You know everyone had a good time during “It’s The Ship 2015” when they’re still talking about whatever that happened on the cruise and sharing throwback photos that they took 2 weeks ago. In some cases, these festivalgoers will even attempt to convince the rest of their friends to join them for the 2016 installment.
It’s not hard to guess why they’re reacting that way. Not only did the 4D3N cruise-based festival open up a whole new world to them, it also made them realise that it is something that they may never get to experience again.
I know everyone’s bucket list is a little different from each other, partying on “It’s The Ship” is one thing that I’d suggest every partygoer to add to their list!
I was lucky enough to attend the 2nd instalment of “It’s The Ship” that took place aboard the luxurious 70,000 tonne Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner Of The Seas from 20th to 23rd November with a pit stop in Langkawi for a show-stopping private beach party.
Despite being a “It’s The Ship” virgin, I had a ball of a time with some new friends I made during Southeast Asia’s largest music festival at sea! I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve got tonnes of reasons why you’ve missed out on all the fun that I had during “It’s The Ship 2015” 😉
1. “Zero distance” with DJs while queuing up to board the ship
That's us boarded for the @itstheshipasia cruise for #FullOn stage tonight! @FerryCorsten @MARCOV @ThomasNewson 😎😎 pic.twitter.com/nw1zlrA6ON
— Mark Sherry (@marksherry) November 20, 2015
We kid you not.
While we were waiting hours in line to board the ship, we found ourselves staring at every artiste who either walked past us or stood right in front of us at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore.
I was literally “forced” to wait behind Ferry Corsten, Mark Sherry, Marco V, and his son Thomas Newson due to a glitch in the ship’s check-in system. But hey, you know what? That’s not a bad thing after all. At least I could fangirl over them UP CLOSE!
2. Music was blasting from every nook and cranny of the cruise!
Instead of playing the typical mainstream/pop music that you would so often hear on the radio, the cruise would play some of the latest as well as some classic EDM tracks everywhere you go. That’s right. Music was literally blasting from every nook and cranny of the cruise!
So, if you’re planning to attend the next installment of “It’s The Ship”, don’t be surprised to see some of your shipmates raving in the middle of a hallway or in a lift all of a sudden.
3. Exclusive meet & greet sessions with your favourite artistes
“It’s The Ship 2015” was one music festival that made our semi-stalkerish dreams come true.
On the first night of the festival, some shipmates were given the opportunities to meet and greet some of their favourite artistes at the Boleros Lounge (Deck 4). Though the meet-and-greet sessions with Mark Sherry and Showtek were cancelled, festivalgoers were noticeably excited to see Autograf and DJ Soda.
The meet-and-greet session was actually one of the side activities that any festivalgoer could sign up to participate. The next time you’re going to “It’s The Ship”, don’t forget to participate in one of these side activities and remain cool when you get to meet your favourite artistes 😉
4. Slumber party!
Let’s be real: Who doesn’t like a slumber party?
Bate Motel, which was headed by local DJ duo BATE on last year’s “It’s The Ship”, was supposed to return to the cruise for its 2nd instalment this year. However, the duo had to skip the highly anticipated slumber party due to unforeseen circumstances.
The cancellation didn’t stop our fellow shipmates from showing up at the Viking Crown Lounge (Deck 14) in their goofy onesies and cute pyjamas, of course. Party people were treated to a cheeky night to remember with a surprise set from the Black Butter Records artistes.
5. Ferry Corsten’s killer “Full On” set ft. Marco V, Thomas Newson, & Mark Sherry
What’s so special about Ferry Corsten’s “Full On” set, you ask?
Well, considering how it went from an annual event in Ahoy Rotterda to a worldwide phenomenon, “Full On” is one show that you should never ever miss. The show also hosted stages on major music festivals like Tomorrowland and Stereosonic. This made “It’s The Ship 2015” a little extra special because it was the first time that the show came aboard a cruise liner in Southeast Asia!
Marco V and his son Thomas Newson kicked off the show with an epic B2B set while Mark Sherry played a killer set. Corsten then took over the decks for a full 2-hour session and delivered a mix of uplifting, melody-focused tracks.
6. You don’t even need to go backstage to get up close & personal with artistes
It’s not every day that you get to meet your favourite artistes, but during “It’s The Ship 2015”, there were a lot of side activities that offered festivalgoers a chance to hang out with any of the artistes in the intimate settings.
Some of the side activities included DJ Tigerlily’s intense pilates session, Guvera’s “Conversation on the Nothingness of Nothing” with Peking Duk, Rave Republic’s Wii challenge, and a casino session with the Black Butter Records artistes.
Featuring Brandon Beal and H3, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament was also hosted by Red Bull on board. Other festivalgoers were locked in a game of mini-golf with Autograf, Brandon Beal, and Will Sparks as well.
7. You can wear whatever you want & nobody will judge you
The great thing about “It’s The Ship 2015” is that fashion was not being taken seriously at all.
Festivalgoers could wear whatever they feel like wearing to express their own personal style. You could pretend that you’re a “rave warrior” in your Roman costume or tell the whole world that you’re the biggest Pikachu fan, who also happens to be an avid raver in your Pikachu-themed outfit.
8. Eat free food all day, errday!
We live and breathe for free food.
The fact that the buffet on the cruise was free and open for 24 hours a day meant that hunger was not an issue at all on the ship. The food at the Windjammer Café was nothing special, but festivalgoers could walk into the restaurant at any time of the day to cure a hangover or recharge themselves with something quick, filling, and tasty.
Festivalgoers who can afford to spend could choose to dine at the other specialty restaurants on the cruise too, such as Giovanni’s Table, Chops Grille, and Johnny Rockets. Alternatively, you could order from the room service menu any time of the day and night (though any orders between midnight and 5am incur a service charge of USD3.95 per delivery).
9. No Internet access = Genuine human interactions with awesome new friends
You would spend more time making some awesome, like-minded new friends instead of trying to gain Internet access during “It’s The Ship 2015”.
Since everyone was stuck on the same ship with no access to social media, everyone would be making actual social interactions by having genuine conversations with each other. If you ever lose your friends on the ship, there’s a 99.9% chance that you might find them having fun with a bunch of new people that they’ve just met.
10. Getting our dancing shoes on with Easy Star All Stars & Kaskade at a private beach party
Our trip to the private beach party in Langkawi was delayed due to the long trip through customs. Nonetheless, we still managed to get our dancing shoes on with Easy Star All Stars and the energy level was good enough to get the swimwear-clad crowd grooving to their music.
The moment Easy Star All Stars wrapped up their performance, the party crowd started moving nearer to the stage and immediately went wild when Kaskade took over the decks with a spectacular set. The world-renowned EDM artiste brought us a show that featured an expansive LED stage design and played an array of his crowd-pleasing tracks.
The show went late into the night, as Kaskade decided to play an encore set and dropped one track that we all did not expect to hear: A trap remix of Adele’s “Hello”.
11. Party like a real MVP with Baymax at the main deck
Everyone partied like a real MVP when the big acts kicked off their sets at the main deck.
Peking Duk did what they do best on the first night of the festival by making the ravers go crazy with their signature sound. Besides Ferry Corsten’s “Full On” show, we were also treated to an electrifying set by Showtek. Only one half of the Dutch EDM duo, Wouter Janssen, was playing that night as the other half, Sjoerd Janssen, fell sick.
Day 2 of the festival saw a diverse lineup with acts from different countries such as Irama, Axel Groove, and Nasty Guru from Malaysia, DJ Soda from South Korea, DJ Tigerlily from Australia, TWRK and Carnage from the US. Ravers also danced their hearts out to Dutch DJ Headhunterz who closed the night with his adrenaline-pumping music.
As for Day 3, the artistes from Black Butter Records gave us some real uplifting vibes with their disco edits and deep mid-tempo house music while Autograf impressed us with their brilliant live set. After DJ Nikki’s set, Corsten once again took over the main deck as he stepped up to replace Adventure Club with a surprise set that night. The crowd went even wilder than before as Will Sparks dropped banger after banger throughout his closing set.
12. Intimate partying session with the artistes at the smaller stages
Festivalgoers could latch on to their favourite artistes or party hard with them at the smaller stages like the St. Tropez stage and the Hot Tub Time Machine.
At the Hot Tub Time Machine, you might feel like you were in a rap music video from the 2000s as the DJs played some pretty rad remixes of the 90s classic hip-hop songs and today’s hottest EDM hits. We could say the same about the Block Party as well, which featured “Twerk It Like Miley” singer Brandon Beal, BANGKOK INVADERS, local hip-hop legends Joe Flizzow and SonaOne.
There were more goodness coming from the St. Tropez stage, which was hidden away from the crowd. Located on the very top of the ship, the stage featured My Nu Leng and Woz‘s addictive B2B set, as well as Oliver Dollar and Doorly’s fantastic B2B set.
13. Ferry Corsten replaced Adventure Club with a surprise set!
The 3rd night of “It’s The Ship 2015” was a highlight for many.
Canadian EDM duo Adventure Club was supposed to mesmerise the crowd with their melodic dubstep that night, but they were forced to cancel their show due to unforeseen circumstances.
Though we were initially disappointed that the duo couldn’t make it to the festival, Ferry Corsten’s surprise set made up for it, as the trance legend kept shipmates dancing with his killer big room house set.
14. Party ’til we see the sunrise!
One of the best feelings in the world is being able to see the sunrise without even trying to wake up for it.
During “It’s The Ship 2015”, we would wake up to the beautiful sight and calming sound of ocean waves every morning. Some shipmates even danced until 6 or 7 in the morning and gathered on the top of the ship to see the sun rising over the ocean.
It was a phenomenal sight indeed for everyone on board as the orange hue of the sun slowly overcame the dark blue hue of the twilight sky.
15. All the funny stories that only shipmates can relate to
What happens on the cruise during “It’s The Ship 2015” stays on the cruise.
“It’s The Ship 2015” was basically a giant buffet of memorable festival experiences. You would drink enough alcohol, listen to enough music, and make enough new friends to bring back some interesting stories that only your fellow shipmates can relate to.
We wouldn’t be surprised if some shipmates are still suffering from major “It’s The Ship 2015” withdrawal symptoms. If they still can’t get over how awesome the festival was, it’s a sign that they are hoping to return to “It’s The Ship” again.
Special thanks to our friends from The Livescape Group for allowing me to experience this awesome floating vacation cum music festival! I truly enjoyed every moment of it 😉
What was your favourite part of “It’s The Ship 2015”? Who would you like to see at the next installment of the festival? Let us know in the comments box below!
For more official photos of “It’s The Ship 2015”, check out their Facebook page.
