THE SPIRIT CALLIN MEH!

Finally, a carnival mas band that has intrigued me enough to dust off the old laptop.

Imagine a band with the customer service of TRIBE (then).

The amenities of your favorite mas band.

A brunch to jump start your Carnival Monday.

Their own signature drink.

And the vibes of Island People Mas!!!

Some would say that the Island People Mas reference may not be a good one but I'm not here to argue, I said what I said and I stand on it. Island People Mas was the band with the vibes!!

Spirit made their debut Carnival 2024 and they have already made themselves some extremely loyal masqueraders and their fair share of haters.  Everyone loved the band whether you were a registered masquerader, bystander or stormer but the haters came along when it was time to register for Trinidad Carnival 2025. 

Lol, what's carnival without a good ole bacchanal?

At the end of carnival 2024, owner of Spirit Mas said that his aim for 2025 was to keep the band at the same size it was for 2024. He continued to say that he wanted to keep the integrity of the band by not decreasing customer service or the quality of the band overall for a couple dollars and he meant it! I guess not enough people got that memo because when registration time came around, there were many unhappy people.  That's when the Spirit bashing begun. 

I've heard that Spirit didn't care for the darker skinned people and they were looking for a certain "type" of people to let it their band...  Actually, the type they allowed to register first were the preregistered type.  The ones who took a leap on faith and played with Spirit in 2024 were the ones who were given the opportunity to preregister. Aside from that, I'd certainly like to know what "type" that was because in the registration process FOR 2024 I don't recall anyone having to send a face shot or a body picture of themselves like I've experienced in a popular carnival mas band. On the road, there were also all types of body shades, shapes and types. There was also representation for every ethnicity. People just like to complain once they've realized that they're not on the winning team and that's all I can say for that.

The countdown is on til you land on the Spirit Island....

168 DAYS

SORREL 2019

When the flyer for Sorrel came out, I was interested as I saw some of my favorite Christmastime delicacies and thought it would be a nice Christmas party to go to.

The event was scheduled from 11-5 so figured 1pm would be an ideal time to arrive.  This gives me time to eat without rushing and another 4/5 hours to party and drink.  Driving up, the parking looked sketchy but there was a parking lot right across the street and it was free. Double win!

After the short walk from the parking garage to what looked like a little clubhouse that we'd have to fight one another for breathing room, we walked right in.  Inside was beautifully decorated. Not too much, not too little and gave me a very different look than what I initially thought from outside.  Inside was very spacious and I was pleasantly surprised.  Once ticked and given a band, to the immediate left was where I could have stayed.  It was the food station. The first thing I saw were the cheese paste sandwiches.  There was bread, I could also tell that the bread was homemade. There were cupcakes, cake, sweet bread, eggs and my favorite, HAM!  Listen, I have no shame in saying that I think I singlehandedly ate all of the cheese paste sandwiches as I stayed in that little room stuffing my face for about an hour.  *rolls eyes cause I don't care.

Once I ate til my belly nearly buss, it was time to attend to my drinks.  The bartenders were very attentive and weren't overwhelmed.  There were just the right amount of bartenders to keep the crowd flowing and they made the drinks very well.  I actually tasted the alcohol and they didn't put too much ice the way many of these bartenders like to do.  That was appreciated and encouraged me to purchase more.  I felt like it was worth it.

So now I'm set.  Walking into where the party was actually taking place... the atmosphere was different.  There were large white curtains that separated the eating/social area from what I call the party area. CinCity had a large, single white table set up (which I called the V.I.P. because some very important people sat there) and many standing tables which were on two ends of the 'dancefloor'.  The set up was dimly lit with red lighting. I must say, there was certainly a 'mood'.  Throughout the party, people complained that the a/c gave out and that they were hot but I was quite comfortable and glad that I didn't experience that. It could also be because I was never stationed indoors throughout the event and kept making trips outside.

The music took me on a musical journey.  There was parang, old school and new music of all genres which I also appreciated.  We even got some Whitney Houston and New Edition!

This Sorrel will be an annual event brought to us by CinCity Entertainment and although this was only the 2nd Sorrel, I see this being one of the events that you can not miss once you're in South Florida for Christmas.  It was an amazing event and I have no complaints.

The food was finger licking worthy *and I did lick my fingers, the drinks and bar service was A-1 and we all know how I feel about music.  If the music isn't right, I am sour.  Man, we even got a sexy Santa.  Man an woman alike sat on Santa's lap! He was one of the Sorrel highlights.

 (the cheese paste)

(more treats)

Not one of the best pictures as lighting was dim but one of the most talked about 'things' at Sorrel.  Santa look like he could break me in two right?!

Should you be interested in having your next event catered by the catering service that catered Sorrel, you can call or message Tieesha from Not A Tie Catering food is ALWAYS on point! Click the link to check out the IG page or just take my word for it (cause I'm a little fatty) and call direct 305.724.4971.

ABOUT BONJOUR....

Initially, some friends and I were going to Bonjour just to see what it was all about.  We liked the idea of partying on an island because it seems that the soca community had outgrown the majority of venues on the mainland.  Then boom, the team gets an official invitation to attend.  How can we NOT go?

So yeah.... This is me publicly saying that I am a proud member of the SocaDemons but that in itself is another blog.

The big day gets here. The plan was on getting down to the docks for 1 am.  This was when the shuttles were to start shuttling people over to the island.  Knowing my people the way I do, I agreed to 1am expecting it to be 2am.  As expected, we got to the shuttle line at exactly 1:43. The amount of people waiting to get a shuttle ride was ridiculous. After asking security, I found out why.  The shuttle held 12 people at a time. There were over 200 people waiting and the line just wasn't moving.  The panic set in when we started to see that we were sinking.  The water started to come on the platform that we were on and everyone started to make noise and move closer toward the middle.  Just after this we made it to the front but then heard an announcement at 2:17am.  The announcement was that if you had a a physical or electronic ticket, we could get our tickets scanned and walk over. After leaving that line and reaching to the front, we were then told (at 2:19) that we had a cabana and those in cabanas were actually NOT allowed to walk over and had to get back in the line that we just left.

TALK BOUT PISSED!

At this point, the people who have now moved up would not want to hear that a team of our size were now coming to skip them, so it was to the back of the line we had to go.  Now, some of the team weren't registered as being in the cabana, so they elected to walk as it would be a 10 minute walk.  We made it back to the front of the line where we got drinking cups, meal chits and cabana wristbands.  The time was now 2:23.

We got on the boat FINALLY and I happened to watch the time.  It was now 3:10am.  So in total, we waited approximately an hour and a half to get into this party.  The saving grace at this point was that the party was not going to be over at the normal 4am and we still had a significant amount of time to enjoy ourselves.

So, after making it to the island, we found the rest of the team, got the cabana and bottles.  This was done fairly easy and quickly.  The part of our team who walked over saw our drinking cups and wanted to know where we got them. Appararently those who didn't wait, never got cups or meal chits when they entered the party which I didn't find to be fair at all.  Although they didn't wait as long as we, they still paid their money but that was not my position so I continued to mind my business.

I won't get into the how's or why's but I had about 8 meal chits.  All of you ( friends and loyal readers) know that I'm always about my belly so the second order of business was to get food.  I asked which booth honored the meal chit and I was directed to Soca Ranch.  When you got to Soca Ranch's booth, there was a menu that I forgot to take a picture of.  There was bake, buljol, tomato choka, bhaji, eggs, turkey bacon and ham. Again, because I think of only my belly at times I didn't think to capture photos until we were already eating but everything tasted great.  I appreciate that the eggs weren't just scrambled but had sweet peppers in it just as if you'd make at home.  It made me feel like they actually cared about what they were giving people to eat and not just giving food to us to say they fed us.  The turkey sausage was actually the only thing I didn't care for and that's just a personal preference.

Since we're on the food, I can say that I went back multiple times. No questions asked.  Once I gave my chit, I got how much ever I wanted. When I went for my last sets of food (I wasn't only feeding myself, others who walked over were able to eat off those meal chits. I'm not THAT greedy) I noticed the time.  It was around 6:30am.  On the way, I rememer thinking that nah.....the food would be finished but no.  They still had food serving.  They were properly prepared for the amount of people coming, the staff changed a little with each visit but Camilla and her huband Jerrod were always there.  They served with smiles and had slight humor.  It was a pleasure.

I can't speak on each DJ separately as the blog would be too long but the music was good and I enjoyed every bit of that fete.  As promised, the fete finished well after the sun raised and I want to believe it was around 8am.  What more could a party pyoung want? I think they did an amazing job.

Click HERE for one of my live videos.

The ONLY changes I would make would be to get at least 3 shuttles.  The amount of people waiting for that shuttle service was overbearing and I may add not pleasant to we short people who's noses are right at people's armpits.  In the future, something should be put in place on the island for cabana ticketed people and have the same things distributed to those who choose to walk ie: drinking cups and meal chits.  The crowd was a little younger than I'm used to partying with BUT it worked (for me) because there was enough space for everyone to have their own space (excluding the cabana areas) and once your team is ready to fete, how can you not have a good time.

How good of a time do you think we had? A pair of shoes were lost. Not a shoe was lost. Not a shoe got broken or destroyed but A PAIR OF SHOES were lost.  Would I do this party again. HELL YES!

And a special shout out to Sinistar for inviting us. I will be back!

It would be even MORE AMAZING if you gave me a call.  I THINK YOU FOUND MY KEYS! 

MY UBER SOCA CRUISE REVIEW

Good day all!
Now that both Boat 1 and 2 are back and everyone is back into their normal groove of things, I will try my best to give you my experience on Boat 1 of the UberSoca Cruise.

BOOKING:
This process was a complete mess for people who didn't know how to plan and who were not pre-registered in the D.A.M.M. (Dat Ain't Missin' Me) program.  I had a bittersweet experience with it and that's partially because I was enrolled.  This is a program that allows you guaranteed sailing for the following cruise before knowing dates, the ship to be sailed on or the destination.  D.A.M.M. members are people willing to take that risk and decide to go on the cruise no matter what.  In my humble opinion, this is a huge leap of faith for the patrons and the benefits (for them/us) is minimal to none and there is no discount. I however have decided to do it again for  2019 because the good (on the cruise, not the program) outweighs the bad.

(Package collected at the USC customer care center)

This package was given on the ship at the V.I.P. Party on the first day. We were given specialty boarding, VIP access during jouvert, free entry to the V.I.P. party, first dibs on cabin registration and an opportunity to get a free costume in Carnival Rogue (a band in the Trinidad and Tobago's carnival).  Booking (for me) was a breeze, however I was a part of a team of about 40 people plus who planned on traveling together and that was a task. Only a few of us were in the D.A.M.M. program.  Those who weren't were not given an opportunity to book (which was expected).  After the D.A.M.M. members booked, there was an R.S.V.P. crew. The R.S.V.P. ticketed people basically booked the majority of cabins which left friends wanting to sail with me out in the cold.  It wasn't until all R.S.V.P.'s were booked did they advise to John Public that they were offering a second sailing.  Unfortunately, this made groups of people separate.  Including mine. Boat 1 registrants were not allowed to choose Boat 2 and it was being advertised that Boat 1 was completely sold out. What a dilemma! This pissed me off for a couple reasons.  Two days before we set sail friends of mine were permitted to purchase cabins for $500 for Boat 1.  Which equates to $250 a person to sail on a boat that was "completely sold out"!  I had friends that would have cut both arms and legs to come on Boat 1 with me and were willing to pay full price yet they 'gave away cabins' at the last hour.  Some felt bullied into Boat 2 just to have the UberSoca Cruise experience.  Boat 2 was never their 'choice' and they weren't given an option.  To then later see cabin giveaways at $250?  These cabin giveaways, they enjoyed the same cruise as I for a more than discounted price meanwhile we as D.A.M.M. members got nothing.  I'm not hating because I love to see people win but the UberSoca team needs to do more for their loyalists because as of now, MANY of us feel that D.A.M.M. is a rip off.  What D.A.M.M. is; is UberSoca team's way of pregaming.  Allowing them to know who will be not only GOING on the following cruise but who will be PAYING for their ship! Yeah, I said it.  D.A.M.M. needs to be reconfigured so it better benefits their members.

PREPARATION:
There was none.  Only because of the first two cruises had I known what to prepare for.  Things like the obvious All White Party, my carnival costume for Midnight Mas and a pair of pajamas, lounge pants or onesie for the pajama party.  Low and behold, we were sent a "what to pack list".  I actually thought that this was dope and liked the suspense of it all BUT too much suspense can be a killjoy.

(click image to make large)

If you noticed, this initial "What To Pack" list was missing an all white outfit for their All White Party which UberSoca Cruise veterans were used to and expecting. There were many complaints while others welcomed the change.  About a week or two before Boat 1 sailed, there was an "updated packing list" which included an all white outfit for the 'newly added' All White Party.  

I am unsure of what caused this sudden change. Maybe it was the outcry of the feterans or it could have been that this event was just assumed then in turn forgotten to be added to the original pack list but it made lots of people happy.  After this, we were given the itinerary for all cruising days.  Although it was very late, this is what I was waiting for to start my packing.  Why most wait on the itinerary is because it helps one plan what to wear, when to wear it and where.  If there are two things happening at the same time, the itinerary can help in the decision making and know what doesn't have to be packed.

Once we boarded the ship everyone mingled a little, had some drinks, found their cabins located friends and so forth.  This year the safety drill was taken a lot more serious so there was no drinking in the cabin like last year.  Reluctantly, we participated in the safety drill.  The crew of folks with me were already tun up so I heard none of it.  I enjoyed myself at the sail away party and appreciated music from the late Mighty Shadow.  This year, I left the sail away party to attend the VIP Party (only because I enjoyed it last year).  This too turned out to be good but the complementary cocktails had me a little buzzed so I didn't stay late and completely missed the D.A.M.M./V.I.P. package distribution.  There was no announcement or note left in the cabins for us so I didn't look out for it.  I left to get ready for the All White Party.  The All White Party, is what it is.  Pace.  No complaints.  After party. Sleep.

THE FOOD: 

If you read this blog regularly, you would know that I don't play with the belly.  I woke up extremely hungry and made a dash to the 11th floor dining room.  None of the ones for additional payment but the buffet styled food that was free.  Ah done pay over eleven hundred dollars per person to be on the people ship, I was eating what they gave me with a smile! There were some complaints about the food but I had NONE. I mean, we as Caribbean people/ people of color already have our preconceived notions on what food should look, smell and taste like.  So whyyyy go on the people ship to complain bout things like doubles?  If something doesn't look right, move on.  It has doubles right here in South Florida, in Brooklyn and hell, TRINIDAD SELF that don't taste good so it's on a ship that you're expecting a bess doubles?  I've heard horror stories from people about how tasteless the food was, fights for pizza, etc.  I was quite pleased with the food on the 11th floor and whoever didn't, poor you.  Should you see a line that is too long for your liking, come back later or choose something else.  I would never fight over pizza especially pizza I hear wasn't even giving you lives, it just tasted good.... I had the pleasure of stuffing my face 3 times a day with the main courses, had couple snacks in between, fruits, salad, every nature of bread and desserts.  Hell, I ate more than I drank on that boat and NEVER missed a meal. I was one of the fortunate ones to get some macaroni pie, rice and peas, callaloo, stew oxtail and stew pork for Sunday lunch AND HAD SECONDS! I did as everyone on the boat should have done.  I know it is VERY easy to mess up a callaloo, so I tasted a small portion of it and once it passed, I went in! To the ones who complained about the food, I believe they came on the cruise expecting to nyam caviar and lobster.  Food on the UberSoca Cruise (in my opinion) is what most people eat to prevent drunkenness or nurse hangovers so it should be appreciated that they went out of their way to accommodate us with traditional dishes and not the bland stuff that I KNOW the normal cruise lines gives.  I've never had Haitian food but the day we were in Haiti, I heard that the food was spot on as if it was made in a Haitian kitchen.  So what are we complaining about again?

Each event today was better than the last because everyone was still getting used to their environment on Thursday. I want to believe that Boat 1 was full of newbies to UberSoca Cruise and was a little stuck in their social shells on Thursday evening but after the after party, they learned! Everything was enjoyable and I enjoyed the UberSoca on Ice the most on this ship.  I believe that it was because my husband almost killed himself as he tried to skate while intoxicated and I almost died from laughter.

After all the laughter from the ice skating and eating, we slept straight through the Game Of Thrones comedy show.  From those who attended, I heard that it was extremely funny and Majah Hype wasn't missed.   It was said that the full comedy show would be televised (on ship tv) but no one (that I knew of) stayed in their rooms long enough to ever catch it. Back to preparation, reasons like this is why we need the itinerary at the very least two weeks in advance.  I'd be ecstatic if we got a month.  Due to the itinerary, I packed something just IN CASE I made it to the comedy show.  The lack of interest was solely because of the Game of Thrones theme.  I've never seen the show and didn't want to feel out of place.  The Game Of Thrones after party I did attend and that was great and so was the after after party.  I think the after parties were when people REALLY misbehaved.

So now we're in Haiti.  We made it.  While on the deck, I looked over to see how beautiful the island was.  It was really peaceful and serene then the thoughts of what we came to the island to do started to creep in.  It was almost a shame how we deliberately came to the people good good island to mash it up and that we did.  

Leaving the ship we took some amazing pictures and video footage.  To get to the jouvert we could have walked for about 20/25 minutes or be driven in what looked like an extended golf cart for about 5. We took the ride.  

As we walked into the jouvert we did a quick scan for the complementary rum punch they distributed for years one and two but was told that it was done. 

I'm sorry, it was what?  Maybe I couldn't hear with all the noise.  So I leaned in.

I heard right.  The people say done.

Done as in finished. Complete. No more.  All gone. Vanish. 

Very bothered, I had to suck on a watered down Hennessy and pineapple with a splash of cranberry served in a pineapple...

At this point I was dumbfounded. 

I'm an intricate planner. I planned to get to the jouvert early enough so I can tun up and return to the ship before everyone else to selfishly eat and enjoy the Wi-Fi.  The switch up was disappointing and I call it a switch up because the first two years the rum punch lasted for a very long time.  It felt like the rum punch was catered for 1,000 people. 1500 tops! And we all know that the ship (Boat 1 anyway) had 3/4,000 people! Although I enjoyed the jouvert, I couldn't get past the rum punch fiasco and stayed back stage for the rest of the day where I enjoyed taking pics and drinking with Soca music's royalty.  

As KES The Band was singing, I got the "lehwe go" nudge from the hubby.  We walked back to the ship, enjoyed some smoking hot Wi-Fi and ate like pigs.  The itis kicked in so we took a small nap before the Midnight Mas party.  This too went well and I'm glad more people showed up than last year which I believe has to do with the missing rum punch at the jouvert.  Last year was a scene and my hubby to this day believes that some people were left in Mexico.  I skipped all after parties this night because I didn't feel like partying with my wings.  There was absolutely no room this time around.

(costume: Wassi Ones)

Sunday was filled with mixed feelings.  We gained an hour from the previous night yet somehow still woke up feeling drained.  Dressed for the 50 Shades of Pink Brunch and waiting for the crowd to gather, I murdered some people for hours in All Fours (card game that I believe only Trini's play).  Mariano of Euphoria Mas was my partner.  I never left the table because I just wasn't feeling the vibes and I was content listening to the music as I looked on to the people alongside us.  The attendance for this event was pretty low.

The Wakanda Ball went well.  Everyone came out in their African attire and stuck to theme.  There were more people than expected.  The dining room was gorgeous! If I counted correctly, there were three floors to dine on.  People on the floor above were able to look down at the one/ones below. The problem I had was that there were so many people to feed that it took a very long time to get our dinners.  I ended up having to take mine to go. When we got back to the room there was yet another "costume change" as I called them.  We had to get into our pajamas for the Pajama Party.  Both The Pajama Party and the after party on the promenade were LIT! I already over love both Bunji and Fayann but if you didn't before that finale performance, something is wrong with you. I refuse to explain it.  Next time, just be there. Then that damn after party.... I don't know.... It's as if everyone was just waiting until the last night of the cruise to literally do EVERYTHING crazy. Lord it was pace!  I saw women being carried across the promenade over men backs like cave women. There were people dragged across the floor on chairs while sitting. Then there was someone who was sitting in a chair who was carried IN THE AIR across the floor. There was an #SSS ritual done on the boat which is called a baptism.  You would have to attend an SSS baptism done on land to understand the level of crazy experienced on the people good boat that night and although the baptism's are done to a certain person in particular at these events, this baptism was done to any and all who got wet with the people champagne.  That after party was a true finale.

MY OVERALL VIEW:

My view is that the UberSoca Cruise team is between a rock and a hard place.  It's unfortunate to say but when dealing with the masses especially our own people no one will ever be pleased.  I will admit, I boarded the ship being very upset with the UberSoca Cruise team but I understand that there are things that they just can not control yet there are things that they could have.

• It upset me that I wasn't given an opportunity to pre purchase bottles of liquor or water from Royal Caribbean.  I rather a cup of water over juice any day and we were given glasses of water and juice that were prepoured and the drinks sat there until someone came to drink them. For sanitary reasons, I didn't trust it and rather have bottles of water to pour myself.  Just like the drinks.  I know how I like my drinks made and if I had my own liquor, I would have made the drinks to my liking. With each drink purchase I made, the drinks were watered down. Just like the prepoured ones in the dining hall. 
• The two boats.  Although it was an overall success, stick to one boat.  I would have liked for year three to have the exact experience for all.  There were different people (including artists) on Boat 1 and Boat 2. Take for instance the rum punch for jouvert.  The rum punch ran out before I stepped foot into the jouvert (Boat 1) and was flowing all throughout the Boat 2 jouvert.  As I looked at footage from Boat 2, it was a noticeably smaller crowd than Boat 1 and that alone showed that it was a more intimate setting and that in itself made me think that Boat 2 would have been the better boat for me.  Never have your patrons feeling regretful. 
• Overpricing/ overcharging. Two beer buckets cost $95. A mixed drink of Hennessy with cranberry and pineapple was $18 and I almost died at the price of bottled of water.  For the regular Joe Shmoe, that would have been fine but on a normal day I chug a gallon of water easily.  It's my drink of choice.
• It's understandable why cruise lines do not allow irons but to not have at least ONE iron on board per floor was madness. If anything needed to be ironed, you had to have guest services wash/iron it for you.  We get it. This is a business but some things were just outrageous and felt like robbery. 

All in all, I had an amazing time but have come to realize that all my real complaints had very little to do with the UberSoca Cruise team.  Once God spare life, I will be back for UberSoca Cruise 2019. Hopefully on the next go round I will be able to cruise with ALL my friends and we can afford to pre-purchase bottles of liquor AND WATER.  I hope the food is just as good as it was this year or better.  The special prayer is they do something more for the patrons with the current D.A.M.M. program that they currently have and they communicate more with their patrons.  Give up on even mentioning the Rogue costume. By that time, all who are going to Trinidad for carnival and plan on playing mas ALREADY HAVE A COSTUME and not everyone is interested in going to Trinidad for carnival.  

UberSoca team, I applaud you.  It's not an easy task pulling together something as wonderful as this and you've successfully done so for 3 years with 4 sailings.  Keep up the good work!

For my 2017 experience, you can click HERE

BUBBLES N BRUNCH, DROP ANCHOR.

For those of you who follow my blog posts, you know that there is usually a plan for each event I attend yet nothing goes according to plan...  The plan for Bubbles N Brunch was to not only celebrate the birthday of my husband  but to get him so intoxicated that he didn't know himself and last, to make it on time.  None of the three happened.

I've learned from last year that I should arrive early and in regular Trini fashion, I arrived at 1pm (the brunch started at 10).  1pm was late.  Driving to the venue was decent enough considering that it was the beginning of Spring Break.  Parking was a bit challenging as there was no parking advertised but once we tried parking in a designated parking lot (that was full) we were instructed to go to the 2nd of the the 3 parking lots.  Attendants of the parking lot we went to never advised that there was in fact a shuttle bus running... so we walked.  The walk wasn't bad, especially since we had the original shit talker Folkesy walking with us.  It felt like we got there in no time.

Once we got in, I immediately noticed that the venue of last year was more appealing and the music was extremely low.  Figured I'd get the story on the unusually low volume later and attended to the first order of business.  Getting my little mason jar filled and getting food!

Lines for food were great.  I literally walked up to each station and got food with the exception of the bake and shark line.  There were complaints about the long line but I didn't have that issue.  I'm a woman...  I made 'new friends' at the front and never waited.  This was the case all three times I went. YES, I GOT THREE BAKE AND SHARK, sue me! I didn't taste everything as I felt time was against me so I tasted the pizza, bake and shark, pancakes and french toast.  The pizza slices seemed small, so I requested a whole pie.  It was the Hawaiian. They a made the pie in 10 minutes.  In the meantime I got a couple servings of french toast and got my first bake and shark.  I had more servings of the french toast than I did the bake and shark and feel that those two were the hit.  That french toast was life and after seeing the condiments offered for the bake and shark, I was discouraged but in my opinion the bake and shark was better than bake and shark that I've had in Trinidad! I returned for the pizza by now and set up shop.  The pizza was salty and the cheese never melted.  I didn't enjoy it.  It was salty and missing cheese.  Aside from the pizza, I had no complaints.  Friends enjoyed the jerk chicken but I didn't try it.

The little mason jars that were given upon entry seemed discouraging when I first got them but the size fooled me.  The jars held the same amount of liquid as a drink in any given club.  In a way, I'm grateful that they weren't larger because everyone was staggering while leaving.  The women and the one man I saw serving drinks at the bar were always friendly, served with a smile and gave occasional jokes.  The sun was scorching and the attitudes could have been very different but from beginning to end, I saw nor experienced none.  I hope they were compensated well because that sun was nothing to play with. To the left is a picture just to give you a visual of the sized mason jar.

I have no complaints aside from the sun and man has no control over that.  In all fairness, the weather in South Florida is bipolar and cooler weather was expected.  That sun felt like sun on a carnival Tuesday and some rain would have been appreciated.

As the day progressed I found out that the music was so low because residents across the street began to complain ever since the sound checks around 9am.  What haters!  The local police did work with the team and allowed the music to gradually raise until towards the end when they let it pump full force.  By the end, I was so intoxicated I didn't even notice.  The vibes were right, the company was great and I was loving it!

(PJ and Folkesy)

It isn't fair to compare Bubbles N Brunch 2018 with Bubbles N Brunch 2017 because they were completely different and so were the vibes.  They were both great but in their own way.  I can compile a list about a mile long of the differences but the end result was the same.  It was one of the best experiences I've had in a fete.  The goal was to cater to the patrons and I feel that was done.  The advertised time for Bubbles N Brunch to end was 4 and we were staggering out after 5.  Not a soul (that I knew) left sober.  The food never stopped being served (which is always a plus in my book).  The bar did stop opening bottles a little after 4 but for those who got there on time, it was fine.  The air conditioned portable bathrooms that I didn't get to personally use were awesome and the scented soap was a thoughtful touch.  It's the little things that makes us as patrons feel appreciated.  The generous top shelf liquor, food variety and vibes.... Everyone had a grand time and out of everyone I knew, only 1 has decided not to go back.... She will be missed because everyone else will be.

All in all, Aurora's Bubbles N Brunch has made it's mark on South Florida and it is an event not to be missed. Even while still trying to catch ourselves or peeling from that sun, plans are already being made for Bubbles N Brunch 2019.

For Official Vibes' full gallery of Bubbles N Brunch, you can click HERE  
For UK Soca Scene's full gallery you can click HERE
For Island Box's full gallery, you can view them HERE  

ONCE AGAIN 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TWO ORIGINALS

SIMONE, THE ORIGINAL ROLLY POLLY AN 

THE ORIGINAL SHIT TALKER, MY HUBBY FOLKESY 

(Photo bombed by Ravi lol)

UBER SOCA CRUISE 2017 ~ DEATH VIA MEXICO

HELLLLOOOOOO! *in my best Barry Hype voice.

How's everyone doing this fine morning? 

UberSoca Cruise 2016 missed me like a full bus because I am not an ocean lover and have always been dead set against cruises but after seeing all the videos and pictures posted, I vowed to never again let my fears get in the way of creating wonderful memories.  

BOOKING/PAYMENTS:

This was not as easy as it looked.  The website wasn't user friendly and from day one of my booking (March 23rd, 2017) I've been calling customer service. It was to the point that everyone knew my voice and I was often ashamed when I heard the same names assisting me but I didn't care, I was a paying customer.  

The initial booking included a $250 nonrefundable fee per person and any additional purchases such as Uber Soca Cruise merchandise, the infamous preparty, any VIP experiences, prepurchased liquor, etc. There was an option to pay in full or make installment payments. If you chose to make installment payments, your deposit would be added to any additional purchases made and that would be due immediately.  The balance of your trip would then be divided into the months remaining up to the last payment October 1st.  So if your booking was done in June, your installment payment would be higher than ones who booked in April and so on. Each payment was automatically deducted from a credit/debit card left on file.

  

BOARDING:

The line moved so quickly I was was shocked. There was never a wait for any of the multiple stops such as check in, dropping off of luggage, picture taking, or freebies given. From the fast paced boarding process, I should have known what was in store... Walking onto the ship you were given an itinerary booklet that I will show as the days are described and an UberSoca Cruise lanyard. There was a DJ playing music as soon as we entered the boarding area and as we left this area, there was more music onboard the ship. The first station I noticed was a bar and to the right of the bar were two white walls that everyone who entered the ship signed in colored dry erase markers.  Naturally I signed 'DCARNIVALBABY' on BOTH walls... Carnival and UberSoca crew members told us that we wouldn't have access to our rooms until 3/3:30pm. GASP!  Although we declined to check luggage we refused to tote luggage along this bacchanal boat, so we didn't do as instructed and went straight to our cabin. We got to our cabin (which was ready), dropped off our luggage, took our keys and were ready to cruise!

DAY 1 BOARDING DAY ~ THURSDAY

(DAY 1 OF THE ITINERARY BOOKLET)

So as people boarded the ship, hubby and I found friends. At or about 3:30 maybe 4pm, we were being hurried out of common areas to participate in a mandatory safety drill.  I KNOW, I'm a mother and I know all too well how important these drills are and how serious I should take them but I felt like nothing could save my life in the event that the boat were to sink so I and some friends hid in their cabin and drank straight through the drill.  We didn't hear a word.... an with that, I knew this cruise would be one for the books! The "SAIL AWAY PARTY" started immediately after the safety drill and everyone just started to disappear as the night fell. Everyone disappeared because they left to get ready for the "WHITE PARTY".  After the white party, you got to pick your poison at either of the TWO after parties.  Each after party was carded to end at 5am but you know my Caribbean people.  I woke up for breakfast Friday morning and when I say morning, I mean I was eating breakfast a little after 9am and seeing people only now leaving after parties in their all white. NAH! Clearly these beasts weren't going to "SOCASIZE".. But oh yes, many were.

DAY 2 ~ FRIDAY

(DAY 2 OF THE ITINERARY BOOKLET)

As we ate, we began to hear the music starting for SOCASIZE, I ran to join the class that started at 9am sharp! By 9:10 I was breathing heavy. At 9:15 I heard the instructor say that this was the warm up... The warm up? At exactly 9:23 I was over it.  I was done and now watching the SOCASIZE class. They were clearly trying to kill me and I'm not about that life.  I bummed around, got myself a stiff drink and waited for the football tournament (in full exercise attire like I did anything). Football (soccer) was on the top deck and prepared well. There were nets to protect the ball from going into the sea, goal stations and all.  Freeze International emceed the event and that in itself was tears. Jokes upon jokes.  Seeing as I was only drinking and spectating, we took pics!

(DCARNIVALBABY and WILLOW of iChunes Entertainment)

After the football tournament, we had to get cleaned up and changed for the "RUM & WATER POOL PARTY". The pool party was good but we couldn't get too comfortable because we paid to go to the private "VIP COCKTAIL PARTY".  By now we realized we still had four events left for the night and we had to do more than one 'costume change', so we had to strategize.  We cleaned up again and changed for the VIP COCKTAIL PARTY as well as the "THEATER TURN UP" better known as the Majah Hype Comedy show.  The original plan was to go to the Majah Hype show in our pajamas but time was against us.  

The cocktail party had unlimited finger foods and mixed drinks that were served, top shelf liquor by request at the bar and entertainment.  This private event was held for two hours and honestly, I expected more for our buck.  It was the only thing at an additional cost outside of the money spent on the cruise so my expectations were high.  It was a laid back event that didn't really fit into the fast pace of the cruise but we make the best of everything! Should I make it to UberSoca Cruise 2018, I would do the VIP COCKTAIL PARTY again.  As the room filled toward the end of the event, we dashed out to join the line for the comedy show.

(DCARNIVALBABY and Rupee)

The majority of the ship wanted to see this comedy show and it was on a first come first serve basis.  No tickets.  No sign up. Basically, no order.  In the beginning, there was an orderly line but as the time came near for the doors to open......it became a crowded mess.  We were lined up by a jewelry store and I know their fingers were hovering over the panic buttons in fear of being robbed because I don't believe anyone was sober and let's just say we were getting antsy waiting for the doors to open and forgot to use our 'inside voices'. When the doors finally did open, we scattered about the theater and rushed for seats like wild ants.  We got to hear some back in times hip hop and R&B.  It was a good house party type of vibe before the comedy show started. Majah Hype was as good as expected and he brought some friends (Hector and Mitzy). His finale was a pillow fight that ended in a party. Same as last year I heard. Seeing as I expected both the pillow fight and party and had two other parties to attend, the crew dipped and ran to the dining hall to have one last bite before we had to drink and fete again. (This is literally how you have to eat on this ship, *in a hurry/ on the go).

(DCARNIVALBABY and Majah Hype)

After dinner was time to change AGAIN into our pajamas for the "UBERJAMMY JAM".  There were onesies, lingerie, VS lounge wear and pasties in this fete.  I know men were in their glee.  Lots and lots of eye candy for both sexes. After the JammyJam, there was a choice of two after parties AGAIN. Choosing which party to give up was the torture on this boat. 

(Quick elevator ride)

(Geo from Joy's Roti Delight and DCARNIVALBABY)

DAY 3 ~ SATURDAY

JOUVERT 

(DAY 3 OF THE ITINERARY BOOKLET)

HEEELLLOOOOOOOOO *In my Barry Hype voice AGAIN.  We have docked in Mexico. Instructions were given but once again ignored, sorry Barry but by the time the instructions came we were already eating, drinking and being merry.  No one had time for that.  What I DID hear was that we had to return to the ship for 9pm and that each person needed 1 piece of ID and our room key to get back on to the ship.  I exited the ship around 12/12:30 and walked about 5/10 minutes to the jouvert if so much.  The Wi-Fi was tun ALL THE WAY UP at the jouvert which was 1,000% better than the Wi-Fi we paid for on the ship.  Once you entered the jouvert you were drenched with paint. Nice! What wasn't nice was the stench of the paint.  It was best described by a friend as toilet water paint.  I don't know where this paint was mixed or what water was used to mix it, but the smell was offensive.

(now catching myself after the jouvert)

There was an unlimited supply of complementary signature Rum Punch given to jouvert patrons and I played greedy and mixed the Hennessy that I was drinking with the people Rum Punch. The jouvert vibes were nice BUT I remember clearly that I sat on the floor and being done and IT WAS ONLY 5PM! Officer Hubby escorted me back to the ship and I overheard him telling friends that he was going back to the ship to put the 'baby' to bed. I was safely put on board and not left behind in Mexico.  I ate, bathed and was in bed by 6pm.  On my way back from eating, I remembered a girl across the hall being wheeled back to her room by two friends and a ship crew member in a wheelchair!  When I finally woke up the stories were bananas.  Hubby was sure that people were left in Mexico.  Remember, we all had to be on board by 9pm.  He got back to the ship around quarter to 9 but he said that the amount of people that he passed by on the 'road' to the boat that were passed out was ridiculous and he knows they didn't make make it back.  For their sake, I hope they did. It had endless people returning to the ship in wheelchairs and ambulances.  Thank God I did my walk of shame privately. Lol.

(DCARNIVALBABY D-O-N-E)

"MIDNIGHT MAS" started at 11 however half the ship was in an utter mess from jouvert.  I got in bed by 6 and jumped up minutes to 12. Could you imagine the ones who got in at or around 9? But guess who was out partying and never slept.... Officer Hubby. When I jumped up, I was panicked.  How could DCARNIVALBABY miss the only fete on the cruise with a carnival costume theme? I heard voices outside and had to think quick. I threw my wire bra over my breasts and pasties and ran to the door for somebody, ANYBODY to tie me up. Luckily it was a friend.  I was tied down and secured in no time.  After the girls were secure, I put on the rest of my costume in record speed and was off.  As expected, the crowd was small because everyone was done from jouvert but the music was very nice so we stayed til a little after 4am.

(DCARNIALBABY and Ofc Hubby *the husband)

(Willow of iChunes Entertainment and DCARNIVALBABY)

(Decepticons/Autobots, I don't know but I was The Scarlet i #IslandPeopleMas Recycle)

There was once again two after parties to choose from.  This decision was easy for me, I went to the after party named "CABIN FEVER" hosted by ENFORCAS and FREEZE INTERNATIONAL. I stayed there until the room got too crowded for my wings.  The "ALL THE WAY HIP HOP PARTY" was the CABIN FEVER competitor.  As people left the hip hop party to come into Cabin Fever, I dipped.  I liked the intimacy it started off with in the beginning plus I was tired and beginning to see double.

DAY 4 ~ SUNDAY

(DAY 4 OF THE ITINERARY BOOKLET)

By now, I've been drinking for what.... how many days and nights straight? For a person who's #1 beverage choice is water and literally running from one event to the next,  I was done DONE D-O-N-E.  At this point, I was cussing UberSoca Cruise. I cussed random people in the dining hall, my friends and husband.  I fine they was over doing it now man. I woke up to SOCASIZE AGAIN.  Thinking to myself....like, who has the energy for this?  I bent the corner an there was yet another full class!!! When I say I cussed people, please understand that it was all in good fun but I was truly in disbelief.  I never thought that "I" wouldn't be ready. I WAS NOT READY A-T  A-L-L-L-L-L.  Yes, I saw the itinerary.  Yes, I heard it's nothing but pace but Lord, there was no end to the savagery! Needless to say SOCASIZE got the side eye and the basketball tournament was cancelled because no one could make it.  There weren't enough 'able' participants.  I don't know if anyone made the mid morning/afternoon events which included the MINI GOLF TOURNAMENT, TALKING SOCA, NATURAL HAIR LINKUP (which I was told distributed free bundles) and the DESTINATION SHOWCASE. There was a full crowd for the "CHEF COMPETITION", Freeze International  hosted this event and it was great.  He is just as good an emcee as he is a DJ because although we weren't part of the competition, we were well entertained.  After the Chef Competition was over, do you know what happened? It became a SocaPopUpParty featuring DJ's Ana and Private Ryan.  That was it. Uber set me up. I didn't know what else to do but post a Facebook status because clearly I was being ignored when I said I was D-O-N-E on the ship.  I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that they turned a COOKING COMPETITION an all into a fete.  I was done. 

(Freeze International with DCARNIVALBABY)

After the pop up party, besides drinking and chillin there was nothing to do but organize my belongings because we had to dock in Miami in the morning and the Carnival Cruise Line crew had to be ready to kick us off their boat. The "MASQUERADE BALL" was held in both the Fantasy and Ecstasy dining halls.  The food was disappointing but the majority of people who attended brought their A games and were dressed very well. After both the 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm seatings were all wrapped up (which was by 11pm), we were back to the fetting. The grand finale started and THEY all partied the night away.  I couldn't make.

(looking crazy with my mask ON TOP of my head)

(The Mr and the Mrs)

Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi on the boat was over priced. There is nothing wrong with paying your money for services as that's how it should be but the service was bad.  Some of the most asked questions on the boat after 'where are you' was 'you have service'? This however is not the problem so much of UberSoca, this issue is all Carnival Cruise Line.

FOOD
It had some people who didn't like the food but I couldn't complain.  If ever I saw (or smelled) something that I didn't like there were many other options.  The food was repetitive but to be honest, we weren't eating for taste; taste was a plus.  We were eating to control our alcohol levels.  You know how you have a little alcohol with your food?  I think I can safely speak for many, myself included that we were eating food with our alcohol.

DRINKS
For those who purchased drinks, they were moderately priced.  Prepurchased bottles were actually cheaper once purchased from Carnival Cruise line and not from UberSoca Cruise's website..... BIG UP's to AMAZON.COM #ThatIsAll about that.

COMPARISONS
When I asked friends to compare their UberSoca 2016 to their 2017 experience they said:
*Ship - downgrade
*Food - downgrade
*Vibes - same
*Events - same
*Entertainment - same
*Will they be returning - THEY'RE ALREADY BOOKED!

D. A. M. M.

You see this program...
This is the Dat Ain't Missin Me program.

Just as it states, it's really not missing me!
DEATH IS THE ONLY THING THAT WILL KEEP ME FROM THE UBER SOCA CRUISE FOR 2018, AN I DON'T BUSINESS WHERE THEY DECIDE TO GO, I GOIN THERE TOO!