Who's Going to Miami Carnival?

Who's is heading to Miami Carnival?? There is still time to book your flight, hotel and organize event tickets. If your not sure what to expect, feel free to view my previous post "Miami Carnival 2010". CLD will be at the following parties; Shine Breakfast Party, Super F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Frenzy Boat Ride & Scorch -Lime Party. I guarantee you will have a great time at these events. CLD will also be jumping up with Carnival Nationz Miami so if you still want to play mas register on-line @ http://www.carnivalnationz.com/.

Barbados - Crop Over 2011

I have finally completed my review on Crop Over, Sorry for the delay as it has been a hectic month. I have posted some personal pics as well as website pics to understand my experience along with video clips. I will be rating these events with a "Banks" Beer, which is a Bajan Beer for those who do not know.

I finally made it to Barbados for the Crop Over Carnival. I had a fantastic time in Barbados! We stayed in the Lawrence Gap area of Barbados – The Gap strip is filled with hotels, bars, restaurants and the beach. If you are planning to go to Barbados, I think the Gap is the best area to stay.


Event reviews :

Wednesday night- Warm up Party

Cost: $20bds

As we entered the party, we immediately found that the vibes were nice. We headed straight to the bar, and we pleasantly surprised to find that a bottle of Mount Gay Rum was only $20bds ($10) cdn. I expected to hear a lot of Bajan soca at this event, but they also played a lot of old and new Trini soca.

As we started to warm up to the party, I tried to get familiar with Bajan songs. The most popular song for Crop Over was “Jones n Wukup,” that was accompanied by a specific dance move. I knew that by day 3, I would get this dance down to perfection! Edwin Yearwood also performed at this event and entertained the crowd. This was a great party to start the Crop Over festivities!

I rate this event 7 “Banks Beers” because as it was cheap and a great start to the festivities.

Thursday night: Frazzle

Cost: $35.00bds

We arrived around 11:30 p.m. to see a huge line of people impatiently waiting to get into this event. The crowd was filled with young and mature party-goers. My friend decided to go the bar (which took almost 2 hours). The bar was dis-organized and not heavily stocked. Around 2 a.m., some of the local artist came on stage and performed.

Lil Rick came on and he mashed up the stage! The crowd went into a frenzy as he performed his song “Jones n Wukup.”

I rate this event 6 “Banks Beer” because there was a huge line to get into event and a two hour wait for liquor which eventually ran out.







Friday – Bathsheba all inclusive

Cost: $85US advance.

The venue was located at the Once in a Blue Moon Villa. The party was a good driving distance from the Lawrence Gap, but it was worth it. To see the other side of Barbados was a great experience. Bathsheba is the rugged east coast of Barbados and is the site of many local and international surfing championships.

We arrived at the villa and were greeted with a rum punch cocktail. The dance floor was the on the patio of the villa which overlooked the beach and palm trees. Premium drinks were flowing and the food served included pasta, flying fish, spring rolls, shrimp wonton, pork, rice and other appetizers.

The crowd was mature and sexy. The DJ had the crowd in frenzy, except when they played house/pump fist music for too long which resulted in the crowd getting annoyed. It’s Carnival… play some soca nah man! We left the party around 10 p.m., as we had to get some rest for J'ouvert or as they call it “Foreday”.

I rate Bathsheba 8 “Banks Beer” because they could have offered a better selection of food and the venue was too far coming from the Lawrence Gap area. Overall it was a good party.

Saturday Morning “Foreday” aka J'ouvert

Cost: Bakshun - $120bds

We met with the band around 2 a.m. where all the bands gathered in one area. Each band had a sequence number for when they go down the road. There is only one route for all the bands to parade, which ends on Spring Garden Rd. Music was nice on the road! The band provided liquor and paint, but they were missing the water hose. There is something about a water hose gets me more excited!

Some fool hit me with a pack of powder! Ugh! I hate powder! I’m a paint chick. No mud, no oil, no chocolate! We didn't stay until the end, as we were extremely tired from Bathsheba, so we left around 4 a.m.

I give Foreday 8 “Banks Beer” because it was missing the water hose, or maybe I left early and missed it.



Saturday afternoon- Scorch Cruise

Cost: $45

Scorch cruise is one of the best boat rides I’ve experienced. The cruise was on the Jolly Roger. This event is a cooler fete, an event where you can bring your own liquor on the boat (a stocked bar was available for those who didn’t).

As soon as we got on the boat the party was pumping. The top deck was packed! The men were fwyne and the ladies were beach ready sexy. The committee members were very friendly and wanted to make sure everyone had a good time. They all were carrying bottles of some colorful liquor and were giving shots to anyone that passed by. I had a few shots! He he he.

When we got hungry, we were offered burgers from the bbq.

When we got too hot and needed to cool down, we could swing, jump and dive off the boat. It was at this time that I wished I knew how to swim.

I rate this cruise 10 “Banks Beer” - Great vibes from start to finish.

Saturday evening – Bliss all inclusive

Cost: $200bds

As you can tell by now, we got no sleep and headed to the next party “Bliss". This event is a must attend event! Bliss provided a shuttle-bus service to the venue. The event was held at Porters Great House in St. James. This venue is absolutely beautiful.

As we entered the party, we were greeted with men playing music drums and horns. Once we got inside, we were further amazed by the ambiance.

The food tents were on the left, the dessert tents on the right. There were different types of food including Italian, Caribbean, seafood and Chinese. I took advantage of the situation, and ate every type of cuisine. After that, I headed to the dessert tents. They served different types of cheesecake, apple pie and Bico ice cream. I was stuffed!

Now it’s time for some drinks! There was only premium liquor at this event. We could choose from Alize, Champagne and Remi. They had numerous liquor tents, plus two main bars that served other premium drinks.

There was a huge black stage and a dance floor that was packed with people having a time of their lives. The crowd vibe was mature and very sexy. We had to wear your Sunday best. This party reminds me of Beach House at Trinidad Carnival.

I give this event 10 “Banks Beer”- The event is sexy and organized. The ambiance was great, the music was on point and the bathrooms were nice (Cabana style). The food and liquor tent were also well stocked.

Sunday Afternoon- Limerz Cruise

Cost: $85US (all inclusive)

This is another boat ride that I thoroughly enjoyed. The committee members were very friendly, and one of the committee members even dropped off our tix/package to our hotel. We were given a Limerz bag with goodies along with Limerz cups. That is what you call customer service!

We docked by the Shallow Draught . There were five catamarans filled with people. Some of the catamarans had also waterslides! Our crew got split up, but that didn't last long. As we sailed to the other side of the Island, the music was pumpin and the crowd was warming up. It rained heavily, but that didn't dampen the vibes. All the boats finally anchored and it was time to party.

Party goers had the option to stay on the boat they arrived on or they could jet-ski or swim across to the next party boat. We finally met up with the rest of our crew by taking a smaller boat.

The lunch that was served included flying fish, macaroni, coleslaw, rice and bbq chicken. The DJ played some slow jams and hip-hop to calm us down, but once everyone’s belly was full all hell broke loose again. People had no behavior and everyone was getting on wild. It was just great vibes, no stush people, no drama and all positive vibes. I can't wait to return to Limerz..

I rate Limerz Cruise 10 “Banks Beer” - because the customer service was on point, food was great, extra water activities and music was pumpin from start to finish.

Cost: Costume $285CDN

We met the band around 8:30 a.m. All bands assembled in one area just like they had done one Foreday. Baje International is a fairly big band. Before we started the route they served cheese and bread to the masqueraders. As the music truck started to move on the route it was time to organize drinks. I didn’t like the drink trucks, because the bar was small and there we tons of people trying to get drinks (a very frustrating process).

It rained all day. I was soaked from head to toe, but that didn’t stop me or anyone from having a good time. The music on the road was nice and crossing the stage was exciting, but not as huge as crossing the stage in Trinidad.

Rupee and Peter Ram sang a few songs on the truck. The highlight for some people in the band was seeing Rhianna. She was having a ball! People were flocking to her and didn’t want to give her any space.

Baje International finished the route around 3 p.m. Lunch was served once we completed the route. They served flying fish, macaroni pie, salad, rice and chicken. My mind was not ready to call it a day but my body was. The rain and the “jonesin” had my body hurting.

I rate Kadoomant day 8.5 “Banks Beer” - as it rained heavy all day and the route ended early. The music was on point. Food was warm and filling. The costume was worth the money and the crowd in the band was a good mix.

Final thoughts:

Barbados Crop Over was a great experience! It was refreshing to attend a different Island carnival. Even though people told me not to have high expectations, I had an overall great experience. The only thing I wish I spent more time is exploring the island and relaxing on the beach. Once we landed it was fete after fete after fete.  I will definitely go back for 2012.