As Backstreet fans we all get this question on a regular basis. As we quickly approach cruise #6 I continue to get asked, "Another Backstreet cruise?"
I find I'm met with different types of responses from family, friends and colleagues. Some are supportive of my fangirl life; some even jealous and wish they were just a fraction as passionate about something as I am about BSB; but a good majority of the time I'm met with some sort of judgment. The fact that I'm a grown woman in her 30's and choose to spend my money and vacation time 'chasing a boyband around' seems like a foreign concept to many. Meanwhile I don't judge others who say go to the same beach every year or spend their money on designer clothes or whatever it is that floats their boat.
Well what is the draw of a Backstreet cruise? For me it's the magic, an escape, and the memories.
There's just something magical in the air as soon as you land in the Miami airport. You know you're about to start the trip of a lifetime. You look around the airport and try to spot other fans who also headed to the cruise - needing to freak out with others who just get it. That magic continues to escalate as you reach the port and see a room full of fans who all share the same love as you do. And nothing tops that feeling of when you actually see the boys for the first time boarding the ship. You pinch yourself for reassurance that you are not dreaming...you are in fact going on a cruise with the Backstreet Boys. As you walk up the gangway and get ready to board the ship yourself...in that moment the possibilities and hopes of everything that's to come over the next 4 magical days is euphoric. It's like a drug.
As I get older and face more responsibilities from work, family life and just general adulthood - I can escape all of my cares from back home. Even though its for a short time, for those 4 days I can be 13 years all over again. I can let go of that day to day stress and completely unplug. Being in the middle of the ocean with 2000 fans and the 5 boys who got me through my adolescence is just such a surreal environment that no one else can understand if you haven't been there. It's unlike a concert and it's unlike any other cruise. It's just a super unique experience and for me - it offers me an opportunity to get away and simply recharge my batteries for life. And everyone needs that.
This upcoming cruise will be my 6th Backstreet Boy cruise. Another question I get asked frequently is 'which was the best cruise?' Well I can find reasons for every cruise being my favorite, but in reality the first will always hold such a special place in my heart because it was the first. Experiencing that magic for the first time was absolutely surreal. 6 cruises later I find I need more and more to get that same 'high' if you will. It becomes harder to top the experiences I've had on each prior cruise. Yet somehow I manage to still have the time of my life each time I go.
And I'll be damned if I haven't made some of the best memories of my life on board these cruises. Memories with the boys, with my friends, and even just myself. I've taken a shot with Kevin. AJ has come visited my cabin. I've played blackjack with Howie. I've played beach games with Nick. I've had some really good conversations with Brian. And most importantly I've made some of my now best friends. So while I don't know what the future holds if the boys will continue to cruise or if I will be able to continue to go on them...I cherish every single memory I've made on board. Those memories are worth the world to me. And they are what keeps me coming back year after year.
So again, my answer to your question is a resound 'YES', and now I ask, do you want to come?
No comments:
Post a Comment