The idea for the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise came to life in an unlikely place—Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley’s manager, Dan Dalton, was relaxing in his hot tub, burning a spliff, when inspiration struck. “What if there was a cruise — five nights from Miami to Jamaica — with all your favorite dancehall acts, reggae artists, selectors, and sounds?” he pondered. There were already Blues cruises and Rock & Roll cruises, so why not reggae?
“It took us three years to find people who believed in it,” Dalton recalls, but he and his superstar client—the multi-Grammy-winning reggae and dancehall artist Jr Gong—believed in the idea, and they refused to give up on it. More than a decade later, what started as a far-fetched vision has grown into one of the most significant events in the global reggae community — an annual international festival at sea that brings thousands of music lovers together from around the world to experience Jamaican culture aboard a luxury ocean liner.
When Bob Marley and The Wailers sang “please don’t you rock my boat” back in 1968, it was unlikely that they imagined their music, born in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, being performed in such a plush environment—or that Bob’s sons would be the driving force in charge of a cruise.
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“A couple folks told me they didn’t think reggae fans had enough money to buy cruise tickets,” Damian Marley recalls with a laugh. “You think so? Sike!” Naming the venture after Jr. Gong’s Grammy-winning 2005 breakout single, the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise team was prepared to roll out a marketing campaign for the first voyage in 2014, but as it turned out, a few posts on Damian’s Facebook page were enough to sell out all the cabins that year. Two years later, Jamrock upgraded to a larger vessel and never looked back—until now.
Today, VIBE presents the world premiere of All in the Same Boat, a new documentary that tells the inside story of how the Jamrock Cruise journeyed from vision to reality and its impact on reggae and dancehall culture. Featuring footage spanning from Jamrock’s inaugural voyage until the present day, the film was first screened last October to an audience of loyal “Jamrockers” aboard the landmark 10th annual cruise, which was diverted to Mexico at the last minute due to Hurricane Melissa. There was another special screening at Art Basel to help raise funds for hurricane relief efforts through the Marley brothers’ Ghetto Youths Foundation.
“It’s amazing to see how this cruise has developed from an idea to an institution,” says Reshma B, the music journalist and filmmaker who went through ten years of live footage and interviews to shape the story. “And even more amazing how much of a struggle it was for Damian and Dan to find a business partner who believed in them.”
Known for interviewing the hottest dancehall stars like Vybz Kartel, Popcaan, Skillibeng, and Spice for BoomshotsTV, Reshma B also produced the BBC documentary Studio 17 The Lost Reggae Tapes. Along with artists, musicians, and DJs, the film includes her interviews with returning “Jamrockers,” many of whom—like herself—have been on every cruise since day one. “Every film you work on has its own unique challenges,” says the director. “Having been on this boat for the past 10 years, we’ve witnessed lots of amazing moments along the way. To get to those highlights, you’ve got to make some tough decisions.”
One of the most touching moments in the film is a tribute to Jamrock veterans who have passed away since performing on the cruise—including Sly & Robbie, Toots Hibbert, Max Romeo, Tabby Diamonds, Cocoa Tea, and Peter Morgan.
Although the organizers struggled to find a business partner at first, the Jamrock Cruise turned out to be ahead of its time. As music industry business models have shifted from selling recorded music to creating immersive, fan experiences, the music cruise industry has boomed. And while Jamrock’s success has inspired a few imitators, the original reggae cruise remains the gold standard.
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All in the Same Boat highlights many of the iconic artists to perform on the first ten cruises—from Shabba and Super Cat to Sizzla and Buju Banton—including some who were unable to tour internationally due to visa restrictions. By making two stops in Jamaica each year, the Jamrock Cruise allows artists with travel restrictions to board in Montego Bay, perform before thousands of fans from over forty countries, and then disembark in Ocho Rios.
“Damian Jr. Gong Marley did something exceptional,” says dancehall legend Bounty Killer, who regained his U.S. visa in 2025 after a fifteen-year absence from worldwide stages. “I never came on a ship before,” he says with a laugh. “The first time I came on a ship was the Jamrock Cruise.” Bounty Killer has been a fixture on Jamrock nearly every year since its inception.
“We’re like a city,” says Damian in the film. “We’re our own population for five days.” In the spirit of his father’s song “One Love,” the Jamrock cruise has been a peaceful journey, as returning “Jamrockers” seem to understand that they are indeed All in the Same Boat. “We’re taking care of each other,” Jr Gong adds. “We’re all there for one purpose at the end of the day, which is our love of reggae music.”
Most veteran Jamrockers know the official slogan of the Jamrock Cruise: “If you snooze, you lose.” And as Tarrus Riley adds in the film, “If you rest, you’re blessed.” It can be a challenge to pace oneself to make the most of Jamrock’s round-the-clock activities, from dance classes to dominoes to dub yoga. Along with five days of performances by legends of reggae and dancehall as well as up-and-coming stars and top DJs and selectors from Jamaica, New York, London, and more, the Jamrock Cruise also features Jamaican comedians, films, a highly anticipated Sound Clash at Sea, and a traditional Rastafarian Niyabinghi session with drumming and chanting each morning at dawn. “The Niyabinghi is the foundation of reggae music,” says Marley. “We have to pay homage to that original spiritual foundation. And I think it’s very serendipitous to chant Niyabinghi on the seas for ancestral reasons.”
“When you think about a cruise liner coming back to Jamaica playing reggae music, it’s deeply symbolic,” says Keeley Taverner, another returning Jamrocker who has sailed on all ten voyages. “It’s not forgotten that these are the same seas where our ancestors died while being transported.”
Having survived the strongest hurricane in history and a global pandemic, the future of the Jamrock Cruise looks bright. Although the 10th Jamrock cruise did not actually make it to Jamrock due to the storm, the 11th annual cruise will depart from Miami on November 11 to complete its mission. It will feature Damian and Stephen Marley as well as legends like Burning Spear, Barrington Levy, Sizzla, and Beenie Man. “The way it’s curated, it’s well thought out,” says Damian’s elder brother Stephen. “That’s where the magic lies. It’s magic out there ’pon the water.”
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All in the Same Boat: The Documentary
Directed by: Reshma B
Produced by: Boomshots Media
Executive Producers: Damian Marley & Dan Dalton
Featuring:
Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, Julian Marley, Rohan Marley, Yohan Marley, “ Marley, Skip Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Cham, Tarrus Riley, Jah9, Queen Omega, Ding Dong, Koffee, Everton Blender, Tony Matterhorn, Kabaka Pyramid, Jesse Royal, Elaine, Dean Fraser, Cindy Breakspeare, Dan Dalton
Editor: Donna McLeer
Associate Editor: Keith Louda
Camera & Sound:
Roberto V Valez Cid
Reinaldo Veles
Alex Lay
Keith Louda
Nick Aniniki
Robert Cooper
Lil Shams
Special Thanks: Mochilla & Pup Daddy
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