Denise's Cruise Review

I'm so excited I have yet another awesome guest blogger for you, one of my good friends, Denise. She is a Nick girl from Chicago and she's been a diehard fan ever since she saw “As Long As You Love Me” on the VH1 countdown. The 2013 cruise was her first and she's excited to share her stories with you. She also has a super fun blog, The Life of a Backstreet Boys Fan, where she shares some of her other encounters. I love being able to share other reviews of the cruise because I obviously can't  be everywhere at once so Denise is going to share her play by play of the cruise. Enjoy!

DAY ONE: Friday, October 25, 2013

Friday morning, I woke up around 7 a.m. which was really 6 a.m. for me. I took a shower and got dressed and went downstairs in hunt of food. I think there were 31 floors and I was on the 14th floor, but when I got to the main floor I went to the café. It was all pastry stuff. I needed some heavier food that wasn't all sweets. I ended up eating at the buffet at the restaurant in the hotel. It was really good. I couldn't eat a lot though because I kept feeling like I was going to choke because of my coughing. I got a really nice bacon and cheese omelet and some hashbrowns and chamomile tea. I also tried some yogurt and more bacon lol. After I got done eating, I went back upstairs to gather my things and get ready to leave for the ship! I ended up walking to Ashley's room on a different floor to see if she and her roommate still would want to split a cab ride. We met downstairs and I checked out of my room. Then we found out about a shuttle for $6 to get from the hotel to the port and we took that. It took awhile for us to get going because they wanted to make sure that the whole bus was filled to get their gas worth, but we finally left. The whole bus was filled with BSB fans and some were playing BSB music!!! The cruise and BSB sisterhood was officially starting! It was nice to look at Miami on our way down to the port. I found some of the houses to look run down and when Ashley and I were walking outside by the hotel, it kind of smelled bad. If I ever move to Florida to get away from this crappy Illinois weather, I would probably pick Orlando or Tampa to move to over Miami. Anyway, it was still fun to look around.

When we arrived at the port, we got our luggage and made our way inside to the line to get in and for security. I took a picture of the Welcome to the Port of Miami sign and a security lady told me I had to delete it because it had the security men in the picture. I deleted it, but found it odd. After security, we went inside and were able to see BSB make their way to board the ship! That was so cool and I'm glad we left early to see that. It does pay to leave early just for that. All the fans were cheering and I ran to catch a glimpse and almost went passed the guy who gave me an itinerary, but I still got it. After that, we got in line to check ourselves in and then we had to find another person to give us a number to go in after that. When our number was called, which I think was 31, we proceeded inside to get a picture taken. Us three ended up getting our pictures taken together and I ended up buying this one because the guy took individuals of us, but my arm looked fat in the one of just me and I thought it would be nicer to have one of us three. After this, we boarded the ship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I boarded the ship, I looked around and instantly noticed a lot of BSB decorations and the bright, big elevators. I actually teared up a little because I couldn't believe I was actually on the BSB cruise! We tipped to have our luggage sent to our room, so I just had my carryon bag. Us girls parted ways, and I started taking pictures of everything and visited practically every deck. It was fun to explore the ship this way. I was getting pretty tired of lugging my carryon, but I think that was the right way to do it. It took awhile to get the luggage to the room and they just set it outside, but I'm still glad I did it this way because there would have been no way for me to get up close to the guys when they made their first appearance on the ship. I also took this time to find my room. I went into the cabin M124 first before my roommate I had from the match program was in there, but I didn't leave any of my stuff. I took pictures of the room too. My roommate from the match program also had the name of Ashley and she is really nice. We talked via email a few times before the cruise and on the cruise ended up hanging out here and there.

I made my way to the lido deck after getting some more pictures and ate a cheeseburger and fries and pretty soon it was time for BSB to come out! I remember asking some girls if I could sit at their table and they said yes. Then after about 20 minutes, they left and I guess one of their friends came back. This was the first rude encounter I had. She said I was in her seat. LOL I looked at her like she was nuts. There were like four other chairs empty at the same table and she wanted the seat I was in. What a weirdo. Luckily, I was done eating my food so I just gave her a weird look and left.

It was also around this time that I seen Brian and Leighanne checking out the food on the lido deck and got a picture, but the girl's head was in the way. Oh well.

During this time I also got some wine glasses that had the BSB cruise logo on it that girls were just going to throw out. They were selling them for $17, but I didn't want the alcohol and they were selling them without the alcohol but the same price.

Before BSB made their first appearance, AJ was walking by the buffet and I was able to get a picture of him and I, but a rude girl smacked my camera out of the way right when I was snapping the picture so you have half of AJ's face and mine. That was really uncalled for and my second experience with rude fangirls.

When we had to do the emergency drill, I of course ended up being right along the edge of the boat. I'm kind of afraid of heights, so that made me nervous, but that quickly went away and it was time for the BSB to come out!!!!!

For the Hot Hot Hot Sail Away Party, BSB all came out wearing captain uniforms looking VERY handsome. I thought that was such a nice idea. The party begins! I don't remember too much of this except that the guys were interacting and dancing and it seemed to have went by fast.

I also was able to touch Nick's back a couple of times when he got off the balcony during the Hot Hot Hot party.

I thought the music during the whole ship was perfect, especially what Nick played during his Nick at Nite djing. Every song he played I have on my ipod. After the BSB introduction, I ended up going back to my cabin and putting my luggage away. I met two girls along the way that were really nice and we had lunch together. We tried some of that Mongolian food, but it was a bit too spicy for me and I was afraid I might be allergic so I quickly stopped eating it. I actually lost weight on the cruise because there was so much to do, running around, dancing, and the buffet food wasn't that great so I just ate the dinner food. The water was also terrible on the ship. It tasted like rocks were on the bottom of my cup. I couldn't stand it and my roommate was nice enough to let me complain and have some of her bottled water. For the first night's dinner, I got the steak. It was really good and came with a baked potato. I remember getting some strawberry cheese cake that was good too, but nothing compared to the chocolate lava cake. I don't like chocolate at all, but this was so good and was more like a brownie. Also, the wait staff did a dance to Flo Rida's Low which was kind of awkward because one minute everything was so fancy and made me feel like an out-of-place hillbilly (lol) and the next minute they are dancing to a rap song. They also had these weird characters that would come up behind you while you were eating and take a picture of you. I remember a zombie and a pirate. Didn't really care for that.

Since I was in group A early dining, We waited until after 9:30 p.m. for the boys to do Are You Smarter Than a BSB? My seat for this and the concert was all the way in the back in a booth but still on the first floor. For this one, I could see really good but for the concert it wouldn't be that great of a seat. Anyway, the guys were goofing around with the shadow on the backdrop they had and it was so funny. They kept making the microphones look like their members lol and Howie took it to a whole new level when he opened a bottle of champagne lol. I remember AJ saying something about how they get dirtier as they get older and that seemed to be true lol, but it was so funny and just great to see them act like themselves and normal down-to-earth guys. I wish I would have gotten picked for anything on the cruise, but I didn't. Luckily, I got pretty close with every event. (I've been looking at pictures online and it seems like girls were so lucky to have gotten individual pictures with all five guys. Unfortunately, I wasn't that lucky.) For this event, Nick was really determined to win and I thought it was funny when each of the guys had to wear the dunce cap. I thought some of the questions were hard, but it was funny to see the guys being goofy. Nick was using some boxing gloves to punch Kevin in the butt and his hand got stuck in between his legs lol. Brian kept playing with a bouncy ball and it was cute how Kevin still had his captain uniform on and AJ said the rule was we had to salute our captain lol. It was also funny how they each came out and Nick came running out like a nerd and AJ knocked over a chair to show how he was a bad boy. Overall, this was a nice event to see the guys be funny but I wish I could have gotten picked for something, especially the coconut game with Nick, but I didn't even know they did that until after I seen pics online when I came home.

At midnight, the Don't Put Out the Glow Neon Party took full effect! I was so excited about all the themes because all the themes I voted for were picked, but I recommended this theme so I was especially excited about this. I would say that this was probably my favorite of the parties, or at least tied with Bachelorette Night, because it was the first party that started the whole cruise, was the theme I suggested, and was just awesome to see Nick play the drums on the balcony!

I ended up wearing the tie-dye Miami shirt I bought the previous day and the glow necklaces I brought with. The glow stuff I bought from Wal-Mart didn't work that great, but oh well. I actually had the same exact glasses Nick wore that glowed green but didn't bring them because I thought my luggage would be too heavy if I kept adding stuff. Turns out my luggage was only 30 lbs.

After BSB made their way onto the main stage in the middle of the lido deck, I had fun partying. BSB was giving away free drinks and I was given a blue one that had Malibu rum in it. I didn't like the taste, but took a couple of sips. I usually don't drink because I can be drunk all on my own lol, but I had to because it was just a special moment. Once I realized that Nick was up on the balcony, I quickly made my way to right below it. I got a really good spot right in front of him. It was the best moment just to see him let loose and play the drums and sing. AJ was up there with him and Kevin ended up joining too.

I think it was at this party where AJ was teasing Howie because he didn't want to stage dive and AJ said to make sure to grab his balls lol. I was able to help Howie stage dive and Brian.

At one point Nick got a TMNT knit hat from a fan and put it on and then threw it to where I was. I ended up catching it along with two other girls. The one girl gave up pretty quickly and it was down to me and this other girl. I really would like to believe Nick remembered me from Chicago and wanted to throw it to me, but who knows. I'm also a big TMNT fan from when I was a kid so I really wanted this. This girl ended up yanking it right out of my hand really nasty, I mean really nasty, and then laughing and smiling to her friend. Honestly, she is lucky she is still alive. I had to do everything in my power from not smacking her upside the head or ripping her hair out. Kind of an ugly side to me I know, but I didn't do it and I wasn't the one that cockily laughed in someone else's face. Also, I think this girl is on facebook saying how sweet she was behaving on the cruise. Pfft. I really was upset when this happened, but I got the last laugh because I ended up being really close on Bachelorette Night and caught a couple of things Nick threw out. This is when I realized that there were some real bitches on the ship.

I found myself wishing I was up on the balcony, so I asked security how I can get up there. They said that I would need a special wrist band. I asked how you get that and the guy said he didn't know. I ended up going all the way around the other side and got up there, but they had it barricaded. A lot of the girls up there looked skanky, but that's usually how it goes with anything like this, not just BSB. I ended up going right up there after the party was over but no BSBs were there. This was after waiting and resting inside the ship.

The best part of Glow Night was just seeing the BSB be themselves and have fun. I really enjoyed seeing all their smiles throughout the whole cruise and am glad they were having fun too! I really did enjoy Nick playing the drums so much and liked how they had the drums lit up. It was also really cool how Nick was singing to some of the songs, like the new Eminem song.

Because Denise's review is so amazingly thorough, I'm going to point you back to her blog to read the rest of it. Plus it has a ton more great pictures! Day 2; Day 3; Day 4.

Pre-Cruise Hotel

Rose Tours just posted the pre-cruise hotel deal. Be sure to check it out. I've never participated in the Rose Tour special rate nor have I stayed at the Marriott so unfortunately I can't really offer too much additional insight. Historically I've stayed at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami, which is a bit cheaper and works just fine. But I have had friends who have stayed at the Marriott and enjoyed it.

Rose Tours has negotiated a special rate at the Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel and Marina for the night of October 23rd, 2014. We recommend arriving a day prior to avoid any possible flight delays which could cause you to be delayed for your cruise. The rate is only $195 per room per night plus 13% tax. You could also extend your stay if you desire. The rooms can accommodate up to 4 guest with 2 double beds. Rooms are limited so book now!

CLICK HERE TO BOOK OR CALL 305-374-3900 AND REFER TO CODE rosrosa

Book your group rate: Rose Tours Pre-Cruise Room Block BSB 2014

Experience everything Miami at Marriott Biscayne Bay, a luxury hotel in Miami, FL. Located at the intersection of Downtown and Miami Arts District, the Marriott Hotel offers waterfront accommodations with a gorgeous view just minutes from the Port of Miami. Enjoy fine dining and shopping at Bayside Marketplace or wander through the hip Art Deco District. Entertainment at nearby Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts features opera, jazz and symphony performances. With a $17 million renovation, our luxury Miami hotel rooms are designed to make your stay enjoyable. Rooms feature laptop, MP3, and video connectivity. Biscayne Bay Marriott offers convenient hotel amenities with a new state-of-the-art fitness center with Miami Bay views. Meetings and social gatherings in this Miami hotel include over 17,000 sq of event space, high-speed Internet, catering and audiovisual equipment. Make your next vacation or business trip a South Florida getaway at Biscayne Bay Marriott Hotel in Miami.

No Pre-Cruise Party

Just posted via @backstreetboys twitter...

"To all of our BSB cruise goers - there will NOT be a pre cruise party this year. We wanted to save all the partying for the boat ;)"

At least they let us know, right? Now we can all plan accordingly. On the plus side, we'll all save a bit more money and be rested up for the cruise. But I'm definitely bummed they're not doing anything. I feel like it stretches the trip out a bit more, especially with the cruise being only 3 days. And of course more Backstreet is never a bad thing.

Well, I guess now's a good time for me to start looking up other things to do that night in Miami. Feel free to post any ideas below!

Top 11 Moments

It was really tough to narrow down my favorite moments of the cruise, as there were so many. But these 11 memories are the ones that stand out above the rest as the best parts of the trip for me.

11. Being at the beach party I had several opportunities to be up front and close to the guys. First being when the stage area cleared after the announcement of the 3-legged race. Second being when Howie, Brian and Kevin were playing volleyball. Everything just seems so much more fun when you're 2 feet away from the Backstreet Boys as opposed to needing binoculars to catch a glimpse.

Brian playing volleyball

10. I remember sitting in the cruise terminal in Miami when all the girls started pouring in. I have fond memories of this because it was the first time I was seeing all of my friends together after not seeing some of them since the last cruise. And what made it even better was getting to shake Nick's hand. I like that moment when you still have everything to look forward to.

9. Howie wiggling. No specific moment, just in general his wiggling. Whenever I hear that part in the song now, I literally can’t not smile. I’ve tried but it doesn’t happen.

8.  Being front row for the sail away party and having tons of close up interactions. Lets face it, any event is better when you're front row.

Up close to Nick at the Sail Away party

7. The meet and greet at Cameo the night before the cruise. Anytime I meet the Backstreet Boys is a top moment, and I was also so happy with the interactions I had and the fact that the picture came out so well.

Me and my boys

6. Not having a care in the world dancing with my girls at prom night. It's very rare that I let loose like that, but I had a blast, especially coming off the concert high.

Prom Night

5. Nick singing burning up at the concert. I'm sure you're surprised I didn't put down AJ singing London. But this was the first time I heard Nick sing this song live and there was just an unparalleled energy in the room. Plus he came right to my row and was singing right in front of me.

I <3 Burning Up

4. AJ at Cameo. What more can I say.

3. Catching my pillow from Nick. I know it seems trivial, but it means a lot.

Nick pillow fighting with my pillow

2.  Meeting Kevin. It was my first time meeting him and he made it an impossible moment to forget. Such a sweet guy. Probably my best experience meeting a Backstreet Boy.

Kevin is actually leaning into me!

1. AJ and Nick talking to a small group of us fans on the bow the last night of the cruise. AJs comments in particular were very nice to hear. It was a very unique and special moment that I was so happy to be a part of.

I was surprised that not all of the moments I actually met a Backstreet Boy made my top 11 list, trust me though, they were close runners up. It feels wrong not to include them. But I realized that as amazing as those moments are, they are so freakin quick that it barely qualifies as a moment. My brain doesn't even have time to process what's going on or feel any emotion because it only lasts for 3 seconds.

On that same thought, I was also shocked that some of my top moments didn't even involve a Backstreet Boy at all! I feel like I'm growing up.

So what are your favorite memories?!

Recap 2011- Pre Cruise Festivities

I guess I'll start from the beginning... 

Disney World/Universal Studios

The fun started for me when I flew down to Orlando to visit Universal Studios and Disney World about a week before the actual cruise started. I remember looking out the window of my plane with a beautiful sunset cascading over the white house. It was a fleeting peaceful moment in all the craziness that was soon to follow.

I'm going to keep the Disney portion of my review very brief because it has minimal to do with the Backstreet Boys. Though I was surprised at how many things throughout my trip I could actually relate to them. I'd see Donald Duck and immediately think of Brian's Donald Duck voice; I see cartoon Aladdin and think how Kevin used to do that; I'd even see leopard print Mickey ears that reminded me of AJ. I even thought that standing in lines for the rides was good practice for standing around waiting for BSB on the ship. I just had too much BSB on the brain. That said I did have time to meet one of my other favorite celebrities:



Mickey and Mickey shaped waffles

Overall I had a great time at Disney World. There was an especially frantic moment when Brian retweeted something Disney related and we thought he might be in the park with us. I was seriously looking at everyone to see if Brian might be in the masses of people. Needless to say, no luck finding him. Meanwhile AJ would later announce at the beach party that he was is fact in Disney World the day before we got there. Really? I have such crummy luck sometime. Granted if he had been in the park, I would've been too busy trying to find him to actually enjoy any of the rides, so I suppose it all worked out.

The one lesson I learned from going to Disney World before the cruise is that I wouldn't advise it in the future. I had an absolute blast but I ended up getting sick. Not sure if it was because it was cold and rainy one of the days, I was over-exerting myself, or because it was the thousands of germy kids surrounding me. I'm guessing the latter. So if you saw me the first day or so of the cruise and I couldn't speak to you, it's not because I didn't want to, its because I had no voice. I do sincerely apologize!

Arrival to Miami

My friends and I drove 4 hours down from Orlando to Miami and as the road signs indicated we were getting closer and closer to Miami my nerves started building more and more. As much fun as I was having at Disney, I knew the real vacation was just beginning. This is what I've been waiting months for.

We finally made it to Miami and before I had even walked into the hotel I spotted a friend lounging outside by the pool. It was so nice seeing her and it made me feel like I was returning home. It sounds cheesy, but I had such great memories from last year that had all originated at that hotel, so it was a nice feeling to be back and already see familiar faces even before going inside.

Wylee Party

It wasn't long after I arrived that we turned right around and headed for the Wylee party. After a ton of traffic and ironically swapping New Kids encounter stories in the cab ride over, we pulled up to the Eden Lounge. This was a far cry from my previous Wylee party that was on the side of the road because I thought the lounge was very nice and upscale. Girls started to gather inside and we could peak through the doors through to the other side of the club and see Brian and Leighanne setting up. Eek- my first Backstreet sighing of the trip! Nerves building up even more. As I waited for them to let us in, I glanced around the room and saw so many familiar faces of girls I had never even met before. I recognized people from the fan club, twitter, facebook, etc. It was strange feeling of knowing these girls, but not really knowing them at the same time. Anyone else experience that on the cruise?

They finally let us in to the outdoor patio which was just beautiful, especially as the sunset above us. Apparently I wasn't aggressive enough when the doors opened because from the second they opened to the second they closed, the table of merchandise was packed with fans. I couldn't even make my way up front to shop had I wanted. It was kind of frustrating because the same girls were up front the entire time, not allowing others the time to shop. Thus I shied back from the crowds, which was also partly due to the fact I still wasn't feeling 100%. I still made the most of my time there. Snacked on free hors d'oeuvres, met some new friends, and hung out with old ones.



The girls at the Wylee party

The staff also kept assuring us that Brian would come around and mingle, but as the night progressed I knew that wasn't going to happen. But just before I was about to give up hope, I saw a haphazard line forming around the patio and assumed Brian was getting ready to take pictures. Jackpot! I hopped in line and before you knew it I was up front chatting it up with Brian.


Me and Brian :)

Now, I need to back up a bit. Before I left for the event, I told my friends that if Brian took pictures to please make sure I looked okay and that my bra strap wasn't showing. I think I saw into the future because my bra was most definitely showing for the picture. There's just too much to remember before you meet a Backstreet Boy and my bra wasn't top of mind as I was just feet away from Brian. I even forgot to hug him and he was giving out hugs! Duh, how could I forget something so obvious. I was totally out of it. Oh well, I'm still really happy with how the picture turned out.

I was also thrilled because I had a mini conversation with him. I was teasing him how he hasn't gone blind from all the cameras flashing and he said it was because he had super retinas. I'm not even sure what made me say that, but I'm pretty sure whoever took their picture before me was talking about something with cameras that made me segue into this. My memory is already a little fuzzy on the details.

After I scored a picture with Brian, we tried to hop in line to meet Leighanne but security kicked us out. So it was time to move onto the next activity- Cameo Night club!

Pre-Cruise Party at Cameo

Meet & Greet

The long day of traveling and excitement was most definitely catching up to me before we even made our way into the club. I was quite exhausted and my cold wasn't helping matters. So I was less than thrilled when they finally did let us into the club to discover it felt like an icebox in there.



Me and Chrissy freezing our booties off

We stood around a bit waiting for the boys to show up. I may have gotten a drink to keep warm but $8 for a cheap beer and $18 for a mixed drink was just beyond ridiculous. Its not in my DNA to allow myself to pay that much for a drink. (Even though paying $150 to meet the backstreet boys for 5 seconds is perfectly acceptable) Finally they started letting people through and once again those darn nerves started kicking in. I've now met the boys several times but I still can't seem to shake those butterflies you get in your stomach right before meeting them. I don't think that will ever go away. The line moved swiftly along and before you know it I was in Backstreet heaven.

I have to thank Chrissy profusely for being able to get me a VIP ticket for this event. I can't thank you enough! The whole thing happened in a flash. I remember going down the line and saying hi to all of the boys and shaking their hands. 

I'm really happy with how the picture turned out

After the picture I headed out and Howie told me 'thank you'. I'd like to believe he digested what I told him about his album and the comment was in response to that. So I replied "it was worth the wait". I later realized he says thank you to everyone who meets him. But I'm choosing to believe the thank you was in response to my comment. Side note- I really do love Howie's album. A lot more than I thought i would too. My favorite song is Dominoes- Love it!

So another successful meet & greet down without me making a fool of myself in front of the boys. I'm also so thrilled with how the picture came out. I usually consider it a success if no one is blinking or blocked, and the cherry on the cake was that my bra wasn't showing this time. My only minor complaint is that AJ's hat is slightly blocking my face. But if my biggest problem in life is that AJ McLean was too close to me in a picture, I think I can manage ;)

The Club

Now I'm not a clubbing girl. But if there are any circumstances which I find it more bearable, its with the Backstreet Boys. I started off on the floor which proved to have a spectacular view. I'll let the video speak for itself. If you were there, you know which one I'm talking about:

No words

The best part of this was that it gave me such high hopes for the cruise. It seemed like the boys would be just as much fun, if not more fun than last year.

I didn't stay on the floor for long, as my friend Kim motioned me upstairs because it had a better view. Yet again it quickly paid off because Nick made his way upstairs and was about 2 feet away from me. Felt like my luck was taking a turn for the better. Only problem was that I was too distracted by Nick's hotness up close that I wasn't paying attention to the fact that AJ was premiering a new single of his US album release. Nick is such a good distraction though so I'll let it slide this time.

As the night continued, there wasn't much else going on from my perspective. Howie made his way out to the dance floor for what seemed to be an eternity. I was so surprised how long he stayed in the crowd. Lucky group of girls near him. But aside from that, the boys were sticking to the stage area, leaving the rest of the club with not much to do. For most girls its not a problem if you're drinking, dancing, and having a good time. Though I was feeling worse and worse as the night progressed so I had to break my golden rule of not leaving before the last Backstreet Boy left. My poor throat just couldn't take any more. So i left around 1:00am and understood I missed some excitement later that evening but nothing too major. I'd say I saw the highlight of the evening with AJ dancing on the stripper pole.

After a quick trip to CVS to load up on meds, I went back to the hotel and tried to get some sleep. 'Tried' being the key word there. Between my cold and excitement, not much sleep to be had that night.

Next stop- SS Backstreet!

Wylee Party in Miami

Brian tweeted today that there will be a Wylee party in Miami the night before the cruise.

RT @WyleebyLL: Ok no Wylee party on the ship so how about in Miami the night before? Who's in? I'm in! chirp

So far I haven't seen any other details and I don't suspect we'll get any until the day of. So in the meantime, make your way to wyleebags.com and start your shopping.

I definitely want to go and will try my best to get there but it depends on timing, location, and how I'm feeling.

Hope to see you there!

VIP Tables at Cameo

First I want to give you all an update. I am going to the pre-cruise party at Cameo and I have to thank my lovely roommate, Chrissy, for scoring VIP tickets for me as well. I’m very excited and an now scrambling to find another outfit for that.

Over the past few days there has also been a lot of buzz about getting a VIP table at the club with bottle service. Here’s some high level info for you to help you decide:

• There are two 15-person tables ON the stage which cost $5,000 each. There is a 3 bottle minimum. Admission, tax and gratuities are separate. 
• There are other tables near the stage that hold 15 people as well. These also have a 3 bottle minimum thus you can expect to pay at least $825.
• There are smaller tables further from the stage that hold 4 people and its only a 1 bottle minimum thus you can expect to pay at least $275.

There is a long list of types of drinks they have. Just know the bottles range in price from $275-$700; and champagnes range from $40-$5,000.

From what I understand tables are booking up. If you are interested you can email them or give them a call at (786) 235-5800 to make a reservation.

Cameo Nightclub

I've never done a VIP table before so I have limited information on this topic. I also am not a big club person, nor a big drinker so I personally have no desire to partake in this. If you do decide to reserve a table, just know that this VIP is completely separate from the Backstreet Boys. It only has to do with the club. Thus the only thing you can be guaranteed of is that you will most likely be closer to the Backstreet Boys.

Since I wouldn’t drink my monies worth, I would expect to get that value from being closer to the Backstreet Boys. However there is absolutely no guarantee of any interaction with them. None. So they could sit and hang out with me all night or not even come over. It’s completely a gamble and a gamble that I really don’t want to take. If I wont the lottery tomorrow, I might sing a different tune, but until them I’ll stick with general admission.

Though even if I did have the extra money I would probably put it towards a different BSB activity. I would rather go to additional concerts,  get a platinum VIP, even travel to Europe for NKOTBSB shows, or upgrade my cabin on the cruise. I just get more enjoyment out of that than drinking at a club.

Meanwhile I also want to try my best to get to bad early that night because I know I have to save energy for the cruise, which is where the real party will be happening!

Pre-Cruise Event at Cameo

Well it's finally been announced that we will be having our pre-cruise event at Cameo Club in Miami Beach.

Join us for the official Backstreet Boys Pre Cruise party taking place at Cameo in Miami Beach. Tickets start at just $25.00 meet and greet packages at $175. Tickets go on sale this coming Thursday at 10AM PST time right here on backstreetboys.com

After hearing the news I'm excited that we finally have some concrete details to plan around. It's hard not to be excited with any announcement involving me getting to see the Backstreet Boys. Though I have to admit I'm definitely not as thrilled as I was last year with the acoustic show. Plus $175 for a meet and greet is a lot of money. I'll probably cave and end up buying it because I usually do, but at this point I'm still debating. Seeing as how its an after party, I was worried that not all four boys would be there but Marquis Group tweeted that they would all be there. Otherwise I would be really upset if I paid $175 and it wasn't a picture with all four Backstreet Boys. Another way to look at this is it's significantly cheaper than a gold VIP package on tour, which also guarantees a solo picture with all four boys.

One other thing I want to point out is I have no idea how early girls are going to get there because it seems to be a general admission event. If last year's event was any indication of what to expect this year, I imagine girls will get there early. Personally I don't want to stand around hours in Miami this year, I'd rather go explore the city or rest up for the cruise. Just something else you might want to think about.

My biggest hesitation is that I've never had great experiences at after parties. I always seem to get stepped on, beer spilled all over me, yelled at, pushed, etc. The ratio of uncomfortableness to BSB activity is lower than I would typically like to go. See exhibit A. Generally I prefer events that fall above that red line.

Exhibit A

Sorry, I'm at work and at least had to make it look like I'm working somewhat- thus a pretty graph. But basically I'm willing to put up with all a lot more unpleasantries such as being squished like a sardine at a concert knowing I'll get lots of BSB at the end. But as I'm becoming more of an adult, sometimes I have to step back and really think if its worth 5 hours in the rain to hear them sing one song.

But back to the after party in Miami, overall I know I'd regret not going more than I would regret going and not having a good time. So more likely than not, you'll see me there.

8 Things I Plan on Doing the Same for Cruise 2011

So I shared with you all what I plan on doing differently for the next cruise, so I figured I’d also share what I want to make sure I do again.

1. Try new foods: This isn’t exactly Backstreet Boy related, but last cruise I tried new foods that I wouldn’t normally otherwise try. After all, its free, so if you don’t like it you’re not out the money. Last year I tried some new stuff which I really enjoyed and I want to make sure I do that again.
2. Get to Miami early: It’s just too stressful traveling the morning of the cruise. Any number of things could happen like the random freak airport fire in Miami. It’s just not worth it, especially in December one would expect potential weather delays. You never know what will happen so I plan on getting there early.
3. Not a lot of alcohol: I did have a few drinks on the last cruise (mainly when they were free) But I found I had an absolutely amazing time without drinking. I didn’t need it and it saved me a bunch of money and a hangover the next morning. So, I don’t think I’ll be drinking a lot on the 2011 cruise either.
4. Take advantage of the Fan Club: I met so many great people on the BSB fan club before the cruise, that I already recognized so many faces by the time I stepped on the ship. I went up to people to say hi (although some I accidentally got wrong…oops lol) and I had people come up to me to say hi. I will definitely be doing that again.
5. Look Presentable: At all times! Maybe I wasn’t great about this last time, but considering how I normally look on vacation I was doing pretty well. You never know when you may run into a Backstreet Boy and if they are willing to take pictures. I happened to luck out that Brian was posing with fans right when we came on board after lunch, before we even had time to get to our cabin. Good thing I wasn’t wearing my usual sweats.
6. No Cell Phone: As soon as we sailed away from Miami I turned my phone off and didn’t really turn it back on until we arrived back in Miami. It was so nice not to have to check in with work and the rest of the outside world. I also didn’t get slammed with any crazy roaming charges. But what I may do is get a larger text plan for that month. I was texting everyone like crazy those days leading up to the cruise and those first few hours on the ship. Mainly because I was in BSB overload.
   
7. Decorate my Door: I had so much fun last time decorating the door and I felt like I came up with a pretty unique idea. It definitely felt nice to have people acknowledge my work, even though the Backstreet Boys themselves didn’t. Plus I felt like this was a great way to meet your neighbors because people were decorating those doors all around the same time.
8. Plan Outfits Ahead of Time: Once we got the itinerary, it was very easy to see what you would be doing at each point during the day so I could determine what I wanted to wear and when I would change. I found this to be very helpful because it helped me pack exactly what I needed- no more no less. I also didn't waste time on the cruise pouring through all of my clothes deciding what to wear for any given event because I had already tried on my clothes and knew ahead of time what I was wearing. It worked out very well for me last time and its one less thing to stress about while on board.
   

Pre Cruise Hotel 2011

I’m rather delinquent on posting this but Rose Tours announced not too long ago that they negotiated a rate of $189 at the Intercontinental Hotel for the night of December 1st. You can check out more information about the cruise special rate here.

InterContinental Hotel

Personally I don’t think that’s a very good rate. Last year I stayed at the Holiday Inn, which was a great location near the port and a lot cheaper. Plus a lot of fans were there and I think there is something to be said for staying where a lot of other fans are staying, made me feel safer. Another large group of people stayed at the Marriott Biscayne Bay, since that is where Rose Tours negotiated the rate last time. However without a negotiated rate, that particular Marriott will be a bit more pricy this year at $229 a night. I enjoyed staying at the Holiday Inn and I’d recommend it for anyone looking for a cheap, but nice hotel near the port.

For some of you first time cruisers, you be wondering why you want to get a hotel at all and not fly in the morning of the cruise. Yes, you can fly in the morning of the cruise if you wish. I’ve done it before with no problems, but for this particular cruise I did not want to take any chances with weather delays or missing a plane for whatever reason. It will be winter in the US so you never know if a storm might hit. My mom took a cruise a few weeks ago and her flight got cancelled due to a freak fire accident at Miami airport. So you just never know what might come up, so I would recommend arriving the night before to be on the safe side. Plus the Backstreet Boys have hinted that they may do something the night before in Miami, in which case you would definitely need a place to stay that night.

I was debating whether or not I should create a nice spreadsheet for you all with all the hotel options, but there are over 200 hotels near the Port of Miami so I decided I should probably not waste my efforts. Plus some of you may not want to stay in Miami and some of you may be looking at hostels. So instead I’ll just give a high level overview on my top hotel choices. I’ve done some research and found that hotels range from $59/night-$1,733/night near the port. Those prices range from a random motel to the Ritz. I would say a good rate would be between $120-$150, to make sure you don’t end up in a complete dump. Based on what fans are saying in the fanclub, the majority of people seem to be staying at the Holiday Inn this year. The current rate for the Holiday Inn Port of Miami is $136/night so its definitely a great deal for what you get. I would also recommend splitting the hotel with multiple people to cut costs. That is what I did last year, and it turned out not only to save me money, but I met 3 wonderful girls that I continue to talk to on a daily basis.

As for me, I plan on staying at the Courtyard Miami Downtown with several other ladies I met last year. I want to stay at a Marriott because I have rewards points to use towards the room, which will cut costs, and it looks like a decent hotel near the port. We just need to get our act together and book the room soon!

It's Not too Early to Book Your Flights

So initially I was not too worried about booking my flight. After all, the trip isn’t for another 8 months. Heck, Southwest doesn’t even have their December flights posted. But I realized something. Since I’m planning a trip to Disney World before the cruise, I would be traveling during THE busiest travel day of the year. November 27th, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, is the most traveled day of the year because everyone is returning home. This means that flights will fill up that much quicker, they will be more expensive, and not to mention all the craziness that I’m sure will take place the airports. Ugh, I’m already dreading the lines.

So if you’re anything like me and plan on extending your trip, just keep this in mind as you make your travel arrangements. I’m still trying to decide the best day to travel. My goal is to make sure I have enough time to see Mickey.

If you're planning on going straight to the cruise, when booking your flight, you have 2 options of airports to fly into- Miami (MIA) or Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Flying into Fort Lauderdale tends to be cheaper than flying into Miami. But FLL is also 14 miles further from the port than Miami. So you need to factor in that added cost of getting to the port. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Getting from Fort Lauderdale Airport to the Port

Travel Options

• Taxi cab- $67 though this is an estimate. Generally available immediately. Could work out to be cheaper if you travel in a group.
  
• Shared Ride- $21 per person. The van will hold a maximum of 10 people. Maximum waiting time of 30 minutes but most shared vans leave within 10 minutes. This method could save you quite a bit of money, especially if traveling on your own.
  
• Luxury Sedan- $70. Generally available immediately.
• Rental Cars- FLL offers 12 rental car companies in one building next to Terminal 1. If you are traveling with a group and plan on doing some additional site seeing, you may want to consider this option to allow for more flexibility.
  

Travel Time
On average it should take about 45 minutes but during traffic, you should allot up to 90 minutes for travel.

Getting from Miami Airport to the Port

Travel Options

• SuperShuttle- $14 This is basically a shared taxi service. Reservation not required. Good option if you're traveling by yourself.
  
• Taxi- $24 flat fee
• Car Rental- There is a shuttle at the airport that will take you one mile away to the Miami Rental Car Center which has over 16 rental companies to choose from. This may be a good option if you're in a group and want to have extra flexibility.
• Hotel shuttle- You may want to double check to see if the hotel you are staying at has a shuttle to the airport. I assume that would be free but you’ll have to double check.

Travel Time
On average it should take anywhere from 15-20 minutes depending on traffic.


As for me- I’ll be doing none of the above haha. Since I’ll be going to Disney, I'll fly into Orlando airport but I anticipate flying out of Miami.

Best Cruise Quotes

Acoustic Show

Fan- “What do you want to accomplish?”
Nick- “We haven’t finished this cruise yet, or even started it, that’s a goal baby.” *Said with terror in his voice*

Brian (during Siberia)- “If you want to talk…you can send me an email.”

AJ (Referring to Christmas Time)- “Is that like the official H&M Christmas song because I hear that in every H&M around the world.”
Howie- “At least some places play our songs.”

AJ- “How do you guys know what hotel, floor and what room we’re at before we get there?!”
Brian- “AJ! AJ! I’ve got an answer to that….I put my location on my twitter.”


Family Feud

AJ- “Sorry, they gave me a mic, what do you expect?”

AJ- “Dude, what did you guys think Howie used to look like?”

Brian- “Did you say long and hard?”

Howie (In response to fans thinking he wore a dress)- “It wasn’t me, you got the wrong Backstreet Boy!”

Name something Nick does on tour.
AJ- “Remember this is FAMILY feud”
Howie- “I know the real answer but this is a family show…Be honest Nick”
Nick- “NO, you're not going to get it from me!”

If not a musician, what other career path would AJ have chosen?
Brian- “A porn star.”
Howie- “A driver of the short bus.”

Dating Game

Brian- “What is your favorite position? Awww….It wasn’t me. G-d forgive me”

Fan- “Te Amo Howie”
Brian- “She said I love you Howie for those of you that need a translation”

Howie- “What is your treasured position and why…Possession!”

International Luv Night

AJ- “How many of you guys want to see Nick naked?”

AJ (in Scottish accent)- “I like my ladies thick, and I like my ladies drunk. But most importantly, I love all of y'all."

AJ- “I mean shit, I’m in a fucking kilt”

AJ- “Now Im gonna go to bed….No I’m not going to bed. But I’m going to be naughty with the wifey. Is that OK? Do you wanna see pictures?!”

Q&A

AJ (on forgetting the lyrics)- “For some reason undone, because I started right before the verse comes in What are the words? What are the words? What are the words? What are the words? What are the words?.....Your words but…. Thank G-d”

Howie- “My autopilot is off. I don’t know what happened. It went off somewhere. Off track.”

Brian- “I can never watch extreme home makeover without crying. It’s like being on Oprah.”

Jenn- “If you were drag queens, what would your stage name be?”
Howie- “We need to talk about this, its not a good question.”
Nick- “I would dress like Elvira… I would have some big you know what’s right here”

Howie- “With these tight pants you gotta wear nowadays and everything, I can’t wear no boxers. They don’t feel good anymore. I’ve gone back to briefs. Its crazy. Tighty whities are my friends.”

Brian- “ We walk around with Nick all the time and we’re like say no to crack ”
Nick- “I’ve got a high crack, man”

Brian (referring to buying 2 cars)- “I was like I’ll take it. The guy was looking at me like, is your dad here?”

AJ- “I would love to go to Greece….We should go down there and put on a concert by the Colosseum”
Brian- “She said the Colosseum is in Rome, AJ”

What do you miss more about the early part of the BSB years?
Howie- “I miss Lou Pearlman’s house”
Fan- “Yeah, but you paid for it!”

Brian- “You cannot take AJ anywhere”
AJ- “Yeah, Brian doesn’t like going to the mall with me.”
Brian- “He walks in like ‘Hi im AJ!’”

Howie- “I actually invited Brian and Nick to the Atlanta Falcons Bucs game the other day.” Brian- “And then you were a dog because you were sending me pictures of field side. And he’s going ‘Wish you were here. Thinking of you’ No you're not! And you're rubbing it in”

Howie- “Actually my house payments depend upon on you guys so I can’t live without you guys.”

AJ (on his regrets)- “My hairstyles period. The one that looked like a dog with the braids. What I was thinking, I have no idea. “
Howie- “Chris Kirkpatrick”

AJ- “Is anyone else feeling nauseous right now? Im sitting here trying to listen to you talk. Just go straight man! Straight! Who’s driving the boat?”
Brian- “I think Kevin is.”

Howie (telling us that they will be in NY for the ball dropping but clarifies)- “I’m not saying dropping our balls. In New York city!”

When a Backstreet song comes on the radio do you sing along or change the channel?
AJ- “It depends on what song it is. If its one that we haven’t heard in a while. Like All I have to Give came on the other day. I listened to it. I didn’t sing along. Looking like a dork…Cant pull up next to a car with your windows down and singing your own song”
Nick- “It’s so funny because I don’t ever hear it on the radio. I hear it in an elevator or grocery store. And its freaken elevator music half the time so I have to listen to it while I’m buying milk”
Howie- “I actually get excited when I hear it in the grocery store. I like want to tell people ‘Hey hey, that's me! In LA especially nobody cares there. Whatever dude. Do your thing. You crazy nut.”

Who is your favorite Backstreet Boy?
Nick- “Um, I kinda like Howie man. Howie’s a cool guy. But…”
Howie- “Stop right there. Howie was cool.”

Brian (advice on marriage)- “Its not 50 50. Its 100 and 100. That was the advice given to me by a friend of mine. I gave it to Howie and I was saving it for AJ. Still saving it for AJ…Because some days you’re only going to have 85% and some days hes going to have to have 125. And some days you're going to have 150... Listen I ain’t doing math for ya’ll”

Nick- “My favorite home cooked meal now is dill salmon, in a poached type of salmon with some really cool complex carbohydrate vegetables. Sorry I'm getting scientific with you. With maybe some brown rice on the side instead of 2 high starch type of stuff. I love veggies so I make sure that its about 20% animal protein…”
AJ- “ I don’t want to follow yours because that sounds really weird.

Beach Party

Brian- “OK ladies and gentleman, the Backstreet Boys are starting their twitter game, Uh twitter..Twister game.”

Brian (hosting twister)- “Anything on anything”

In the club

AJ- “I am the only Backstreet Boy that is awake right now.”

AJ- “So do you guys want to hear some naughty music? I mean really freaky. Like seriously I feel like this is girls gone wild. Everyone keep your clothing on.”

AJ- “C’mon ladies, I wanna see all ya’ll work it like you’ve never worked it before. Work it like you stole something.”

Black & Blue Night

Brian- “Howie was coloring back in the back with his little crayons."

Brian- “You hear it here first…..We’ll see you next year on a cruise near you!”

AJ- “This has been an absolutely amazing cruise. We definitely want to do this again and again and again.”

AJ- “It’s really windy out here isn’t it? We just came from Mexico and now we’re in Chicago”

AJ- “I do like my shirt. We are not Backstreet Boys we are Backstreet men!”
Nick- “You reversed that buddy”

Nick- “Hey, everybody seriously be safe. This boat is rocking. Don’t get too close to the edge. I don’t want to be diving in after you all naked and shi…stuff. But if you want to fall in the pool…well they’re empty.”

Concert
Brian- If they mess up “Forgive us, we’ll call it the boat is shifting”

Recap: Acoustic Show in Miami

The trip finally started with an early wake up call on December 8th so I could make my way down to Miami. Met a few interesting characters along the way- got to sit next to a pilot on the plane and a scout for major league baseball in the terminal. They both had some pretty cool stories, but my mind was really only focused on the trip ahead.


Once I finally touched down in Miami airport, I could see the palm trees and was ready for the vacation to begin! I knew I wanted to get to the venue as quickly as possible for the show that evening (darn general admission) After a lot of running around and some gross McDonalds French fries, the 4 gals arrived at the venue to see that the line was probably already 100 people long.

Waiting in line for the show to begin

I’ve been to many BSB concerts in my day, but this acoustic show ranks up there as one my favorites. It wasn’t a long set, maybe 9-10 songs, but it was so nice seeing them in a different element and being themselves. They sang a lot of their classics along with Siberia, Undone (LOVED THIS), Drowning, Bigger and a few others. The concert was interspersed with some questions from fans in the audience. One fan asked for them to sing Happy Birthday while another asked them to sing Christmas Time. Hadn’t heard that one in quite a while.

Undone- My favorite of the night (Pardon the shaky camera work)

My favorite question was “If you could be any character, who would you be?” AJ immediately chimed in with ‘Chandler’, which would be the first of many times he referenced Friends throughout the trip.

"Who's Chandler?" Seriously, Howie??

Once the concert was finished, time for the meet and greet! I was so nervous/excited because I had only met Howie previously.


The process was incredibly rushed and at the last moment they decided to add 3 more people to our picture. I know people had it worse than we did, but I was determined to make the best of the moment. So that is exactly what I did. Iwas able to squeeze in next to Nick. I knew he would be a lot harder to track down on the cruise (which turned out to be pretty accurate) so I'm glad I got my picture with him then.

Poor Howie got blocked :(

After the show I was on cloud 9, and I wasn't even on the cruise yet! I didn't think it was possible for the trip to get any better, but it certainly did. I only managed to eke out a few hours of sleep due to all the excitement.

Miami Acoustic Event Overbooked

A few fans received an unfortunate email yesterday from Ground Ctrl basically saying that their tickets for the acoustic show have been refunded. Apparently the fire marshal changed the code and they had to cancel several orders. Thank goodness I haven’t received any such email, but here is a copy of the email in case you’re interested:

We regretfully write to tell you of an unfortunate situation that has recently been brought to our attention. The venue for the Backstreet Boys Fan Club event taking place in Miami, FL next Wednesday has placed a restriction on the capacity of the event that directly affects the quantity of seats that were originally approved to go on sale. Although it is the very last thing that ground(ctrl) wants to do, and we have fought for all other possible alternatives with the parties involved, we are being forced to refund your ticket to this upcoming event.

Order Number Affected -###### - If you have other orders for this event those will still be valid.

You DO NOT need to do anything as the refund will be issued to you via check. If you would like to check the status please feel free to contact us @ support@groundctrl.com or 1.877.GND.CTRL / Monday - Friday between 9:30 am and 5:30 PM PST. If you would like to be refunded via PAYPAL please call us at 1.877.GND.CTRL and we can process the same day.

Although we know that we cannot replace this exact event, we want to make this up to you as best we can. We would like to offer you a complimentary Bronze VIP package the next time Backstreet Boys come to a venue near you, or a credit toward the purchase of a higher level VIP. All you need to do is contact us at support@groundctrl.com or call us at 877-GND-CTRL Monday - Friday from 9:30am - 5:30pm PST whenever the Boys are coming to your town, and we will gladly accommodate you with a Bronze VIP or VIP credit to your show.

We apologize from our hearts about this unfortunate situation over which we have no control, and we thank you for your continued support and loyalty to the Backstreet Boys and the Backstreet Boys Fan Club.

My heart just sank for anyone who got this email. It’s nice that they are offering a VIP package to rectify the situation. However if you’re traveling from overseas I dont think that would do much good. All I know is that I would not be a happy camper if I received this.

Acoustic Show in Miami

300 lucky fans, myself included, will be attending the acoustic show in Miami the night before the cruise on December 8th. I’ve never been to an acoustic show or such an intimate fan event before so I’m very excited. I was also lucky enough to get the meet and greet option, which will be my first time meeting them (except Howie) Here is the announcement from the fan club in case you missed it:

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Miami Acoustic Fan Event

The long-awaited Miami Fan Event is finally going to happen on Wednesday, December 8th at the Byron Carlyle Theater in Miami Beach!!! You heard it here first!
For those of you who attended the Napa Fan Event or the NYC Fan Event earlier this year, this Acoustic Fan Event is going to be the Miami equivalent of those shows. There will be an intimate, acoustic performance from the guys, a Q&A, and last but not least, a M&G and group photo taken.
This event will go on sale on Friday, October 1st at 10am PST to Fan Club members only. This is a LIMITED SEATING event, so act fast.
Tickets will be $199 which includes all of the above (performance, Q&A, M&G etc). This is a General Admission Event.
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Logistics

The Byron Carlyle theater is located at
500 71st St., Miami Beach, FL 33140



I went to Miami taxi fare finder and if you are staying at the Holiday Inn- you can expect around a $32 cab ride. If you are staying at the Marriott- you can expect about a $30 cab ride. If you happen to be renting a car (which I'll be doing) parking is free after 6:00.


Waiting in Line
Good ole general admission....always translates into lots of waiting around. I anticipate the lines will form early, but it also sounds like there are many who are going to forgo waiting in line to explore Miami. The venue is small, so all seats will be good, however there isn't much in Miami that I particularly wanted to do. So I will probably head to the venue once I get settled into the hotel and grab a bite to eat. I'm also looking forward to meeting people and line and getting to know my roommates better before the event.

The Fun Part
While the email doesn’t give too many specifics, I’ve spoken to a few girls who attended the New York acoustic show and they gave me a better sense of what to expect. While we are not guaranteed the events will be identical, it should give us a good sense.

I was actually surprised to hear that the fans were quite cordial, perhaps because it is such a small venue. Let’s hope this will be true of the Miami event as well. I was also told that there was no opening act, and when they came out (on Backstreet time of course) they would alternate between songs and taking questions from the audience. Each guy would then select someone at random from the audience to take a question.

After the concert portion, those girls who had the meet and greet option were given a special bracelet and would get in line for the pictures. As they made their way through the line, the security guards would then collect the bracelet so that you couldn’t get back in line for another picture. I also gathered that security complicated things by throwing extra people into pictures at the last minute. I’ve already spoken to the girls I’m rooming with we’ve established who we each want to stand next to. But I’m also going in with the mindset that we’ll need to stay flexible.

Then arrives the moment I’ve been waiting for…for a good 10 years…finally being able to meet the Backstreet Boys! I’m so excited at the thought that these next 48 days can’t go by fast enough. A few tips and things to expect:

• Plan out your entire outfit. The pictures will be full body shots so keep this in mind when deciding what to wear.
• If you plan on getting in line early, you may want to bring a change of clothes. That way you can wear something comfortable in line and not risk ruining your outfit by getting it dirty before the concert
• Supposedly you get hugs from all of the guys *sigh* Let’s hope they do this in Miami.
• Think about what you want to say. Again, I’ve had 10 years to think, so let’s hope I don’t mess this up. I was also told that you have to be slightly assertive on this, as the guys will not strike up a conversation with you. But if you make the effort, you will get your small amount of time.

Does anyone else have any tips that have met them before?