Walking into check-in this year at the Long Beach port, this place immediately felt like home. Although the term #gcfam is nothing new to me, I felt like this was the first time it truly resonated with me and I was able to feel and understand this deeper connected definition of what it truly meant to be a part of the Groove Cruise family. Between the Neon Owl and Trance Family SF team, we must have been greeted by 50 familiar faces at the early check in. Hugs were flying, with smiles and high spirits all around, the party was already getting started at the port with live music blasting. It took me back to my first Groove Cruise, just less than a year ago which set sail from San Diego to Cabo. I went by myself and roomed with a random roommate. I walked into what looked like a warm family affair and was quite overwhelmed by the feeling. I was welcomed with open arms, and it was reminiscent to see the same “deer in the headlights” paired with “kid at a candy store” look and excitement in the faces of the dozen newbies I brought on this year.
This was one of the shorter cruises, being only 3 nights and 4 days, but there was nothing close to a dull moment. From volunteering with the Whet Foundation at 8:00am, slangin’ merch for chartiy, till the last major sets by Alpha 9 and Firebeatz ending at 4:00am, I slept close to none once again. For the first time, I actually didn’t make it to any of the sunrise sets which have always been a sight to see and experience.
I didn’t get to catch any entire set this year as I was running around managing Neon Owl’s charity merch booth, doing a ton of artist interviews and all the random experiences in between. I made a promise to myself that no matter the mayhem, I would make it to deep house yoga on Saturday because that was one of my favorite things of last year. There is something extra special about watching the calm and feeling the breeze flow over you while a raging party is happening just a deck below you. For the sets that I did get to catch, I would have to say that Alpha 9, Jason Ross, Andrew Bayer, and Scooter and Lavelle really brought it. I couldn’t hear enough praise about Bonnie X Clyde’s sets, which I only got a glimpse of. Having seen them crush it at Insomniac’s Countdown before even knowing who they were, I don’t question it. Dash Berlin and FIREBEATZ had the crowd going hard, and I was getting lost to the beats of Autograf as usual. New comers Convex murdered it at the pool, and so did Corporate Slackrs and The Dancetronauts. There was so much going on and I can’t recall a single bad set.
Photo by Adam Hahn
Aside from dope music, Groove Cruise really has been bringing it with engaging their over the top events. From the Bonnie X Clyde horseback riding excursion, to 3LAU, Elena Cruz and Vanessa’s shuffle session, Groove Cruise continues to impress me with the amount of artist involvement they continue to deliver. It really creates an awesome space for the attendees because it is the one place where the DJs aren’t just DJing. They are hanging out, eating, sunbathing, partying, and shuffling on the same dance floors, dining rooms and hallways as the rest of the attendees. There is no escape or segregation, and we like it that way!
Photo by Handonam Photography
Photo by Adam Hahn
Of course we can’t forget about the over the top fashion show which showcased beautiful, unique once in a lifetime pieces from incredible artists. Shout out to the Neon Owl and Trance Family SF girls Kim Tran and Diana Borja for shuffling on stage during their catwalk. The outfits were out of this world, and I definitely hope they bring it back for all future cruises! Heck, I may want to enter to strut my stuff at a future one myself!
This year, Neon Owl had the pleasure of working with the artists directly to bring them on board to Whet Foundation events. After 2 crazy nights of partying, ARTY, Mahalo, Lavelle, and Convex sucked it up at 8:00am after a long night of partying to show up for the kids. The party didn’t stop till the early hours of the morning, so shout out to these guys for being troopers and definitely get gold stars in Neon Owl’s book. Originally, the trip was planned for the kids to hop on the ship. After countless efforts from the Whet Foundation (shout out Jason and Yaisel) and Carnival team (shout out Frank), customs didn’t let the kids through. So what did we do instead? The kids were invited to the mansion party before the party, which was on a beautiful sea cliff overlooking the breathtaking waters of Ensenada. I thought that the kids were going to go nuts and run around immediately after getting off, but they were stuck at the pool! They had never seen a pool like that before and stayed fixated there for a good while before moving on to explore the mansion. It was moments like those that really made me reflect and remember how good we all have it. These kids had a blast with the biggest group of volunteers yet. We created art, taught them how to shuffle, breakdanced, ate tacos and went super fast on the merry-go-round. The shelter got a brand new freezer and a TON of school supplies and goodies for the kids who all left with smiles. This part of the trip is always my favorite, and I’m so glad that we get to include more people including the artists now. We got amazing feedback from them, and have no doubt that many more artists along with festival attendees will be joining us on future trips!
This past Groove Cruise was another one for the books! I’ve completely fallen in love with the family that is created here and how we come in sometimes alone or with a certain crew, but leave with a completely expanded group of new friends and family! You can bet that I’ll be seeing you all on every single future Groove Cruise I can make it to! Groove Cruise Miami already sold out months in advance prior to sail, so if you guys missed the boat on that one, make sure you don’t snooze on Groove Cruise Cabo! You can reserve your spot here and use the promo code “NEONOWL” to get $50 off per person while booking! See you in Bahamas and Cabo!
Don’t forget to check out our EPIC aftermovie from Groove Cruise; we partnered up with Bither Braun Studios to bring alive!
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