related to that survivor also posted soon afterwards that it had nothing to do with drugs and that it was a combination of dehydration, sunstroke and way too many rum punches that caused some kind of a seizure. I'm not a doctor or otherwise medically trained so I can't what actually happened. But that person posting that thing was someone forwarding in the FB group the comments of said survivor's father I think so it's not 100 % sure and reliable (because it's one person posting what someone else posted somewhere else) but according to that person the survivor was already out of the hospital in couple of days and flying home to the UK.
Of course it could've been drug related who knows but I wouldn't say that it's absolutely sure despite what Andy said at the pool deck on day 3. So we can't be 100 % sure it was drug related or that it was a combo of dehydration, sunstroke and too much alcohol but yes someone had a medical emergency and we sailed fast back to Miami or close to it anyway and a fire & rescue boat came by the ship to take that person to a hospital in Miami.

[taraimaro]

just fyi: women on the internet have been very vocal that this is not acceptable. No form of "name bands/songs/whatnot" is accepted. It is considered male condescension

You are getting this totally out of context.

It is perfectly fine to ask any person on the boat which bands they are into. It is a normal question considering you are at a music festival. You can refuse to answer, of course, but if anyone takes this particular question as any sort of test, aggression or condescension, this person has issues that probably need professional help.

Okay so

As a woman, let me step in here.

I've heard that there are a special kind of asshole that try to gatekeep women out of music (this shit doesn't work on me, I actually know more about the bands than they do). So for a lot of women, as soon as we hear "what bands are you into" we automatically go into defense mode because we're sick of being quizzed by assholes on the things we like because women aren't allowed to like metal or some shit.

So if you're talking to someone, of any gender, and they bristle when you ask "what bands are you into", no, they don't need professional help. You just need to listen and say "wow that's awesome!" Because that person has dealt with MUCH WORSE REACTIONS in the past and doesn't want more of that shit.

Another woman here. Like bodomdragon said, you got it wrong DrinkMoxie. The boat being a festival of 60 different bands and people from all over, it makes perfect sense to me to both ask others and answer myself which bands are the favourite ones this year. Who knows you might even find good recommendations if the person you're talking to likes a band you had already maybe intended to go and check out. Also asking favourite songs or saying stuff like "I'm happy Rotting Christ will play full Thy Mighty Contract as their second set. It's my favourite album!" is perfectly fine.

As Phoenix pointed out there are unfortunately assholes who think that as a woman you need to know all the trivia about a band and that you're not actually going to gigs to enjoy the music: there has to be some romantic and sexual interest towards the musicians obviously.

I've had some guys tell me that I'm not a real true fan of my favourite band because I didn't want to give up my front row spot. I never found out what would make one a "real true fan" because we didn't talk more than that. One asshole tried once to shove me out of the front row yelling how he's pissed off that a "fucking teenager" like me doesn't let HIM be in the front (I was 32 at the time so maybe I should be glad that I don't have wrinkles )

And it makes me sad to hear about the groping and all the shit that happened on the boat. That shouldn't happen and if it does the security and other sailors should react to it. The sad thing is that it's not limited to men. At one summer festival a random woman behind me first said how me headbanging looks super awesome, then she told I was sexy and next she grabbed my ass and started whispering that I should just tell her if I'm not into girls. Luckily she left soon after.

Unfortunately for some guys that gatekeeping means quizzing different facts. As if you can't like a band if you don't know the name of the first drummer who left the band after two demos back in 1999 or immediately be able to sing the third verse of the sixth song of their fourth album or whatever. I also know quite much about different bands and I like quizzes especially if it's about music, history or geography, but that gatekeeping shit is something else.

[slayergeek]

I heard a rumor that someone overdosed in Bimini and died onbroad and was choppered off the ship. Can anybody confirm or deny that?

It is absolutely confirmed that a passenger had a drug related medical emergency and was transported off the ship in very bad condition via a fire rescue boat. The word the skipper gave at the press conference is that the cruiser was in stable condition being treated at a hospital. Given the fact that the patient was listed as stable, it can be safely assume that it is likely they will recover. That was the latest information at the time of the press conference yesterday at 5 PM. Obviously things can change, but the rumors that the passenger had died were untrue

his sister posted on Facebook saying she talked to him in the hospital and he was alive and recovering

These posts are several days old but apparently someone related to that survivor also posted soon afterwards that it had nothing to do with drugs and that it was a combination of dehydration, sunstroke and way too many rum punches that caused some kind of a seizure. I'm not a doctor or otherwise medically trained so I can't what actually happened. But that person posting that thing was someone forwarding in the FB group the comments of said survivor's father I think so it's not 100 % sure and reliable (because it's one person posting what someone else posted somewhere else) but according to that person the survivor was already out of the hospital in couple of days and flying home to the UK.
Of course it could've been drug related who knows but I wouldn't say that it's absolutely sure despite what Andy said at the pool deck on day 3. So we can't be 100 % sure it was drug related or that it was a combo of dehydration, sunstroke and too much alcohol but yes someone had a medical emergency and we sailed fast back to Miami or close to it anyway and a fire & rescue boat came by the ship to take that person to a hospital in Miami.

When I said it was 100% confirmed, what I meant is that Andy stated this as fact at his press conference towards the end of the cruise. He did not go into details as to what led to the conclusion. If I were him, I would not have gone out on that limb unless the bag of drugs was right next to him, or a close friend indicated he had taken something.

I did see that same post by the family, and I do not have a strong opinion as to whether it is true or not. I do not know Andy’s reasoning for stating the drug overdose as fact, or whether Andy overstepped by declaring it as a fact. The Family may have very accurate information, or the Family may have been given an optimistic view of the situation putting their family member in the best light. Andy could be mistaken, or lead astray by facts that turned out to not be reliable, or he could have hit the nail on the head. We will probably never know for sure.

I am just glad that the story has ended on the positive note of him being fine. All sources seem to agree on that detail and that’s the most important.

[Nikozombie]

Well the pre parties recap is uploaded, i don't remember if the other years recap were that early. So maybe a good sign? Maybe im too optimistic? With Andy you never know lol

[bodomdragon]

Well the pre parties recap is uploaded, i don't remember if the other years recap were that early. So maybe a good sign? Maybe im too optimistic? With Andy you never know lol

Well, considering this is the first year ever in which we don't get the dates for the next edition during the current cruise, I would try to keep my optimism under control

[cegr80]

I was also surprised by the quickness of this video being released. Let's hope it's a good omen

[mooyagi]

I was also surprised by the quickness of this video being released. Let's hope it's a good omen

Wait until the full thing is out. Remember how long the gap between videos was for the 2020 recap?

[Pellaz]

Well the pre parties recap is uploaded, i don't remember if the other years recap were that early. So maybe a good sign? Maybe im too optimistic? With Andy you never know lol

Well, considering this is the first year ever in which we don't get the dates for the next edition during the current cruise, I would try to keep my optimism under control

Wait, did we get details for 2021 during the 2020 sailing?

[Godflesh]

Well the pre parties recap is uploaded, i don't remember if the other years recap were that early. So maybe a good sign? Maybe im too optimistic? With Andy you never know lol

Well, considering this is the first year ever in which we don't get the dates for the next edition during the current cruise, I would try to keep my optimism under control

Wait, did we get details for 2021 during the 2020 sailing?

No we got nothing that year in the press conference, as confirmed by Slayergeek.

[Godflesh]

Well the destination was announced.

[Pellaz]

Well the destination was announced.

Oh, yeah. And I've forgotten now what it was.

[Godflesh]

Dates were announced in March, right before COVID hit:

[bodomdragon]

My mistake then.

Well, at least we got something

[toby]

My mistake then.

Well, at least we got something

Well, we did get SOMETHING this round, albeit not much. Skipper said 2024 was going to happen. lol

[cegr80]

Well, we did get SOMETHING this round, albeit not much. Skipper said 2024 was going to happen. lol

Don't forget we also got the 2024 logo with the nautilus cephalopod

[Yippee38]

I got my credit card bill today. OOF!

We drank less than in the past, and bought less merch. But our bill was still several hundred dollars higher than past years. The increase in the cost of drinks onbroad is brutal (and not in a \m/ way).

[MMatti]

Well, we did get SOMETHING this round, albeit not much. Skipper said 2024 was going to happen. lol

Don't forget we also got the 2024 logo with the nautilus cephalopod

It reminded me of a croissant. 70k tons of bakery!

[Pellaz]

lol, 70,000 Tons of baked goods!

I got my credit card bill today. OOF!

We drank less than in the past, and bought less merch. But our bill was still several hundred dollars higher than past years. The increase in the cost of drinks onbroad is brutal (and not in a \m/ way).

Yep, I noticed a general rise in drink prices, and alas, I think that's a Royal Caribbean thing, not a "let's just soak the metalheads" thing.
Drink prices on Carnival seem to be quite a bit lower, so all those folks on Shiprocked got to drink for less.

[MMatti]

What is the main feedback you left on the survey? One of my requests was to report back what they actually take on board (pun intended) from the responses. I don't see a lot of changes between the years. (But I'm quite happy with how it's being run now, except for the late announcements, don't get me wrong here... ) The sound did seem better to me this year, but that's about it. Main changes I noticed, like the check in procedure, no muster drill, are changes on the part of RC, not 70K.

[cowboy71]

What is the main feedback you left on the survey? One of my requests was to report back what they actually take on board (pun intended) from the responses. I don't see a lot of changes between the years. (But I'm quite happy with how it's being run now, except for the late announcements, don't get me wrong here... ) The sound did seem better to me this year, but that's about it. Main changes I noticed, like the check in procedure, no muster drill, are changes on the part of RC, not 70K.

There were a lot of sound issues and power issues this year but I think they are mainly the blame of the covid-induced break and everyone being a little 'out of practice'.

My main comments on the survey was that carpet in the theatre SUCKED and was a death trap. And that security were epic (and I'm not just saying that because I'm good mates with a few of them eitehr - I think everyone can agree that they were the best security we've had in years).

And yes other goods/bads were RC-specific rather than 70K. Embarking/disembarking was the smoothest its ever been, no physical muster drill was sensational, food options were a little lacking (but the addition of the next mexican place was great, even though I didnt get around to trying it), and drink prices are getting a bit silly.

[taraimaro]

What is the main feedback you left on the survey? One of my requests was to report back what they actually take on board (pun intended) from the responses. I don't see a lot of changes between the years. (But I'm quite happy with how it's being run now, except for the late announcements, don't get me wrong here... ) The sound did seem better to me this year, but that's about it. Main changes I noticed, like the check in procedure, no muster drill, are changes on the part of RC, not 70K.

Besides what cowboy71 reported, I mentioned the weird lights at Studio B. It felt that whoever was in control of the lights didnt know how to do it. Several times all the lights including the ones on stage went black, then at some point almost all light came on during the gig, then there were weird lights on stage and then again no lights and all lights etc. it was a bit annoying and it happened more thatn once or twice.
I forgot the theather mattress even though I was there myself after Kreator and before Insomnium.

Obviously the lack of information before the cruise, the late announcements and booking was mentioned because I work with media and communication myself. The check in was super smooth as was disembarking too. I also liked the app version of the muster drill. It's so much easier. I don't remember how the Fish & ships place on Indy's pool deck was but I liked the tortilla place we had this year. Nice snacks between the shows.

[Pellaz]

What is the main feedback you left on the survey? One of my requests was to report back what they actually take on board (pun intended) from the responses. I don't see a lot of changes between the years. (But I'm quite happy with how it's being run now, except for the late announcements, don't get me wrong here... ) The sound did seem better to me this year, but that's about it. Main changes I noticed, like the check in procedure, no muster drill, are changes on the part of RC, not 70K.

Besides what cowboy71 reported, I mentioned the weird lights at Studio B. It felt that whoever was in control of the lights didnt know how to do it. Several times all the lights including the ones on stage went black, then at some point almost all light came on during the gig, then there were weird lights on stage and then again no lights and all lights etc. it was a bit annoying and it happened more thatn once or twice.

I forgot to mention that, but you're right. At times it felt like the light-person was just "winging it." And sometimes, TBH, they have to, but it seemed a bit more obvious they were, at least in Studio B. And at least one time the house-lights came up during a show.....
.
.

The check in was super smooth as was disembarking too.

I think that cruise terminal was built for Oasis-class ships (world's biggest), and for our smaller ship it works out pretty well.
.
.

I don't remember how the Fish & ships place on Indy's pool deck was but I liked the tortilla place we had this year. Nice snacks between the shows.

That was a welcome addition, yes! It's unusual for Royal to add a new "free"/included dining option on their older ships, and while it wasn't a patch on Carnival's Blue Iguana Cantina, it was certainly a nice added change.

[toby]

The check in was super smooth as was disembarking too.

I think that cruise terminal was built for Oasis-class ships (world's biggest), and for our smaller ship it works out pretty well.

That probably played a part, but the process seemed EXTREMELY streamlined compared to the past. I think the pandemic taught them a lot of lessons about getting people on and off the ships faster and more efficiently.

[mooyagi]

Don't forget to drop a note to Royal Caribbean about your experiences as well. I'm sure they'll enjoy the positive feedback on the changes to their processes.

[Pellaz]

Don't forget to drop a note to Royal Caribbean about your experiences as well. I'm sure they'll enjoy the positive feedback on the changes to their processes.

They send out post-cruise surveys to passengers (or at least some/most passengers), but apparently not to charter passengers since no Survivor has reported getting one.

Any idea where to send Royal feedback to? Although some of their changes were welcome, others like those annoying giant plants on the pool deck, need to go -- if possible.

[toby]

Don't forget to drop a note to Royal Caribbean about your experiences as well. I'm sure they'll enjoy the positive feedback on the changes to their processes.

They send out post-cruise surveys to passengers (or at least some/most passengers), but apparently not to charter passengers since no Survivor has reported getting one.

Any idea where to send Royal feedback to? Although some of their changes were welcome, others like those annoying giant plants on the pool deck, need to go -- if possible.

Try this: https://royalcaribbean.qualtrics.com/jf ... aAuuXskinb

[mooyagi]

Don't forget to drop a note to Royal Caribbean about your experiences as well. I'm sure they'll enjoy the positive feedback on the changes to their processes.

They send out post-cruise surveys to passengers (or at least some/most passengers), but apparently not to charter passengers since no Survivor has reported getting one.

Any idea where to send Royal feedback to? Although some of their changes were welcome, others like those annoying giant plants on the pool deck, need to go -- if possible.

You can email directly to royalguestrelations@rccl.com

There's also a form you can fill out at https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/contact-us. Just click Still Looking for Help and it should appear at the bottom of the page.

[cegr80]

So now we got the Day 1 Recap video. We are gaining momentum!

[MMatti]

So now we got the Day 1 Recap video. We are gaining momentum!

I noticed they cheated by including a brief shot of the 2020 pool boys, lol. On this edition they only had the one guy, I believe. The recap is part recap, and part promo video...

[Phoenix]

So now we got the Day 1 Recap video. We are gaining momentum!

I also heard that the video said "check back next week for the Day 2 recap" - I really doubt that's gonna happen >.>

[bodomdragon]

So now we got the Day 1 Recap video. We are gaining momentum!

I also heard that the video said "check back next week for the Day 2 recap" - I really doubt that's gonna happen >.>

Well, they have released the first two videos on two weeks... so the question is, will they keep the pace?

We will find out... SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON.