A Virgin Survives The High Seas On The 2024 Monsters of Rock Cruise

Virgin.  I knew that would catch your attention and in full transparency, I have been on the Beach Boys Cruise but never on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. They both have some similarities but The Monsters of Rock Cruise is a whole different animal.  A gorilla comes to mind but imagine one on steroids ala King Kong.  35 plus bands, comics, and all sorts of events to keep you busy from sunrise to sunset and beyond.  

This was an eye-opener and for those who haven’t been on before, I hope after you read this, you will think hard about going on MORC or a music cruise in the future. The following is what a newbie experienced and some tips if you decide to go on a MORC in the future.  

People from all over the planet (no exaggeration) traveled to Miami for the 5-day Saturday departure but kicked the party off early as Larry Morand and his crew put on a pre-cruise concert at the Magic City Casino on Friday night.  

A few thousand people got their drink on and said hello to people they hadn’t seen since last year. It was a good time as Y&T headlined the show with HardCore Superstar, Rhino Bucket, and others hitting the big stage.  The outdoor venue was great, and the weather was even better and was a perfect primer for the festivities to come.

Saturday morning for the cruisers requires patience as the lines to get through security and check-in are damn long and can take a while to get on the boat. I do suggest parking at the cruise terminal, especially if you are local to Florida and you drove to the port.

 It costs $110 bucks, but the convenience is worth it especially if you are splitting costs. Park the car, check your bags (if needed), and get in line. Many will park at a hotel and take a shuttle or uber etc, but when the cruise is over, the last thing you will want to do is take multiple avenues to get to your final destination.

After we got checked in, the party had already started as food and booze were available, Glen Hughes did a Q&A with Eddie Trunk and Quiet Riot hit the Theatre Stage at 1:45 to kick off the lineup of bands that concluded with Tuff at Midnight.

I can go through all the bands and their sets but that’s not the basis for this article. It’s more about the actual cruise experience than the bands but I will point out some stand-out performances.

What is cool about cruises in general and this one specifically is that it has price points that seem to be affordable especially if you are coming with a friend or multiple friends.  Sure, you can book a cabin that has a balcony and be a Silver or Gold VIP, but even if you book the cheapest cabin, you’re going to have a great time.

Most of the people that I talked to spent minimal time in their cabins other than sleeping and showering.  I know that was the case for us so even 3 people in a interior cabin was feasible.

Don’t get me wrong, gold and silver vip cruisers have benefits. A couple of those are first entry into the venues for the shows and first in for the Photo Experience with the bands.

These benefits are considerable as you are guaranteed up-close access to the two primary stages in the Royal Theatre & Studio B. The other two venues were the Pool Stage and the Star Lounge, and both were first come, first serve no matter what cabin you had.   

Also, getting into the photo experiences with the bands early saved you a lot of time as the lines were long, especially on the day when photos with Ace Frehley, Extreme, & Queensryche were being taken.  Even if you didn’t have VIP status, everyone was able to get their pics taken with the bands but once again patience is needed.

Everyone wants to talk to the artists and have their “moment” with the band and I get that completely as that is probably the only time you will have that access.

Keep in mind though that the staff truly have their hands full as a thousand people are going through the lines each shoot and they are required to keep the lines moving and be professional while doing it.  

If you are a drinker, the alcohol package might be good for you and it costs about $100 a day for each person in your cabin, but there are discounts available prior to boarding that you can take advantage of online. 

Just take into account that even though you have the package, It doesn’t mean you should drink yourself into oblivion by 4 pm every day and miss out on the bands you want to see.  We witnessed plenty of people passed out around the ship in precarious positions unaware that there pictures was being taken.

There are also scheduling decisions that have to be made and band times will and do change for a variety of reasons. Thankfully each band plays 2 sets with most of them playing at different venues.  

If there’s a band playing later in the week on the pool stage, I highly suggest seeing that band at one of the different venues that might not be affected by the rain. This happened to us specifically with Armored Saint who were scheduled to play the pool stage on the last night and couldn’t perform.

Every night as the bands finished up their sets, the party continued as karaoke took center stage in the Viking Crown on the Independence of the Sea. The room was packed with artists and with Armored Saint getting rained out, it led to a couple of the coolest things I have witnessed on any stage in my life.

John Bush and Gonzo Sandoval from Armored Saint were joined by Rachel & Jenna from Paradise Kitty doing “Papa Was Rollin Stone” and then Ritchie Kotzen did his best impression of Chris Cornell when he sang “Cochise” by Audioslave.    https://www.facebook.com/travis.failey/videos/813026893991254?idorvanity=1560929797513981

But If you were in that room, you witnessed something that I highly doubt will ever be seen again and that was when Ritchie Kotzen along with Justin Hawkins from the Darkness,  joined Glen Hughes for “Fooled Around and Fell In Love.”  Saying it was epic is an understatement.  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=419297110586594

This was just one of the surprises that you might experience on the MORC. Another was being able to hang out and chat in the Irish pub with Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and British Lion. Steve walked through the Promenade Deck (5) numerous times and stopped and had a pint.

At any time of the day or night, you would run into musicians walking around or in or near the elevator or getting a slice at the pizza place.

Deck 5 was always buzzing with cruisers, musicians and new friends. That’s what really makes the MORC so special. I met so many people from all walks of life and from different countries that I now call friends.

You may bump into the same couple over and over again, even in the ports, and think they are stalking you but timing sometimes just works out that way and I’m still looking over my shoulder wondering if they are nearby.

You will see and talk to many people all the time on that floor and get caught in what Larry David likes to call “Stop and Chats.” If you are in a rush to get to anything, avoid this floor even if it means going past the staterooms above or below you.  It’s a pro move that may be needed at some point.

Speaking of the ports, we stopped in Cozumel and in Nassau with Cozumel with both being tourist traps. There is a spot in Cozumel outside the port that has a great Mexican restaurant that put on a show that concluded with an artist putting out a fire with his lower region and 5 men swinging from their feet from a pole 100 plus feet in the air. It’s called the Dance Of The Flyers and it was worth getting off the boat just for that.  

If you decide to stay on the boat while in port, there are bands playing and activities still going on along with food available 24/7. Some love the food, and some hate it but that’s normal with cruises and you can’t make everyone’s palate happy.  

The crew also hides plastic ducks throughout the ship and if you find one, it has an entry ticket for a raffle for a free cabin for next year’s cruise. They also have numerous theme nights like Heaven & Hell & Battle Vest night to show off your best gear for prizes etc and a “So You Think You Can Shred” contest with guest judges.  

Another tip: Come with your A game and make sure you can play at a high level because after you get judged, you might not want to pick up your guitar again. Brutal honesty and I’ll leave it at that.

Everyone had a great time and I only witnessed one event between cruisers that might have led to fisticuffs. That was in the Star Lounge when people were standing up near the stage watching an awesome and heavy performance by Kaliedo.

I guess the unspoken/unwritten rule is that everyone is supposed to sit in the Star Lounge to not block people’s view and that was happening and a large man was pissed.

The situation was quickly defused by security and people went back to their seats where headbanging commenced. Yes, seeing massive headbanging while people sat in white leather chairs was another first for me.

There was a buzz amongst the people who are serial cruisers on the MORC and that was about the swap meet. People were talking about what they brought with them to share with fellow cruisers.

From guitar pick holders to custom branded metal straws to everything imaginable with different logos etc were laid out on tables on the Promenade Deck (5.) People swarmed the area to chat and browse and came back with a variety of different swag.  

There were also multiple Rockstar Painting Classes that you could sign up for to paint.  On this year’s cruise, you had the option to paint David Bowie, Angus Young or Ace Frehley. We did Ace Frehley and 3 members of Ace’s band were in our group with Bassist Ryan Cook sitting directly next to me.  

I highly suggest it if you haven’t done it before as Ron provides a template and walks you through it. Even a super novice like myself was able to do it and I can’t paint a circle.

Be prepared to walk and walk and walk. You will get acclimated to the ship in a couple of days but one of the statements you will get used to is: “It’s on the other side of the boat.” Everything throughout the cruise will be on the other side. It just works out that way but I highly suggest taking a look at the layout of the ship before heading on the cruise.

You will also have to wait for bands to start their performances as previous bands might run long or their sound checks get extended. This led to Justin Hawkins calling Ace Frehley a “cunt” for doing an extended sound check but it was a combination of that and KK’s Priest running their set a bit long.

It was pretty hilarious and along with The Darkness’ pool stage set, it was one of the more fascinating moments of the cruise. The comment by Hawkins has grown legs with a back and forth between Ace and Justin online.

Lead singer Justin Hawkins went and joined the cruisers in the hot tub while he played his guitar and during their set in Studio B, he did a handstand and flailed his legs on stage.  Some say the pool stage performance was the highlight of the cruise but I disagree. I base it more on personal preference as KK’s Priest was simply outstanding.

 

Both their Theatre set and their Studio B sets just crushed with Tim “Ripper” Owens’s vocal performances proving once again that he is one of the best along with Queensryche’s Todd La Torre. Queensryche also played two different sets with their pool set another highlight for me.

Unfortunately, I missed both of Accept’s sets but once again, decisions have to be made but like in a festival setting, you will get to see bands that you have never seen before. For me, it was H.E.A.T., Dangerous Toys and Bad Marriage.

All three were great and H.E.A.T.‘s singer was one of the nicest guys I’ve met. We also talked and took pics with Gary from Extreme in the coffee shop. These are just a couple of examples of you never know who you’re going to run into on the MORC.

After seeing 40 plus sets of music, I can go on and on about the bands, but I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Faster Pussycat and Lizzy Borden. Both are MORC veterans with FP playing a midnight pool stage set that was simply amazing.

Taime Downe and the boys lit up the stage and the sky with their hits and non-stop energy as Jenna And Rachel from Paradise Kitty joined them on backup vocals.

 The band has a combination of veterans while mixing in some youth in guitarist Sam Bam Koulton and Ace Von Johnson.  Sam Bam is a can’t-miss player if he’s hitting a stage near you. He’s that good.

I’ve been a fan of Lizzy Borden for decades but they rarely play in Florida. Thankfully they played twice within 24 hours in Studio B on the last day of the cruise.  

What a visual experience with Lizzy changing costumes every song and wiping blood on adoring fans’ faces during “There Will Be Blood Tonight.” Both sets were fantastic, and I highly suggest seeing them at least once if you get a chance.

In closing, The Monsters of Rock Cruise is not only about the music but it’s also about the experiences and the people you will meet. In just a few days, I have made lifelong friends from different countries and already look forward to seeing them again.

I asked some of them if the lineup matters and many said “not at all” and look forward to the following year as soon as the “cruise hangover” concludes.  

This is a real thing and I experienced it firsthand. Getting back to “your reality” takes a few days and I suggest not going back to work if you can fit it in your schedule.

Bookings for next year will start happening soon and it’s never too late to join the other previous virgin passengers who have now become veterans and an integral  part of the MORC family.  

For information and future bookings, check out their Facebook page as they are updating their web page for the 2025 cruise. https://www.facebook.com/MonstersOfRockCruise/

For Additional photos from the cruise and other shows, please check out:

https://www.travisfaileyphotography.com/untitled-gallery