Hi Saucy! First let me say that I'm so happy to be here in lovely T&;T! Not my first time here, but it's always good to be back for a visit.
So - Silent Morning - this was my first time on this ride. I was told about it by someone who lives in TT and who has attended it for the past couple of yrs. I was assured that this was THE boat ride of boat rides...epic.
The hype surrounding it seemed to attest to its reputation. People were on the group's FaceBook page begging for tickets. Even my contact was promised a certain number of tickets but only given half the number of what was promised.
Anyway, my friends and I got our tickets and we were excited to attend. Mind you, I go on numerous boat rides back home so I'm not new to this. And our boat rides are very good.
My friends and I got to the cruise ship complex at 8am which was supposed to be the boarding time according to the ticket. Departure time was listed as 9am.
When 9:30 came and went with no word as to what was going on, we realized that there might be a problem. My friends and I were starving (we were told that breakfast would be served before boarding but saw nothing but a capuccino/latte machine), so we went and got something to eat
We finally boarded at 10:45am...but didn't set off until after 11:30!! They were serving sandwiches below deck, but my friends and I were no longer hungry.
I heard that this boat was bigger than last year's but it was either still not big enough to handle everyone, too many tickets were sold, or people just wanted to be on the top deck. Regardless of the reason, the top deck was crammed with people like sardines in a can. There was nowhere to move and enjoy yourself. You kept stepping on people and getting "the eye"
Oh - did I mention that when we were pulling out of the dock, that it was discovered that we were either still moored to the dock or the anchor wouldn't go up? So the boat started listing to one side. One of the boat's crew had to jump in the water and do something so that we could finally get out. Not a good continuation of an already poor start...
At the beginning, the vibes on the boat weren't very good despite the great music that was played. Both Bandit and DJ Private Ryan were excellent. The problem was that there was an issue with the sound system...can we say sound check BEFORE you leave the dock? As one guy put it, "I feel like I'm listening to a transistor radio while I'm in my kitchen cooking, not on a boat ride!" Very bad sound issues...didn't allow the music to really pump so that people could get into the mood.
Then Back to Basics (I believe that's who it was) started playing House music and rock...really? I didn't fly to TT during Carnival to listen to House music or rock. Sorry but we're not in New York. Silent Morning New York can do the House, R&B and rock that was played...but Silent Morning Trinidad should be a different vibe.
The boat did stay out an extra 2 hrs to make up for the delay, but to be honest, the vibes didn't get good until the last hour when the sound issue was fixed properly, but by then the boat was heading back in.
With respect to the crowd, there was a mix of people - those who came to party and have a good time. Those who came to pose in their heels and mini dresses and didn't dance once. And those who have been planning their "I'm from New York check me out" outfit for months now (rolling eyes) - and no I have nothing against New Yorkers...
Where I'm from, boat rides are fun, the vibes are high, and people come to have a good time not hold up a wall or walk around in heels that they eventually have to take off because their feet hurt :-)
I'm glad that I only paid $50 for this ride because if I had paid more I would have asked for a refund.
I know that when it comes to events, unexpected things happen, and I'm glad that we were given the extra couple of hours to stay out, and the Bandit and Ryan did their best to get the crowd going. But to be honest, if I never do this ride again I won't shed a tear.
Natalie
