11 Things that Can Only Happen on a Backstreet Cruise

Because let's face it, anything goes on a Backstreet Boys cruise. Don't miss out on these once in a lifetime experiences. Make sure to book your cabin when they go on sale next week! Seriously, you gotta trust me on this one. Don't miss out.

1. Take selfies with shirtless Backstreet Boys in the ocean
   

   

2. Eat candy directly from Nick's mouth. NBD.
   
   
3. Witness AJ & Kevin fight with a giant inflatable penis
   (Well there's a sentence I never thought I'd say)
   
   
4. Play air hockey with Nick
   
   
5. Chat with Kevin in a bathrobe.
   (You know, just your Friday average evening)
   
6. See AJ wear assless chaps.
   (Actually... knowing AJ you probably could see him wear this outside of a Backstreet cruise. But I'm still including it.)
   
   
   
   
7. Hand pick chocolate kisses from Howie's body...and then eat them!
   
   
8. See Nick dressed up as Dorothy
   
9. Have AJ squirt alcohol into your mouth with a penis shaped water gun
   
10. Play Volleyball with Brian
    
    
11. Take shots with Kevin
    (Sorry I couldn't resist)
    
    
    
    Thanks to  my friends Nichole, Lucy, and Ashley for sharing their memories and pictures!

Recap 2014: Day 3 (Beach Party)

I was so thrown off by the beach day being switched around with the sea day. I woke up feeling like I still had an extra day, but alas, I didn't. It was the last day on the cruise so I had to make the best of it.

Due to the shift in schedule, the day got bumped up nice and early. How fun! (Note sarcasm) I am not a morning person. Though it certainly is easier to get out of bed knowing I'll be spending the day on the beach with the Backstreet Boys! So I got ready to go to the beach, and I try to pack pretty minimal.

Not to beat a dead horse, but this was my last day and last chance for AJ to see our FRIENDS door. Given that he was headed our way the day before, my hopes were high. I also knew that right before the beach party is an ideal time for the boys to be roaming the halls, because they've done that in the years past when the ship is nice and quiet with everyone waiting for them at the beach.

Thus I decided to not rush over to the beach to try to grab a good spot, but instead I lingered on board for as long as I possibly could without missing the beach party. As the ship grew quieter and the beach party loomed closer, there was still no sign of AJ. I felt so torn! Part of me wanted to stay put and wait for AJ. And the other part of me didn't want to miss their grand entry onto the island. I finally gave up and took a tender to the beautiful Half Moon Cay.

Beach Party

By the time I got to the beach it was pretty packed, so I headed down to the water in hopes to find some friendly faces. Well, as good luck would have it, on my way to find some friends to set up camp with, I ran into two women from the Rose Tour staff walking in my direction with a clip board. From my experience, I know Rose Tour staff with a clip board could only mean one thing. They were looking for people to play in the beach games.

Well, I couldn't pass up that possibility so I approached the women and asked if they were in fact looking for people to play in the games. They confirmed my suspicions and asked if I would like to play. Ummm, let me stop and think about that for a minute....OF COURSE!!!! They asked me my name and where I'm from. At that moment I realized that I should probably ask what I would be playing. Not that anything they could've come back with would've stopped me. If they said I'd be up there eating bugs, I'd still gladly sign up. Fortunately they said I'd be playing water balloons. Perfect! I could handle that. I thanked them both profusely and then continued on to find my friends. Now, wanting to share my good news!

Once I found my friends, I was honestly almost embarrassed to tell them about getting to play in one of the games. I already felt so blessed for all my good fortune the night prior, but I still couldn't pass up the opportunity!

The good thing about arriving late is that I didn't have a long wait until the boys showed up. They arrived with the typical fanfare via a boat. Then played around with water guns, per usual.

Brian playing with his water gun

And Nick playing with his water gun

Beach Games

Egg game
This game felt a little disorganized to me but it boiled down (see what I did there?) to the Backstreet Boys getting egged by fans. The game seemed to evolve as they quickly realized that it wasn't really working as they initially planned...

"We know what's going to happen with you guys. You guys want to see egg all over the Backstreet Boys' faces."- Howie

Yes, Howie. That's exactly right. So their solution was to hold a hard boiled egg in one hand and a raw egg in the other. We would cheer for which hand/egg we want to be smashed against the forehead of either the fan or BSB.

Nick concentrating on holding those eggs

The long and short of it is that we saw Brian and Kevin get egged. The rest of the game felt a little drawn out to me, but I still commend them for trying something new.

Brian clearly not as amused as we are that he's covered in egg

Coconuts
They realize this game is a fan favorite, so they brought this back for the third time. I'm still not sick of watching it either! ha This is one of those where I'll let the video speak for itself...

Water Balloons

I heard them announce that the next game on the agenda was the water balloon toss so I started making my way through the crowd to the side of the stage. And I HATE being up on stage in front of so many people, let alone being up on stage with my 5 idols. I thought I would be more nervous than I was, but funny enough, when I was up there the crowd pretty much disappeared. I was really focused on trying not to look like an idiot.

When I got on stage I put my stuff down and said hello to the guys. I went to give Kevin a hug and he did in fact remember me from the night before, which was nice. I never expect them to remember my face from one moment to the next with the sheer amount of fans that they meet, particularly on the cruise.

Jen announced that each fan needed to pair up with a Backstreet Boy. I honestly did not care who I was with, though I was slightly hesitant to be paired up with Howie, only because I ditched him the previous night. I hoped he wouldn't remember, but I still felt awful about it. I did a quick scan of the stage and of course Howie happened to be the closest boy to me. I looked over at him to see if he wanted to partner up with me, but he was very much spaced out. Meanwhile I see Nick make his way towards me out of the peripheral of my other eye. He then throws his arm around me and asks if I want to be his partner. On the inside I was squealing, "Hell yes!" but on the outside I tried to remain semi-calm and play it cool.

Nick swooping in to be my partner (Please pardon this awful picture of me)

So there I was, up on stage partnered with my favorite Backstreet Boy, about to play a game with him. It was really too much to process in the moment. I think I was more focused on the task at hand than anything, which is probably good or I would've started freaking out. So I took my spot across from Nick and the game began. Basically just tossing the water balloon back and forth, trying not to drop it. I think I dropped it a couple times, but all things considering, I feel I did alright. We ended up coming in second place, which is respectable.

Me on stage ready to play water balloons

After Jen announced that we came in second, Nick got distracted and starting throwing water balloons into the audience. Then I realized that was my queue to go. It felt very quick, especially because the previous group of girls were up on stage for probably 15 minutes, and I was up there for closer to 5 minutes. Though before I left, we took our group picture. But I also wanted to get some solo shots with the boys. Heck, I couldn't pass up that opportunity.

Group shot from the water balloon game

First I approached Brian, and he graciously took the picture with me. I just snapped and didn't even bother looking at it. He even asked me if it came out okay and I just said ,"Oh I'm sure its fine." When I finally got a chance to look at the pic, it ended up being on the dark side, but we're both in the frame and smiling. So I can't complain. If I wasn't so lazy Im sure I could brighten this up in photoshop or something ;)

Me and Brian at the beach party

Next up was AJ. No story behind the picture other than I managed to get a picture with AJ. There wasn't much time for interaction. Though I'm happy with how it turned out.

Me and AJ at the beach party

At this point I felt them trying to rush us off the stage and get ready for the next group. I consciously made the decision not to ask Kevin for a picture because of the time I spent with him previous night. He clearly remembered me and I just thought it would come across the wrong way if I asked him for another picture. I didn't want to taint that experience. I also didn't want to bother Howie for a picture because I was afraid he might remember me from the night before as the girl who wanted nothing more than to leave his blackjack game. Sorry Howie!! That definitely wasn't the case! *hangs head in shame*

Last, but not least, was Nick. I was going to give up on him, just because I know of how he is. In my 4 years of cruising, I've never been able to get a spontaneous picture with Nick around the ship. Ever. I just don't really bother trying. I think it was almost engrained in my DNA that you just don't get a picture with Nick on the cruise. But, I decided that he was my partner and there wasn't a massive herd of girls surrounding him - so I had to go for it. Even if they were trying to kick me off the stage at that very moment. Alas, I approached him and he agreed! My inner fangirl was jumping up and down!! He grabbed my camera and took the picture for us. So now I can tout that I was finally able to get a picture with Nick on the cruise.

Water balloon partners

ANOTHER SHAMELESS PLUG- If anyone was able to get any pics/vids of me on stage, I'd really appreciate if you could email them to me. I don't care how bad or blurry you think they are, I want them! Many thanks in advance! :D

More Beach Games
The boys continued to play more beach games including the caterpillar game and slip & slide among others.

Both the caterpillar game and the slip & slide seemed like a lot of fun, but the issue is that they were played laying on the sand so not a whole lot of fans could actually see what was happening, unless you were up front. I sadly fit into that category and wasn't able to see much of anything, though they sounded like a lot of fun from what I'd hear after the fact. The caterpillar game seemed to be quite intimate with the fans and boys lying adjacent to each other and passing a ball down the line. I liked the idea of these games, but I think Rose Tours needs to make sure as many people can see the games as possible. Otherwise I think it defeats the purpose.

Anyway, once the boys finished the caterpillar game the crowds seemed to disperse a bit, as did the boys. Howie & Kevin were out in the ocean taking pictures. Believe me, I was tempted to get a picture, but for the same reasons I didn't approach either of them earlier, I didn't want to approach them now either. At one point Brian tried to set up a nice photo op for us with the ship and ocean in the background, setting up chairs for himself and a fan. Brian- this was SUCH a good idea. But of course the fans ruin it by crowding him, rather than waiting patiently for their turn. This is why we can't have nice things, people!

Kev in the ocean before the fans got to him

I stood back and watched a lot of happenings from afar- chatting with friends, grabbing some lunch, enjoying the beach. I met a super sweet fan, Hayley, and we were chatting for a bit. I love how after 4 cruises, I'm still meeting new friends and first time cruisers. It's just wonderful and I wish I had more time to get to know everyone better.

Meanwhile AJ was taking pictures by the stage, and I easily could've gotten another picture with him. But I already had one, so I wanted to let others have their chance. It was then that I realized I really got everything out of the beach party that I could - pictures with Nick, AJ, and Brian. Playing beach games with Nick. Beautiful weather and beautiful beach. Seriously, I couldn't ask for anything else.

Volleyball

Anyway, on my way out, we were just about at the tender, and I notice a small mass of people off to my left. I inch closer to the crowd and I see that Brian is playing volleyball. And as I get even closer, I see that he's playing against Nick. Jackpot! When I arrived there were maybe 20 fans there. I got a spot right up front with my friends and settled in to enjoy the show.

Frick vs Frack volleyball

Well, I didn't get very settled because their security guards were announcing where the line was forming for people who wanted to play. The thought crossed my mind for a second, but I didn't bother trying to play for numerous reasons:

1. I'm not very good at volleyball.
2. In fact, I think playing volleyball hurts. Maybe I'm just not doing it right. But my poor wrists are dying whenever I play.
3. I already had my moment with the boys at the beach, I wanted someone else to have their turn.
4. Last and most importantly I was with my friend, Chrissy. Her goal from day 1 on cruise 1 was to play volleyball with Brian. I know how much this meant to her so I wanted to make sure I did everything in my power to make sure she could play. Just as I know she'd do the same for me if Nick ever held a video game contest or something. That was her man and her activity.

I was sooo happy that she ended up playing. Even though it was on Nick's team, I know she still had fun. Thus I sat by and played photographer/videographer. I must've looked crazy because I was double fisting it- with a camera in each hand. I wanted to make sure I captured the moment for her as best as I could. When Chrissy's turn was done, I was getting ready to leave, but then I saw my roommate Ana and another friend take the court. So I resumed my spot and my photography skills. I make a point to take as many pictures/videos as I can for my friends, knowing that that's what I'd want when the roles are reversed.

Brian finding something very funny during volleyball

Nick sharing in on the laugh

With that, we left while the boys were still playing. Which was previously unheard of. I don't like to leave anything while the boys are still there. That's my number 1 rule! Though I made an exception as I was anxious to get back to the ship because I wanted to beat AJ back in case he stopped by my door (I know, I know. I promise I'll shut up about it soon!) Meanwhile my friends, Chrissy & Cory, had to be back for their 1x1 time with AJ. 

Me and the gals leaving Half Moon Cay

Overall it was an amazing day at the beach. We had nice weather. The boys were out and about, mingling with fans. Lots of fun games. Of course I'm biased, but I'd venture to say it was probably the best beach party yet.

Chrissy & I heading back to the ship

Back to Reality

Welcome back home, fellow cruisers. Coming off this cruise, I feel so incredibly blessed. I was so fortunate to have had so many amazing opportunities and experiences that I can't wait to share with you all. All of which make coming back to land that much harder. I'm sure I'm not the only one currently battling post-cruise depression. But as always, I'll be posting a full review with plenty of pictures in the days to come. For me personally, this was the best cruise to date. And I didn't think it would be possible to top the previous ones, but they managed. A few of my quick thoughts coming off this cruise....

Cruise Highlights

• Best concert ever!! I couldn't believe my ears as we were treated to songs we haven't heard live in over a decade as well as songs I was sure we'd never hear again live. We only had like 4 or so of the usual singles and the rest were all surprises. Just wow!
  
  
• Selfies galore. Every single Backstreet Boy had the patience of a saint this cruise and took so many pictures with the fans. The amount of time they spent taking pics with fans was unprecedented. Nick especially stepped up this year, as compared to years past and it didn't go unnoticed.
  
  
• Wizard of Oz costumes....Nick as Dorothy. I still can't stop laughing.
  
  
• A sneak peak of the documentary screening. While I had actually seen the full movie at the NY screening, it was amazing to see some of it again and be able to ask the boys directly about the film. Only a few more months until we can see the full thing. Can't wait!
  
  
• 2 fun game shows! Lots of laughs both the 90s game show and Don't Forget the Lyrics.
  
  
• Another great beach party at Half Moon Cay. And no rain this year.
  
  
• ABC night- such creative costumes from the fans and the boys. Not sure if it was quite what I was expecting, but it was a lot of fun.
  
  
• The addition of scavenger hunts. Such a fun surprise in the terminal to find out there would be a scavenger hunt with some high stakes prizes on the line. I don't want to give any spoilers, but lets just say I have A LOT more to share on this topic ;)
  

I also want to say how nice it was meeting many of you on board! I just wish I had more time to spend with everyone. On every cruise I meet more and more amazing fans. I just love the Backstreet Army. I want to hear all your stories and see your pics, so be sure to reach out to me! This is also your official invitation to be a guest blogger to share some of your favorite memories.

Chrissy's Best of BSB Cruising

I'm happy to feature another one of my favorite gals as a guest blogger- my roommate, Chrissy! She's currently living in Indiana and to say she is the biggest Brian fan I know would be a huge understatement. Seriously, if you want to talk anything about Brian, she's your gal. You can find her on twitter @BRokKentuckyGrl or check out some of her other Backstreet adventures on her blog- From The First Day. Chrissy has been on all 3 BSB cruises and in this post she's taking a look back at all of them and sharing her favorite parts of each one.

When I first started writing this guest blog post, I was set on sharing my top moments of BSB Cruise 2013 with you.  I had written about one third of it when I decided that I wanted to go a different route.  I decided that since I have been on all three cruises thus far, I would bring you a post in which I gave you the “Best Of” for each portion of the cruise.  To me, if each of these different parts were taken from each of the cruises, it would make the perfect BSB cruise for me.

Pre-Cruise Event
The “Bigger” Acoustic Show from the 2010 cruise wins this category by far!  Who doesn’t want to see BSB singing???  Plus, this was the first time I got to see them do an entire acoustic set in person.  Our VIP photo afterwards was probably one of the most disorganized photos I have been a part of when it came to the Backstreet Boys (I believe two of the girls weren’t even standing next to a Boy and Howie’s face was hidden), but it was also my first time meeting AJ, Howie, and Nick.  The 2011 Pre-Cruise Party at the Cameo Nightclub brought a much better VIP photo, however.  Unfortunately, the 2011 pre-cruise event brought us very little Brian viewing and not much Backstreet singing.  And as many of us know, there was no pre-cruise event for the 2013 cruise.  Hopefully, they bring this back for 2014.

Sail-Away Party
The 2011 Sail Away Party wins this for me.  Don’t get me wrong, the Captain’s uniforms for the 2013 cruise were absolutely amazing!!!  However, my friends and I had the front row for the 2011 Sail Away party and I feel like we got much more interaction because of this.  In 2011, all four of the guys were present and “performed” for the audience the entire time.  They were requesting songs, dancing, singing, and just having a great time.  I feel like this wasn’t as much the case for 2013.  Kevin disappeared for a really long time and Brian didn’t seem to be as present either.  I also feel like they just weren’t having as great of a time with the music…there wasn’t nearly the same amount of singing and dancing as in 2011.  Now, we were a little further from the stage in 2013 so that could have a large part in this.  And of course, there was no sail away party in 2010 because of the half chartered ship.

Game Show
“In it to Win It” in 2011 wins in this category.  While the guys are still hilarious with trivia like games, watching them try to accomplish tasks and competing with one another, rather than as a team against fans, is much more fun.  We were able to add words to the Backstreet Dictionary when Brian commented that his team had played “betterly” than the other.  We saw the guys get up close and personal during Coconut Smoochie.  Brian sang to a Christmas tree.  Howie was a Flippy Cup master.  Brian rode a children’s tricycle way better than any adult should.  And in true Backstreet fashion, there was usually one member that was confused and wasn’t following the rules of the game.  2013, however, did allow more fans to participate because they brought several different groups of girls up and randomly picked girls from an envelope to make participation a little fairer.

Dinner
Because of the nature of the 2010 cruise, dinners were much more eventful than the 2011 and 2013 cruises.  The half charter of this cruise allowed for the guys to actually eat dinner at the same time and in the same dining room as all of the Backstreet cruisers.  Because of this, we got AJ and Nick getting “Low” and AJ dancing with a fan (who just happens to be a friend of mine that I had met that night when her mother and I sat at our table).  Just that little bit of extra Backstreet when you didn’t expect it was a nice touch.  Now with full charters, this just won’t happen again.  The guys might have events for the other group when your group is eating, cruisers are now split between the two dining rooms which also means that your group might be split up, or one of the Boys might be in your dining room but they are eating before they have to rush off to an event and that is it.

Beach Party
I think some will disagree with me on this one but I think I actually liked the 2011 Beach Party the best of the three.  First of all, seeing Kevin with the guys after him being gone was just exciting.  Sure, he was back with the guys in 2013 but the novelty of having him back for that one day before he officially announced his return was a thrill.  I wasn’t anywhere near the stage for this Beach Party but I loved that fact that I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep on the beach as I awaited the arrival of the guys.  I had not relaxed at all during the 2010 Beach Party because I hadn’t known what to expect and was on constant look out for the guys. 

I very much enjoyed the introduction of Musical Chairs and the fact AJ had no idea how to play at the time.  We got some a cappella from the guys.  And probably my favorite part of the 2011 Beach Party was the volleyball.  I had missed the volleyball in 2010 because I had made my way back to the ship like I was supposed to and there was no volleyball in 2013.  And, well, I love volleyball.  We were right against the back serving line so Brian was right up next to us several times when he went to serve.  Oh, and how can I forget the fact that I caught some beads from Brian.  Some of my friends got some photos with some of the guys; I had not because I had just been chilling and enjoying the beach.

Q&A
The 2010 Q & A session wins this category for me.  I enjoyed the questions more during that Q&A and I thought all of the guys were equal in answering.  For this past 2013 cruise, Brian was unbelievably quieter than I am used to him being.  Anyway back to the 2010 Q&A….there were so many good quotes taken from that Q&A.  Brian and Nick recreated scenes from Titanic.  Brian did Kevin impersonations.  It was really confirmed that AJ was not the greatest with geography.  I also loved the fact that the Q&A was in the lounge so that we could sit and relax while we just found out more about the guys.  My feet hurt so much during the 2013 cruise that some of my friends and I went upstairs to sit during the session and I wasn’t able to see all of the guys then.  I know that having the Q&A on the Lido deck is probably the best way to have it now with the full charter so that they don’t have to break it up into two sessions.  I was glad that they brought back the Q&A after its absence in 2011.

Karaoke
First of all, I was very happy that there was no karaoke this year.  It was great during the 2010 cruise but I did not find it enjoyable on the 2011 cruise because it was just old by that point.  So, as you can tell from that, 2010 wins this category.  The guys seemed much more involved in 2010 because they were constantly singing along with the fans and dancing.  There was not as much of that in 2011.  Of course, the best part of the 2010 was the “Baby Got Back” performance.  It was completely unexpected and that particular fan was just fun to watch.  However, it was brought back again in 2011 and just wasn’t as exciting because we had already seen it.  It was also a much better venue when it was in the lounge, rather than on the Lido Deck.

Concert
2011’s Cruise Concert wins this category for me because it was different.  We got the This Is Us show on the 2010 cruise and the In A World Like This show in 2013.  Don’t get me wrong, both of those were excellent shows and it was great getting to see them multiple times between the actual tour and the cruise.  However, the set list for the 2011 cruise was set by voting from the fans.  We were in control of which songs the guys would and would not be singing….well, for the most part.  I still think the guys snuck some of their hits in there that maybe hadn’t been voted on (like “I Want It That Way” which I think many fans could possibly go without hearing).  Because of this control, we got songs like “If You Want It to Be Good Girl,” “Don’t Want You Back,” and “Siberia.”  I also LOVED the fact that we also got solos from each of the guys.  You can probably guess that my favorite was Brian’s solo but the fact that he was in tears from singing “Mary Did You Know” and got the audience tearing up, as well, was such a special, touching moment.

Solo Events
Since the 2013 cruise is the only cruise that has occurred with solo events, it is obviously the winner.  The fact that they added these solo events made this year’s cruise extra special and much different than the past sailings.  Each of the guys got to shine in their own right and we got a great variety.  My favorite solo event had to be Kevin’s, followed shortly by Howie’s.  Kevin’s event was so intimate and emotional and I loved seeing that side of him, even though I think we see that side in him more often than we see it from the other guys.  One of my favorite moments of this past cruise was also when Kevin was doing his sound check and playing “Incomplete” on the piano while the fans in the atrium sang the song.  It was just a cool moment.  Howie’s event was the opposite, as it was just a fun party time.  We got to hear all of Howie’s little corny jokes as he gave us a mini-concert of his songs.  It really made me want a Howie solo tour more than I already did. 

I was actually in Brian’s solo event as one of the Wylee models but I was one of the last to go so I was stuck behind the stage for the largest majority of the fashion show and did not get to really see much of it as a spectator.  This solo event did get me a photo with Brian and a hug, but not really much interaction with him like some of the others got.  As a matter of fact, when I walked to the side of the stage where he had been messing around with one of the other fan’s Wylee products, he went back to the front of the stage.  He did eventually come back to give me a hug though.  I completely missed Nick’s event because I was out at the deck party and it’s not like I haven’t seen him DJ before.  I did not enter the Blackjack tourney and didn’t see the final round of the tournament so I wasn’t able to see this AJ event, plus his belly flop competition got cancelled due to the weather.

Group Photo
Whoever decided to have smaller groups for the 2013 cruise needs a raise.  Whoever decided to have the guys wear their Captain’s uniforms, needs an even bigger raise.  This year’s group photo wins without a doubt in this category!

Length of the Cruise
2010 was a four day cruise.  The other two have been three days.  And while the 2010 was only a half charter, that extra day with the Backstreet Boys makes a huge difference and makes it the winner in this category.  There have may have been more down time but I actually really liked the fact that we got that day in Key West to do non-Backstreet stuff and just explore like tourists.

Cruise Ship
I think I prefer the Imagination over the Destiny.  I found I got lost much less on the Imagination and by having the two “stages” on the Imagination, you get the guys coming out into the crowd to get from one area to the other.  The negative with that is that you don’t know which area they will be coming out at the beginning of the deck party.  This was a bummer when Laura had gotten us VIP bracelets on this last cruise but the guys came out on the center stage and then we missed the first part with the guys because we were back in the crowd in the VIP section because we had been waiting for them to come out on the top balcony.

Deck Parties
I’m doing this category last because I am having a really hard time deciding the winning cruise for it.  There are bits and pieces of the deck parties that I liked for each year.  Overall, I think I enjoyed myself the most for the 2010 cruise.  Now, I know MANY people disagree with me on this one so let me explain why I enjoyed myself the most at the deck parties on this cruise.  I liked these deck parties because the guys were pretty much present at all times “performing.”  The guys were above us on the balcony singing, dancing, and just talking.  One didn’t disappear to go take photos for long periods of time.  They were always just there.  Don’t get me wrong, I love that the guys are braver and are now trying to go out and get as many photos with fans as possible during deck parties.  However, this leads to one of two things.  One is that fans who want photos are waiting in line to get a photo with that one member and is then missing out on what the others guys might be doing.  The other thing that is happening is that if you are content without a photo, you are now watching only some of the guys while some of the others have disappeared to take photos.  Either way, you are missing out on something.  In 2010, the guys were there at all times to watch and you weren’t missing out on anything.  They would sing their own songs when the DJ would play them, they would dance to their own and other’s music, they premiered “Don’t Turn Out the Lights,” AJ sang two of his solo songs and got some additional help from some of the others guys.  Now, the deck parties didn’t last as long in 2010 but I just feel like we saw more of them.  While I enjoyed the 2010 deck parties, overall, I feel like I should mention a few more things. 

The best deck party between all of the cruises was the PDA Pajama Jam during the 2011 cruise.  Everything about this deck party was amazing and I think having it in the Atrium due to the weather made it much greater than it would have been if it had been out on the Lido deck.  Many people were able to get a great view of the events because of the many levels in the Atrium.  But, what made this deck party so great were the things that the guys were doing…crowd surfing, doing the worm across the bar, pillow fights, pretending to make love to a pillow, spanking fans….  It was a side of BSB that fans had NEVER seen before.  It showed that the guys were finally not afraid to loosen up in front of us and show us a different side of them. 

Deck Party (Outfits)
The best theme nights as far as the guys outfits occurred during this last 2013 cruise.  The fact that the guys coordinated for both the Halloween night and Bachelorette night made it super fun.  The fact that the outfits that they coordinated in were AMAZING made it even better.  I mean the Backstreet Boys as the Village People and as the Chippendale Dancers…who wouldn’t LOVE that???

My favorite themes from a fan’s outfit perspective were from the 2011 cruise.  I enjoyed planning all of my theme outfits for that year, unlike this last year when I had no excitement at all about what I would do for the Bachelorette night.  While I didn’t hate any of the 2010 themes, I had no idea what to expect for these deck parties and would have probably changed some things if I knew then what I know now.  However, my favorite outfit overall was from this last cruise when I dressed as a University of Kentucky cheerleader for Halloween night.

So, as I have demonstrated, I don’t know that I have an overall winner from my perspective for the deck parties.  I know other fans have a clear winner but I just couldn’t come up with one no matter how hard I debated the issues in my head.

So, there you have it….my “Best Of” list.  Please remember that different fans may have completely different experiences.  These were just how I would compare each of the three cruises.  I know many who have been on the last three sailings have said that the 2013 cruise was the best by far.  I did enjoy myself immensely.  However, by looking at my list I guess you could tell that the 2013 cruise doesn’t win in a lot of the categories.  I think I just have different preferences when it comes to some events and to me that is perfectly fine!    All three cruises have been special for one reason or another and that’s what makes going on these cruises amazing in my eyes

Recap 2013- Day 2

I swear the alarm went off 10 minutes after I fell asleep, but I still eagerly jumped out of bed knowing the fun we had in store. Beach party day! Turns out the weather set things back like an hour and half, making things run even more on Backstreet time. So I decided not to rush down to get in line for the life boats but rather grab a semi-leisurely breakfast. I also took some time to stroll the halls and check out the door decorations.

Beach Party

Around 12:30 we finally decided to head over to Half Moon Cay. So gorgeous! I decided to set up camp towards the back-ish and wait for the boys to arrive. Eventually the boys would make their way to the island via a motor boat. Nick couldn't even wait until they got to shore- he dove right into the water and swam up to the beach. Next the boys went up to grab their lunch thus I sat around and awkwardly watched Nick eat some chicken wings. Meanwhile the sky was growing darker- seriously I just want one backstreet cruise where it doesn't rain! .

The boys took to the stage started entertaining us by dancing, playing with their water guns- squirting each other and us. Nick proceeded to yell at all of us for being too quiet. Fortunately the rain didn't last long and they were able to get underway with the games. First up was a wet t-shirt contest. My favorite part of the wet tshirt contest was this Nick quote afterward...

"I feel like we could do a little bit better but you girls got some daggers for eyes out there. You all need to simmer down a little bit. She's like 'Why did you bring her up on stage. That's bullshit. I paid just the same amount of money.' "- Nick

Oh lordy....they really do know what's going on in our heads, huh? I honestly can say I don't disagree with the guy! Limbo was up next and a couple lucky fans got to go on stage with the guys. I did enjoy seeing Howie try to limbo without putting down his beer. And in typical Brian fashion when it came to his turn, he decided to jump over the limbo poll rather than go under. Oh Brian! Is it just me or are his antics becoming more and more predictable?

Brian holding the limbo pole

After limbo they brought back the infamous coconut game- played to 'Under the Sea' from Little Mermaid. I think this year I found it more comical than anything. Howie ended up winning this game, I guess all that beer helped him out. Then they did musical chairs. Sidebar- I realized I really do like AJ hosting all the game he is pretty good at that. I think he lost musical chairs the first round on purpose so he could just get back to being a ham on the mic, which was fine by me. As the game continued, Nick used his water gun to squirt the fans and distract them. I feel like that was more of a Brian move but I did like how Nick got so into it. There was some funny interaction between Kev & Nick when they got into it over their sports teams...

Kevin was giving Nick a hard time about the Bucs

This somehow segued into the first ever Backstreet obstacle course. I happened to be right in the middle where they parted the fans so I ended up with a great view of that game. I really enjoyed this one. Could've been because I had a good view. Could've been because it was the first time they did the game. But I think the dynamic of putting fans with each of the boys and then having them go against each other works nicely. I liked how Nick had his team stretching off to the side to prep (even though he still ended up losing) I liked how competitive the guys get. I liked how AJ encourages Brian to finish the course with his eyes closed. I liked how badly Kev lost that second match up. All in all a lot of fun- lets hope that bring this one back next time.

Brian winning the obstacle course

When the games were over it gave me a bit of time to relax. AJ went off on some jetskis, some of the other boys stuck around and did pictures, and some left early. The beach started to clear off and I was torn between wanting to stay a bit longer but also wanting to get back to the ship for AJ's event. I ended up staying a bit longer and am so happy I did. I ended up getting a picture with Howito while he was on his way out. He actually took my camera and took the picture himself, so that was pretty cool.

Me and Howie

Howie double fisting his beers

AJ covered in sand

Kev dancing

Nick and his team stretching before the obstacle course

Another successful Backstreet beach party under my belt, I hightailed it back to the ship. Well, at least I attempted to. Even though I had like 45 minutes until AJs hip hop flip flop, it somehow took over an hour to get back. The tenders were super slow, which was killing me because I didn't want to miss AJs event. I was seriously ready to jump over the side and swim back to the Imagination. And what made it worse was the sky opened up and started down pouring on us. Ugh. So there I was on the tender in the rain praying for Backstreet time to work in my favor.

I did make it back to the ship just in time to find out they were going to "reschedule" his event due to safety conditions, which of course never did get rescheduled. Part of me understands, but part of me was bummed they couldn't squeeze it in. Just another reason they need to make it a 4 day cruise next time!

Seeing as how AJs event was cancelled and the other group had their concert, it was a light evening for me. I took a shower and freshened up before having a lovely dinner with my girlfriends...and Brian & Howie eating right around the corner :) But before I hit dinner- I swung by the main lounge to get a good listen of their sound check. Maybe its just me, but even the audio is super exciting. And despite the fact that they had signs on their doors, saying 'no peaking'.... I most definitely stole a peak or 2...or 3.

Me peaking in soundcheck despite the sign. Shhh dont tell!

Dinner with the gang

Halloween Night
After dinner it was time to go get ready for Halloween night. I'm really not a Halloween person and was struggling to come up with a costume. I decided I wanted to try and do something related to the TV show, Friends, because I love that show. I seriously watch it every night before I go to bed. I was thinking I could either be the holiday armadillo or Spudnick, and Spudnick ended up being a lot easier to pull off. So that's just what I did!

Me as Spudnick and Chrissy as a UK cheerleader

Before I made my way up to the deck- I wanted to swing by the main lounge again. Even though I couldn't go in and see the other group's concert, I figured I didn't have much better to do so I had fun sitting outside listening. And by the end of the show the doors were actually open, so I could actually peek in. At one point Leighanne came out of the theater and asked me what I was doing. I told her and she was so sweet about it. She was like, "Oh I wish you told me and you could've sat with me." I really don't think she was serious but I thought it was still pretty cool she made the offer. How neat would it be to actually see a concert with one of their wives?

By the last 5 songs, the crowd around me grew and we actually were all having a ball sitting outside singing and dancing together. The boys were winding down the show, singing Everybody, and I figured that was probably a good time to leave. I wanted to beat the crowd to the deck party. But minutes before I was ready to go, someone from Rose Tours nonchalantly strolled over and whipped out a pack of VIP bracelets for the deck party that evening. He only had 5 which got snatched up immediately before I could grab one. My heart sank. But then he reached in his coat pocket and pulled out another sheet of them. I was able to grab one for myself and I boldly asked for 1 more for a friend. He actually gave me both!! I thanked him profusely. As much fun as it would be to get one just for myself, it wouldn't have been the same if I couldn't share it with a friend.

Now my mind is running in a million different directions. I was so happy and to finally get an opportunity to check out the VIP area on deck, but I was also in such a tough situation. I had 1 extra bracelet to share and like 20 girls I wanted to give it to and like 2 minutes to figure out what to do. It was almost a blessing and a curse. I scurried up to the pool deck and found my group of gals. Appropriately I had to pull a move from Friends.... Remember the episode where Monica let Rachel and Phoebe decide who would be her maid of honor? Yeah, that's what I did. I let them decide who would get it.

Anyway- back to the deck party. With my VIP bracelet in tow, I went upstairs to check out what all the fuss was about. I was actually one of the first people up there, which was nice so I claimed my spot right up front by their little restricted area. The crowd continued to grow as the night went on. And in an ironic and unfortunate twist for me, the boys did not enter up through the VIP area as they did the night prior. Nor did they make their way up there for at least the first 30 minutes of the deck party. I was trying to be so patient hoping they would eventually make their way up top, but I finally got to the point where I felt like I was missing all of the fun down below. So I gave up my spot and headed back downstairs. I just have to laugh how things turn out sometime. I suppose the VIP would've been a lot better for Neon night, but sadly it didn't get me anywhere that night. I'm still really happy I had the experience to at least know for the future that I'm not missing much.

Overall I thought Halloween night was good, but maybe not their best deck party either. They all came out dressed as the Village People. Its funny how it never occurred to me that they'd do a group costume, but it makes sense when I stop and think about it. I was actually pretty impressed by all of the fans' costumes. I was expecting a lot more slutty ones than were actually there. I thought people got really clever with it- some Backstreet themed, a lot not.

The boys as the Village People

The deck party was pretty much your typical deck party. Fun banter, fun music, dancing, etc. They brought fans up on stage to bob for apples, which I give them credit for trying something different. Eventually AJ made his way through the crowds and I saw him start to head back upstairs so I went back up to the VIP area hoping maybe I'd get lucky with a run-in or picture. And I did! AJ saw my costume and he loved it- he got the reference. We actually chatted for all of 15 seconds about Friends. He said he could've gone as Chandler except for his beard. That interaction was super fun, probably one of the highlights of the trip for me. Here's the pic we took...

Me poking AJ's eye out as
"Spudnick"

I don't even care that he isn't looking at the camera. I do however care that it appears I almost poked his eye out with my antenna. I didn't even realize it until I looked back at the picture. Oopsies! Thank goodness it was just aluminum foil. So in the end my VIP bracelet did end up paying off, just maybe not in the way I expected it to.

Nick at Night

The deck party was still going pretty strong but we also had Nick at Night starting up. I got there a tad late and the atrium was packed. For some reason I didn't think it would be as crowded as it was, particularly since there was a still a lot of action on the lido deck. But alas, I forget that it's Nick and even at 2:30 in the morning, fans would anxiously be waiting for him.

I wish I could say something more exciting happened at this event, but it was pretty much what I expected. Nick DJing for a while. Not a whole lot of interaction with fans or anything noteworthy, in my humble opinion. But it was still a good time. I'll never turn down a chance to see Nick!

Nick at Night in a nutshell

So after Nick at Night, I strolled back to the lido deck and of course Howie is still up there partying. Gotta love his energy! I hung out for a bit but it seemed like not much else was going to happen. He was up in the VIP section mingling so I decided to head down and call it quits for the night.

I made it down to my deck and saw a crowd of girls huddled around the stairs. I figured they were the same crew camping out in the hallway outside the boys' cabins. But I quickly realized something else unique was going on.... AJ was chatting to the 20-30 girls who were there. OMG!! I had flashbacks to the past cruise where AJ was chatting on the back of the ship. I couldn't believe my luck that I stumbled onto this again!!! I was so excited. I caught the tail-end of his little chat but apparently he was there for 10-15 minutes or so answering questions. He talked a little about bachelorette night and gave us a preview of what to expect. He also talked a little more about Friends, go figure!  Made few Friends jokes...and then went off to bed. This was definitely a highlight of the trip for me, even though it was short. I just love the unscripted moments that not everyone gets to experience. And it also reminds me why I stay up to such an ungodly hour every night. A lot of my best moments tend to happen after 4am.

AJ chatting with a few fans in the wee hours of the morning