I found one of the best ways to celebrate Fourth of July weekend by attending Ship Faced’s Inaugural Dance Boat Cruise. The music went from 5:00pm until 11:00pm and the ride went from 7:00pm until 9:30pm.
I loved the setup of the ship. You walked onto the main deck which had food and a bar available and an opening in the middle of the floor. If you looked into the opening you saw the bottom deck which held a large dance floor and a bar and could be reached by a staircase on their end of the ship. This was one of two locations where you could dance during the cruise. If you went upstairs you entered another deck which was half enclosure and half outside. The enclosed part of this deck was mostly VIP area, which offered its own bar, couch and bar-style seating as well as complimentary food. The top deck, which was where the bridge was, was an open dance floor with the performing DJ’s on a raised area.
Throughout the night, I chose to move between the four decks to get different perspectives of what they night was like. As you went lower on the ship, it got hotter but the atmosphere was created to seem more club-like with more light-based visuals and more bass-heavy tracks being played by the DJ’s. The farther up you went, the songs that were being played varied from popular pop songs remixed with progressive house beats and tracks that were just coming out for the public.
The idea of the cruise while partying was great. As other ships passed, the horns would blow and the crowds on every deck would cheer, waving to the passing parties. No matter where you were on the ship, you were also guaranteed to hear some amazing music, especially if you were outside. The DJ that was on the top deck was able to be heard on both of the outdoor areas.
While the sun was setting the ship passed by the financial district, Hoboken, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. With this happening, guests were outside on the decks relaxing and taking pictures of all the sights while dancing the evening away.
While dancing, walking around the ship and relaxing, I was able to listen parts of Thomas Gold, Cazzette, Sam Allan and Dysomnia play their sets. With Classic tracks like Sleepless, Cazzette was, of course, the highlight of the night for me. But Sam Allan and Dysomnia both brought their New York influences of music onto the ship with the hip-hop and old school techno tracks that they would remix for the set. Unfortunately, I did not hear much of Thomas Gold’s set, as I was speaking with some of the event employees about what was going on.
We were speaking regarding how to assess issues since the ship was at sea. With any cruise, it is a chance of individuals getting seasick or confrontations to arise, especially with the open bar that was available. The staff on the ship was well planned for these circumstances. The medical staff was well prepared with beverages to help with nausea and medical supplies to treat minor injuries like bruises or cuts. No major injuries occurred and the security that was aboard the ship ensured that everything went smoothly.
All in all, I would say that Ship Faced was an awesome idea and well worth the trip into the city. My suggestion for anyone who plans on attending the next one, make sure to get there early as boarding can take a bit of time, as with any event.
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