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5 Of The Best Things We Saw On Jam Cruise 20: Day 1 [Photos/Videos]

Greetings from aboard Jam Cruise 20 ! How sweet it is to be back on the boat…

The five-day 2024 edition of the floating music festival on the MSC Divina set sail from the Port of Miami on Sunday evening with a strong Day 1 performance lineup featuring  Lettuce , moe. , Medeski Martin & Porter ft. Aba Diop , Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe , The New Mastersounds , TAUK Moore , Magic Beans , Eggy , Chali 2na & Cut Chemist , Jimmy Rea ,  DJ Soul Sister , and the first “Jam Room” of 2024 led by  George Porter Jr. and  Lebo .

With several sets running simultaneously throughout most of the night, it was impossible to catch all the music played on the ship, both on stage and otherwise. Here are just a few of the most memorable moments from the first day of Jam Cruise 20. Follow Live For Live Music on Instagram for more video content all week long.

Smooth Sailing With Lettuce

Pre-show jitters are real, and Pre-Jam Cruise jitters are a particularly powerful strain. From traveling to Miami to getting through a gauntlet of check-in lines to waiting for luggage to arrive, the first day of Jam Cruise can often be a hectic experience. On Monday, however, the buzz around the boat was less about “stress” and more about “simplicity” as the boarding process proceeded more smoothly than ever, creating a particularly welcoming Day 1 atmosphere. One fan even rolled out a literal red carpet to greet fans making their way to the Pool Deck for the first performance of the week.

“I think we all really need this week,” said Jam Cruise emcee  Annabel Lukins at a welcome toast. “We need sunshine, we need the music, and we need each other.”

Longtime Jam Cruise favorite Lettuce quickly began to fill that prescription while the boat was still docked and went on to provide a funky soundtrack to the always-striking visual of the Miami skyline slipping into darkness in the distance as the ship got in motion. Bassist Erick “ Jesus” Coomes came away as the pound-for-pound MVP of the set, consistently elevating the proceedings with rumbling dance hall low-end, moody, melodic grooves, and deep-pocket embellishments that seemed at times to nod to both Rocco and Jaco .

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Live For Live Music (@liveforlivemusic)

Medeski Martin & Porter (& Diop & Logic) Send Jam Cruise To “Ohio”

The novel combo of John Medeski , Billy Martin , and George Porter Jr. featuring percussionist Aba Diop was circled on many Cruisers’ schedules from the day they were announced. With frequent Medeski collaborator DJ Logic joining in on turntables, the set promised a unique mix of styles—a little Medeski Martin & Wood -like acid jazz, a little NOLA funk a la  The Meters , a little West African rhythmic flavor, a little electro-soul texture from behind the decks. Unsurprisingly, this powerful combo checked all those boxes and then some throughout Monday’s set in the Pantheon Theater.

As the MSC Divina made its way from Miami toward Jamaica, Medeski Martin & Porter (& Diop & Logic) shifted Jam Cruise’s focus away from tropical locales and toward an unlikely destination, Ohio, via a haunting rendition of the classic Neil Young protest anthem sung with staggering emotion by Porter. Things only picked up from there as Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds) joined in on guitar to further elevate the standout set.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Andrew O’Brien (@thenotoriousaob)

moe. Recruits Daniel Donato For A Pearl Jam “Jammie Jam”

Plenty has happened for moe. since the last time the veteran jam-rock outfit played Jam Cruise in 2020, from guitarist Chuck Garvey ‘s stroke and recovery saga to the addition of keyboardist  Nate Wilson to the touring lineup. Riding renewed momentum, the band stormed the Pool Deck on Monday for an electrifying set that more than made up for the band’s weather-negated open-air performance from Jam Cruise 18 .

Related: moe. Plans ‘Best.Summer.Ever’ Tour With Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

In addition to towing the line between rock energy and jazz influence on lively renditions of fan favorites like “Tailspin” and “Moth”, the band took a clever approach to the evening’s “Jammie Jam” PJ party costume theme when they welcomed out Daniel Donato on guitar to jam on a cover of Pearl Jam ‘s “Just Breathe”. After adding some country flavor to the  Eddie Vedder original, Donato stuck around to go toe-to-toe on Telecasters with guitarist Al Schnier on boat-appropriate moe. favorite “Mexico” (“My folks don’t even know where I am / Hell I don’t even know where I am”).

Eggy Has Entered The Jam Cruise Chat

While much of Monday’s music schedule was comprised of seasoned boat vets, Connecticut-based jam quartet Eggy made a strong first impression on Monday in the Black & White Lounge with its first-ever Jam Cruise performance. The band—comprised of Jake Brownstein (guitar, vocals), Dani Battat (keys, vocals), Mike Goodman (bass, vocals), and Alex Bailey (drums, vocals)—hit a groove early with funk-influenced fan-favorite “Here and Now” and continued to build momentum with creatively extended renditions of go-to originals like “Shadow”, “Lost and Found”, and “Sweat Equity” in addition to a pair of euphoric “Paul” covers, Paul Simon ‘s “You Can Call Me Al” and  Paul McCartney ‘s “Coming Up”.

Look for Eggy to continue turning heads all week long on the boat: The band is scheduled for a special “Choose Your Own Eggventure” set in the Atrium on Wednesday and the final set of the week on the Brews at Sea Stage on Thursday, while members of the group will be joining in during sets by  Everyone Orchestra and more throughout the voyage.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Eggy (@eggymusic)

TAUK Moore Gets More Help From The Horn Section, Lyle Divinsky, Elise Testone

TAUK Moore , the crossover project that pairs prog-jam quartet  TAUK with dynamic vocalist  Kanika Moore , delivered one of the most engaging performances of Jam Cruise 20 Day 1. With on-and-off help from frequent collaborators The Horn Section , this combo ensemble showcased its growing arsenal of collaborative material, from songs released on their 2023 TAUK Moore record to new creations that had yet to see the light of day.

Moore’s towering presence was only amplified by the Pool Deck stage’s elaborate LED display, while the group’s engaging original music—which continues to lean further into the the realm of deep, grungey, powerful live house music—felt more realized than ever. Other highlights of the performance included a sit-in by vocalist Elise Testone on one of the new TAUK Moore originals and a swaggering cover of Little Feat ‘s “Spanish Moon” led by special guest  Lyle Divinsky .

Revisit highlights from the rest of Jam Cruise 20 here:  Day 2 | Day 3 | Days 4 & 5 .

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Jam Cruise 20 Schedule Drops, with Superjams and Special Sets

Cloud 9 Adventures dropped the music schedule for Jam Cruise 20 , sailing from Miami, visiting ports in Montego Bay and Grand Cayman. moe. headlines, along with Medeski, Martin & Porter, and Cory Wong . Jerry Harrison & Andrian Belew will play Remain in Light , backed by Cool Cool Cool . Lettuce commences the Sail Away Toast, ending the cruise with Lotus on the main Pool Deck stage, Galactic in the Pantheon Theatre, and Marc “Brownie” Brownstein of the Disco Biscuits with Chali 2na in the Jam Room.

Reggae legends Steel Pulse return after 9 long years, with Keller Williams starting the evening we’re in Jamaica. New to Jam Cruise, Cimafunk is one of the most anticipated new bands, along with The Magic Beans , Eggy , The Hillbenders , Diggin’ Dirt , Próxima Parada , J & The Causeways , with sync-funksters Franc Moody all making debuts on the boat. The New Mastersounds return triumphantly, along with Chali 2na & Cut Chemist and other fan favorites. Dan Lebowitz’s superband, Yacht Rock , also returns.

Jam Cruise Lifers, KDTU and Galactic will return. 3-time Grammy winner Eric Krasno* will join Galactic’s drummer Stanton Moore in their recent Krasno Moore Project .

There are eight or nine official stages on the massive MSC Divina , one of its largest ships. The largest main stage is on the Pool Deck, with a smaller Brews at Sea stage facing it, and the Garden Pool stage all the way aft, next to the infinity pool where fans can watch bands perform while swimming. At the front of the ship is the majestic Pantheon Theatre , which is the other largest stage. The famous Jam Room is hosted in the Black & White Lounge. Special piano sets by Ivan Neville and others, bluegrass, and other musical styles are performed in the Atrium, the multistory central lobby with an opulent $3M Swarovski Crystal Staircase .

A formerly-unofficial “secret stage” on deck 7, The Spot , created by Nathan Moore, is now hosted by The Sweet Lillies. The Spot’s acoustic mayhem is one of the many surprises fans find while exploring the ship. A “Purple Party” superjam will tribute Prince in the theatre on the night we leave Grand Cayman.

GMP Live hosts the Jam Cruise 20 Official Pre-Party on Feb 24, with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Cool Cool Cool, and Electric Kif & DJ Logic spinning DJ sets.

Only a handful of cabins remain – the Jam Cruise 20 booking deadline is Jan 26 .

Nick Fitanides (a.k.a. "Phrazz") is a seasoned music photographer and reviewer who has been published in Relix, Billboard, and Rolling Stone. Phrazz has covered Bear Creek, Jam Cruise, and New Orleans Jazz Fest (among many others). He is based in the DC area.

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Jam Cruise 19 – “Three Years of Sparkles”

Jam Cruise 14 Announces Lineup

Jam Cruise 13 Announces Lineup

• Upcoming Shows
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• Music Festivals
• Artist Profile
• Venue Profile
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• Book Reviews
• New York Series
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• Alternative/Indie
• Bluegrass/Country
• Broadway/Musicals
• Folk/Americana
• Funk/Soul/R&B
• Hip Hop/Rap
• Jam/Progressive
• Metal/Hard Rock/Punk
• World/Reggae
• Contact NYS Music

Category 1 – Standard Inside – Decks 5, 8, & 9

• Cabin sizes vary between 139 – 172 sq. ft.
• Double bed which can be converted into two single beds upon request
• Three and four passenger occupancies are bunk style beds
• Electronic safe/lockbox, interactive TV, telephone
• The image is representative only; the size, layout and furniture may vary (within the same stateroom category).

Category 2 – Standard Inside – Decks 8, 9, 10 & 11

• Approximately 139 – 172 sq. ft.

Category 3 – Standard Inside – Decks 10, 11, 12 & 13

Category 4 – standard window – deck 5.

• Approximately 129 – 215 sq. ft.
• Close to venues/amenities such as the Theater, the Atrium, the Casino and the Black Crab restaurant

Category 5 – Standard Window – Deck 8

• Located mid-ship on Deck 8 – close to everything Jam Cruise has to offer!

Category 6 – Standard Balcony – Decks 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13

• Approximately 150 – 204 sq. ft.
• No triples or quads offered in this category

Category 7 – Large Balcony – Deck 8

• Offers additional seating area
• Triple and Quad occupancies have a pull out sofa bed

Category 8 – Large Balcony – Deck 9

Category 9 – large balcony – deck 10, category 10 – large balcony – deck 11, category 11 – large balcony – deck 12.

• Triple occupancies have a pull out sofa bed

Category 12 – Large Balcony – Deck 13

Category 13 – junior aurea suite w/ panoramic window – decks 10 & 11.

• Approximately 200 sq. ft.
• Located at the front of the ship – these cabins do not have balconies
• Double occupancy only
• Floor to Ceiling Windows
• Access to Thermal Suite
• Bathroom includes bathtub

Category 14 – Standard Aurea Suite w/ Panoramic Window – Decks 9 & 11

• Approximately 220 - 235 sq. ft.

Category 15 – Large Aurea Suite w/ Panoramic Window – Decks 9 & 10

• Approximately 250 - 280 sq. ft.
• Available in double, triple or quad occupancy
• Floor to ceiling windows

Category 16 – Standard Aurea Suite w/ Balcony – Decks 10 & 11

• Approximately 320 - 370 sq. ft.
• Located at the front of the ship
• Available in double, triple or quad occupancies
• Floor to Ceiling Windows and balcony

Category 17 – Large Aurea Suite w/ Balcony – Deck 9

• Approximately 415 sq. ft.

Yacht Club Suite w/ Balcony – Decks 15 & 16

• Approximately 300 sq. ft.
• Double bed that can be converted into two single beds (on request)
• Offers 24 hour butler service
• Complimentary dinner service at Le Muse restaurant
• Complimentary wi-fi package
• Complimentary beverages in ship wide (up to $14)
• 25% discount on wine and champagne bottle purchases on board
• Priority boarding

Yacht Club Large Suite w/ Balcony – Decks 15 & 16

• Approximately 350 sq. ft.

Yacht Club Junior Two Room Suite w/ Panoramic Window – Deck 12

• Approximately 425 sq. ft.

Yacht Club Large Two Room Suite w/ Panoramic Windows – Deck 12

• Approximately 550 sq. ft. with sealed panoramic windows - these cabins do not have a balcony
• Double bed that can be converted into two single beds upon request
• 24 hour Room Service
• Complimentary a la carte dinner service at Le Muse restaurant

Yacht Club Royal Suite w/ Balcony – Deck 16

• Spacious two room suite with large balcony
• Approximately 560 sq. ft. (includes 172 sq. ft. balcony)
• Comes with 24 hour butler service
• 24 Hour Room Service

Pre-Book Cabin Selection: May 8-9 Public On Sale: May 10 @ 1pm ET

Cabin selection: 5/8-9 • on sale: 5/10 @ 1pm et.

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• All listed cabin rates are per person .
• A $250 per person non-refundable deposit ($500 if booking a Cat 13 or higher) is due at the time of booking.
• Payments can be made using Visa, MasterCard, Discover & American Express – Cashiers checks and postal money orders are no longer accepted.
• There is a $310 fee applied per person which includes all taxes, fees, and gratuities. A portion of this port fee will support Positive Legacy and the Conscious Cruiser Program.
• Calculate your cost: If you book a Category 1 Double Occupancy  $1574 + $310 port fee = $1884 per person x 2 adults = $3768  total for the cabin.
• Jam Cruise does not permit downgrades (going down in occupancy or category). However, you are able to upgrade your cabin based on availability.
• Guests with ADA needs should make sure their requirements are listed in their Cloud 9 Profile and contact the Travel Team for options.
• There are Single Occupancy cabins available at single rates in select categories.
• Guests who are traveling with children should make sure the cabin has an occupancy capacity that includes them.  For example, 2 adults and 1 child need a cabin with a capacity of 3.

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• Royal Caribbean International

Jamrock Reggae Cruise -- a supposedly irie thing that really wasn't

By Jonny44 , November 21, 2016 in Royal Caribbean International

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First off, let me say that I am a huge reggae fan and loved the band selection. But it was the execution in 2016 that was horrible. In the previous years, they used a 2,000 passenger capacity ship on a different cruise line (Norwegian). It got so popular that they did it twice in 2015. But you then have to pay the musicians twice so I suspect some profit gouging was the motivation to change to the 4,000+ passenger Independence of the Seas. I am not going to review that ship, it has been done zillions of times so I will just comment that the ship is now middle-aged and could use some rehab.

But you don't take the Jamrock cruise for the ship amenities. You take it for the music, of course. But that is my chief complaint: the Independence of the Seas has no venue, not one, that can adequately accommodate 4,000 people. They tried with the main pool deck but even there, you cannot cram 4,000 people. Having said that, they do use the Independence of the Seas successfully for other music cruises such as the Legends of Rock cruise. But in that case, they would split the venues such that you could either see band A at the main stage or band B in the Alhambra theater. That way 4,000 people are spread about so that everybody gets a place to see a show. But Damien Marley (or whoever called the shots) didn't go that route. Instead, they planned each and every concert (but for some minor DJs) for the main stage.

That is problematic in that November is still the rainy season in Jamaica. So guess what: it poured rain 3 out of the 5 nights. Horrible. But Marley had no adequate back-up plan. Indeed, nothing was announced the first rain-out night. So I asked a guard: what's up, where will the music be? The fellow misinforms me that it will be in the Promenade. Now if you have seen the Promenade, it is conceivable that you could possibly cram 4,000 people into it. So we waited in the Champagne bar (great bar BTW) for the festivities to begin. But after about 9PM, we got suspicious and started looking. By pure chance, we come upon the Alhambra, which is where the concerts had been re-scheduled. Now realize that the seating capacity in the Alhambra is around 1300. Then illegally pack another 800 or so into the aisles. What a fire disaster waiting to happen, particularly as there was lot of smoking go on. I was surprised that Royal Caribbean would allow such overcrowding of a venue given the obvious fire hazards. But even packed beyond packed, that left 1/2 the boat SOL. Those poor souls had to just grin and bear it: no music for you!

In any case, we attempt to get into the theater. My sister-in-law is charming so the crowd stepped asidet and let her and my wife in. But then everybody joined shoulders again and blocked me. So I was allowed in only by indicating I was with the two women who just got in. By a miracle, there was still room for 3 at the extreme front left corner of the back aisle, I got to watch the back of Tarrus Riley's head for my $5,000. But we missed the other acts I wanted to see.

The same garbage continued for the next two days of torrential rain. Just one-half of the cruise ship got to see what they wanted. What an unmitigated disaster -- listen, I get it, the "Island way" of management is different from the US way. But you charged me US prices, not Island prices. So at least deliver on what was promised by doing what the other music cruises do and splitting the venues so that everybody gets to see a show.

Even if they hadn't had the rain problem, the upper balcony around the main stage was dominated by a group of loafers who arranged loungers all around the balcony. So where hundreds could have seen the show, just the layabouts who parked their loungers got to see (they would stand in front of their loungers and thus dominate about 8 feet of space each). Reminded me of the folks who don't pick up after their dogs, that sort of lack of consideration for others. Yet the cruise did nothing to police the situation, total hands off. If they had kicked the layabouts off the loungers, so many paying customers would be able to enjoy the shows they paid for. But they didn't. The same situation would occur in the Alhambra: a single person would claim 6 or 7 seats for their buddies. But what made it worse in the Alhambra is that, inevitably, only 2/3 of their friends would show up, the others being too partied out I suppose. But that left so many seats empty, despite the lack of space for everybody else. And again, zero was done to mitigate this BS.

So carefully consider what I am telling you before forking out thousands like I did. To sum up the lack of management, Damien tells a story during his final show (which was tough to follow because the pool deck had a hurricane-like wind blowing the whole time, note that the outdoor pool deck was never designed to be concert venue). So Damien indicates that Bruno Mars was backstage with him at a gig and was talking to him about some problems he had. And Damien's advice was to go out and get the best marijuana money could buy, that it would solve all his problems. It is that kind of thinking that lead to this disorganized, chaotic, and disappointing experience. Now don't get me wrong, his story was indeed amusing to me but it also points to a certain Jamaican laissez-faire that simply doesn't align when you are charging me $4900 for a balcony room for three. For that kind of money, you need more than weed to solve problems. You need professional management, which was nowhere to be found on the Jamrock cruise. Instead, you just got the top dog blazing the best stuff he could find while half the cruise missed out on what they paid for.

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First of all Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Second, you do realize that JamRock chartered the cruise and your complaints should be directed at them, not at RCI.

I have been on many Rock Boats, and a few other music cruises and have had a great time. Sixthman runs a great music cruise, maybe you should look at them for your next one.

thanks for the welcome - I am aware that Jamrock chartered the cruise. But Jamrock just supplied the musicians and theme for the charter. The rest of the cruise including security was all Royal Caribbean. They did nothing about the overcrowding of the Alhambra. Nor did they police the upper deck of the main stage.

pineappleexpress

I have to agree with you in regards to the poor planning. Hours behind schedule is ridiculous not to mention the lack of an appropriate venue. November hi weather sucked..

Doesn't sound like fun to me.

And I'm sure it's been true for a long long time (my mom was a hippie; I was born in San Francisco in 1969, and i have heard some stories that go back further than that) that the organizers of events should be clean and sober, even if their musicians and audiences aren't.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

• 2 weeks later...

First off, let me say that I am a huge reggae fan and loved the band selection. But it was the execution in 2016 that was horrible. In the previous years, they used a 2,000 passenger capacity ship on a different cruise line (Norwegian). It got so popular that they did it twice in 2015. But you then have to pay the musicians twice so I suspect some profit gouging was the motivation to change to the 4,000+ passenger Independence of the Seas. I am not going to review that ship, it has been done zillions of times so I will just comment that the ship is now middle-aged and could use some rehab.   But you don't take the Jamrock cruise for the ship amenities. You take it for the music, of course. But that is my chief complaint: the Independence of the Seas has no venue, not one, that can adequately accommodate 4,000 people. They tried with the main pool deck but even there, you cannot cram 4,000 people. Having said that, they do use the Independence of the Seas successfully for other music cruises such as the Legends of Rock cruise. But in that case, they would split the venues such that you could either see band A at the main stage or band B in the Alhambra theater. That way 4,000 people are spread about so that everybody gets a place to see a show. But Damien Marley (or whoever called the shots) didn't go that route. Instead, they planned each and every concert (but for some minor DJs) for the main stage.   That is problematic in that November is still the rainy season in Jamaica. So guess what: it poured rain 3 out of the 5 nights. Horrible. But Marley had no adequate back-up plan. Indeed, nothing was announced the first rain-out night. So I asked a guard: what's up, where will the music be? The fellow misinforms me that it will be in the Promenade. Now if you have seen the Promenade, it is conceivable that you could possibly cram 4,000 people into it. So we waited in the Champagne bar (great bar BTW) for the festivities to begin. But after about 9PM, we got suspicious and started looking. By pure chance, we come upon the Alhambra, which is where the concerts had been re-scheduled. Now realize that the seating capacity in the Alhambra is around 1300. Then illegally pack another 800 or so into the aisles. What a fire disaster waiting to happen, particularly as there was lot of smoking go on. I was surprised that Royal Caribbean would allow such overcrowding of a venue given the obvious fire hazards. But even packed beyond packed, that left 1/2 the boat SOL. Those poor souls had to just grin and bear it: no music for you!   In any case, we attempt to get into the theater. My sister-in-law is charming so the crowd stepped asidet and let her and my wife in. But then everybody joined shoulders again and blocked me. So I was allowed in only by indicating I was with the two women who just got in. By a miracle, there was still room for 3 at the extreme front left corner of the back aisle, I got to watch the back of Tarrus Riley's head for my $5,000. But we missed the other acts I wanted to see.   The same garbage continued for the next two days of torrential rain. Just one-half of the cruise ship got to see what they wanted. What an unmitigated disaster -- listen, I get it, the "Island way" of management is different from the US way. But you charged me US prices, not Island prices. So at least deliver on what was promised by doing what the other music cruises do and splitting the venues so that everybody gets to see a show.   Even if they hadn't had the rain problem, the upper balcony around the main stage was dominated by a group of loafers who arranged loungers all around the balcony. So where hundreds could have seen the show, just the layabouts who parked their loungers got to see (they would stand in front of their loungers and thus dominate about 8 feet of space each). Reminded me of the folks who don't pick up after their dogs, that sort of lack of consideration for others. Yet the cruise did nothing to police the situation, total hands off. If they had kicked the layabouts off the loungers, so many paying customers would be able to enjoy the shows they paid for. But they didn't. The same situation would occur in the Alhambra: a single person would claim 6 or 7 seats for their buddies. But what made it worse in the Alhambra is that, inevitably, only 2/3 of their friends would show up, the others being too partied out I suppose. But that left so many seats empty, despite the lack of space for everybody else. And again, zero was done to mitigate this BS.   So carefully consider what I am telling you before forking out thousands like I did. To sum up the lack of management, Damien tells a story during his final show (which was tough to follow because the pool deck had a hurricane-like wind blowing the whole time, note that the outdoor pool deck was never designed to be concert venue). So Damien indicates that Bruno Mars was backstage with him at a gig and was talking to him about some problems he had. And Damien's advice was to go out and get the best marijuana money could buy, that it would solve all his problems. It is that kind of thinking that lead to this disorganized, chaotic, and disappointing experience. Now don't get me wrong, his story was indeed amusing to me but it also points to a certain Jamaican laissez-faire that simply doesn't align when you are charging me $4900 for a balcony room for three. For that kind of money, you need more than weed to solve problems. You need professional management, which was nowhere to be found on the Jamrock cruise. Instead, you just got the top dog blazing the best stuff he could find while half the cruise missed out on what they paid for.

sorry to hear that you didn't get to see some of the bands you wanted. I really wanted to go on this cruise to see some of the bands, mainly to see the likes of Toots and Steele Pulse. I would be pissed if we missed them. Hopefully they will take some of this feed back to heart and clean up their act for future cruises. This is a great concept, but may not be practical as you suggest. The other problem I see is the lack of reviews. It is actually hard to find reviews like yours. Thanks for posting.

I wanted to see Toots also, but didn't because the deck was too mobbed. Trust me, you will see that there is no venue on the boat that can accommodate 4,000 people.

if you go to the Jamrock reggae cruise facebook page, there are plenty of "reviews" to the extent that comments along the lines of "best time ever" can be construed as reviews. In fairness, both my wife and sister-in-law had those sorts of comments. But they didn't toil away to pay for the cruise -- I did. It is not an insignificant amount of cash if you want a balcony room (the only way to go in my opinion), it will run you $4000 for two tickets. And more if you go for the junior suite. So that is the issue I have, they are charging real money but not following through on value.

The travel agency responds on the Facebook page that "they cannot control the weather," and that they are sorry if you missed the act you wanted to see. But it has rained at least one night for all of these Jamrock cruises from what I can read. So it wasn't like they couldn't have foreseen this problem.

• 3 weeks later...

MermaidMary

Great review, Jonny. This was our 3rd Jamrock cruise. On the first cruise, the last night was partially rained out, although there was the now-legendary impromptu atrium show to compensate. We were on the 1st of the 2 ships in 2015, and our last night got completely rained out. The headliner, Capleton, did eventually perform indoors in the atrium, with no band, but the communication was so terrible we had no way of knowing that, so at about 3 am we decided to get some sleep, and were very bummed when it turned out we missed Capleton.

The Alhambra Theatre is a better option than the atrium on the Pearl since it does accommodate a band, but it still leaves out over half of the paying customers, as you pointed out, and in addition to the dangerous overcrowding of the aisles there also was a very dangerous situation entering the theatre on Thursday night since there was no policing (or roping) of lines so it was a scary mob coming from all directions when they unlocked the doors. Many of us were afraid we were going to be trampled, but at that point we had no choice, since there was no way to exit the mob.

The chair-saving in the theatre was maddening - there is no reason any one person should be allowed to save so many chairs, either in the theatre or on the deck. Either the ship or the Jamrock management needs to come up with a policy on this and enforce it! Or maybe send out some pre-cruise emails in an attempt to channel everyone's "One Love" vibes. Why not SHARE chairs on the deck and in the theatre so that everyone can sit for a few minutes when their feet need a break?

Before the cruise we got several emails saying it was a nonsmoking ship, and that we really, really would not be allowed to smoke, other than in the designated smoking areas. Apparently for the cruise the designated smoking area was the ENTIRE SHIP. I was very concerned about fire danger. People were dropping cigarettes on the deck without even putting them out. The only concern for safety I saw from the ship's crew was at the muster drill (which was horrible due to some passengers who thought they could skip it - we had to stand the entire time in straight lines - while on Norwegian at least there was a place to sit while we waited for the latecomers!)

The music was excellent, and the lineup spectacular. We skipped dinner 2 nights so that we could get into the theatre for the music, and we did not regret our choice. The sound clash was great also, and the ice skating rink turned out to be a good venue for that. The afternoon concerts on the deck were a blast, and Kabaka Pyramid's early evening concert on the deck was one of the best shows on the cruise.

I agree they should use 2 venues each night, and I think it would be perfect in many ways. They could have one schedule for the deck and one for the theatre, with the ice skating rink as a rainout option. I heard many people say they prefer the deck, and others loved the theatre, so on nice nights everyone would be happy! And on rainy nights, at least everyone could get some music. They could also split the concerts based on the genre - roots in one venue, dancehall in the other. Those who like both (like me) could see both, but those who hate dancehall could avoid it entirely.

But it does not appear they are going to make any changes to the format for 2017, other than reducing the number of acts per night from 4 down to 3. And the lineup for 2017 is nowhere near as amazing as the first 3 years (still great, but not many true headliners like we've had in the past, and that troubling 25% reduction in the number of artists). So although we put our deposit down back in April, we probably won't go this year - not until they either fix the format or make the lineup great again - preferably both!

Hi MermaidMary: I wanted to see Kabaka Pyramid's show also but the schedule was so unpredictable that we missed it. We also missed Toots, Junior Reid, Beenie Man, most of Chakademus, Shinehead, and Bounty Killer. So I suppose it doesn't really matter whether they offer 3 acts or 5 acts every day for the 2017 Jamrock cruise since you inevitably miss so many of the acts given the rainouts and unpredictable scheduling.

But I would have to believe that the pool deck on the Norwegian Jamrock cruises was roughly the same size so that it could more adequately accommodate 2,000 instead of trying to cram 4,000 into the Independence of the Seas pool deck. So I wish they had not moved it to the bigger ship, things got lost in the translation. I should have known about Jamrock back then, the earlier cruises must have been better.

Despite my complaints, my wife wants to go again so if I have the budget I may even sign up once more since I did love Jamaica, it was really nice. So tropical and different. And the reggae on the Jamrock cruise was outstanding, to the extent that I got to hear it.

Jamaica is indeed wonderful - we went to Doctor's Cave Beach in Montego Bay, and had a great time. It is such a beautiful place to swim! And we did get off the ship in Ocho Rios despite the downpour - we took a cab to Evita's and had a delicious, relaxing lunch. We didn't book any excursions because we have been to Jamaica many times on land vacations, mostly for Sumfest, and we have seen all the sights (some twice!)

I hope things will go better on the cruise next year. We still have our deposit down, and are waiting until the first payment is due to make the final decision. Hopefully by then they will have announced the 2 additional daytime performers.

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No High Seas for Jam Fest After Feds Raid Ship For Drugs

Attention berth-buyers for the groove and bruise cruises: clean out your luggage, by janie campbell • published january 8, 2011 • updated on january 8, 2011 at 12:32 pm.

Jam Cruise passengers are most certainly rolling on little but the sea after the popular party ship was raided by federal agents just before it embarked on its six-day musical journey out of Port Everglades .

The raids resulted in 15 seizures of LSD, marijuana, mushrooms, hash oil, prescription drugs, Ecstasy, and drug paraphernalia, all in mostly small quantities.

The annual cruise, in its 9th year, is a floating music festival aboard the chartered MSC Poesia, pairing passengers with a lineup of garage, soul, bluegrass, and jam bands, and, inexplicably, Taylor Hicks . Its itinerary includes stops in Hondurus and Mexico.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official declined to name the parties arrested on Tuesday, or say whether they were from among the 44 acts on board.

Future floaters waiting to set sail from the Port of Miami on the similarly-planned Groove Cruise or Bruise Cruise later this month should probably clean out their luggage: CBP Spokeswoman Migdalia Travis said the operation was carried out by agents and K-9 officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in cooperation with the Broward Sheriff's Office.