Boat that rocks!
RAVING on a luxury cruise ship is definitely the new way to party! We’re on board with The Ark festival on its maiden voyage from Barcelona, calling in at Marseille and Ibiza. As our floating fiesta of fun powers its way through the Med for three nights and four days, the carnival atmosphere never really stops. The concept? Gather an international crowd of clubbers for a mini-vacation on a gigantic boat and combine it with the world’s best electronic music. Setting sail from Barcelona, the ship quickly becomes a sea of bouncing, swimwear-clad bodies as the first DJs start on the pool deck. Some 4,000 shipmates from around the globe are on board and everyone is up for it as flamboyant party-starters Elrow take the helm. The house and techno-led festival has secured some of the biggest names in dance music for its inaugural jaunt. Ministry of Sound, Pacha Ibiza and FACT are hosting stages, with the likes of Cocoon legend Sven Väth, 2ManyDJs and Martin Solveig as headliners. Partying at sea can be a surreal experience, but the cruise is perfectly geared up for people intent on a four-day festival mash-up.
We ate, slept and partied when we wanted, all with expertly organised ease and comfort.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve yearned for a cosy bed when crawling into a wet tent at 7am, let alone a clean toilet or warm shower.
Or how I’ve dreamt of room service bringing me a hangover-quenching icy drink first thing in the morning. Beers
All of these things are possible on The Ark. The ready-made luxury of a cruise liner makes everyone feel like a VIP.
This luxury element was a massive pull, even for the DJs, the Belgian organiser Tijs Vandenbroucke tells me over a beer on the top deck.
“You can’t get these facilities at any festival in the world,” he says.
“This is a city, it has everything at every time of the day.”
Tijs was one of the founding members of the worldfamous Tomorrowland festival and was headhunt-
ed by The Ark’s investor. He was so convinced by the concept he ploughed his own money into it.
He says: “People like to have a unique experience.
“You don’t have to think about how to get home or think about driving the car. It’s a perfect party.”
Our stunning vessel, the Freedom of the Seas, is enormous and dwarfs every other liner docked in the ports we visit.
The first stop was the French city of Marseille where we pulled in at 7.30am.
I was among the few who made it off the boat that day after a heavy first night and we sank leisurely beers in the old port and people-watched at the Friday markets.
Many more disembarked on day two for Ibiza, undoubtedly one of the highlights.
The Ark laid on plenty of excursions, such as cycling and kayaking tours, but we headed straight for the old town for tapas and Hierbas, a syrupy liqueur famed on the White Isle.
We even had time for a quick afternoon dance at the iconic Bora Bora beach club at Playa d’en Bossa.
Back on board, we party the days and nights away at seven stages across 14 decks.
When we did take some time out, there was plenty to do.
Sauna
There were chilled-out yoga sessions at the front of the boat and games of mini golf or basketball on a court at the back.
Those bold enough chanced the surf simulator or scaled the climbing wall.
Money was lost and won in late-night casino sessions and hangovers were sweated out in the sauna.
The amazing 1,500 crew seemed to revel in the novelty of the boat’s alternative clientele.
Attentive waiters might be pouring your wine one minute and dancing with you to Donna Summer’s I Feel Love the next.
Cruises are famous for their cuisine and our ship, run by Royal Caribbean, is among the best.
The casual Windjammer buffet restaurant was packed with quality food.
Spicy Malaysian curries, fresh sushi, sugary desserts, joints of beef and crisp salads – almost anything and everything you could wish for.
For guests looking for an even more exclusive dining experience, there was an option to pay £91pp extra for a meal cooked by Dutch two Michelin-star chef Nick Bril.
There were other eateries offering Italian and Mexican food, and an “experience” evening with roller skating waiters.
Plans are already in place for the next two years with a possibility of extending the voyage or taking a different route.
In a saturated landbased festival market The Ark truly does offer something else.
It’s bonkers, pioneering and it’s got bucket loads of potential.