Mediterranean madness: Wild times on the MDRNTY Cruise's maiden voyage

Ever since Holy Ship burst onto the scene back in 2012, festivals on cruise ships have been a bona fide addition to the annual party circuit. The idea of sailing around on a luxury boat with music pumping and drinks flowing sounds pretty damn attractive and for the last few years, more and more promoters have swapped clubs for cruises.

2017 saw more festivals on the high seas than ever before so we decided to take on the challenge head first and experience the Mediterranean-bound MDRNTY Cruise. Run by the same people behind Caprices Festival, an event held in the Swiss alps with a cream-of-the-crop house and techno line-up, MDRNTY made its maiden voyage on September 16 and five days of madness ensued.

From the outset, the festival had all the promise of a life-changing event. A luxury-liner that started in Genoa before travelling to Barcelona, Mallorca, Ibiza and back again, with stops at each destination to stretch your legs and see the sights. Add to that an all-inclusive supply of booze (yes, the whole time – we'll get to that), as much food as you could manage and a 24-hour, non-stop line-up of music. It had the potential to be the best fucking holiday ever. So was it? On the most part, yes.

The line-up was a serious affair with the likes of Enzo Siragusa, Guti, Sonja Moonear, Dewalta & Shannon all appearing alongside mainstage-sized headliners Sven Väth, Jamie Jones, Dixon and Ben Klock. The acts played across three rooms in the evening: the Ametista stage, a low-ceiling, half-carpeted room that housed about 500 people, the Disco 32 stage, a smaller, similar space at the top of the boat and the Indoor Pool area, a warehouse-style room where the low-end thumped loudest and the majority of people found themselves ending up.