EDSea Brought a (Mostly) Fantastic Experience for its Sophomore Sailing

EDSea set sail for Bimini earlier this month, and after recovering from the nonstop party, it’s time to reflect on the ups and downs of this year’s edition.

Last year, Insomniac marked its massive 30-year anniversary by launching fresh experiences for dance music lovers to check out. One of them called EDSea quickly drew the attention of many, myself included. I had waited for years for this experience to surface from Pasquale Rotella — and it absolutely delivered.

Like other first-year festivals, EDSea’s maiden voyage wasn’t devoid of issues, but I couldn’t help but fall in love with its intimate atmosphere. So when cabins went back on sale soon after the Norwegian Joy docked, I locked in my trip for 2024 without hesitation.

I was curious to see if Pasquale and the Insomniac and Sixthman crews would smooth out issues from last year and offer an even better experience. The answer isn’t as clear cut as I’d hoped it would be, but let’s dive into the experience.

I opted to arrive in Miami early this year, spending two nights at Hocus Pocus before boarding EDSea to set sail for Bimini. This unexpectedly solid combo got me prepped for the long nights ahead on the boat. I recommend anyone check it out as a convenient pre-party in the future.

The process of getting on board the Norwegian Joy was quick and painless.

My buddy and I spent virtually no time waiting in line for security and check-in, and within moments, we were among the thousands of others in the terminal awaiting our boarding group to be called. This year, they announced which group was up via a loudspeaker, which was a nice touch considering we were reliant on hearing it from others the year prior.

Once onboard, we quickly went to the room to drop off our bags and get ready to party. The music had begun at The Pearl stage, so we locked in our WiFi for the trip and hit the bar for our first drinks as quickly as possible.

Photo Credit: Marc Van Der Aa for Insomniac Events

The layout of EDSea was practically the same as last year, and not much could change unless the cruise ship did.

While most of the stages remained where they were, one notable shift was removing The Nest stage, which became the new home for the Deep Dive Disco stage. This was a welcome shift, as the small size of its original location at the Q Texas Smokehouse caused crowding issues. That portion of the ship instead became the new home for the merch booth.

Design-wise, EDSea retained much of the look and feel from the previous sailing. I found myself still in love with the Kinetic Ocean design, but I typically flocked to stages like the Rave Cave, The Pearl, or Neon Splash to get my fix of music — and there was certainly a lot to catch.

The lineup for EDSea this year was a snapshot of the current era of the scene.

When Insomniac revealed the EDSea lineup, it was met with a mixed response from those planning to attend. Some bemoaned it for not having a ton of major artists; others were hyped about the forward-thinking nature that the curated artists exude. I fell somewhere in the middle, leaning toward excitement, as there was a solid spread of genres I loved represented.

On the first night, I loved catching artists like Chris Lorenzo, Max Styler, VNSSA, AK Sports, Clawz, and Nico Moreno. They all helped set the vibe for what was to come throughout the rest of the sailing, and it only got better from there.

For me, standouts throughout the rest of EDSea included seeing Sara Landry play two incredible sets, losing my mind to some drum and bass from 1991, and vibing out on the beach with Riordan, HUGEL, and Mau P. I even caught some of Levity and Subtronics b2b Level Up, I and got the chance to experience some pure, unadulterated fun with Odd Mob.

A huge surprise came on Monday when I went to Bad Girl Bailey’s set at The Pearl. I had already fallen in love with the set when I realized that she had been joined by Sara Landry, Mary Droppinz, Coco & Breezy, and VNSSA on stage for an insane b5b. It was such a cool moment to see all of those artists from different sonic realms together on stage, having fun, and supporting who I would later find out to be their agent.

Another artist who stood the tallest for me was Wakyin, who I discovered while at the beach party on Bimini. I was honestly looking for somewhere to sit down and rest for a bit, but the moment he got on the decks, I was whisked away to a different state of mind. My friends and I constantly kept looking at each other, expressing how mind-blown we were by his track selection, remixes, and more. When he went b2b with Francis Mercier later on, it left me completely enamored.

Photo Credit: Marc Van Der Aa for Insomniac Events

The music is only one part of the experience, though. This is where EDSea fell a bit short.

Many of the activities from the maiden voyage — like Ravercise, Kandi Making, Dance Yoga, and the Character Brunch — made their way back for another round. Notably missing was the laser tag, which was removed by the Norwegian Joy during their recent renovation, and Rainbow Road Rage, which wasn’t advertised.

Of all the artists playing, only two stepped up to host activities. I’d love to thank Wreckno for hosting a vibrant catwalk show featuring guest judges Sara Landry, Coco & Breezy, and Lucille Croft. It was a ton of fun seeing other Headliners strut their stuff. Earlier that day, SLANDER hosted a massive Super Smash Bros tournament at The Pearl stage, which also saw plenty of people attend.

Beyond that, a few artists participated in the Booze & Beats Bar Crawl, but that was it. You had a better chance of hanging out with artists at other sets or while gambling in the casino than at a planned activity. It’d be nice to see more artists step up to the plate in future sailings to do fun things, especially on the sea days when there wasn’t much else happening during the daytime.

Those who wanted something to do during the day felt the limited number of activities. While there were certainly things to do (and sleep to catch up on), it would’ve been cool to have some panels for those who wanted to learn more about their favorite artists, have conversations about the scene, or get the inside scoop on Insomniac. I’d love to see more community-focused experiences in the future.

Photo Credit: Marc Van Der Aa for Insomniac Events

The food while on EDSea was a hot topic after last year’s sailing, and overall, it was fine this year.

As someone who has cruised plenty in the past, I know what I’m getting while onboard, and I feel like there’s a slight disconnect from what I’ve seen others post about. Everything I ate while on EDSea was fine by my standards.

I ate at Savor & Taste, the Garden Cafe, and Cagney’s for two dinners. I also got late-night bites to eat at the American Diner. Each had more hits than misses, but I never felt like I couldn’t get something my stomach was craving. The steaks were great at Cagney’s, the buffet had plenty of options, and even the late-night offerings were diverse and tasty, so I’m not sure where the complaints would come from. I was regularly asked about food allergies at restaurants, but I could see how if you’re on a strict diet, this might not be the ideal experience for you.

Another hot topic surrounded Bimini, the private island EDSea set sail to this year.

The whole experience at Bimini was solid, as it was a quick walk to the shuttle that took you straight to the beach party, which featured two stages and some solid sets. We lazily left the ship in the afternoon and spent plenty of time basking in the sun, swimming, and making new friends.

The only real letdown was that the fairly expensive drink package we purchased didn’t work while on Bimini, as Resorts World operates the club. This led to us returning to the ship more than once to avoid the high drink costs and, quite honestly, outrageous food costs that the beach club had.

It was frustrating when it was suddenly announced that the schedule had been shifted, moving all the sunrise sets from the ship to the beach. This would mean more time without access to amenities we had already paid for and led many, myself included, to stay on the ship after our second or third trip back.

Because everything had moved to the beach for sunrise, the ship was eerily quiet, save for a few people walking around with their groups who had speakers. Nothing was happening; the pools and jacuzzis were closed, and only a few bars and the American Diner were operating. It would have been nice to have something available for those who didn’t want to stay longer on the beach, and luckily, a sole renegade popped up in the stairwell area of Deck 12 that kept the vibes alive. Sorry, Eli Brown, but that’s where I spent my sunrise instead of your set.

Photo Credit: Marc Van Der Aa for Insomniac Events

Speaking of that renegade, it certainly felt like the crowd’s energy was great throughout EDSea.

I’ve seen others say there weren’t PLUR vibes while onboard EDSea, but my experience was the opposite. I never encountered anyone being rude or hostile; everyone seemed happy and upbeat to me.

I spoke with plenty of people, OGs and first-timers alike, who all were pleasant. There were loads of trinkets and kandi being traded wherever I went. I even trusted a group next to us at the beach party to watch my bag for a solid hour while I embarked on a side mission. I haven’t always had experiences like that at other Insomniac festivals lately, so it was a welcome one.

If you’re searching for something different from Insomniac, EDSea is the place for you.

My experience this year on EDSea wasn’t like last year’s for various reasons, but it was never meant to be that. I went in with a mentality of being open to whatever happened and going with the flow, and I had an absolute blast while onboard.

When the typical Insomniac festival seems to get bigger and bigger by the year, it was refreshing to share moments with a much smaller, far more intimate community of passionate dance music lovers. That’s what makes EDSea special.

The next EDSea sailing will occur on November 1-6 next year, and cabins will be on sale soon. The dates align with one of my favorite festivals, Escape Halloween, but you might just find me on Deck 14 on the Norwegian Joy instead.

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