On the third day we docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica for an afternoon of fun off the ship. My husband and I decided to forgo the cruise planned excursions in favor of having a cab driver take us around and see the sights. After sampling the “local flavor” we headed up to the Blue Hole located in the Parrish of Exchange. Blue Hole is a series of waterfalls that you access after a guided trek through the rainforest. When we reached the top, you had various cliffs and waterfalls to jump from into the blue pools below.

By three o’clock, it was time to head back and dive immediately into the continuing festivities. This was to be a night of very little sleep as the shows went from 4:30 in the afternoon until 6 am the following morning. There was something for every type of fan that night, ranging from thrash metal, to symphonic metal, and everything in between.

As the final day on the sea arrived, we anticipated the really big name bands on the main stage. Starting out the lineup with Primal Fear, and continuing with Cannibal Corpse, Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock, Therion, Annihilator, and the big cherry on top, legendary German Power Metal band, Blind Guardian – a fitting end to an incredible experience.

Upon returning to Port Everglades, it was time to say farewell. We made a lot of amazing new friends from around the world on our journey at sea. And we are happy to know that we will be seeing most of them again next year, on the worlds biggest heavy metal cruise.

WORDS BY TAYLOR PHELPS

PHOTOS BY MASTERPHELPS PHOTOGRAPHY