Written by:	D.T. Metal
Published:	July 06, 2015
Event:	70000 Tons Of Metal 2016 (Website)
Location:	Independence Of The Seas, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Organizer:	Ultimate Music Cruises
Galleries:	70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise 2016 by D.T. Metal (16)

I love the smell of "Napalm In The Morning" ? well, not really, but there I was, preparing to write this 'Getting Stoked' article, and the organizers of 70000 Tons Of Metal made their first thrash metal band announcement for next year's cruise - Sodom.





The 2016 voyage will set sail on February 4, 2016 with 60 bands and 3000 passengers on board; leaving Fort Lauderdale, FL, heading to Falmouth, Jamaica and be back in Florida on February 8, 2016.

Fair Warning Disclaimer: Even though I already mentioned this in a [url= http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/article.php?article_id=1615]prior report[/url] and before you continue reading, I want to lay emphasis on some facts you really need to be aware of:

1. you will not know the full line-up until probably the day of sailing since the band announcements will come sparingly throughout the year, but in the end it will work out and most major genres will be represented
2. you will not have to stand in mud if it rains and your sleeping accommodations are close by, dry and include a full bathroom
3. you will have the time of your life
4. you will run into musicians all the time; they roam freely among the fans
5. you will need to set a budget for alcoholic drinks - trust me
6. you will need little or no money for food since it's included with the ticket price
7. you will want to arrive a day or so before departure to partake in the awesome beach parties
8. you will have PCD (Post-Cruise Depression) symptoms afterwards
9. you will tell stories about the cruise to your buddies at home for weeks on end
10. you will be totally useless back at work because you are too busy checking Facebook and looking at pictures from the cruise - true story!

and last but certainly not least and most importantly
11. you will make friends, which will probably last for a lifetime

So, now that this is out of the way, if you are interested to learn more about the cruise, you are now cleared to keep on reading.

The nitty and gritty of 70000 Tons Of Metal is actually pretty straight forward. 2016 will be the 6th Edition of this 'floating festival' and the organizers also brought us Barge To Hell in 2012; a more harder, extreme version of the original concept. Gee, 6 years and no sign of slowing down. Holy ? Moses !! LOL - sorry on the word play, but I just was notified on Facebook that Mrs. Classen and Co. will also be part of the 2016 spectacle. Nice!

Anyway, the story of Andy Piller, mastermind behind the concept of 70000 Tons Of Metal, should be well known by now. In case you lived under a rock, or honestly never heard of the cruise, either check out the interview he did with Metal Storm a couple years back or - hmmm, well ? Google is your friend.

From the inaugural voyage in 2011 and ending with the 2014 cruise, the festivities were always held on Royal Carribean's her Majesty Of the Seas; leaving from Florida's Port Of Miami en route to a tropical destination and back - 4 days, 40 bands, 2000 metal heads. In 2015, organizer Ultimate Music Cruises Inc. upped the ante and moved 70000 Tons Of Metal to the Liberty Of The Seas; a much bigger ship which sailed out of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades.

While the duration of the cruise stayed the same, this move meant an increase of bands and passengers - 60 bands instead of 40 and 1000 more metal heads had the opportunity to experience this, for some, once in a lifetime trip. Unfortunately, the same vessel won't be available for 2016 due to moving its Port Of Departure to Galveston, TX.

Keeping with the tradition of leaving out of Florida, the next 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise will therefore take place on another Royal Caribbean's Freedom Class cruise liner; the Independence Of The Seas, which is basically the newer sister ship of the former.






Glancing into the details of the new ship, I found only a couple differences compared to the old one: there are less slot machines and card tables in the Casino, and the Theaters, Clubs and some of the Bars have different names. In essence it's the same ship and since I already wrote about its features at the beginning of last year, you can read up on it yourself.

Too lazy to read the article? OK, here is a quick rundown on the venues only, for the rest of the ship's features you just have to click the link.

ALHAMBRA THEATRE: five-story theater and rows of the (very comfortable) seats will be removed so you can have a real Mosh Pit

STUDIO B: actually the onboard ice-rink arena, but during the cruise it will be transformed into the second main indoor stage

PYRAMID LOUNGE: smallest of the indoor venues which offers the local club atmosphere

and the jewel of 70000 Tons Of Metal

THE POOL DECK STAGE: the biggest open-air stage structure to sail the open seas, which is also surrounded by bars, hot tubs (two of which will be integrated into the stage) and plenty of room to sunbathe.

Of course numerous restaurants and bars and fun activities such as Miniature Golf, Video Arcade for the young at heart, Rock-Climbing Wall, a full Sports Court, and even a Surf Simulator. But seriously, read [url= url=http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/article.php?article_id=1404]my detailed article[/url] for more information and also what type of cabins the ship offers.

Alrighty then, where were we at? Ahh, so besides continuing with the 4 days, 60 bands, 3000 metalheads formula, the organizers will once again offer some of the same, tried and true, activities (not gig related) for next year's 70000 Tons Of Metal adventure.

The rather informative and insightful Musician Clinics and Workshops will once again be held on the cruise, as well as the infamous Belly Flop Contest, the 70000 Tons Of Metal All-Star Jam (not to be missed btw !!!) and of course the ever so popular Metal Karaoke. The later will be moved from its last year location (one of the venues after the last band played) to The Labyrinth; a two story gothic themed nightclub. And apparently the final night of Karaoke madness will take place in the Solarium pool area. This should be fun, regardless where it's held. Just in case you missed it, check out what happened during last year's final night of Karaoke ?all the way at the end of the Day Four article. Granted, this is definitively not the norm, but the "Finnish Drinking Team" was unstoppable. ? Moving on.

Due to the fact that the 2016 edition of 70000 Tons Of Metal collides with one of THE major sporting events in North America, the NFL Super Bowl, those in attendance won't have to worry about missing the game. The organizer already made plans to show the game at several locations throughout the ship; the On Air Club at the entrance of Studio B being one of them. Go Falcons! *wishful thinking*

There are also plenty of opportunities to mingle side-by-side with your favorite artists during the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise. Yes siree, there are no VIP only areas. The bands eat in the same restaurants as you and drink in the same bars; they even might stand right next to you while enjoying the performance of one of their peers. How awesome is that?

Meet 'n Greet sessions will be held by each and every band and you can bring your Vinyl sleeves, CD covers, Flags, or other memorabilia (the amount of stuff within reason of course) and the artists will sign, or even personalize them.

Therion during 2015's Meet 'n Greet - Picture courtesy of [url= http://www.pit-art-photography.de/]Pit-Art-Photography[/url]

Pictures with your hero? Hell yes! And it's not like on some other music cruises where you have to share this special moment with some random strangers in the picture. Nope, on 70000 Tons Of Metal the band and/or individual members will pose with you alone, you and your friends, whatever it takes; they will also take a selfie with you ? basically, they will cater to YOU - the FAN! Again, how awesome is that?

Speaking of bands; one of my 'fair warning points' in the beginning of this article, mentioned that the full line-up will probably not be revealed until the day of sailing. While this fact causes people to get their panties in a bunch, in the end it always works out and like I already mentioned, most, if not all, major genres will be represented on 70000 Tons Of Metal.

Got it - folks want to know toward what their hard-earned money goes. However, if the fact that each and every prior cruise was SOLD-OUT, and that cruisers have been raving about how awesome it was and that the percentage of return customers is extremely high - well, if this doesn't speak volumes by itself, well, then I don't know what will.

The organizers did a good job of keeping the momentum going after Iced Earth was the first announcement for next year's 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise and declared that the first 10 bands will be known within the next 24 hours. And for the second wave, they even made a game out of who will be the next band, with dropping clues in the announcements and adding a question mark in the alphabetically corresponding spot on their home site's artist line-up page. Pretty sneaky.

As of publishing date, the 20 out of 60 bands are: Ancient Rites, At The Gates, Carach Angren, Children Of Bodom, Delain, DragonForce, Epica, Firewind, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Holy Moses, Iced Earth, Insomnium, Lacuna Coil, Moonspell, My Dying Bride, Rotting Christ, Sodom, Thyrfing, Turisas, and Visions Of Atlantis

Make sure you check the aforementioned artist line-up page or follow 70000 Tons Of Metal on their social media pages. ([url= https://www.facebook.com/70000tons]70K on Facebook[/url], [url= https://twitter.com/70000tons]70K on Twitter[/url] and the [url= http://70000tons.tv/]70K YouTube[/url] channel)

The Route for 2016

Let me touch briefly on the destination for the 2016 cruise. Yes, it is Jamaica again - but a different port. Next year's Port Of Call will be Falmouth, which apparently will offer a wider range of shore excursions, including once again the artist guided excursions. Yes, that's right. Some of your favorite artists will be spearheading the offered ashore activities. This added fan-artist feature was very popular on last year's 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise and apparently the organizers felt it was worth to bring it back. For a small overview on stuff to do while in Jamaica, please check HERE, but there will be more on this subject in the second "Getting Stoked" installment later this year.

In closing, if all of the above tickles your fancy, then don't delay and book your cabin. Ticket prices start at USD 666 plus USD 348 Taxes and Fees per person and include all on board entertainment, most non-alcoholic and non-carbonated beverages, all meals in the dining rooms, most on board restaurants and even 24 Hour room service! While the pre-sale for 'survivors' already started, the public sale will begin on Thursday July 9, 2015.

See you onbroad

Written on 06.07.2015 by D.T. Metal Former boss lady. Now just a professional concertgoer... dangerously armed with a camera!

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