My Love/Hate Relationship with UberSoca Cruise (Part 1)

November 2019- “I got us; I’ll sign us up for D.A.M.M. (Dat Ain’t Missin’ Me). Just make sure that money ready ‘cause yall know USC bout to be asking for it. Won’t even let us enjoy Christmas before asking for some more money.”

Coming off my second UberSoca Cruise, I have to admit this was probably the most fun I’ve ever had on a trip. Between the deck parties, the free Miami Vices, the J’ouvert, Black Excellence EVERYWHERE, and me drinking a gallon of Crown Royal during the Hip-Hop night, I can’t decide which part of the USC experience is my favorite. 

December 2019 – “Yall see that email? I got the token…. COME ON YOU RAGGEDY ASS COMPUTER!!! Wait….. ok we good yall. We got our spot on the boat” 

Month after month, we get that email from support@ubersocacruise.com letting us know that our monthly payment (which is now considered a monthly bill since I’ve been paying it for the past 2.5 years) has processed. Another month of wondering when they will release the DJ and Artist lineup. Another month of wondering which costumes I will need to order. Another month of anxiety and anticipation. Because no matter who is performing, or what I’m dressed up as, it’s going to be a good time. 

January 2020 (RIP Kobe) – “Yall see that email? Rooms are available. Yall tryna get the balcony or the suite? COME ON YOU RAGGEDY ASS COMPUTER!!! Wait…… Ok we good yall. I got us the suite. We going all out this year.”

I have to admit, these past two years, USC has been able to pull it all together and make the cruise the highlight of my year and arguably the best cruising experience currently available (actually there’s no contest).

Eventually… We get the DAMM tokens. We get the rooms booked. We get the destinations. We get the set list. We get the costume list. And before we know it, we are $1,500 broker and it’s November and time to Fete.

All was good…. Until Corona showed up. 

February 2020- “Man yall hear about that Rona? They talking cancelling all cruises. Even talking about cancelling the NBA so you know it’s real.”

Out of seemingly nowhere, COVID-19 hit America. It started with one confirmed case. Then there were 8. Then 15. Hold up, somebody DIED from it? 45 said we had it handled and it would be gone in a matter of weeks. 

March 2020 – “Yall see that email? We gone be good. They implementing “health screenings” to keep us safe……………….. so y’all tryna cancel? Me neither. I’m still gonna go if they sail.”

Before we knew it, Corona started to spread. Thousands, then hundreds of thousands of people began to show symptoms or test positive for it. Schools started closing. Then stores and gyms. Even the churches closed. Entire cities across the country began to implement curfews and quarantines to “flatten the curve”.  

Next, the layoffs came. 20 million people were out of a job and over 2 million people filed for unemployment. They shut the Las Vegas Strip down completely. At one point, the only stores left open were those selling food, guns, or weed. 

April 2020 - “Yall see that email? They talking about postponing it to a later date. Yall still tryna pay them? We might not ever see that money again if we stop paying now. We gotta pay UberSoca Man and UberSoca Man gotta pay Royal Caribbean Man and you know Royal Caribbean Man done already spent it. I’m still gonna go if they sail though.”

As the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 500,000 cases and over 25,000 deaths, it was hard to not be impacted in some way. Some of us went to work every day and wished we didn’t have to. Others were sent home and wished they could go to work. Some people got sick. Others, unfortunately, passed away.

A lot USC attendees were laid off and needed all disposable funds for bills and other essentials. Others didn’t even have it to give if they wanted to. And then there were those who just didn’t feel safe getting on a ship in the midst of the biggest pandemic of our lives. 

 We all faced, and continue to face, some harsh realities and decisions about traveling, work and our lives. UberSoca Cruise was the last thing on our mind…. But it was still on our mind.

We weighed the pros and cons of stopping all future payments. We thought about our health and we weighed that against the thought of the much needed vacation waiting for us at the end of this disaster we call 2020.

May 2020 – “Yall see that email? Remdesivir?? Child please. And they talking about we don’t have to pay this month if we don’t want to but we still can’t get a refund. Ima just pay it cause I’m still gonna go if they sail.”

It’s no surprise that those in power made it a Red and Blue issue. Folks stormed government buildings with AR-15s (yall already know which folks that was) demanding that the economy open back up. But how can we open up the country when people are still dying? What about a vaccine? Oh… folks not gonna take the vaccine (yall already know which folks that is)? So what do we do?

Keep paying and hope USC refunds our money? Sign some silly ass petition that Nate couldn’t care less about? Keep paying and praying? We just have to wait…

As the number of confirmed cases pass 1.5 million and the number of COVID related deaths surpass 100k, We wait…. 

As cruises get ready to start sailing again in the upcoming months, We wait…

As Mexico and Belize look at America with the biggest of side-eyes…

We wait…

To be continued…

It’s about time.

I took my first solo trip on August 23rd, 2016. I had taken a few trips with friends or an ex or two and had been contemplating really traveling for years but would always find an excuse as to why I couldn’t. Finally, after convincing myself that I would not be kidnapped by foreigners and forced to phone home begging for ransom money, I got on Skyscanner and book the cheapest international flight that I could find: Belize.

Caye Caulker 2016

I booked my flights (without selecting my seats like a rookie [which I still do today]). I picked the second cheapest Airbnb that I could find (another fool ass mistake) and counted down the days. I’d be on my way in less than 2 weeks.

So there I was….. blah blah blah… This post actually isn’t about my first trip. It’s actually about how it took me nearly 4 years before I started this blog.

I’ve always been a fan of reading other travelers blogs and watching their YouTube videos. I always found it honorable how they would take the time to document their experiences for the amusement of others. How they would take time out of their post-trip days to put together a digestible version of their experience for others. After visiting 5 continents, 28 countries, 23 states, I’ve realized the blogs, videos and instagrams post are just as much for the creator as it is for the consumer.

I take my pictures. I go on my excursions and tours. I eat the local foods. I hang with friends. I dance in clubs. I swim with sharks. I stand on frozen waterfalls. I drink my crown. I do what I once thought was impossible.

And then it’s over.

I go home with all of these memories in my head, dissipating with each passing day. I can’t remember the much of Germany outside of Berlin Wall and the bratwurst being good as a mf.

Berlin, Germany 2017

I don’t remember much about El Salvador other than hiking a volcano (I don’t remember the name of it) and the nice ass hotel that I stayed in for $40 bucks a night (honestly there wasn’t much to see out there).

San Salvador, El Salvador 2019

While I am extremely content with my life, there is nothing like stepping out of this world of mine and into another’s. Learning new things in new places. Taking time to reflect on my life and what’s important. Unplugging from America’s system and immersing myself into a different one; a different system with different rules. Expanding my limits and beliefs.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”

-Robyn Yong

Travel is life. Travel is my high.

I need to remember these highs.