Cruise Itineraries 2018

Rose Tours made us sweat it out this year, but, better late than never!

BACKSTREET BOYS Cruise 2018 Itinerary

Day One: Thursday, May 3^th, 2018

12:00PM – 3:30PM                Arrival Onboard the Carnival Cruise Ship Sensation

3:30PM – 4:30PM                  Mandatory Emergency Boat Drill

4:45PM                                   Sail Away with BSB on Lido & Verandah Decks

6:00PM                                   Dinner Group A

6:00PM                                   Doors Group B                                                                   Fantasia Lounge

6:30PM                                   Double Trouble Game Show Group B                             Fantasia Lounge

8:15PM                                   Dinner Group B

9:00PM                                   Doors Group A                                                                    Fantasia Lounge

9:30 PM                                  Double Trouble Game Show Group A                             Fantasia Lounge

11:00PM                                 Deck Party Groups A&B with DJ                                             Lido Deck 10

1 Hour Cocktail Party Open Bar from 12:00AM – 1:00 AM                         

Tonight’s Theme is “Fast times at Backstreet High”

Other Activities will be added, please check Carnival’s Fun Times for times and locations.

THE FANTASIA LOUNGE IS AT FULL CAPACITY. NO SEATING CHANGE REQUESTS CAN BE ACCOMMODATED

Day Two: Friday, May 4^th, 2018 – Day at Sea

11:00AM                                 Photo Session Group B                                                      Plaza Aft Lounge

4:15 PM                                  Doors open Group B                                                            Fantasia Lounge

4:45PM                                   AJ Goes Country & Sneak Peak with Kevy Kev – Group B         Fantasia Lounge

                                                (ABSOLUTELY NO CELL PHONES , CAMERAS OR BAGS WILL BE PERMITTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. GUESTS WILL BE SUBJECT TO SEARCH WITH METAL DETECTORS UPON ENTRY)

6:00PM                                   Dinner Group A

8:15PM                                   Dinner Group B

8:30PM                                   Doors Open Group A                                                          Fantasia Lounge

9:00PM                                   BSB: Storytellers Group A                                                     Fantasia Lounge

11:00PM                                 Deck Party Groups A&B with DJ                                             Lido Deck 10

Tonight’s Theme is “We Got it Going Con”

Other Activities will be added, please check Carnival’s Fun Times for times and locations.

THE FANTASIA LOUNGE IS AT FULL CAPACITY. NO SEATING CHANGE REQUESTS CAN BE ACCOMODATED

Day Three: Saturday, May 5^th, 2018 –Grand Turk

ENJOY YOUR FREE DAY IN GRAND TURK. BE BACK ON BOARD THE SHIP BY 5:30 PM

5:30PM                                   Cinco De Howie D                                                                 Lido Deck 10

6:00PM                                   Dinner Group A

8:15PM                                   Dinner Group B

9:30PM                                   Doors Open Group B                                                           Fantasia Lounge

9:45PM                                   BSB: Storytellers Group B                                                     Fantasia Lounge

11:30PM                                 Deck Party Groups A&B with DJ                                             Lido Deck 10

Tonight’s Theme is “Millennium Night”

Other Activities will be added, please check Carnival’s Fun Times for times and locations.

Day Four: Sunday, May 6^th, 2018 – Day at Sea

10:00AM – 3:00PM                Blackjack Tournaments                                                                        Casino

11:00AM                                 Photo Session Group A                                                     Plaza Aft Lounge

2:30PM                                   BSB HQ with Nick                                                                 Lido Deck 10

3:30PM                                   Doors Open Group A                                                          Fantasia Lounge

4:00PM                                   AJ Goes Country & Sneak Peak with Kevy Kev – Group A         Fantasia Lounge

                                                (ABSOLUTELY  NO CELL PHONES, CAMERAS OR BAGS WILL BE PERMITTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. GUESTS WILL BE SUBJECT TO SEARCH WITH METAL DETECTORS  UPON ENTRY)

6:00PM                                   Dinner Group A

6:00PM                                   Doors open Group B                                                            Fantasia Lounge

6:30PM                                   Game Night with Mr. & Mrs. Littrell & Guests                  Fantasia Lounge

7:30PM                                   BSB Casino Night – Final Tournament Tables                                    Casino

8:00PM                                   Doors Open Group A                                                     Fantasia Lounge           

8:15PM                                   Dinner Group B                                                                   

8:30PM                                   Game Night with Mr. & Mrs. Littrell & Guests                  Fantasia Lounge

10:00PM                                 Deck Party Groups A&B with DJ                                             Lido Deck 10

Tonight’s Theme is “Party like it’s 1993”

Other Activities will be added, please check Carnival’s Fun Times for times and locations.

THE FANTASIA LOUNGE IS AT FULL CAPACITY. NO SEATING CHANGE REQUESTS CAN BE ACCOMMODATED

Day Five: Monday, May 7^th, 2018

Day of Debarkation

8:00AM                                   Arrive at Miami Cruise Terminal

Merchandise Store Hours:

The Merchandise store is in the Library on Atlantic Deck 8

Day One: Friday May 3, 2018

5:30PM – 11:30PM

Day Two: Friday May 4, 2018

9:00AM – 11:30PM

Day Three: Saturday May 5, 2018

5:30PM – 11:30PM

Day Four: Sunday May 6, 2018

9:00AM – 10:00PM

Hospitality Desk Hours:

The Hospitality Desk is Midship on Promenade Deck 9

Day One: Friday May 3, 2018

1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

5:00PM – 8:00PM

Day Two: Friday May 4, 2018

4:00PM – 7:00PM

Day Three: Saturday May 5, 2018

6:00PM – 8:00PM

Day Four: Sunday May 6, 2018

6:00PM – 8:00PM

In Your cabin tune into your exclusive BSB Channel 21

My Take
Phew, lots to digest here!

Let's start with the new events. 'AJ Goes Country & Sneak Peak with Kevy Kev'. Given how strict they are with the whole 'no cameras or phones' I assume we'll be getting a taste of new music. Given that I have 2 phones and a camera, part of me wanted to sneak in a device, but they seem to mean business if they're making us go through a metal detector. Yikes! But the other part of me will feel a sense of relief not having to worry about taking pictures and filming the events. Just enjoy some new music from 2 of my faves :) And historically I've loved the solo events where the guys sing. They can do some more unreleased stuff and things we don't normally get to hear.

Next up is Cinco De Howie. Sounds generic enough but it also sounds a bit like his 'Rum DMC' event. I imagine it'll involve Howie and alcohol and more Howie and more alcohol. I wasn't the biggest fan of his Rum DMC event, so hopefully this event will have a bit more to it than watching him play beer pong. Granted whatever he does, I'll be there!

BSB HQ with Nick. So best that I can infer is that this will be based on the popular trivia game/app - HQ trivia. The good news is that I do play that app/game and the bad news is I have yet to win. Grrr. But with Nick hosting and the questions being BSB related, I maybe just maybe will be pull this off.
For those of you who don't know what HQ trivia is all about - its a game show where they ask 12 multiple choice questions where everyone gets to play until they guess a wrong answer. Last ones standing will split a pot of money. If that's what they intend to do here, I love that it gives everyone a chance to play. Of course you never know, so we shall see!

Last but not least is Game Night with Mr. & Mrs. Littrell & Guests. Of course that last word is the most intriguing here. "& Guests," huh? How does one get to be a guest? Hopefully this means fan involvement in some way. This sounds like it'll be a fun time. Anytime you give Brian a mic you know you'll have some good laughs.

Seems like we're getting lots of game shows this year... Double Trouble Game Show being the main game show with all the boys. I honestly don't have any guesses on this one but I'm sure it'll involve some good laughs as well.

Last but not least is BSB: Storytellers. It appears that this will be our concert. From my understanding the New Kids did a concert similar to this where they take about some of their songs with stories and anecdotes, then sing them. I'm honestly thrilled they're not copping out and doing the Vegas set because I was a bit worried they would. I'm glad that they realize they are on a ship with all of their super fans and we don't need to see all their singles we've seen performed hundreds of time. Im happy we're getting something unique.


Of course I don't want to focus on what's not here, but I still can't help but be a bit upset we aren't getting a Q&A event nor a beach party. Those are 2 of my faves and the Q&A seems like such an easy event to put together....but that's okay. Hopefully they'll more than make it up to us with these other events.

Oh boy, cruisers. It's getting real!! See you on board in just 4 days!
 

AJ Blackjack Tournament Sign Ups

You know we're starting to get closer to cruise time because the blackjack tournament signups are here! In case you missed it, here is the email that went out:

Ever dream of playing blackjack on the High Seas?
Well, here is your chance.
 AJ is hosting his annual Blackjack Tournament.
For just $25 dollars (payable to the casino host on-board), you can have a chance to play for a cash prize and, more importantly, the chance of beating Mr. McLean himself

The top six chip winners from the qualifying rounds (starting in the casino at 10am) will test their skills in the grand finale.

The three players with the most chips will win cash prizes.

Submit your name, email address and dining time HERE.
We will randomly select among all entries. You will receive a schedule with your table time in advance.

Please submit your request by Friday, April 27th
Good luck!

What to Expect- Cliff Notes
I wrote a post a few years ago on 'What to Expect: AJs Blackjack Tournament' if you want more info. But I'll attempt a cliff notes version here as well. My credentials are that I've played in the tournament 3 times and made it to the finals to play with Howie once.

Basically you need to sign up via the link above. You will likely get an email a few days before the cruise with the schedule on when you're assigned time is. If you sign up, you do NOT have to participate if you choose later not to. Alternately they usually do accept last minute sign-ups as well. It costs $25 to play.

The tournament itself is structured that you will play at a table with other fans first. Everyone starts with the same amount of chips/money and the goal is to be among the top 6 players OVERALL in order to play with AJ, not just at the table. You will play through 7 hands and whoever has the most chips/money at the end will go on a leaderboard and go on to play with AJ. Definitely keep this in mind with your betting strategy.

From my anecdotal experience it seems that you dont need to be an experienced blackjack player to play. A lot of fans just want the chance to play with AJ and that's okay! So don't be intimidated because you don't know how to play. I recommend giving it a try, you never know.

Good luck!

Recap 2016: Day 4 Part 2 (Sea Day)

Just to be Close to You: A Guinness World Record Attempt
Once the question and answer session was done then it was time for our Guinness world record attempt where they would find out how many nationalities would fit in the hot tub. All of the girls were pre-selected and were all brought up to the front of the stage and given numbers.

Now as an American you're going to have to let me rant for one quick second here. I understand they were going for a Guinness world record attempt but the reality is because the Backstreet Boys are from the US, no US fans were even eligible to participate in this event. Not a huge deal, enough time has past so I'm over it. But it definitely sucks they had an event where a good number of fans were ineligible to participate. Yes I know there are many unfair things about the Backstreet fandom, I suppose this is just another to add to the list. But its my blog so I get to voice my opinion :) I just think there could've other sorts of records that would've at least given everyone the chance to participate.

Anyway...This event was actually more fun than I thought it would be. They had fun Caribbean music playing (even though we weren't in the Caribbean this year). AJ and Nick actually both got in the hot tub which probably threw our numbers off a little bit. The other thing that surprised me is that the other back she boys did stick around to watch the events unfold. I just assume that only one of the boys would participate in the rest with the retreat back to the safety and comfort of their cabin.

Brian and Kevin watching the festivities

Overall I felt like there was a lot of energy on deck and it was actually quite official with a Guinness officiator, or whatever they're title might be. They had AJ and Nick getting the crowd pumped. I was initially torn if I would attend this event because I wanted to get ready for the preferred event, but I was happy that I stuck around.

AJ getting ready to get in the hot tub

Preferred Event
During this time slot those cruisers who bought the more expensive cabins had the opportunity to go to a 'preferred event'. There was no description of what this event would entail, so it was a complete surprise to everyone. Meanwhile the other half of the ship had the chance to go to a BSB trivia with Rose Tours. I'm still kinda bummed I missed that. From what I heard not many folks showed up but it sounded cool.

Since Rose Tours never did send a survey, I'm going to voice my honest opinion of this event here. I need to at least have the illusion that my opinion might be heard. 

What was Supposed to Happen
For those of you who missed the event, I suppose I should start with the general concept of the event. It opened with their manager Jen entering the room and informing us that it was going to be a "chill mingling" event. The fans would stay put and the boys would mingle around the room. Everyone wildly cheers! We're all excited and naively optimistic that this is what would actually happen.

What Really Happened
Sadly that concept fell apart REAL quick. Unfortunately many of the boys couldn't really leave the front stage because fans were crowding around. Nick was the only one who actually attempted to mingle around the room. And he's only 1 boy, so he didn't get too far. Thus I'd say the first 20 minutes or so people generally played by the rules. Brian sat up front talking to a crowd of people while the other boys starting mingling and sitting at tables with fans.

I'd say around the 20 minute mark is when things started to go down hill. The boys who were mingling SLOWLY moved from table to table, some hitting the same group of girls who already had a boy visit. Brian never moved from the front of the stage. Fans started approaching the boys and crowding the front area, asking for pictures thus making it even harder for the boys to mingle. By the end of the event, fans were frantically asking the boys for pictures and I'd say at least half the fans in the room didn't get to interact with any Backstreet Boy. And sadly it was the fans who played by the rules and patiently waiting who didn't get anything.

My Personal Experience
I had a seat in the back and I waited patiently for the first maybe 15 minutes sipping my champagne (though my friends will probably tell you I wasn't that patient :P). Once we got into the 20 minute mark and beyond...I realized how slow the boys were moving around the room. I'm kind of a numbers gal and I started doing the math in my head and realized that this wasn't working quite as well as they had hoped and previously indicated. So now I'm getting more anxious by the minute, but still try to wait a bit longer to see what will happen. 5-10 more minutes pass and Nick starts heading towards the back. I think to myself, 'Great!' I love me some Nick, so that would make me a happy camper. Sadly he veered off in the other direction before coming my way and my heart sinks.

Back to square one.

Around 30 minutes in I'm more than a little worked up having 0 interactions with any Backstreet Boy and watching other girls in the front having a grand ole time. I ask one of the staff how long the event is and he told me an hour and that the clock was ticking. At this point I give up on being polite and sadly resolve to being part of the problem. I still feel bad about it, but I suppose I've been to other events in the past where I patiently waited and end up leaving with nothing. In general I struggle to find the balance between being respectful and playing by the rules, but being assertive as well. There have been a few too many instances where I leaned more towards polite and left with nothing. I wasn't about to pay as much as we did for a suite and not get anything for it.

Brian had been chatting with a bunch of fans up front for a while so I thought if nothing else, I could at least sit near him and hear him talk and be part of that conversation. By the time I got up there he was pretty much done chatting and now having a loose sort of line to briefly chat with him and take pics. So I hop in line and scoot my way up to the front. I had a nice little moment with him where he asked how I was enjoying the cruise. I told him I was having a great time, and that I always do have a great time on the cruise, but the crowds were a little more intense than what I'm used to from past cruises. He gave me knowing look and said he agreed with me. I felt like we shared a moment haha

Me and Brian <3

After having my nice moment with Brian, I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I had some interaction with a Backstreet Boy. But there was still time left and I wanted to make the most of my time. Howie wasn't too far away and he was also chatting with a group of girls. Once again, I figured that it'd just be neat to eavesdrop into the conversation. He was talking to some girls about filming Dead 7, what that was like. I asked him if he would consider doing a sort of sequel (totally not considering that they all pretty much died in the movie. Oopsies) But hopefully he understood what I meant. He said that he'd be open to doing a movie again in the future but no immediate plans at the moment. When he was finished chatting with all the girls, he took a few pictures with the girls at the table so I grabbed a pic as well. I still inadvertently blocked him a bit. Oopsies again!
 

Me and Howito

There was still some time left in the event but it was clearly turning into a shit show at this point. Fans were really upset because the boys were starting to leave and many people didn't get any interaction at all, which made me incredibly grateful for what I got. It just shouldn't have played out the way it did. Period.

Suggestions for Next Time
I would actually love to see them try this event again (though I doubt they ever would because of the backlash on this one). I truly loved the IDEA of this event, it sadly just failed in execution. The key here is the event just needed a few logistical modifications to make things run smoother:

• For starters they need to limit the number of people drastically. Maybe do Group A and Group B? There were simply too many fans in that room for the time allotted and only 5 backstreet boys. Something had to give.
• I also think they should ban cameras from that event so that fans cant take pictures...make it 100% about the mingling. Unfortunately as soon as we see the boys are taking selfies, everyone wants pics and then there's no mingling. I'm just as guilty. I think they should just have Justin go around and snap candid pics for us instead.
• The boys needed to spread out more. Since they all started in the front of the room, a few girls sitting up front had an amazing time because they had 3 backstreet boys visit. Meanwhile the fans on the side and in the back had no one. And sadly its the fans who played by the rules and patiently waited, ended up getting nothing. The other factor is that some of the boys *cough* Kevin *cough* sat and talked to the same group of girls for like 15-20 minutes. I know that's just Kevin being himself and I'm sure it was awesome for those girls (and I dont fault them at all!) But when there are a couple hundred fans in the room, it just doesn't work. I think staff should've helped manage the boys move around the room better.
• One idea if they were to do this again, I almost envision the event like 'Backstreet Speed Dating'. Every fan has a chair and can't get up, perhaps in small groups at tables. But the idea that there is a set time limit of 5-7 minutes with each group of fans, and when times up, the bell dings, and the boy moves to the next group of fans. I think it would make it fair and eliminate a lot of the chaos we experienced this time around.

Many of my friends, myself included, bought a more expensive cabin JUST for this event..hence the high expectations and unfortunate general outrage when the event fell short. As I said, it was a great concept, as I think many people agreed. I was lucky and at least got a few quick interactions/pics. A lot of people I know essentially paid $1000 for a glass of champagne. I remain optimistic with a few logistical changes it could be a great event in the future.

Dead 7 Screening: Q&A
Before the screening, my roommate told me that she ran into Howie near our cabin door and apparently he complimented our door too. Eeek!! I wasn't even thinking about how the other boys would respond to the door, but that was super nice to hear :)

So I have been literally running from event event all day (not complaining by any means!) and there was still more excitement ahead, thus I continued my Backstreet marathon. Running across the entire length of the ship. Again.

Given I had already seen the movie, the idea that it was a "premier" and something new and special was slightly lost on me. I didn't feel the burning need to be there right when it started. But I understand why Nick wanted to do this event for his international fans who hadn't gotten a chance to see the movie yet. Of course as a Nick girl, you bet I still wouldn't miss this. Particularly because I wanted to hear the Q&A. 
 
I sadly missed the first couple of minutes, and they didn't skip a beat and were well underway in the Q&A. 

Nick making a funny face

Sidebar - just putting on my logistical hat, I honestly don't know why they had the Q&A BEFORE they showed the clip. Wouldn't it make more sense to see the clip and THEN ask questions? Or is that just too practical? So unfortunately the key when I was supershort I think it lasted no more than 10 minutes and I had missed the first few because I was still coming from the last event.

If you have 10 minutes to kill and want to watch (pretty much) the entire Q&A (minus the part I missed in the beginning), here you go:

Start at 7.48 for a funny story

  

My favorite part was when Nick shared one of his ideas about creating a movie based with the following premise:

• Dark Comedy
• Inspired by the Cruise
• A fan kidnaps one of the Backstreet Boys, and according to Nick, "Let's just choose Howie"
• Howie thinks the boys will save him
• The Backstreet Boys hire someone like Liam Neeson to save Howie a la 'Taken'
• The rest of the boys don't care and continue tour and figure out who to replace him with

The last thing I'll mention about this event, I was super duper close to getting picked to ask a question. I was able to capture the attention of the person walking around with a microphone and she was standing right next to me. She literally had the mic pointed in my direction and I was going to be next. However Nick decided to cut the event and put the movie on at that point. So close but so far! I can I can't be the only one who has these sorts of close calls with the boys right? Oh well no big deal but still a bummer.

Blackjack Tournament Finals 
I decided to go to dinner a little late because I wanted to watch the final blackjack tournament. I couldn't pass me up some AJ. As a bystander, I wasn't able to get super close to really see what was going on. But I still enjoyed just watching on and seeing AJ play with some fans.

AJ playing blackjack at the tournament finals

50 Shades of BSB Leather & Lace Deck Party
So one of the last or rather the last events of the cruise was leather and lace night. Queue the sad music that it was the last event :( The guys were running super late for this one and it was a shame because I was so tired. 4 days of chasing the Backstreet Boys around Europe was finally catching up to me. 

Sadly, once again they had to move the event inside due to rain. Which I understand is out of anyone's control. But deck parties are just not the same when they are inside. I was a couple stories up and waiting for the boys to arrive. Eventually I got tired of standing, so I sat down and leaned up against the chair. I remember closing my eyes and my roommate later would tell me that I fell asleep. I didn't think I did, but I don't doubt that it was true.

Me and my roommates waiting for the boys

The boys finally arrives in and entered to the famous Fifty Shades of Grey music. I was still at this point unsure what to expect and where the evening was going to take us. The guys were all on stage and bought a few lucky fans up to interact with the boys.

I just don't even know how to really explain this events if you weren't there but wowser.

Surprisingly AJ disappeared for the first little bit of this event. I would've assumed of all the Backstreet Boys he would've been the most involved and excited about this particular theme party. And on the flipside I thought Brian was more engaged than I thought he would be. This event was interesting for me because I honestly was uncomfortable at points. Even Kevin made a comment about saying that he was done. I enjoyed watching from a far and was just waiting for the boys to make their nightly rounds for selfies.

Door Decoration Contest
So around at some ungodly hour I was tired and wanted to go back to the cabin to just rest for a few moments. And when I went back to the cabin I noticed there was something on my bed. Well lo and behold it there was a note sitting beside 4 bags. The note read…

We won!!

I couldn't believe it we had one the door decoration contest!!! I was almost so happy that I didn't care how ridiculous this handwritten note signed by " - BSB - " was. Seriously though, this looked liked the cabin steward scrawled this out before sliding it under our door.

This was just the icing on the cake because I felt that I had already gotten my prize when AJ came to the door earlier in the cruise. I also felt really good about winning because I was able to showcase my strength as a fan - which is my creativity. Some people can sing, some can dance, some are artistic. I'd like to think I can be creative when I need to be.

Plus, it was very nice to be acknowledged. We did work really hard on that door and I personally think it was probably one of the best ones on the cruise. And just to clarify for any one out there we did not win the year prior.

So we ended up winning a little swag bag of goodies that included stuff that you found in the merch shop. It included a water bottle, a hat, a metal and the tote bag. Heck - it was probably worth $100 or so.

Now Im dying to go find my roommates and share the good news! I scamper back to the atrium and I was able to find a few of them. I casually just slip them over the note and I enjoyed seeing their reaction. So we were all very excited to win!

Later that evening my cabin mates and I found ourselves near AJ as he was making his rounds. I already felt like I had more than enough pictures with AJ but given that we just found out that we won, we thought it would be nice to close out the cruise and just thank him again if we had that opportunity.

As even more AJ luck would have it, we did get the chance to not only get a picture with him but also let him know that we won and we wanted to thank him for picking us as the winners. He exclaimed 'how could it be anyone else.' It was very nice to have that last moment with AJ. That was the perfect way to end the cruise in my mind.

Me and masked AJ

AJ signed our winning notice

So at this point in the evening the crowds are starting to dwindle and the boys were peeling off one by one. I was desperately not wanting the night to end. Brian must've heard my inner dialogue because not soon after AJ left, Brian made his way around the corner. I don't recall saying a lot to him but I was able to get my final pic of the cruise.

My final pic of the cruise

We knew we had an early morning ahead of us and we wanted a few hours of sleep. The next morning we left the ship bright and early. The interesting thing that I would later realize is that the boys actually left after the majority of the cruisers debarked. Typically on Carnival cruises they've historically always been the first off the ship. I have to admit I really did want to get one last glimpse of the boys before I left, but sadly we wanted to get to the hotel. 

Post Cruise
Oh I feel like stepping back onto land after a backstreet boy cruises just such an indescribable feeling. It's just a mix of every emotion you can possibly experience at once. I'm sad that such an amazing event is over. I'm sad that something that I had been looking forward to for over a year had finally come to an end. I'm upset that I won't get to see some of my friends in a long time most likely until the next cruise in some cases. I'm happy for all of the amazing experiences that I was so fortunate to have had. Happy for all the pictures, seeing all my friends, making new memories. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. In a weird way I'm also relieved that I can finally get sleep and give my body some rest.

There's just no other feeling like leaving a BSB cruise.

Overall this was a good cruise for me and I made a lot of great memories. I'm so glad I was able to go on my FIFTH backstreet cruise and experience my first European BSB cruise. Yikes, i'm still in disbelief over the fact that I've been on 5 Backstreet cruises. I never thought in a million years I'd be so fortunate.

Recap 2016: Day 4 Part 1 (Sea Day)

The last day of this cruise was bittersweet because it's sad knowing the trip is coming to an end, but we had an action-packed day ahead of us.

Blackjack Tournament
There was barely time to eat breakfast this morning because I had to wake up to try my luck at blackjack with AJ. I was pretty excited about playing since the I did quite well last time and shockingly made it into the finals to play with Howie. So I definitely went in with confidence this time around perhaps a little too much confidence though.

I knew I would be back to back all day with a lot of fun events, which didn't really give me time to grab breakfast. So me in my fangirl brain decided to bring my breakfast down to the casino where I hunched over a slot machine to eat my eggs. I was totally getting weird looks from the dealers but I didn't care because some times we all do crazy things for BSB. 

I tried studying how the rounds were going and trying to pick up any tips or hints that would help. No sooner than I finished up my breakfast it was my turn to take a seat in the go for broke. So just like last time, it was seven hands and you were competing against everyone who was participating in the tournament. The top six players with then go on to play with AJ. So before my round was going I looked at leaderboard and knew where I had to be. It seemed doable at that point in the day but I also knew I had to shoot a little higher to make sure I would hold my spot. 

Unfortunately by the end of the second hand, I knew it was a lost cause which was really an upsetting feeling. I think my optimism and luck from last year made me think I could actually stand a chance but unfortunately I just didn't get the cards this year. There was one glimmer of hope that I still had and that was they would let you do a re-buy. So for those of you who might not be aware, a re-buy is when they'll let you pay another fee to try one more time. I was torn because I knew that the events on the pool deck we're going to be start starting very soon but at that same time might I knew it was feasible for me to actually have a chance to play with AJ and its something I really wanted.

I was waiting for what felt like eternity before I finally got my chance to play. Real Caribbean was definitely more strict than Carnival was a last year. During the past cruises on carnival they were a lot more lax when it came to these tournaments. You could practically come and go as you wanted. But nonetheless I wanted to play blackjack with AJ so I sat and waited not so patiently for my name to be called. Finally I heard my name called so I headed toward my seat at the table and prayed for better car cards this round. While I did do a lot better it sadly still wasn't quite enough to hit the leaderboard. Boo!

Friday Tease with AJ
So by the time my seven hands were over, AJ's event was getting ready to start up on the pool deck real soon so I bolted upstairs to see what kind of spot I could get. Surprisingly I was able to get kind of near the front of the stage Sean a few rows back which I was content with him considering I was running so late. I was super excited to see all of the solo events I think it's such a great chance for each of the boys to shine in their own spotlight.

Before we got our Friday tease, we actually had a little tease with Kevin. Mr. Perfectionist wanted to come up and do a soundcheck (surprise, surprise). It was quite endearing to see how nervous he seemed. You'd think someone who has been in the business as long as he has wouldn't be that nervous. Heck, even AJ and Brian both brought it up during their solo events.

So anyway, AJ was up first though many of us thought Brian was going to be first. No complaints from me! AJ explains that his Friday tease was going to be him singing songs off his new solo album he told us the release date was going to be in September if 2016 (which has obviously long and come and gone with no sign of any album). I swear AJ needs to finish a project. I love that man but he needs to actually finish something he starts because I keep getting my hopes up. One day I'll learn. Granted I can't stay mad at this face for too long...

AJ shared some stories about his new album as well as some of the songs off the album. I was so delighted to hear him sing you a good six or seven songs. They were all really fast and upbeat/ I think the major tone throughout all of those song's is that they were quite sexual in nature and some a little inappropriate. But of course I wouldn't expect anything else from AJ. I think one of my favorites was the title track, Naked. As he explains below, its about being vulnerable and exposed.

AJ performing the title track, Naked

He also sang 'Shot', 'Thousand Times (Billionaire)', 'Get On It', 'Love This' and 'Live Together'. You also have to remember that this was AJs first cruise solo events. In 2013 when he was supposed to do a solo event it got canceled due to rain. I really enjoyed seeing him in his element - shining apart from the rest of the boys. The other awesome part is that we got to hear brand new songs that have never been heard before. So all in all I really enjoyed AJ's event. Great songs, good vibe, and great way to kick off kind of the parade of solo events, if you well.

Feed the Body & Soul with the Littrells
The next boy to take the stage was Brian and of course he could not do his event without Leighanne by his side.

I love that Leighanne is wearing a BSB hat :)

This event was very 'Brian'. Fun but still a little different than I was anticipating. I was expecting a more lighthearted events with cooking stories and of course some of the poems that were submitted.

So I'll be honest I did submit a poem and I thought it was quite good if I do say so myself. I'm debating if I want to post it here so at least it wasn't written in vain.

Apparently the winners were notified on board because they had such a tough time narrowing down the list. And knowing that the winners were still not announced when we boarded gave me some hope. However after hearing all of the poems that were read throughout this event it seem like mine was not in the direction that Brian was clearly going for. I just figured on a cruise that they wanted something more lighthearted and fun so my poem went with more of a lighthearted tone. 

Some of the poems that were read during the event were more serious and actually quite sad. I think the fans' stories were very touching. Though I suppose if I was in charge of the event I would have probably gone for a more lighthearted tone. I just think in those sorts of situations, sitting around the pool, you want to laugh and have a good time. So again nothing against the fans with their stories, but perhaps I just wasn't in the mood to shed some tears.

Picture of Brian, just because

Aside from the poems, Brian and Leighanne shared stories while the Royal Caribbean chef made some breakfast omelettes. I feel like I've heard Brian talk about these breakfast omelettes before so it's kind of cool to see him prepare them and learn how they both liked to cook on the tour bus. I think I was hoping for him to share more stories like that because I like getting little glimpses into their worlds and hearing new things that I don't already know.

The other fun anecdote that they shared was how he and Leighanne play this thing called the song game. It's cute because they really try to incorporate songs into their conversations. I suppose looking back at their interactions and just how Brian carries himself on stage I kind of see where this song game fits into his personality. Just because he's always singing something and turning an answer into song.

Brian explaining his 'Song Game' with Leighanne

At one point during the event Brian came into the audience to feed a few lucky fan some of his breakfast omelette. I was super close probably, maybe an arm's-length away from him. It was one of those scenarios where I was so close but so far. So even though I didn't get a bite of his burrito, I still got up close and personal with Brian which is good enough for me! Overall I enjoyed this event. I liked all the different pieces of it I think I was just hoping for more stories. But I think the nice thing about the event is that it suited Brian's personality quite well.

One on One with Kevvy Kev
Kev was up next for his duet events. I cannot sing to save my life so I did not enter this particular contest. However one of my good friends, Lalie, not only entered but also won! So I was super excited for this event not only to see Kevin sing, but also to see my friends up there and have her moment with Kevin.

Serious Kev

Singing Kev

I thought this event was really fun I think the fans that were picked were all really super talented. I really enjoyed Kevin's solo event from last time and I think this event was just as great. We don't get to see Kevin shine as much as some of the other boy it's so nice to see him have his moment and really get a chance to hear him sing.

One by one all of the fans went up and sang their songs. He sang everything from Grease Lightning to Danny's Song. Maybe I'm biased because she's my friend,but my favorite was Lalie singing with Kevin, A Whole New World. Kevin get a little choked up as he reminisced about his days playing Aladdin at Disney World. I think what was so fun about this particular song is it mixes my love of the Backstreet Boys and Disney. So with that - I'll leave this video here for you to watch.

A Whole New World

Another cool thing is that Lalie was able to share with me a little bit of the behind the scenes that went into putting on this event. She was notified in advance via email that she was selected to sing with Kevin. She then got to select a few song options and Kevin chose which he preferred. And the most exciting part - they got to rehearse together on board prior to this actual event.

So again, overall I really liked this event because so it was different, but still played well to Kevin's talents. I also like that he did little anecdotes in between the songs. I think my only minor minor criticism is that it felt a little bit long to me. I think it would've been perfect if it was maybe one or two songs of shorter. The main reason I say this is because I think the Q&A got shortened as a result of Kevin's event running long. If this was the only event of the day - then yeah, I would've listened to song after song! But if forced to pick - I would've rather seen more of the Q&A.


BSB Behind the Scenes (AKA Q&A)
So at this point I've been standing by this pool deck all day I haven't gone to the bathroom nor I have an eaten since my breakfast that I scarfed down in the casino. I was definitely starting to get tired but again those comfort come secondary when you're on a BSB cruise.

So the next event was all the boys coming up on stage for the Q and a. This is always a favorite event of mine and it just never seems to get old. All the fans submit their questions prior to boarding and I really like that aspect because it vets some of the bad questions that tend to get asked at a sound 
check party for example. I also find the questions are generally really unique.

So for this particular event I think it went to about 25 minutes. I again I really hoped for a little bit longer. Here's a cliff notes of the Q&A:

The boys during the Q&A

•  Which TV character are you most similar to?
• AJ - Chandler Bing. 
• Howie - Speedy Gonzalez
• Nick - John Snow
• Kev - Gomer Pyle
• Brian - Rosco P Coltrane
• Why does Backstreet time exist? 
• Everyone points at Kevin
• Kevin then explains that back in the day how they had a photo shoot at 4:00 in the morning, had to wait 3 hours for them to get set up, and he learned quickly. Its 'hurry up and wait'.
• Other guys then continue to throw Kev under the boss
• Nick, "If Kevin can do it, so can I"
• Nick had to pay more than $30,000 in self-imposed 'late fees'
• Most emotional moment on stage?
• AJ - Announcing he was going to be a father in London during the NKOTBSB tour. Close second is during the cruise concerts
• Howie - Hollywood walk of fame. Though i recall Howie was the only one who visibly wasn't choked up
• Nick - "Oh, I have to answer this?" Tells a story about AJ falling through the stage.
• Kevin - "There are so many for me" True story, Kev. True story. But he shared a fathers day in Cincinnati where AJ surprised him on stage with a video from his kids. 
• Brian - Lexington on the Millennium tour singing the Perfect Fan with his mom
• Best part of cruising?
• AJ - "You"
• Howie - "The best thing about cruising is boozing"
• Nick - No sleep.
• Kevin - Getting to go to exotic places all over the world. Partying on the private yacht.

  

  Brian -  The experience - the costumes, the parties, the friends, the yachts... the ass-grabbing. 

• Who has the biggest package? 
•  AJ - I think we're all doing pretty damn good. Of course we were going to get the politically correct answer.
• Nick - I have big balls. Like I do a lot of things. *Shakes head.*
• What have you said to your wife that resulted in you sleeping on the couch?
• AJ - Called Rochelle by the wrong name.
• Howie - He shared a story about James drawing something like 'Mommy's favorite place to sleep is the guest room.'
• Nick - I've never had to sleep in the other room. I just go back and apologize because women are always right!
• Kevin - Nothing
• Brian - He gets selfish sometimes and gets on his high horse which has caused him to sleep on the sofa
• What habits of each other bug the shit out of you?
• Howie - Everything.... "I'm perfect"
• AJ - He picks his fingers a lot. 

Nick - My smelly gas.

• Then AJ elaborated that he blows ass all the time during meet & greets.
• Keeping it spicy on the road with your wife?
• Brian - Photos. I'm kinda surprised with this one.
• AJ - We used to do pictures but now its hard to find time to find that narrow window when Ava is asleep. He also likes Rochelle to wear a red nightie
• Nick - Watch porn together. He tells her what to watch. Ummm, alright then.

Kevin - "No Nakedness over the Interwaves"

• Kevin - He doesn't trust technology so instead he has "interesting conversations" with his wife
• Biggest Regret
• Howie - For the Millennium tour they were offered stadiums but Brian wanted to stick with arenas 

AJ - Recording If You Want it To Be Good Girl

• AJ- And not taking action against Lou Pearlman earlier
• Brian - Not suing that bastard sooner
• Nick - None
• Kevin - We had the opportunity to meet the pope and Howie wanted to go but we declined. Howie then shared a story about getting Wayne Gretzky's autograph and signed hockey stick from the all star game. Brian wanted it all these years and the only way he'll give it to Brian is they would trade for the pope stick.
• What is the group dynamic?
• Kevin - We all have our disagreements, usually over creative differences
• AJ- We've all laughed and cried together. We're a family, not just a group that was put together.
  
  AJ- "We live, eat, breath and shit one another. We're family"
  
• What your favorite song to perform?
• Nick - Straight Through My Heart. It's becoming the Get Another Boyfriend from AJ.
• AJ- Get Another Boyfriend
• Howie - All I Have to Give. But I get nervous doing that hat routine because I drop that hat.
• AJ - He said it warms his heart when we started going nuts over hearing the first few notes of a song. Aww i love this answer! It came across so genuine to me.
• Kevin - He likes songs that have a lot of harmonies like Drowning
• Brian - He wants to bring back Darling. He also wants to switch the set up from night to night.

And so ends another successful Q&A. I know I've already said it, but I love this event!