Hello, people of the world! I have never been on a cruise, and because I was obsessed with the movie Titanic as a child, I also have a great fear of ocean liners sinking at sea.
Anyways, it's 2020 and I want to have new experiences, try new things, and OVERCOME SOME FEARS. I'm also a bit bonkers, so instead of trying a traditional cruise, I went all-in on something called a Groove Cruise.
So, what is a Groove Cruise?! It's an adults-only cruise that is basically an EDM music festival on a ship. There are day and night themes — where people can dress up — and multiple levels of the ship that feature famous and up-and-coming DJs at different times throughout each day.
Now, I'd like to think I'm fairly young at 31, but (after looking at pics) I also wondered: WOULD I BE THE OLDEST PERSON THERE?! WOULD I GET SEASICK?! WOULD I HAVE CELLPHONE SERVICE TO CHECK ON MY SON?! I WAS PANICKED.
Keeping ~2020 fearless Krista~ in my mind (and remembering that my husband would be with me), I put my worry aside and started planning. I packed practically, with things like motion sickness medicine, toothpaste, a swimsuit...stuff like that, because I didn't really know what to expect. After boarding the ship — and checking to make sure there were plenty of lifeboats — I decided to give myself a little tour. The ship was nice:
Walking through the halls, and around in general, the ship definitely had a ~college party~ feel:
But I felt relieved to see people of all ages! I did, however, feel a little out of place because most people were wearing really incredible and elaborate costumes...and I was wearing jeans and a casual top. 😕 Luckily, the vibe was really great and everyone was really friendly.
The first DJ — Nora En Pure — started as the ship left the dock and I was so in awe of all the unique costumes and energy from the people that my fear of the ship sinking left me. (The vodka/water I had probably helped as well, lol.)
Each day passengers were given an agenda of what was happening on each deck and at what time, along with the day and nighttime themes.
There were both indoor and outdoor areas on the ship for performances. And while there was a lot of EDM music, they also switched it up with things like '90s hip-hop, a silent disco, and even comedians.
And they had really cool face and body painting stations set up each day...
...as well as wellness stations for rejuvenating and detoxifying.
As with all cruise ships, most of the food was free (which is what helped give me the courage to go on this cruise to begin with). So, let's talk about what it was like. The buffet-style dining area had TONS of options, but it was kind of your basic buffet food — nothing that really impressed my taste buds. However, the ship also had a healthy option café, which I really liked. It had light bites, like salmon salad and pastas. In addition, there was a formal dining area that wasn't too bad.
So, how was I feeling during these experiences? Here's a good example of my first full day at sea — it had a lot of highs and lows:
After I had the bout of motion sickness, I decided to consistently take the medicine to prevent it from happening again (something I probably should have done to start with), and it worked! The following day I felt better and we were able to do more things, like work out and enjoy the pool.
When the ship arrived in Costa Maya, you had the option of going to a beach party or doing your own thing. My husband and I chose to do our own thing. BUT, LET ME JUST SAY, I WAS SO EXCITED TO BE ON DRY LAND.
Mexico was my favorite experience by far. Groove Cruise is run by Whet Travel, which has an organization called the Whet Foundation. One of the options of things to do was volunteering at a local school in the city. We brought backpacks filled with supplies for the kids and picked up trash next to their schoolyard so they could surprise the teacher and her students with a playground, which they did not have. It was truly a rewarding day!
And we did a tequila tasting later on, because when in Mexico... 😏
When we left, I thought the energy might die down a bit since we were starting the home stretch back. BUT I WAS WRONG.
The party ensued and the rest of the trip was just as high-energy as the start of it.
So, what did I learn by going on my first cruise (besides the fact that I can take way better pictures than my husband — see below)?
If you want to learn more about future Groove Cruises — or want to get involved in the Whet Foundation — you can visit Whet Travel for more information.
This cruise was free of charge, but BuzzFeed was under no obligation to positively review it. All opinions are my own.