70,000 Tons of Metal 2014

Going on this again this year! Last year was a blast and the lineup wasn't even that good except like 13 bands. This year though has some really amazing shit on it! Flying to Florida on Sunday and the cruise sails on Monday!

Bands I am looking fwd to seeing on this cruise:

Carcass, Death Angel, Massacre, Death To All, Church of Pungent Stench, Gloryhammer, Twilight of the Gods, Overkill, Cynic, Finntroll, Haggard, Izegrim, Obituary, Keep of Kallesin, Novembers Doom, Orphaned Land, Poltergeist, Raven, Septic Flesh, Swashbuckle, Symphony X, The Haunted, Victory, Vicious Rumors, Swallow the Sun.

Bands I will check out at least once:

Dark Tranquility, Cripper, Bonfire, Freedom Call, Hatesphere, Rising Storm.

The rest I have no interest in.

Fear Factory, Xandria, Leaves Eyes, DRI, Nekrogoblikon, Satyricon, Soilwork, Unearth

Looks like some great bands. I don't like Orphaned Land, Cynic, Finntroll, Raven, Swashbuckle, Symphony X, & Freedom Call. Otherwise, almost everything else I dig. Not enough to be stuck on a ship with a bunch of metalheads though.

Cripper are great, you might like them. Enjoy your cruise!

Nothing could make me get on a cruise ship but I'll admit that line-up would've been tempting. Hell seeing Poltergeist alone might've been enough. Enjoy and let us know all about it.

Again I'm so jealous. Would love to go someday, but time, money, etc...(excuses!) keep it from happening.

Definitely check out Rising Storm. There's something on this cruise for everyone.

Awesome. This is one of those things that I'll probably never having the pleasure of seeing. Maybe someday, money permitting.....

Luckily I am friends with some of these guys in 7 of these bands so it makes it even better!

I know you'll have an awesome time. Enjoy!!  

Nekrogoblikon is awesome.

I got back Friday! Holy shit it was bad ass! Met some killer bands and members of killer bands, as well as fans from all over the world. I still kept to myself for the most part, but I had a blast.
My proudest moment was THIS: Hope you can all see it!

So awesome! I'm happy for you and wish I could go someday. Amazing!

I'm curious how you liked Rising Storm?

Very cool! I'd love to go on one of these metal cruises, but I can never work at the logistics. Maybe one day I'll make it.

Lurideth,
Could you go into more detail about how things went. What you liked, didn't like. The food, the arrangements, etc...

Always toying with the idea of going on one of these.

How do people behave?
Kid friendly?

Not kid friendly, Thank goodness.

Scott Mitchell, No problem man!

Quote :

Could you go into more detail about how things went. What you liked, didn't like. The food, the arrangements, etc...

Always toying with the idea of going on one of these.

How do people behave?
Kid friendly?

Well what I liked were all the people. So many cool metal heads from everywhere. Saudi Arabia, Germany, Russia,Norway, Sweden, Slovakia, etc, etc. All are very cool people and its pretty much instant friendships!

The food is good. There is the main dining area which normally you;d have to dress up for, but not on these cruises. haha. Everyone is in metal garb and most are usually pretty drunk.
There is a pizza parlor, sanwhich shop, and a buffet. The pizza is real good, the sanwhich shop I can either take or leave, and the buffet is decent.

There is a LOT of beer if that is your thing. Bars and carts are everywhere to get your drink on, plus waiters/waitresses are always around to serve you as well.

Thge meet and greets are right next to the merchandise area. So you can usually meet entire bands at their set schedule. But you always end up running into the same band members anyways. But it is very cool. I only participated in one Meet and Greet which was Death 2 All (tribute to Death)/Cynic. I am pretty good friends with Steve so it made it a lot cooler to stand in that line and talk to them as well as the Cynic guys.

The merchandise area is really cool, but that line is always damn long. But shit, I'd stand in that line regardless because I collect metal shirts and merchandise as well as CD's and whatnot. Not all the bands have merchandise, but a good majority do and a good portion of them make shirts and such specifically for the cruise.

The staff on the ship are ALL wonderful people. What is very cool as that with how scary and mean most metalheads look, we have been told by the staff, the captain of the ship, and others, that 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise have the nicest patrons to be on the ship and its very very cool to hear that!

In the past there were 3 stages. The big pool deck stage, a small indoor stage, and a huge indoor stage. I would go back and forth to all the stages, but I wish the smallest stage was bigger.

Now also bare in mind that all the past 70k cruises were on the ship called Majesty of the Seas. There would be 40-42 bands and 2000 metalhead fans. This year is the 1st with a bigger ship. so this year will be 60 bands and 3,000 fans

Yes it is kid friendly. I seen a few kids on the ship but not that many. Everyone is very respectable though and even more-so towards the kids. Kinda hard to be a babysitter and consume everytjhing going on around you.

Karaoke takes place at around 11:00 pm (2300) for those that like it. I never participated but its always cool drinking with all the people inside that room and listening to people try and sing. Its quite humorous though.

Lurideth,
Thanks! That was absolutely the info. I was looking for. First-hand account of how things went down. I'm not surprised about the "nicest patrons" thing. That tends to happen with like-minded groups, whether they be metal-heads, gem enthusiasts, whatever...

Sounds fantastic.

It is fantastic man. I am not going this year and very bummed about it, but man its the greatest time in the world!!!

The picture I posted of myself with the band is the band Massacre. I hung out with a lot of bands and members of bands while on it though. Its especially cool when those band members remember me or some sort of history with from older times.

I am going next year though! This year was just out of my budget.