What better way to rave than aboard a cruise ship? This event is unlike any other and should be on everyone’s bucket list. It sets sail in January from Florida to the Bahamas on the Norwegian Epic. It is five days of raging and is hands down one of my favorite events I have ever been to! The best part about Ship is the sense of family that comes with it. From that point on, if you see anyone wearing any ship gear then you shout out “Ship fam is the best fam!” After you embark on this crazy voyage, you are initiated as part of the fam. There are many friends that I still keep in contact with from Ship!
So I know what you are thinking…only 4,000 attendees, so isn’t it impossible to score a ticket? I get asked this question a lot when I mention that I’ve been on Holy Ship. They heard this rumor that there is a yearlong wait list and give up trying to go. That is a negative, ghost rider. It is not that hard to get a ticket. All you have to do is register and you receive a “token” with a set date and time to purchase your tickets. Then you post up right when they are on sale and score a ticket. If you do not grab a ticket, there are tons of people who sell their cabins later on.
It is a little over $1,000 a person to go but honestly, so worth it. If you really think about it, all your food is included as well as your music festival ticket. The stages are unreal. There are a couple
stages on the top deck with one being over the pool. You can even climb up to higher parts of the deck to watch your favorite DJ. There is also a stage where the night club of the Norweigian Cruise Line would usually take place. There are a few other stages really down below and also my favorite (dun dun dun….) the theater! The sound in that theater is just unreal. You can sit in the comfy seats and just feel the bass on your back. I saw Hannah Wants, AC Slater and Redlight in that theater and nearly lost my mind (for the better).
The best part about Ship is that the DJs are all staying on the cruise as well so you often run into them while walking around or eating in the cafeteria area. I ran into Jphilip, Golf Clap, Jauz and Griz and it was such a pleasure meeting them. Different labels/genres of EDM take turns rotating and playing at different stages. On 9.0, I was blessed to see the Dirty Bird and Night Bass crew multiple times since they rotated stages.
SOME POINTERS FOR BEING ON SHIP:
1. Bring warm clothes because it gets chilly on the deck at night.
2. Stay awake for the Sunrise set. I missed out and wished I didn’t.
3. You are able to bring on one bottle of wine and I think some beer (not positive about the beer but I know Wine is a go) I got real crafty on how to sneak on some booze. I put vodka into fake sunscreen bottles, fake tampons and even a mouthwash bottle. You can find items used to sneak alcohol with at Spencer’s. Alcohol is expensive on board so if you can, definitely bring some on.
4. Don’t try to get in any love triangles. If you turn someone down, let them down easily. Be careful if you turn down a guy because trust me that you will see that guy walking around at some point and it will be SO AWKWARD.
5. Make sure you pay attention to when the Ship leaves. Imagine how terrible it would be to be left in the Bahamas because you had one too many Pina coladas and missed embarkation.
The ship usually stops and has an island party but the year I went it was cancelled because the water was too choppy. I remember waking up and thinking, “Where is the island?” It was a bummer but the same DJ’s still ended up playing on the top deck. Our stop in the Bahamas was brief but such a good time. We had the most delicious food and walked around to the beach and some shops. My friend Jacoy got her hair braided. I wish we would have had time to go to the waterslides at the Atlantis but didn’t make it out there. Next time, for sure.
As you can see, Ship is legendary. It is so fun being able to party and then just go upstairs when you’re ready to sleep. Everything about Holy Ship was so incredible and I hope to go again one day. There are wild animals who go back to back ships and I truly admire their partying persistence because I might die if that were me lol. Holy ship you will always have a special place in my heart <3
