Shiprocked 2024 VIP
9th Year

Date: February 4-10, 2024

Ports: Miami, Bimini, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman

Ship: Carnival Magic

Room: Balcony Stateroom (Deck - 7347)

Friends that joined us

Torri, Michael, Kyla & Paul

Video from Ask4 Entertainment

Meet and Greets

The packing!

We cant wait for this trip each year. We normal start packing the week before we leave. This year was no different.

Travel day!

When we are planning a trip during the winters in North Dakota, it's always a good idea to prepare for unexpected weather conditions. We like to leaving two days before our scheduled cruise to give us some extra time to adjust our plans if necessary! This year is making us change from 2 days to 3 or more.

Story Time!

The day started out just like any other travel day. checking everything over and over making sure we have everything we need. This year we booked our flight out of Jamestown as the cost was $200 + cheaper than flying out of Bismarck. We know by doing that we could run into cancelations as it is a smaller airport. As for the weather it has been great all week and even the morning that we were leaving. We left the house to head and pick up Michael and Kyla as they were on the way out of town. As we were driving fog started to roll in and we all got a little worried. But as we kept driving it seemed to get better. When we got to Jamestown, we met up with Torri at Spirits Bar & Grill as it was close to the airport, and we had plenty of time to enjoy a drink to start the vacation off right. Just as we got to the airport the fog was coming back in! As we got to the ticket counter, we got a notification about our flights before we could look at the notification they told us that the flight was canceled. I asked them if there was any way they could get us on another flight in the state of North Dakota. They did some looking and all the flight out of Fargo and Bismarck had already left for the day but there was a flight that left at 5pm out of Dickinson, so they booked us all 5 of us. Back on the road we go. We took Torri's car to her house, and she got in with us to head back West. About 20 miles out of Bismarck we got another notification about our flight that it got canceled as well! I got on the phone with the airline company and talked to them about what was going on and they were able to get us all on a flight out of Bismarck the next day at 10AM, we dropped off Michael and Kyla and headed back to our house.

It's time to board the plane as everything seems to be falling into place. Our boarding group has been called, bringing us one step closer to Miami, and if all goes well, we might still make it to the pre-party tonight. As we settle into our seats and the plane begins to back up, we exchange excited glances and exclaim, "YES! We're finally on our way!" But the announcement comes on: Denver is hit by a snow storm, and we must stay at the terminal until further notice. Michael turns to me, worried that we might be stuck, but I reassure him that we still have 30 hours before we miss the cruise. After a tense 30 minutes, the announcement comes on that we can take off, and cheers erupt from the passengers! However, just 35 minutes into the flight, the pilot informs us that Denver has closed again, and we will be diverted to Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Upon landing, we learn we can stretch our legs if we don't hear from Denver in 30 minutes. After 45-50 minutes, the pilot announces we can disembark, but Scottsbluff's small airport lacks staff, and the vending machines are out of order. After two hours, we finally get the green light to board again, and everyone is relieved to be heading closer to Denver. Once we land, we check on our connecting flight, which was delayed as well. With less than 24 hours to reach Miami, we grab some food and keep an eye on the flight status. When we finally board the last flight, the pilot assures us he’s eager to get us to Miami as quickly as possible. We land at 1 AM, just in time for our cruise. Despite little sleep, we’re thrilled to have made it even though we missed the pre party.

With a boarding time of 12:30 PM, we grab coffee and call an Uber to the port. Just as we get in, it starts pouring rain. The port is only five minutes away, and our excitement builds as we approach. After clearing security, we hear that the gangway has been pulled due to the storm, and no more passengers will be loaded until the tornado warning passes. We hope the trip won’t be canceled after everything we’ve been through. After 45 minutes, boarding resumes, and the crowd erupts in cheers. As we board the ship, we receive badges for being survivors. The first stop is the mandatory safety briefing.

With the schedule change do to the weather, we had a day at sea. They moved a lot of stuff around to accommodate so that we still got a great experience. We missed the first meet and greets

Killswitch Engage
Highly Suspect
Black Stone Cherry
Fire From the Gods

We got to check out Band Feud with I Prevail vs. Badflower. This is a must see as you get to know some cool facts about the bands. It is fun seeing how the band interact with each other. After this we had some time to go through with the plan on trying to win some money to help keep the party going! After taking $200 and playing roulette for the next few hours we cashed out with $400 and then I put $300 on to our room account and had $400 in cash still to gamble for the rest of the trip.

We were thrilled to catch Dayseeker live in the theater for the very first time, and wow, they absolutely blew us away! The performance was incredible but also deeply emotional, as the lead singer shared stories from his life that inspired the album. Later that night, we had the amazing opportunity to meet Rory, the down-to-earth and super cool lead singer, at the casino. We chatted with him for quite a while, and moments like this are exactly why we keep coming back for more!

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We wrapped up an incredible night of music with From Ashes New in the theater! They delivered an amazing show and truly engaged with the crowd. Matt shared how his dream came true thanks to all the fans and if he wasn't rocking the stage, he'd be an electrician! This was our second time seeing them, and we loved every single moment!

Day 3 - Tuesday, Feb 6

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

After a long day, we finally dove back into the music! We headed to the theater for Eva Under Fire, as they kicked off the show while people were boarding the ship. One of the band members was among the first to hop back on, eager to get the party started! We went to the casino after the show and hung out for a bit but ended up calling it a night around midnight.

Day 4 - Wednesday, Feb 7

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

After a restful night's sleep, we woke up and enjoyed some breakfast. The announcement mentioned that anyone wishing to disembark the ship was welcome to do so, but we decided to stay on board for now. We can explore Jamaica another time. Once we finished eating, we headed to hot tub and grabbed a drink to kick off the day, as we had some time to spare before I Prevail's performance later on.

Day 5 - Thursday, Feb 8

Day at sea

We did not have much planned anymore as the schedule was moved around. First thing we got in line for meet and greets

Beartooth
Badflower
Crobot
Eva Under Fire

Nicole and I grabbed a cup of coffee and found a spot at Captain's Quarters. This is where we can ask Alan from Ask4 any questions. If you are new to Shiprocked I would highly recommend on making it to this. There is a lot of good information that is told. There might be a chance that we get a hint for the next year! Afterwards, we returned to line up for our final meet and greets of the year with:

I Prevail
From Ashes to New
The Warning
The Stowaways

The first band to start the day off for us was Sleep Theory. This was our first time seeing them.

After watching the belly flop contest we headed back to the deck stage to watch 30 Seconds to Shred. The Music Experience organized this event and it was the final two contestants that got to go on stage and get the crowds vote. Right after this Dorothy took the deck stage and rocked the stage it was also our first time seeing her perform. We did not realize that the Cancer Sucks Charity Auction was going on. This is a great thing that has been on the ship for many years. They auction off items to help support people with cancer and have helped many Shiprockers that have gotten cancer. It is a great thing they do.

Day 6 - Friday, Feb 9

Bimini, Bahamas

After a few days of not-so-great weather, we finally got a break in the weather with a day at the beach in Bimini! We booked the beach party at Resort World Bimini Beach, where we strolled along the beautiful shore and soaked up the sun by the pool, making the most of our last full day of vacation. We always hate when this day arrives because we just want the fun to keep going! After an incredible day on the island, we hopped back on the ship for a quick power nap, knowing we were gearing up for an epic night of music and partying. We ended up sleeping longer than we planned, but it was totally worth it! Once we were up, we grabbed some delicious food and headed to the Spotlight Aft-Lounge for an exciting artist Q&A featuring

Jesse Leach-Killswitch
Johnny Stevens- Highly Suspect
Brandon Yeagley - Crobot
Daniela Villarreal - The Warning
Cullen Moore - Sleep Theory
Luna Aura

Photo from Shiprockeds website.

Day 2 of our journey

We woke up and prepared to give this another shot. We met Michael and Kyla at the airport, checked in our bags, and proceeded through security. Naturally, one of our bags was flagged due to containing protein, pre-workout, and the BlendJet. Fortunately, we were allowed to keep the BlendJet but were advised to pack it in our checked luggage for the return trip.

Followed by drinks in the casino to celebrate our arrival. We toast, "We made it and are ready to have fun!" The party kicks off with Beartooth rocking the stage, followed by a great show from From Ashes to New. Killswitch Engage closed out the night on the deck stage after that show. We kept the celebration going in the casino, making new friends and closing out the night.

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We excitedly headed up to the deck stage to catch Badflower, and just two songs in, the rain started pouring! Josh declared they would keep playing until everything stopped working. They powered through one more song before having to call it, but what an incredible experience it was! Soaked but happy, we dashed to our room for some dry clothes and then returned to the casino.

Upon arriving at the port, we chose to remain on the ship and enjoy a day by the pool. However, the weather added an unexpected twist. While relaxing at the hot tub, we felt the boat sway as waves crashed against it, followed by a loud noise that left us puzzled. The captain then informed us that we had to pull away from the dock because the ship had collided with it. Despite efforts to keep the ship aligned with the dock, the weather made it increasingly difficult, leading the captain to decide to leave the port, leaving behind those who had disembarked. At this point, all food and drink services were halted, and the staff prepared for any potential issues due to the ship's damage. Fortunately, after a thorough inspection, everything was reopened, and we continued to enjoy the hot tub. Unbeknownst to us, some friends who had disembarked were stranded on land until the ship could dock again. We ended up spending the night in Jamaica for the ship's inspection, which altered our plans once more. Thankfully, Ask4 did an excellent job rearranging everything to keep things running smoothly, but we ultimately had to skip Grand Cayman, our next port, as it had been severely impacted by the storm.

After I Prevail, we got in line for the VIP party! It was so much fun with tasty food, drinks, and acoustic performances by Dorothy and Dayseeker. Then, we went to find our friends at the casino. My phone wouldn’t update, so we missed a few shows, but we had a great time with the band members! While I was playing roulette, Eric from I Prevail came over to talk and joined me at the table. We ended up hanging out every night for the rest of the cruise because we both enjoyed playing roulette!

The night was flying by and we got to catch a little bit of Killswitch Engage on the deck stage before we went back to the Spotlight Aft- Lounge to see Scene Queen. We got there to get a good spot to watch the show but just like before it got jam packed as a lot of people wanted to enjoy the show. This was the last show of the evening we could not make it through the whole show. We stepped out and went to check out Karaoke for a bit and bounced back and forth from the casino to Karaoke that wrapped up the night.

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After the deck show we went to the pool for the belly flop contest, this never disappoints.

As we made our way to Point North in the Spotlight Aft-Lounge, we saw that the auction was wrapping up. The Spotlight Aft-Lounge, a small and intimate venue, was packed with people. We listened to a few songs before we had to step out because it was getting too hot. We had to decide whether to grab some food or head straight to the deck stage to catch Beartooth. During the show, Eva from Eva Under Fire was rocking out and enjoying the show. Nicole was able to get a picture with her after the show.

Day 2 - Monday, Feb 5

Day at sea

After a great night of celebrating because we made it on the ship, some of us were feeling the effects of partying too hard. While getting ready for the day, I checked our ship account and realize we had spent most of our drink budget. Nicole admits, "We overdid it," and I present two options.

Option 1: Use our gambling budget to replenish our account.
Option 2: Take it to the casino and see what we can do.

Nicole opts for option 2, later that night I took $200 to the casino, turning it into $400 and putting $300 back on our account, giving us some extra room to keep the party going!

Day 2 - Sunday, Feb 4

Embarkment Day

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What an incredible trip it has been! We experienced some amazing moments that will definitely go down in history. We discovered new bands that are now rocking out on our playlist! Reuniting with friends who have become our Shiprocked family is always a blast. We love sharing our adventures from Shiprocked, but, it’s something you just have to experience to truly appreciate. We are always looking for more people to join us and have a great time enjoying music and beautiful weather. By us taking this trip it allows us to experience different locations and helping us discover new bands. Check out more pictures from our unforgettable trip, along with this year's stats!

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After video