I had one of the most enjoyable 70k's yet.Jotunheimr wrote: ↑Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:05 pm Sorry if this has been asked before but how was the experience this year compared to previous years? I heard that they were far from selling out this year. Is that because of the aftermath of COVID? And why do you think there were only 2 headliners this time? I really wanted to go but couldn’t get time off work but I’ll be there next time for sure.
Yes - the shorter travel distance to the destination was GREAT. Such an easy voyage we barely ever noticed we were moving! Because lets face it, we barely wereacidbasement wrote: ↑Sat Mar 04, 2023 10:25 pm It was probably my best experience yet, of the seven times I've sailed. I thought sound quality was mostly excellent, and they actually kept the volume at reasonable levels too. Food was good. It seemed a bit empty but that meant it was easy to find your friends. Also, the new RC app that gives you free texting to people onbroad was wonderful. The destination was amazing and the fact that we didn't have to go through high winds to get there was great. Weather was perfect.
Delays were problematic and caused shortened sets, that kinda sucked.
Yeah, she was definitely low in the mix when it started. I was right by the speakers in a seat, though, so it wasn't horrible.bodomdragon wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 3:17 pm I also think that the sound quality was in general terms great this year. There were more delays than ever, but at least when they started, the sound was good. The biggest exception to this was Deathless Legacy at the lounge, where I could not hear the singer at all.
That sounds great if you're not into Nightwish. More time to chill out and eat a good meal without missing anything.
Yeah depends on how you look at it I guess :) I didn't like it because it meant there were these two 90 minute periods where I potentially could have seen other bands that might clash otherwise.Jotunheimr wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 6:10 pmThat sounds great if you're not into Nightwish. More time to chill out and eat a good meal without missing anything.
If I remember correctly, none of the restaurants were open during the times the played. Except Sorrento's.Jotunheimr wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 6:10 pmThat sounds great if you're not into Nightwish. More time to chill out and eat a good meal without missing anything.
This was our first time and we enjoyed not having long lines for anything. Guess I'll have to prepare myself for a more crowded boat next year. How much worse is it usually?slayergeek wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 3:26 pm Yea I thought this year was excellent as well. I think the low crowds were mainly due to the short notice. Granted there were other factors, inflation, pandemic, but I think if Andy would have announced 8 month before sail...he would have found more then enough takers...but who knows.
The sound was much improved...though as others have mentioned, there were technical issues for certain sets.
I missed the more crowded ship when walking around, especially the promenade, but then again I did not miss the crowds when ordering coffee, or a beer, and even getting merch, everything was super quick and easy in that department.
For any 70K alumni who did not go because they thought the experience would be sub par...you were wrong..period. For those that did not go because of the late announcements, or could not afford the increased prices, especially with the short notice...I get it. Hopefully we will get plenty of notice this year, and hopefully airline prices and other expenses will be more reasonable for 2024!
I look forward to a full boat in 24, and will deal with the return of lines :)
I know the official numbers put it at 85-90% of previous years, but I think the 66.6-70% guesstimate is probably closer to accurate from the feel of things. So, basically, picture an increase of 50% over the people that were there this round.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:43 am
This was our first time and we enjoyed not having long lines for anything. Guess I'll have to prepare myself for a more crowded boat next year. How much worse is it usually?
50% more? Yikes! That certainly would be much busier.toby wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:18 amI know the official numbers put it at 85-90% of previous years, but I think the 66.6-70% guesstimate is probably closer to accurate from the feel of things. So, basically, picture an increase of 50% over the people that were there this round.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:43 am
This was our first time and we enjoyed not having long lines for anything. Guess I'll have to prepare myself for a more crowded boat next year. How much worse is it usually?
Yeah, it felt like there were more in the area of 2000-2200 people instead of the usual 3000-3100 (only counting paying passengers). None of the venues seemed close to the crowds in my previous rounds.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:51 am50% more? Yikes! That certainly would be much busier.toby wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:18 amI know the official numbers put it at 85-90% of previous years, but I think the 66.6-70% guesstimate is probably closer to accurate from the feel of things. So, basically, picture an increase of 50% over the people that were there this round.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:43 am
This was our first time and we enjoyed not having long lines for anything. Guess I'll have to prepare myself for a more crowded boat next year. How much worse is it usually?
Don't be intimidated by the prospect of a bigger crowd. It makes the merch queue longer for sure, but nothing else is ever much of an issue. I don't recall ever having my experience negatively impacted by the boat being full. If anything, it definitely adds to the atmosphere that makes the cruise special.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:51 am50% more? Yikes! That certainly would be much busier.toby wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 9:18 amI know the official numbers put it at 85-90% of previous years, but I think the 66.6-70% guesstimate is probably closer to accurate from the feel of things. So, basically, picture an increase of 50% over the people that were there this round.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 8:43 am
This was our first time and we enjoyed not having long lines for anything. Guess I'll have to prepare myself for a more crowded boat next year. How much worse is it usually?
Agreed. I missed the more crowded boat this year, and in fact that was my only negative take away from this years cruise. The merch line was the biggest impact for sure, everything else...while present, was more minor.Downvod wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 12:54 pmDon't be intimidated by the prospect of a bigger crowd. It makes the merch queue longer for sure, but nothing else is ever much of an issue. I don't recall ever having my experience negatively impacted by the boat being full. If anything, it definitely adds to the atmosphere that makes the cruise special.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:51 am50% more? Yikes! That certainly would be much busier.
Yeah, don't forget that on average, that's only 250 people more per show per stage. This round was just weird. I definitely enjoyed the lack of lines all around, but the regular 70K crowd is not overwhelming at all. It's just more energy. This felt a little less lively.Downvod wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 12:54 pmDon't be intimidated by the prospect of a bigger crowd. It makes the merch queue longer for sure, but nothing else is ever much of an issue. I don't recall ever having my experience negatively impacted by the boat being full. If anything, it definitely adds to the atmosphere that makes the cruise special.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:51 am50% more? Yikes! That certainly would be much busier.
Agreed. Like, last time Dragonforce was on the boat their second show was INTENSE. Crowd surfers everywhere.toby wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 5:16 pmYeah, don't forget that on average, that's only 250 people more per show per stage. This round was just weird. I definitely enjoyed the lack of lines all around, but the regular 70K crowd is not overwhelming at all. It's just more energy. This felt a little less lively.Downvod wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 12:54 pmDon't be intimidated by the prospect of a bigger crowd. It makes the merch queue longer for sure, but nothing else is ever much of an issue. I don't recall ever having my experience negatively impacted by the boat being full. If anything, it definitely adds to the atmosphere that makes the cruise special.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:51 am
50% more? Yikes! That certainly would be much busier.
That's fair and wouldn't be too bad, most of the shows I attended had plenty of room left. The additional people won't change my mind about going next year, I just might have to spend time in the corner of the wine bar to get away from people some times =).toby wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 5:16 pmYeah, don't forget that on average, that's only 250 people more per show per stage. This round was just weird. I definitely enjoyed the lack of lines all around, but the regular 70K crowd is not overwhelming at all. It's just more energy. This felt a little less lively.Downvod wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 12:54 pmDon't be intimidated by the prospect of a bigger crowd. It makes the merch queue longer for sure, but nothing else is ever much of an issue. I don't recall ever having my experience negatively impacted by the boat being full. If anything, it definitely adds to the atmosphere that makes the cruise special.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:51 am
50% more? Yikes! That certainly would be much busier.
Yeah, don't do like the guy that passed out on the middle of the bar. He attracted attention and had multiple selfies taken with him. Vintages was a pretty cool spot to decompress.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Wed Mar 08, 2023 8:57 amThat's fair and wouldn't be too bad, most of the shows I attended had plenty of room left. The additional people won't change my mind about going next year, I just might have to spend time in the corner of the wine bar to get away from people some times =).toby wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 5:16 pmYeah, don't forget that on average, that's only 250 people more per show per stage. This round was just weird. I definitely enjoyed the lack of lines all around, but the regular 70K crowd is not overwhelming at all. It's just more energy. This felt a little less lively.Downvod wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 12:54 pm
Don't be intimidated by the prospect of a bigger crowd. It makes the merch queue longer for sure, but nothing else is ever much of an issue. I don't recall ever having my experience negatively impacted by the boat being full. If anything, it definitely adds to the atmosphere that makes the cruise special.
Most relaxing of the 10 cruises I've been on and that wasn't due to the lineup. The Running Order was about as perfect as it gets for me. There definitely was less people, which was ok by me as far as waiting for things. As far as it not selling out, this is the climate now. People need more time to plan. Prices of things have jumped significantly.Jotunheimr wrote: ↑Sat Mar 04, 2023 7:05 pm Sorry if this has been asked before but how was the experience this year compared to previous years? I heard that they were far from selling out this year. Is that because of the aftermath of COVID? And why do you think there were only 2 headliners this time? I really wanted to go but couldn’t get time off work but I’ll be there next time for sure.
The other thing to remember is that with no other shows besides Nightwish, their shows were WAY more packed than any other band playing in the same venue. There wasn't anything else to do.Jotunheimr wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 6:10 pm That sounds great if you're not into Nightwish. More time to chill out and eat a good meal without missing anything.
^ Agreed! Even in "sold out" past years, including the year it ACTUALLY and truly sold out, I don't remember being too adversely impacted by excessive crowds, except maybe getting lunch in the Windjammer at embark...but that's a problem on EVERY cruise, not just 70K.Downvod wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 12:54 pmDon't be intimidated by the prospect of a bigger crowd. It makes the merch queue longer for sure, but nothing else is ever much of an issue. I don't recall ever having my experience negatively impacted by the boat being full. If anything, it definitely adds to the atmosphere that makes the cruise special.sflheadbanger wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:51 am50% more? Yikes! That certainly would be much busier.
So question about this RC app - I see that there's a chat feature that lets you plan with friends on broad without buying the wifi package (which is super neat). Is your display name your passenger name? Because I don't use my legal name and I don't want other people to know/use it...
If I am remembering correctly, I want to say that we did have the option to set up our own user name.Phoenix wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 7:49 amSo question about this RC app - I see that there's a chat feature that lets you plan with friends on broad without buying the wifi package (which is super neat). Is your display name your passenger name? Because I don't use my legal name and I don't want other people to know/use it...
That would be very cool if so! I just... really, really don't like my legal name, so I only use it at work >.>Downvod wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 9:33 amIf I am remembering correctly, I want to say that we did have the option to set up our own user name.Phoenix wrote: ↑Tue Mar 14, 2023 7:49 amSo question about this RC app - I see that there's a chat feature that lets you plan with friends on broad without buying the wifi package (which is super neat). Is your display name your passenger name? Because I don't use my legal name and I don't want other people to know/use it...
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