In a heartfelt commitment to promoting Jamaican culture, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Dan Dalton hosted the ninth annual Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise this December.

“The initial idea was really me just thinking about how there’s blues cruises, and rock cruises, and R&B cruises,” Dalton told Blavity. “I thought to myself, why don’t we have one going to Jamaica?”

For five days and six nights, Jamaican music enthusiasts from around the world boarded Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, embarking on an adventurous journey from Miami to two iconic Jamaican destinations: Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.

Damian and Stephen Marley on stage — Photo: Tizzy Tokyo

The cruise offered a dynamic mix of activities for guests, including yoga sessions, domino tournaments, dancehall classes, FlowRider contests, a Sound Clash, Nyabinghi sunrise drumming, football games, and movie screenings. The experience was further amplified by an eclectic lineup of reggae and dancehall artists, including Jesse Royal, Queen Omega, Masicka, Romain Virgo, Mr. Vegas, Ding Dong, Teejay, Bounty Killer, and members of the Marley family — Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Stephen Marley, and Julian Marley.

Complementing the live performances, a roster of celebrated DJs brought the vibes, including DJ Buck, Bambino, Mix Master David, Supa Twitch, Westafa, Federation Sound, Spexdaboss, and others.

crowd at welcome to jamrock cruise — Photo: Tizzy Tokyo

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of Damian Marley’s seminal album, Welcome to Jamrock, which earned two Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Reflecting on the album’s impact, Marley told Blavity, “It was kind of unique when it came out at the time. It’s a reggae record, and we sampled a reggae beat, but the way we sampled it gave it a hip-hop flavor. We were delivering a certain narrative of Jamaica that public radio listeners of Jamaican music weren’t used to. It was cutting edge.”

Despite selling out every year since its inception, the cruise continues to explore avenues for growth. Dalton shared ideas for expansion: “We’re thinking about a land event at some point. Maybe we could do both in one year — a land event and the cruise.”

The 2024 cruise will follow the same route and take place from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 aboard the Norwegian Joy. Tickets are already sold out, but interested visitors can join the waitlist.

Damian Marley

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