BackstreEtiquette aka Cruise Manners

Dear Zealous Backstreet Cruisers,

I am just as excited as you are about this cruise. In fact, I'm so excited about the cruise that I actually have an entire blog devoted to it. But I know some of us express our excitement in all sorts of different ways. So on behalf of your fellow fans, I wanted to call your attention to a few gentle reminders to make sure we all have a great time on board.

If you could please not push, shove, or step on us at any point throughout the cruise- we'd really appreciate it. It really kills the moment when we have to tend to our bleeding foot rather than soak up Howie's hotness. We know asking this of you would be like asking Howie not to wink, because we all know its still going to happen, but we're confident you have it in you to act like the adult you are. Speaking of acting like an adult, please know your limits when it comes to alcohol. We're fully supportive of you getting your drink on, but no one wants deal with a hot drunken mess stumbling back to their cabin. Please also keep your drinks in your cup and do your very best not to spill it on us. We're sympathetic to the occasional accident, as we've all been there before, but we spend a lot of time and money planning these outfits and none of us account for a huge beer stain on it.

We're all there for the same reason so let's try to show each other some respect. Yes, there will be a disproportionate amount of estrogen on board thus its inevitable we all won't get along. But lets be civil. No need to cause unnecessary drama and fight with other fans. We didn’t pay thousands of dollars to go on the cruise to hear your drama. We paid it to have a good time with our friends and see the Backstreet Boys. So let's get over it and move on.

Also, please don't vandalize our door decorations as we all work really hard on them. On that same note, lets not bad mouth other designs either, not everyone has the time or money to come up with masterpieces for their door.

We know you still have that small sliver of hope that you will one day be Mrs. Carter, but that gives you no right to treat their girlfriends/fiancés/wives with disrespect. They are people too. As are the Backstreet Boys. We love when the boys are kind enough to hang with us and do photos in their down time, but it really irks us when you shove a camera in their face for "just one more picture" when the timing is clearly not appropriate. Obviously all of us would love if they did "just one more picture" but sadly we all can't get our photo. You should be no exception to this.

It would also be really cool if you could listen to security and follow the rules. If security tells us that hugs aren't allowed, please don't think you are more special than everyone else and try to sneak a hug in anyway. You wouldn't think its fair if the tables were turned and you were the one who didn't get a hug, right? Great, glad we agree on this.

We don't think its cool when you run down the hallway screaming that you just saw AJ getting out of an elevator. It's even less cool when you do it at 5 in the morning when some of us are trying to sleep. We also don't think its really appropriate for you to follow the Backstreet Boys around the ship 24/7 like a lost puppy dog, to the extent where you camp outside their rooms all night or wait for them outside the bathroom. This is never okay.

And if you ever get that urge to cut in front of us for whatever reason, resist that urge. There's absolutely no good reason why you need to be in front of us fans who have already been waiting there for an hour. None.

I know we've already asked a lot of you. It's seems selfish to ask anything more. But one other thing- could you please not save seats for you and 20 of your closest friends at the pool, dinner, or anywhere else for that matter? We'll let it slide if you save a seat or two for your cabin mates, but anything beyond that just gets a little ridiculous. Especially if you save that prime lounge chair by the pool all day and only use it for 15 minutes.

Most importantly, we don't want to hear you whine and complain about some minute detail such as how you ordered a drink with no ice, and it came with ice. First of all, the cruise staff works incredibly hard to make sure you have the best trip possible. Instead you should be thanking them for waiting on you hand and food. And second, the rest of us are trying to experience the vacation of a life time and don't want to hear your negativity.

Thanks much for your cooperation!

Sincerely,
Your fellow cruisers