Ubersoca Cruise 2018 Highlights
In November 2018, UberSoca Cruise returned with two sailings from Miami, Florida to Labadee, Haiti, bringing thousands of Soca lovers together aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas for one of the Caribbean music scene’s largest destination experiences.
The 2018 edition featured more than 45 events, including live concerts, themed parties, J’Ouvert, Mas, pool parties, comedy, sporting activities and panel discussions, with a massive roster of Soca artists and DJs from across the Caribbean and its diaspora.
Julianspromos originally promoted the 2018 cruise ahead of departure and later documented moments from the experience through multiple videos, preserving performances, artists and the atmosphere aboard the November 1–5 sailing from Miami to Labadee, Haiti.
UberSoca Cruise Heads to Haiti
The first 2018 sailing departed Miami on November 1, 2018, beginning several days of nonstop Soca aboard the Mariner of the Seas before returning on November 5.
A second sailing followed, extending the UberSoca experience across another several days at sea.
The cruise combined the atmosphere of Caribbean Carnival with life aboard a major cruise ship, creating an environment where Soca music, live performances and themed events continued throughout the day and well into the night.
Labadee became one of the defining destinations of the first sailing, with passengers leaving the ship for a major J’Ouvert experience surrounded by live music, DJs, riddim sections, beach activities and Carnival energy.
Sail Away Party – Ship 1, Day 1
UberSoca Cruise 2018 officially got underway aboard Ship #1 on November 1, 2018 with the Sail Away Party, kicking off the journey from Miami toward Labadee, Haiti.
As the ship departed Miami, passengers gathered for the first major fete of the cruise, setting the tone for several days of nonstop Soca, live performances, themed parties and Carnival experiences at sea.
The surviving Julianspromos footage captures the opening-day atmosphere aboard the ship and provides a look at the very beginning of the November 1–5 sailing before the cruise moved into its packed schedule of pool parties, concerts, J’Ouvert and other events.
Rum & Water Pool Party – Ship 1, Day 2
On Day 2 of Ship #1, UberSoca Cruise brought the fete experience poolside with the Rum & Water Pool Party, one of the daytime events aboard the November 1–5 sailing.
The party transformed the ship’s pool deck into a full Soca fete at sea, with passengers surrounding the pool, dancing and enjoying nonstop music as the cruise continued toward Labadee.
The surviving Julianspromos footage gives another look beyond the headline concerts, capturing the daytime party atmosphere that helped make UberSoca Cruise an immersive Carnival experience rather than simply a series of performances.
Bunji Garlin Live on Ship #1
Among the major artists documented by Julianspromos was Bunji Garlin, one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most internationally recognized Soca performers.
The surviving Julianspromos footage captures Bunji performing aboard Ship #1 during the Miami-to-Labadee sailing.
Bunji’s appearance came during an event packed with major Soca artists from across the Caribbean, adding one of the genre’s most recognizable voices to an already extensive performance lineup.
By 2018, Bunji had spent more than two decades helping shape modern Soca while also reaching audiences far beyond the traditional Carnival circuit.
His UberSoca performance remains another piece of that international touring history preserved within the Julianspromos archive.
More Than 40 Soca Artists
The size of the 2018 artist roster reflected how much UberSoca Cruise had grown.
Performers associated with the 2018 edition included Kes The Band, Bunji Garlin, Nailah Blackman, Voice, Kerwin Du Bois, Destra Garcia, Lyrikal, Skinny Fabulous, Shal Marshall, Alison Hinds, Ricardo Drue, Patrice Roberts, Farmer Nappy, Lil Rick, Rupee, Ravi B, Asa Bantan, Fadda Fox, Mr Killa, Sekon Sta, Hypasounds, Marzville, V’ghn, Teddyson John, King Bubba and Peter Ram, among many others.
The lineup brought together Soca veterans, major Carnival hitmakers and artists representing islands throughout the Caribbean.
Rather than relying on only a handful of headline performances, UberSoca Cruise created an environment where live Caribbean music remained a constant part of the experience.
DJs From Across the Caribbean Diaspora
The DJs were just as important to the atmosphere aboard the ship.
The 2018 lineup included names such as Private Ryan, DJ Puffy, Barrie Hype, International Stephen, Dr. Jay, Kevin Crown, Tony X, Young Chow, Back To Basics, Freeze International, Jester, Crown Prince, Giselle, Jus-Jay, DJ Ana, D Bandit, Majestic and Ryan Sayeed.
With multiple parties and activities happening throughout the ship, DJs kept the music moving between live performances and helped connect audiences with Soca from across different islands and Carnival seasons.
The result was an event where there was rarely a clear separation between concert, fete and Carnival.
J’Ouvert in Labadee
One of the defining experiences of the first sailing took place after passengers arrived in Labadee, Haiti.
The destination hosted a major J’Ouvert experience with performances, DJs and riddim sections alongside the beach setting.
Artists connected to the Labadee festivities included Kes The Band, Nailah Blackman, Asa Bantan and Lil Rick.
For passengers, the day combined several elements of Caribbean Carnival: live performances, dancing, music, water, beach activities and J’Ouvert energy.
It also gave UberSoca Cruise 2018 a distinctive destination identity rather than keeping the entire experience aboard the ship.
Carnival at Sea
UberSoca Cruise was built as much more than a concert cruise.
The 2018 schedule included Mas, J’Ouvert, themed fetes, live performances, formal events, panel discussions, sporting activities and late-night parties, compressing many elements of a traditional Carnival season into several days at sea.
One of the standout themed events was the Bacchanal Ball, where passengers embraced African-inspired formal wear.
There was also Midnight Mas, creating another Carnival-style experience aboard the ship.
These events encouraged passengers to participate rather than simply observe performances from an audience.
UberSoca was designed as an immersive Soca environment.
A Global Soca Gathering
The cruise also reflected how international the Soca community had become by 2018.
Artists and DJs came from across the Caribbean, while passengers traveled from multiple countries and diaspora communities to participate.
A ship departing Miami could therefore bring together performers and audiences connected to Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, St. Lucia, the wider Caribbean, North America and Europe within a single experience.
UberSoca Cruise helped turn that international network into a temporary Carnival community at sea.
Julianspromos and UberSoca Cruise
UberSoca Cruise became an important recurring event within the later Julianspromos archive.
Julianspromos had already documented and promoted earlier editions of the cruise and would continue covering the event after 2018.
The original UberSoca Cruise 2018 Julianspromos article was published ahead of the sailing, providing information about the itinerary, artists, DJs and planned events.
Once the cruise took place, the surviving video coverage added another layer to that story.
Rather than preserving the original promotional article and later videos as disconnected pieces, this rebuilt archive feature brings them together into one historical record.
Three Surviving Julianspromos Videos
Three pieces of original Julianspromos footage are preserved with this archive feature.
The Sail Away Party captures the beginning of Ship #1 on November 1, 2018.
The Rum & Water Pool Party documents the daytime fete atmosphere on Day 2.
The Bunji Garlin live performance captures one of the major Soca artists appearing during the same sailing.
Together, the three videos provide a broader look at the cruise than any single clip could offer, preserving both the party experience and live-performance side of UberSoca Cruise 2018.
Preserving the UberSoca Era
More than seven years later, the 2018 cruise represents a particular moment in the growth of Soca destination events.
Traditional Carnivals remained the center of the culture, but experiences such as UberSoca showed that the Carnival model could also travel to cruise ships, resorts and international destinations.
Artists who normally crossed paths during Trinidad Carnival or regional festivals were now sharing several days aboard the same ship with fans from around the world.
The surviving Julianspromos footage captures part of that transition.
What originally served as current event promotion and video coverage now functions as a historical record of how Soca entertainment continued expanding beyond traditional venues during the late 2010s.
From the Julianspromos Archives
UberSoca Cruise 2018 – Miami to Labadee, Haiti is preserved as part of the Julianspromos Archives, documenting Caribbean music, Carnival, artists, DJs and entertainment culture across more than a decade of original coverage.
The November 2018 sailings brought together dozens of Soca artists and DJs aboard the Mariner of the Seas, combining live performances, J’Ouvert, Mas, themed parties and Caribbean culture between Miami and Labadee.
The surviving Julianspromos footage preserves three different sides of the Ship #1 experience: the Sail Away Party on Day 1, the Rum & Water Pool Party on Day 2, and Bunji Garlin live aboard the cruise.
Together with the original Julianspromos article, these videos preserve another chapter in the international growth of Soca and the evolution of Caribbean destination events.
