Event: A.M.Nesia
Promoter: DC Carnival Experience 
Location: Alexandria Marina, Alexandria, VA
Date: Sunday June 28th 2015

Without there being a "road" experience in DC, one cannot really call the phenomenon in DC which happens in June, "carnival."  However, it is an experience and can be categorized and appropriately called, the "DC Carnival Experience."  With that being said, as with most carnivals the great crescendo per the culminations of fetes and activities is the road. 

In DC, there is no road experience so I was left to ask, "What's the exclamation point of the week?" 

Immediately I was informed, "The Boat Ride!"

I wanted to know what boat ride they were speaking of so I did what most people do. I got on my phone and googled "dc carnival boat ride."

And here's what I found -- Promo Video

That is when I decided to go to DC Carnival and put in my request to work on that weekend for Team TriniJungleJuice.

And here's my review of the A.M.Nesia boat ride.

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The Arrival
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First and foremost, I was WARNED to arrive early.

I was told of several cases and stories of people running toward the boat as the boat was pulling off in previous years because people wanted to be either "fashionably late" or they thought that the time mentioned for the commencement of the boat ride was a "loose time." 

Here's your fair WARNING!!!  It is not. 

This boat ride WILL leave you if you are not on time!

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On Board
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Most parties have a warmup period before they start. I make sure to mention those that don't and those fetes where the action starts immediately. 

This boat ride started off the right way. 

And it started off in my most favorite way.......

It started off with the food.

The food was great and plentiful. There was plenty of jerk chicken wings and other foods that satisfied the guests.  Also the lines for drinks moved quickly and smoothly.  

The boat had 2 levels and food and drinks were available on both levels which really streamlined the service. I have no recommendation of how they could do it better and I heard no complaints.  This boat ride started off nice and smooth.  The music was playing, the drinks were flowing and the food was being served.

Perfect.

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Now onto the sounds
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The DJ line up was absolutely perfect on this boat ride.  Everybody has their favorite DJ, I can dig that. I have several. But if I was going to create an Amnesia Boat Ride DJ team, the people that were on the 1s and 2s on this boat ride would have most certainly been on the team.

All the DJs that were on the boat are nationally and internationally renowned but the way they were stacked for the Team AMnesia boat ride was genius.

DJ SPRANG....

First, you have DJ Sprang. Now if you've been to any soca or reggae fete in the Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia area in the past 25 years then you have heard of DJ Sprang as well as his friends DJ Bimshire and Spyda the DJ. As a Howard University alumnus, I remember DJ Sprang and his parties, well!!  Sprang is an international DJ and frequents some of the well known "big trucks" in Trinidad. His DJing style fits his personally.  He's very observant, not quiet but definitely not loud, and somewhat reserved.  He's super perceptive and knows the right time to deviate from what he had planned to play in order to give the crowd exactly what they need.  During the DC carnival experience weekend, I had the opportunity to watch young DJs and older, seasoned ones. And the ones like Sprang understand that every song doesn't need to make the party jump up and wine.  He understands that every DJ in the line up through the course of the whole event (in this case, the AMnesia boat ride) has a role to play to make the whole event a success.  Case in point, if you are playing the music, while everyone is eating, THAT IS NOT the time to play "Palance" or "Like A Boss."  The seasoned vets like Sprang know this.  If I had to describe his style on the boat ride, I'd call him a "Snake Charmer."  He makes the people move and they don't even know why they are two stepping and chipping.

DJ PANTRIN VYBZ

DJ Pantrin Vybz was probably the most impressive DJ all weekend - PERIOD! So many people were impressed with him during the weekend and with his skills. And at AMNesia he did not disappoint.  I think what's more important about his style is his ability to take the crowd from "zero" to "hero" in a matter of seconds. His energy takes an already hyped up crowd and makes it a hyped up crowd on soca steroids.  On the boat ride, I'm really not sure if it was the waves rocking the boat or his tremendous DJing skills.

DJ Private Ryan

As always..... "When yuh see Private Ryan In De Place... PARTY DONE!"  I really don't have to write about Ryan because we all know how Ryan does do and he did not disappoint.  He's a vibes specialist.

DJ Hazzard

DJ Hazzard is probably one of the most underrated DJs in the game. He is most certainly well known, especially in the DC, MD and Virginia areas, but many people don't know exactly how good he is.  On the boat ride he shut de whole place down!!!

All in all, it was great to see all 4 of these gentlemen work together. Without ego but with a healthy sense of competition.

=================
Biggup To The DC
Carnival Experience Crew
=================

And I give much respect to the promoters, DC Carnival Experience, because they could have easily just booked one DJ for the whole boat ride or 1 main person and a lesser known DJ to hold the crowd down until the "main" DJ showed up but they did not do that.  The brought 4 FIRST CLASS DJs on the boat to entertain their customers and it was appreciated.

Greatly appreciated.

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Twos and fews
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The food was solid. Plenty of protein. And you know me, I'm big on having some quality food. If it's not good, I will tell you because I like to eat. And the food here was SOLID. Very good. I saw many people with plates and plates of food. And the food did not run out. Everyone ate and once again, there were no complaints.  Service was smooth as well.

The bathrooms. I cannot remember exactly how many bathrooms were on the boat but I do remember that there were some waiting at time but there were no major lines for the restroom. For the amount of people on the boat, the bathrooms were suffice. And they were clean.

The vibes.  The vibe was "easy like Sunday morning."  There's something about that $100 price point and the closer you get to it that creates a certain element that most seem to enjoy.  The vibe was nice and classy.  Very similar to Ultra Glow but better. It seemed like the DC Carnival Experience fetes got better as the week progressed.  The events were CLASSY and so was the boat ride.

The space.  Plenty of space.  There party was butt to butt and cheek to cheek on the upper deck, but on the lower deck there was plenty of space. I spent the first 2 hours upstairs and then the last part of the boat ride on the lower deck. I had a ball!!!!

The drinks.  I knocked back about 11 Diet Cokes and was having a great time.  I don't drink but I do appreciate when the bar has diet coke, coke zero and other zero calorie beverages.  And I did not wait not once for my drinks. I walked up and was served with no problem.

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I Can't Lie.....
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Many of the events during the carnival week in DC were nice. AMNesia was my favorite.

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Closing
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If you do DC Carnival THIS is the event that you should NOT miss.

Blessings From Here To There,

Rhadi Ferguson, PhD
"The Carnival Doctor"
Instragram - @TheCarnivalDoctor
www.TheUltimateRoadReadyGuide.com

P.S. For the best information in the world concerning carnivals please visit www.TriniJungleJuice.com  For the most comprehensive site available for fete tickets and masquerader costumes, please visit www.MyCarnivalBands.com

P.P.S. For more information on how to properly prepare for carnival like a true veteran, please visit www.CarnivalPrep.com