Wooo!! Let me just say, this is my second time attending Caribana but this time was TRULY amazing! I used what I learned the previous time and used it to my advantage. Hopefully this review will help you too.

REGISTRATION:

Registration was VERY easy! Carnival Nationz launched, about two weeks later, their costumes were posted on the website. Payment and registration was captured through Ticketgateway.com. The only thing I DID not like was the high fees on Ticketgateway. Tuh! Robbery!

COMMUNICATION:

Carnival Nationz communicated with their registrants through social media – like Instagram. Now if you’re not heavy on social media, then you will miss a lot of their messaging. Some ladies in my crew tried to get in contact with the section leaders via email and telephone regarding costume sizing and was unable to reach anyone. Carnival Nationz could improve in that area.

COSTUME PICKUP:

I received my costume pickup email a week prior to my date, and it worked for me in terms of me getting into Canada. The headache though was waiting ONE AND A HALF HOURS for my costume. I had never experienced such a long wait time before and i’m not even sure why it took so long, there was no explanation. My guess — they were putting the boxes together as people were picking up. The coordinator did a lot of running back and forth for our items. Headpieces, collars and bracelets were not all in the same place but rather had to be fetched. I would hate for an experience such as pick up to taint how great of a band Carnival Nationz is, but the Catz section CERTAINLY needed improvement on their pickup day.

COSTUME EXPECTATION/REALITY: 

I’ll admit, even though I liked the look of the costume, i wasn’t amazed by the costume. I wanted to play in white — since it’s a color I hadn’t tried before and decided to go with the Catz section. BUT TO MY SURPRISE!! I lovedddd this costume. This was by far my favorite costume I have ever had, and I have played mas many times. The costume was functional, it did not rip my stockings, it held up to my wining, it was gorgeous and hugged my frame perfectly.

THE ROAD – Food/Music/Staff/Vibes:

The road was nothing short of amazing. But first let me mention this, Caribana mas bands, DO NOT SERVE alcohol on their trucks, only juice and water so if you did not bring your own, this will be a dry carnival for you. With that being said, the music and vibes was AMAZING. I did not try the food because I got there after lunch was served so I have no opinion on that.

In conclusion, I had a wonderful time with my friends and look forward to returning to Caribana.

Yours in Mas