Covering this event was tough… mostly because we were having too much fun. Just seeing the boat at the port was enough to give you the chills. Yelling “holyship” became the designated saying for everything ridiculous that happened during the next 72 hours and there was plenty. Once on the boat it seemed there was some sort of mistake. This boat was far too nice for hundreds of rowdy 20 something’s. It didn’t seem like they were ready for us!
No one jumped overboard, but I’ve never seen a group of 2500 people with more energy. The sail away party and first night on the main deck was a blast but it didn’t compare to the first afterparty. Once the party was brought inside, there were some 600 people packed into a ZEBRA room filled with nothing but ZEBRA couches , a banging sound system, and Zedd on a mission to incite a riot. Well It worked, no one was sleeping and the bar wouldn’t be closing for…well it never closed. We didnt get any zzzz’s until sunrise that night.
Waking up the next day was a struggle but we had hit the sand in the Bahamas! Literally, the expert on the boat, our captain, crashed the ship into a sand dune! I’m guessing he got the boot when we got back to Florida. We didn’t leave the first port in the Bahamas for 10 hours but I’d be surprised if anyone cared other than the boat crew.
The crowd was tired the last day but people soldiered on. This was Holy Ship, a cruise full of veterans when it came to partying…not for the faint of heart. The beach extravaganza that day was short but nonetheless, a great finale to an amazing experience. One of the highlights was during Fatboy Slim’s set when he dropped Bob Marley on the beaches of the Bahamas, with a giant conga line going around the bar, it was like everyone had become family and I’ll never forget that moment.
I spoke with Gary Richards (aka Destructo and CEO of HARD) a few weeks later in San Francisco and he agreed that the event was a success. He had arranged it perfectly as a vacation for both the fans and artists. Getting to hang out, chat, and dance with Dillon, Sonny, Diplo, Justin Martin, Brodinski, Gesaffelstein, Club Cheval, Buraka Som Sistema, A-trak, Danny Brown, and everyone else made the experience even more memorable. Gary told us that the artists all want to come back and mentioned that if he doesn’t book them, they’ll still buy a ticket just to participate in the mischief.
This great video from Ilex is the best idea you will get of some of the madness taking place aboard the MSC Poesia.
The HOLY SHIP! Experience from Alexia Johnson on Vimeo.
Holy Ship 2013 goes on sale this February and will sell out quickly coming off last years hype. First deposit is $250 so start saving now!
