70000 Tons of Metal Review

One does not simply go to 70000 Tons of Metal only once – be warned that once you go, you will most likely be returning. My world is still swaying as I write this, but I cannot wait to go again in 2026 (and hopefully many more after that). This metal festival at sea was created by Andy Piller, a Swiss man also known as the “Skipper,” and first sailed in 2011, with cruises every year except for 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic. The 2025 cruise was the 13^th iteration of the festival, on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, and the lineup was simply too good to miss, with bands like Emperor, Candlemass, and Swallow the Sun. Although you don’t get the full lineup until a day or two before departure (tons of people complain about this), there are always at least 60 bands and each band plays twice, so you can realistically see all of them (if you sacrifice some sleep and maybe a meal or two). Although I was super excited and my expectations were high before getting on the ship, 70000 Tons of Metal absolutely blew me away and surpassed all expectations.

There’s metal for all tastes, so odds are there will be at least a handful of bands you are into. You’ll find death, black, doom, power, thrash, heavy, folk, and even industrial metal on this festival. There was even an acoustic pirate band, The Dread Crew of Oddwood, that my sister loved (she’s not really into metal) so it truly is enjoyable by all. Out of the 61 bands on the ship, I ended up seeing 6 bands for both sets, 1 band once, and caught part of the set of 11 other bands. This was definitely not as many shows as I was planning on going to, but I was able to see all the bands that were a must for me, and I have no regrets. The highlights for me were both Candlemass and Emperor sets, with Candlemass celebrating 40 years and Emperor playing songs from In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk. One of my favorite bands, Stormruler, got announced 3 days before sailing and were simply amazing – I’m hoping they got a ton of new fans since they are criminally underrated. Finntroll were also a blast, playing a “party set” and a “dark set,” and Swallow the Sun had a special performance of “Plague of Butterflies” with Ballet Finland as part of their set, which was absolutely beautiful and so memorable. Sonata Arctica were so good and nostalgic, and I also got to see other bands including Kalmah, Mork, Septicflesh, and Hate, which were all amazing.

There were 4 stages – a smaller lounge venue (Star Lounge), 2 larger venues with seating (Royal Theater and Studio B Ice Rink), and the huge outdoor stage at the Pool Deck, where each set is legendary. Here you’ll find the famous hot tub, where people do all sorts of fun stuff, including splashing water everywhere and dropping each other into the water like sacrifices (this was super entertaining to watch from the back of the crowd). There was plenty of moshing and crowd surfing at pretty much every stage, and it was easy to forget you were on a ship. The sets were all staggered efficiently, and most bands played their sets at different times and stages so if you missed one set because it was too late or at a bad time, you could catch the other one, and even if you saw the same band twice it felt different. There’s also an unofficial app called 70K Bands where you can keep track of all the bands and sets and figure out what you want to see each day; you can also use this app to mark what you attended, and it has all the past festival lineups too. Each band also did a meet and greet, so you could meet everyone, get a picture, and/or get something signed if you wanted. This year the cruise stopped at Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where you could book excursions with or without band members or just walk around or go relax at a beach. I ended up going to a Margaritaville with friends and hanging out at the beach there which was nice. Next year the cruise is visiting Labadee, Haiti, which was the same stop in 2017 and 2019. As opposed to regular cruises, though, the destination isn’t what matters here, it’s definitely the journey – the most fun is had on the ship rather than on land.

Now for some recommendations if you’re thinking of going for the first time – join the Facebook group and the Discord, and read the unofficial guide shared there for general information and tips for every step of the way. I also recommend arriving in Miami at least a day or two early, since there are many things going on before the cruise including a Heavy Metal Beach Party the day before and even some pre-cruise shows. Try to stay in the South Beach area – The Clevelander Hotel is the hub for all events before the cruise and many metalheads stay there or in hotels or an Airbnb nearby. On this cruise (as opposed to a regular Royal Caribbean cruise), there is no alcohol package and you’re technically not allowed to bring alcohol, so you do have to pay for each drink (thankfully the prices are decent), but there are ways to smuggle liquor in if you know the right tricks. There is internet on the ship that you have to pay for, but it’s also nice to disconnect for a few days, and you can always use the Royal Caribbean app to message other people on the boat for free. The Windjammer buffet is pretty much always open if you want a quick bite in between sets, but if you have more time I also recommend to do the seated dinner at least once for service and an opportunity to meet other metalheads since you get seated with others. Make sure to listen to the ship crew when they sing the “washy washy” song and wash your hands to avoid getting sick, since it’s easy to catch something when there are so many people. There was also free pizza at a place called Sorrento’s which was really good, as well as paid restaurants if you want something a bit fancier that’s not included in your fare; we went to an Italian restaurant but there was also a sushi restaurant and a Johnny Rockets. I kept hearing about the importance of pacing yourself, since shows go from 10am to 6am and if you go all out on Day 1 you won’t be able to survive the rest of the cruise, and this is a vital tip. Make sure to rest when you can and don’t forget to eat! You are free to nap wherever, and it’s not uncommon to find people napping around the ship (if you are found napping, you will most likely have your picture taken and posted to the Facebook group with the hashtag #70000tonsofnaps). You can also just hang out by the pool if you’re not interested in any show at the moment, and there’s karaoke that goes late into the next day if you have leftover energy. The last day of the cruise is the most fun, with tons of people wearing costumes (I’m still not sure why or how this became a thing but it’s amazing), a hilarious belly-flop contest, and a final karaoke at the pool to finish off an unforgettable festival at sea.

Although the post-cruise blues and the Mal de Débarquement hit hard after the boat, it’s so worth it and I recommend all metalheads go at least once if possible. It’s an amazing time with great music and the best atmosphere, and you get to meet fellow metalheads from all over the world as well as band members. Like every festival, you get to discover a bunch of new bands and make tons of new friends that you can look forward to seeing again on the next cruise. Also, once you go on this cruise, you’re given a “Survivor” status that lets you book your room before public sales, which is a big plus. Most of the people I met had gone several times before, which is proof of how good, unique, and unforgettable this experience is. If you go on this adventure, you are guaranteed an amazing time, but be warned – it’s addictive.