By Rachel Murphey (@lilcheeesestick on Twitter/Instagram)
Imagine a festival, on a boat, with unlimited food, from pizza and french fries to steak, potatoes and ice cream, meanwhile 24/7 music is playing AND a comfy bed on the next floor to take a nap whenever you need a break? Groove Cruise is that festival.
Groove Cruise
I personally didn’t have this festival on my list for 2018, but when a friend of a friend messaged me that she had just won a free cabin and needed people to fill it up, I said why not? A free cruise?? Sign me up! Before this, I really hadn’t heard much of GC before so didn’t really know what it was all about. I looked at the lineup and personally only really knew about 7 artists. I love my house, but this was deeper and more techno and trance. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know if I would truly enjoy the music. But my first cruise was now a festival cruise and I was excited to just see how different the ones on land were from this one sailing the Pacific Ocean.
When we first boarded the boat, right off the bat the man himself, Green Velvet, came on the speaker stating he was our captain and that we were in for an adventure! With the music starting on the pool deck shortly after debarking, we found out there were 17 stages. Besides the main one, they had a stage in the casino on the boat, in the theatre, right next to a buffet, and even ones we never could find. I still got lost even as I was leaving 4 days later. The best thing about living literally where the festival was being put on, is there were elevators for every floor so you never got tired or feet hurt from walking stage to stage or back to your room to change. Also being able to eat 24/7, in the middle of the set, first thing in the morning, at midnight, it was more than I ever ate at a festival, even at home for that matter.
The Fits
A big thing I didn’t know if it was taken serious or not, was the theme nights. After registering we were notified of the EIGHT themes each day and night. I’m used to 3 different outfits but now I needed to come up with eight outfits?? And boy did the cruisers take the themes seriously. From the first night being Out of this World, peoples outfits were truly out of this world dressed to the nines. To the adults breaking out their tutus for Tutu and Ties, and coming up with the best groupfits for Team Night, I was blown away by the amount of detail people put into their costumes. Me? I had 6 days and a box of old rave clothes to put things together and borrow from friends, but I made it work! In the end, if you are putting that deposit down for your first Groove Cruise in 2019, start planning those costumes and follow the theme, you will truly feel left out if you don’t, but still feel free to break away from the pack and stunt in your own way! Lastly, it gets very chilly at night and even during the day as most of these festival cruises, (Groove Cruise and Holy Ship) tend to take place during winter. I was very jealous of the people in furry coats and animal onesies. You just really got to be prepared for whatever weather as usual.
Living on a Boat
“So if music is playing 24/7 how do you get any sleep and do I need earplugs?” These cruises are prepared for the loud music all the time. Whenever we were back in our cabin we could never here the music from any stage and we were right in the middle. Even the curtains (if you’re lucky enough to get a ocean view room) were like Vegas curtains and kept all the sunlight out. So if you need to sleep in or take a nap at 2 pm, the beds are very comfy and the room will be calm, just remember to bring some dramamine. We were on the front of the boat and boy did we feel every wave in the beginning. Besides that your typical sick medication is a good idea as well as bringing snacks. You get tired of buffet food and restaurants after a couple meals and just want some Doritos as a snack.
And lastly a big thing to bring a lot of…MONEY. I know this sounds dumb, but for most people I know we don’t plan on needing much money besides merch and food. What I wasn’t prepared was the body airbrushing during neon day, or the arcade machines you will want to play for hours, or even when you get to the boats destination, the offers for riding quads, or going horseback riding, traveling to the big destination in the city. Unfortunately for us, we were supposed to go to Cabo and because of a hurricane that was near the area we had to change course and go to Ensenada. There we went to Papas and Beer where Duke Dumont had us dancing all day long! Don’t forget to try and explore the town in between the sets on the beach, getting off the boat was a breath of fresh air, but had me itching to get back on and get the night started!
Like I said above, be prepared for anything and everything. These sea festivals are nothing like you have ever experienced on land, but boy will it be one of the most fun ones you ever attend! Bon Voyage to everyone heading out on Groove Cruise Miami, Holy Ship 12.0 and 13.0! You are going to have the best time of your lives and please feel free to reach out to me with any more questions on how to prepare or what to expect!
See you all at the next festival <3
Lil Cheeesestick
I notice you didn’t mention anything about the music, which means that it sucked. My boyfriend went on the cruise for his first time after all the hype and he was disappointed to say the least. All that money for subpar, monotone music. They would have done better by just letting a CD play. The cruise and atmosphere is cool but that all goes out the window if the music isn’t good. Plus with all the fumbles because of the hurricane it definitely wasn’t worth the money. Hope they have some better music next time!