Groove Cruise Cabo 2018: Why We’re Never Going Home [Event Review]

Groove Cruise came through yet again for another unforgettable sail for their 2018 West Coast edition. From GC Virgins to the all time Admirals, everyone is still buzzing about how electrifying the four day cruise was. For many first timers, like this writer, it was just a whole other level when it came to the non-stop performances from the artists throughout the many stages to the amazing captains we can now call our GCFAM. For many of us, this is our new festival home. One where there is total freedom, support, and love from not only the creator himself, Jason Beukema, but from the rest of the Groove Cruise crew and Whet Travel team. While we didn’t get to go to Cabo due to Hurricane Sergio coming through our path, Groove Cruise was quick to find us a place to party and be able to keep us smooth at sea throughout our voyage.

The Pre-Party

With any event or a night out with friends, we are always looking for to pregame. Groove Cruise came through and hosted their official pre-party at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. Captains had the chance to explore parts of the museum, sipping on a cocktail and bumping to some good house music. We could even try out the Air Flight Max simulator where we were taken on an insane rollercoaster ride with too many loops to count.

We found ourselves drawn into the center of the museum, with an open dance area basked in a blue glow and lasers dancing across walls. Here, many attendees couldn’t wait to put on their favorite rave attire and we were surrounded by aliens, astronauts, sequins, and a few storm troopers covered in glitter. We danced into the night with our favorite Spanish based duo, Chus and Ceballos. They were the perfect start to what was going to be one of the best festival experiences we have ever had. With tracks like “Funkarrone” and “Mamasitas” mixed in with fun throwbacks to Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” and Kelli’s “Milkshakes”, they had everyone grooving. This was one of the coolest and most perfect way to start our weekend and the journey in becoming apart of the GC family.

 

The Themes

Groove Cruisers got up bright and early, eager to board the massive Norwegian pearl for the festival’s 30th Sail. Everyone showed off their colors depending on how many years they have attended, ranging from white for Virgins to red for the Admirals that have been eight times or more. Everyone lit up and connected with each other, some new comers and others that have been friends since their first sail with Groove Cruise. We dropped off our bags, got our key card, and knew this was for real when we heard that special ding as we were successfully scanned onto the Pearl.

We had four days at sea, which meant twice as many theme parties, twice as many artists, and twice as many slices of pizza from the buffet. Throughout the event, an explosion of creativity, color, and of course glitter continued to captivate our eyes and gave us so much inspiration for future raves. Everyone was free to express themselves with only encouragement and love in response to one another. We loved this year’s theme parties because not only did they provide a creative spectrum to explore, but it also made us really feel like we were becoming apart of the Groove Cruise culture. Check out some of our favorite captain’s below.

Out of this World

Tutu’s and Ties

Pirates of the Caribbean

Neon Me

Shine the F*** Up

Back to School Parade

Team Up

Artist Experiences

Lucky winners of the artist experiences got to connect to some of the producers on board. From an intense ping pong showdown with Shiba San to learning the ways of Kung Fu with Laidback Luke, captains had a chance to see another side of every artist that many don’t get to experience. Even if we didn’t get a chance to join them during these activities, we still saw them out and about on the ship, always willing to chat, take a pic, and get down with the rest of us. This is what makes Groove Cruise really special, having the ability to be around these DJ’s that we usually only see behind the decks. Being able to connect with the artists was a one-of-a-kind experience and reaffirmed why we loved them in the first place.

Ensenada

Since Hurricane Sergio had other plans for Cabo, Groove Cruise had us set sail for the beautiful city of Ensenada, Mexico. There we could buy beautifully handcrafted masks made by the locals while walking our way over to Papas and Beers for the sounds of OMNOM, Adam Auburn, and Duke Dumont. The club brought in all the magic, with confetti, balloons, and plenty of sparks that helped us kick off our day two. Duke Dumont really brought it in with his own “Runway” and “Won’t Look Back”. The crowd was full of Tutus and Ties, a giant pizza floatie, and it wouldn’t be a Dumont show without a giant cutout of his head dancing amongst the crowd.

The Stages

With 96 hours of non-stop music, it was both a little overwhelming and absolutely fantastic because artists got to play multiple times throughout the weekend and gave us ample time to catch them later if we really needed that disco nap. This year there were eight stages to discover throughout the expansive Norwegian Pearl, each one providing a different vibe of it’s own.

The Pooldeck played host to the Captain of the Ship, Green Velvet, as well as other tastemakers like Shiba San, Laidback Luke, Drums of the Sun, Anthony Atalla’s insane seven hour sunrise set, and one of our favorite up and coming producers OMNOM. Fans could get their tan in the pool chairs, take a dip or drift around on an array of animal floaties, or warm up in one of the four hot tubs. With large screens in the shape of waves behind the decks, any main stage set always drew in the crowds. Here was where we got first looks of everyone’s themed outfits, split bottles of wine, and shuffle around on the deck.

We found ourselves at the Great Outdoors quite often, whether to catch some Factor B, Kristina Sky, Monoverse, and Adam Scott stirring up some trance magic or relaxing to the Deep House Brunch hosted by Eva Kane, Lizzie Curious, and Scotty Boy. One of the best moments on the ship was with John 00 Fleming/Paul Thomas and Factor B on Thursday night, where beautiful melodies bubbled around us as we watched the lights of Ensenada fade into the night.

The Atrium had a much clubbier feel and was always having a party whenever we walked in. MK had us all in house heaven, teasing us with some classic piano buildup before he had us belting the lyrics to “17”. Benny Benassi threw out some love to Fatboy Slim’s “Right Here, Right Now” and had us pumped up to Groove Cruise’s 30th sail theme song, Fisher’s “Losing It”. The house goodness continued with a killer performance from Doc Brown, followed up by Bryan Lubliner that turned the Atrium into a complete animal house.

The Casino found home to rising producers like the funky rhythms of Cazztek, to some classic house tunes from David Delano, to some dirty dub from Damaged Goods. Some surrounded the artist while others tried their luck at the tables or slot machines. Those who were lost could always find a little dance party going on in here and quickly felt back at home again.

On the other side of the ship, captains could find something a little more intimate in the Bliss Lounge at the Silent Disco. We could sit or spin around in the neon lights with our headphones on to the sounds of Roger Garcia, Mphatiq, Mike Efex, John Beaver, I Boogie, and many others.

For those that looking to fall down the rabbit hole, the Stardust Theater was as close we were going to get. The stage, lasers, and fog machines were perfectly paired to create breathtaking views that we will never forget. We first discovered the theater by following the sounds of trance produced by Kristina Sky. After a powerhouse two hour performance, Cosmic Gate took to the decks, enlivening long time fans and creating new ones throughout the rows. Monoverse brought in his own darker, mind-bending spin to the genre and absolutely fell into a hypnosis, with tracks like his mix of Campelphat’s “Panic Room” and his own stunner “Painting Shadows”. On the last day, our favorite bass house artist Sage Armstrong had us shuffling like crazy with his latest “Dripping Wet” and his own mix of “Miss New Booty”. Shiba San closed out the theater, adorned in a glittering gold kimono, as he created an absolute madhouse that many captains have deemed the best set on the ship. He scratched like a magician on the records while going wild with tracks like “Okay” and “House and Pressure”.

It was time to come to end with our Captain at the Pooldeck one last time. Green Velvet sported his favorite The Incredibles costume and had us dancing till the very last note. We got all our favorites like “Dominator”, “Flash”, and “La La Land” mixed in with his special touch on dancerfloor classics like Technotronic’s “Pump Up the Jam” and Ruffneck’s “Everbody Be Somebody”. For our last two hours of music, we let ourselves fall away into the rhythms and the waves until the dust settled and the 30th sail came to a close.

When we stepped off that boat for the last time and wandered back into reality, it was like we left this perfect haven. A utopia kept safe in this radiant bubble, waiting for us to return for the next trip. We came to realize that we never really go home, with Groove Cruise always in the back of our minds like our favorite dream. We will definitely be returning again and again, for all the new theme parties, artist experiences, friendships, and memories that we will never forget. Until next time, we’ll keep dancing in our heads till our toes touch the pool deck again.

We’re sure you got some serious FOMO as we are currently experiencing. However, the next Groove Cruise is just a few months away sailing out of the port of Miami with Kaskade, Aly and Fila, Hot Since 82, MK, and more will be joining the cruise, and you can book your reservations here. Jason Beukema and his team have also announced that they will be bringing their cruise to China next year, so keep your eyes and ears alert for news soon to come!

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