Information At Last!

Check your emails, cruisers, we finally have some more information from Rose Tours. In case you missed it....

BACKSTREET BOYS CRUISE
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES/ROSE TOURS INSTRUCTIONS


Dear _____,

We would like to take this opportunity to thank for participating in the
3RD Annual BSB Cruise aboard The CARNIVAL IMAGINATION.

Please review below information necessary to ensure a trouble free, relaxing vacation for all. Your booking number is six characters, three letters and three numbers.

All guests sailing on Carnival are required to complete an online check in no later 11:59 pm the night prior to sailing. Once the 4 Step Online Check In process is complete all guests can proceed to print their Boarding Pass and Luggage Tags. Taking a few minutes now will let you start enjoying your long-awaited cruise that much sooner.

 To begin the Online Check In process- Go online to Carnival.com and click on Manage My Cruises

 Or access web page – www.carnival.com/bookedguest

 Click on Login, Register or Access Your Booking Now and provide the following:

 Carnival Booking Number

 Guest Last Name

 Date of Birth

 Ship Name: Carnival Imagination

 Sail Date: 10/25/2013

  Step 1 Provide Guest Information: You will be required to provide personal information such address, an emergency contact, and your travel documentation information

 Step 2 Onboard Expenses: You will open your onboard expense account by providing credit card information or can select to provide cash upon embarkation.

 Step 3 Cruise Ticket Contract: You will need to accept Carnival Cruise Ticket Contract (Please note you will not be able to complete the online check in without accepting these terms)

 Step 4 Check In Summary: You will receive a message you have completed the Online Check In and can now proceed to print your boarding pass and luggage tags.

If you are having technical issues while checking in please call Carnival at 1-866 236-6670 for assistance. If any of the pre- populated information in your online check in is incorrect (example: date of birth) please contact Rose Tours.

 Please remember to bring your Boarding Pass and all Travel Documentation with you to the Pier. 

 Please note, your luggage tag located is on the last page of your documents.

Everyone must check in at the pier. (IMPORTANT - Please remember to fill out your FUN pass/Boarding Pass and Bring with you to the pier for Check In)

It is suggested that you put all medication in your carryon bag. Your luggage will not be delivered to your stateroom until a later time.

Once you arrive at the Pier, go to the Reception Area to check in. **Please have your proper identification with your Boarding pass (valid Passport or State Issued Birth Certificate and government issued photo ID) for cruise check-in.

You will receive your Sail & Sign /Cabin Key/ Wristband and Final Itinerary from Carnival at the pier.

You must wear the wristbands for the entire cruise. Each passenger will receive one wristband, which is non-transferable and will not be replaced.

BEACH PARTY - BALMORAL ISLAND, NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS
Take in the aqua-blue waters of the Bahamas during our Balmoral Beach Party with the BSB!
The luxurious island experience features a plunge pool, and a pristine white sand beach.

Highlights:

    Beautiful plunge pool
    Pristine white sand beach
    Dolphin encounters are available for an additional cost

Try a new luxury destination when your Carnival Cruise calls in Nassau, Bahamas. Transfer from the pier by boat to the private island.

    Transportation, a bottle of water and a boxed lunch are included. (Additional beverages/alcohol are available at an additional charge)
    Your shipboard Sail & Sign card may be used for purchases in Balmoral.
    Bring your own towel.
    Sunscreen and beach gear recommended.

ALL EVENTS ON BALMORAL WILL BE GENERAL ADMISSION

All guests must take their sail & sign card and a photo id  to depart the ship.  If you are going to sight see in Nassau, you must have cash or a valid credit card for purchases.

BSB CRUISE RULES & OTHER INFORMATION

AUTOGRAPHS:
No autographs will be given at the photo sessions. You are more than welcome to ask BSB for their autographs when you see them around the ship, however please respect their privacy if they request it.

PHOTO SESSIONS:
We will have groups of 8-10 passengers for each picture with the BSB. This way we will be able to see everyone, no one will be left without a photo. Please respect this group policy. Group A wristbands begin at11:00 AM and Group B wristbands begin at 1:00PM. These sessions will be in the Xanadu Lounge on Promenade Deck 5. Please arrive at the Photo Session with your group! NO CAMERAS, MOBILE PHONES, GIFTS OR BAGS WILL BE ADMITTED INTO THE PHOTO SESSION. If you do not have a group of 8-10, please go into the Disco to make up your group. Once you have your group of 8-10, please get in line. If you do not get a group of 8-10 you will be added to random passengers in order to get your photo.

PERSONAL CAMERAS / VIDEO CAMERAS:
Please feel free to bring your personal camera to all events except for the official photo sessions. We are providing an official photographer who will be circulating at all official events. Photos will be available thru a website. The link will be provided at a later time. If personal cameras are brought to the photo sessions, you will have to return it to your cabin. Video cameras allowed only for personal events. They are not allowed at official BSB cruise events. NO PROFESSIONAL CAMERAS ALLOWED AT ANY TIME. (SLR, DSLR, HD VIDEO, ETC)

WRISTBANDS:
You will receive your wristband at check-in. There are 6 wristband colors , these colors represent the zones in the Dynasty Lounge. Your wristband will have your exact seat assignment and either an A or B, which will denote your dining and event time. Wristband color and seat assignment number was determined by time of booking. Please note that these wristbands are required for all events. DO NOT REMOVE these wristbands until the end of the cruise.

PERSONAL GIFTS TO BSB:
Gifts will NOT be permitted at any BSB scheduled events.
Gifts can be left at the hospitality desk located in the Circle C Lounge on Atlantic Deck 8. Please consult your itinerary for Hospitality Hours. Your gifts will be delivered to BSB.

SEATING:
All seating in the Dynasty Lounge will be reserved. Your wristband determines which zone you are in and your Seat Number. Please look at the seating charts provided at check in to see where you will be seated. Please respect the seating policy and do not switch seats during the events. Please be respectful of others when entering the Dynasty Lounge.

CONCERT:
The BSB Concerts will be reserved seating in the Dynasty Theatre. Each group gets ONE concert. NO ONE WILL BE ADMITTED INTO THE OTHER GROUPS CONCERT. Please respect your fellow guests during the concert. VIDEO IS NOT PERMITTED DURING THE CONCERT!

DRESS:
Dress during the day is casual (shorts, shirts, skirts, jeans, etc.) Theme nights are as follows:

Friday, Oct 25th  DON'T PUT OUT THE GLOW NEON PARTY.
"Stay here, don't put out the glow..."  Join the party in your favorite neon clothes and accessories. The brighter the better!  Don't forget your glow sticks!

Saturday, Oct 26th BACKSTREETS BACK HALLOWEEN PARTY
There ain't no party like a Backstreet Halloween Party!  In honor of Halloween, we're throwing a massive costume party.  BSB related or not, get creative! After all, what's Halloween without an epic costume?

Monday, Oct 27th BACKSTREET BACHELORETTE PARTY
It's ladies night and it's guaranteed to get wild. Think club attire. Sexy, chic and ready for a good time.  You be the bachelorette and we'll be your eye candy!  P.S. Fellas are still invited too!

Beach & Swim Wear, Tank Tops, Tennis Shoes, Flip-Flops are Not Allowed in the Dining Room.

DINING ROOMS:
Guests with Early Dining are in Group A. (Spirit Dining Room or Pride Dining Room)
Guests with Late Dining are in Group B. (Spirit Dining Room or Pride Dining Room)You will receive dining room assignment at check in. Seating in the dining rooms is open.
Please arrive at your assigned dining room with your party, the Maitre D' will seat you.
Other options include 24 hour Room Service, Buffet on Lido Deck or the 24 hour Pizzeria.

SPA CARNIVAL:
'Everybody' the spa onboard invites you to pamper yourself while sailing on this special cruise.

'Larger Than Life' Relaxation

Choose any combination of three treatments (60 minutes total) - Only $129 - Save $100! 'As Long As You Love Us'

    Back, Neck and Shoulder Massage
    Full Body Brush Exfoliation
    Pressure Point Foot and Ankle Massage
    Scalp Massage
    Hand and Arm Massage
    Hydrating Spa Facial

There's 'More than That…. '
Upgrade your Back, Neck and Shoulder massage to a Bamboo Massage or Aroma Stone Massage for only $25.
Offer may not be combined with other discounts or promotions.

Full itineraries to follow!

Thanks and See you on board!

My Take
Wow, a lot of information to digest! Here are my thoughts

• "We will have groups of 8-10 passengers for each picture with the BSB"
  I honestly have to step back and laugh at this with everyone working so diligently on getting groups of 10. I figured as much they'd throw us a curve ball, but alas, this is a better curveball then them saying 12 people per picture. I think we would've had a mutiny on our hands.
• Beach party sounds AWESOME!!!! The island looks gorgeous! Anyone else want to sabotage the boats back to the ship with me so we can be stuck here with BSB??? Just teasing....kind of ;P But seriously, I'm really happy they're doing the beach party on a private island this year. THIS is what its all about!
  
  
   
• All of the policies are nothing new, at least as a repeat cruiser. But I want to call out for first time cruisers that its very important to check-in and print off your fun pass.
• Spa treatments are always tempting. They're clearly just trying to sell more by throwing a backstreet lyric in front of the existing package, and gosh darnit, I think its gonna work on me!
• Unrelated to this email, but rumors of a Kev solo concert are floating around.... @TheRobGonzales tweeted the following @MikeyBoyCanada @cdubyah76 yes I am!!! Opening for Kevin's solo set and then jamming on the piano with him while he sings! Can't wait!
  That would be super exciting!!! Obviously never seen Kevin really do any solo stuff so this will definitely be a treat. And now we have a Brian & likely Kev solo event....so I'm hoping we'll go 5 for 5 on the solo stuff!
  
• I was looking for the itinerary but caught it said "Full itineraries to follow!" Guess they're trying to finalize a few more items. Rose Tours apparently also runs on Backstreet time....

Beach Party Unabridged

I already gave you a high level look at the cruise from my perspective, but now I want to dive into each event and give you a complete 360 degree look at everything that happened independent of my experiences. This is a new mini series on my blog called the ‘Unabridged Series’. Expect very thorough details. My goal is that if you went on the cruise, for you to be able to go back and relive every minute. And if you weren’t on the cruise, to make if feel like you were right there with us the whole time. Sound good? I don’t plan on doing the posts in any specific order, really just whatever strikes me at the time so I’m going to start with the beach party. Again- you've been forewarned that these will be long posts with lots of detail. I'll do my best to keep it exciting throughout.

The beach party started rather early in the morning. People started meeting at 9am to be bused over to Cable beach. Though I think ‘bused’ is probably too generous of a word. More like ‘Vanned’ over to the beach. But we did get some interesting history of the island from our driver on the way over. Apparently lots of celebrities use Nassau as a secluded vacation spot, including Chris Rock.

The van dropped us off in front of the Wyndham Nassau Resort where we were given a wristband and then escorted through the lobby and casino out back to the beach area. It had pretty much everything you needed for a fun day in the sun- a pool, several bars, lunch buffet, volleyball courts, sandy beach area, a little cove, and most importantly a stage with 5 microphones on it.

The first part of the day was just your regular day at the beach. The fun started around 1:45 when Nick, Brian, Howie and AJ finally made their way out to the main stage. Remember that some fans had been there since 9:30 waiting by the stage for the boys to show up, but keep in mind that the itinerary said the games would begin at 1:30. So even though it felt as if the boys were running on Backstreet time, technically they weren’t too bad.

The boys came exploding onto the stage with lots of energy. I felt a higher level of excitement all around with the anticipation of Kevin joining. They kicked things off by throwing bead necklaces into the audience.

Nick: "I have a question Howie- You said you had too many bahama mamas or too many bahama mamas?

The fans quickly saw Kevin making the long trek from the hotel to the stage and when he finally got there, it was such a joyous reunion. The rest of the boys were teasing us that we need to keep Kevin away from the jet skis. Not sure what that was about. But when Kevin finally made his way up on stage, he told us how nice it was to be back and asked if we had fun partying with Sphynkter the prior night. Kevin also revealed that he would be joining us later that evening for prom night in his tux. Of course girls erupted in cheers at the thought of snagging Kevin as their prom date. The 5 boys then posed for a picture. I wish they would’ve turned around for us, but at least Kev posted his picture.

Picture courtesy of Kevin

The boys gave us a bit of their personal history with Nassau. Nick divulged that the last time they were in the Bahamas was when they recorded Black & Blue. Apparently they rented a house for 3 weeks and had a lot of fun while recording. Kevin also said the first time they left the continental US was to come to the Bahamas for a performance.

Nick: "Girl, look at that Kevin. He works out."

The boys didn’t waste too much time before starting onto the games. I’ll preface by saying fans had already been selected by Rose Tours staff on who would participate in the games. AJ indicated that they would be playing twister, limbo, musical chairs, duck duck goose, and a three-legged race. He also joked he’d be setting up a kissing booth. If only he wasn’t joking. And they never did get around to duck duck goose. Probably for the best.

As the staff finished setting up the first game, AJ thanked us again for our love and support for his upcoming wedding. The boys sang ‘Im on a Boat’. Then Nick joked that he was going to leave our ship and go on the ship docked next to us for the ZZ Top cruise.

Kevin: "Was Howie a good boy last night?" Fans: "Nooo" Howie: "Oh no you didn't!"

First game on the agenda was musical chairs. So AJ called all the fans up and someone had to explain the rules to him because he admitted he didn’t know how to play due to a “deprived childhood.” Brian was the first Backstreet Boy to be eliminated during the second round, though if you take a closer look he really shouldn't have been. He was chivalrous and gave his spot to one of the fans playing. Howie was the next BSB down.

The remaining boys continued to dance their way around the chairs and some of them cheated along the way. Nick and AJ- I'm looking at you. They were going backwards, passing other people and adjusting their pace so they wouldn't get kicked out. Kevin ultimately won the game at which point Nick chimed in "Is that foreshadowing something?" Not sure if Nick really thought the statement through, but it was one of many clues that Kevin would be returning to the group.

This was my favorite round of musical chairs with Nick and AJ cheating the majority of the time

The next game on the agenda was twister. I wouldn't say much horribly exciting happened for the purposes of retelling the event.

AJ getting ready for some twister showing off those legs

Howie was the first Backstreet Boy eliminated from twister and he took on the role of commentator. Brian, AJ, and Kevin quickly followed Howie's elimination and in that order. Brian made some jokes on how the girls were conveniently trying to work their way closer to Nick. Nick eventually won the twister game.

Brian having some fun with Nick during Twister

They didn't waste any time and moved right into the limbo game next. Nick and Kevin were the official pole holders (most likely because they're the tallest of the group). I loved how the first round Howie just walked under the pole without having to bend at all. AJ danced his way under the pole every time, which was enjoyable to watch. Brian spiced things up one round and jumped over the pole. Such a rebel that one. Nick tried to get him kicked out for that maneuver but no luck there.

Howie and Brian walking under the limbo stick

AJ and Brian were eliminated from limbo mid-way through leaving Howie as the last Backstreet Boy standing. Conveniently he excels in the game where being short is an asset ;) Though in the end a fan from Holland ended up winning this game. After the official competition, Nick took his turn but ended up falling. At least he tried.

Just as the boys were about the leave the stage, they did a last minute acapella rendition of the Safest Place to Hide with Kevin. They sounded absolutely amazing.

Safest Place to Hide

They also did a seemingly impromptu wet T-shirt contest. What I personally liked about this event was that the Backstreet Boys themselves picked the fans to participate. All the girls and AJ lined up and braced themselves to be squirted with water guns by the other 4 Backstreet Boys. Of course 'Im Sexy and I Know it' was playing in the background as everyone got soaked. AJ got way too into this event and was totally hamming it up. But isn't that why we love him?

No caption can do this justice

At this point, the boys took a little break. Thus the area in front of the stage cleared out significantly. During that down time they were just relaxing, grabbing a bite to eat and some of the boys were doing pictures and autographs.

Brian signing autographs during his downtime. Such a sweetie.

After some down time the 3-legged race took place off to the side of the stage and the whole thing couldn't have lasted for more than 30 seconds. 5 lucky fans had one leg tied up to a different backstreet boy and they had to stumble their way across the beach. Brian and Kevin both took a few tumbles leaving Howie to win this event.

Three-Legged Race

After the 3-legged race, Jenn made a few announcements. The important one being that if you found a crown in your goody bag that you were a prom queen. Now you have 5 incredibly happy fans and 1,495 incredibly disappointed fans. But that was quickly forgotten when Nick told us to go meet him and AJ in the water because they would be jet skiing. I'm sure you can just imagine the crowds that started forming in the water in anticipation for AJ and Nick in the ocean. Those same crowds would also cause both Nick and AJ to leave the beach party immediately after they finished jet skiing.

AJ Jet skiing

Meanwhile Brian and Howie stuck around on the stage playing volleyball with the fans. The fans weren't too spectacular at volleying the ball, so eventually Brian decided to move the game to the actual volleyball court. Seeing as how the court was already in use, Brian and Howie just joined the group of middle aged men that were already playing. It was quite funny to hear the body guards explain to these men what was going and actually introduce them to the Backstreet Boys. Even though I could identify these 5 guys from a blurry picture of their knee, I forget that not everyone is as familiar with them as I am.

Before you know it the court was surrounded by hundreds of females. Brian and Howie joined opposing teams, and not too much later, Kevin came and played on Howie's side.

Brian playing volleyball

While I was bummed that fans didn't get a chance to play with the boys, it actually was a lot more fun to watch them play with people who could actually get a volley going. The boys were playing for a good 20-30 minutes before they were pretty much forced to leave. I think Brian would've stayed there for several more hours if he could've. He seemed to be having a lot of fun.

There you have it. Pretty much everything you could've wanted to know about the beach party and more. This was one of my favorite events of the cruise for so many reasons. The boys were there for a solid 3 hours, interacting with the fans, lots of fun games to keep us entertained, great weather, and its just such a unique way to interact with the boys that you can't get anywhere else. I can see them do concerts and meet & greets anywhere. But I can only hang out with them on the beach on a Backstreet Boy cruise. I loved every minute of this event and I think it will be very hard to outdo themselves next time.

PS- Many pictures/videos credited to Anne Marie and Chrissy. They're just better photographers/videographers than I am. Thanks a bunch!

Recap 2011- Day 2

I woke up that morning in the happiest place in the world- on a cruise ship with the Backstreet Boys sleeping just right above me. I can't describe that kind of happiness in words. Here I am in the middle of the Caribbean with my favorite gals and the Backstreet Boys. There is only one thing that could make it better- Kevin Richardson. And it just so happened we were only hours away from seeing him.

Beach Party

We took our time to get some breakfast and get our things together before heading off to the beach party. Once we got there, there were already 10 rows of fans waiting in front of the stage so we decided to hang back and relax a bit before the boys got there. And boy I'm glad we did. They showed up probably 3 hours later so in the interim we relaxed, took some pictures and grabbed some lunch. I also kept freaking out because I saw 5 microphone stands on stage. I was so excited for Kevin to come out! I also thought the beach was very well set up for this event, even in the back I had a great view and I could still lay out and get some sun.

However as soon as the boys got there, that plan went out the window and I wanted to get a bit closer. They started throwing some beads into the audience and everyone was clamoring for them as if their life depended on it. If you stop to think about it, its kind of sad to see grown women fighting over these cheap necklaces. But I was right there with the rest of them trying to grab one for myself. Fortunately my friend Anne Marie caught an extra necklace from AJ and gave it to me. I was so giddy!

On a scale of 1-10, I was already around a 12 after getting a necklace from AJ. That happiness shot up to around a 15 when Kevin finally came out, and about a 20 when they started singing together.

All 5 Backstreet Boys singing Safest Place to Hide

I definitely got goosebumps seeing Kevin, and when Kevin started singing my goosebumps had their own goosebumps. At this moment I realized just how fortunate I was to be on this cruise and have the opportunity to experience this firsthand.  Ok I'm done being sentimental (for now, there will more than likely be more sappiness later)

Cousins reunited

I thought the beach party was just amazing! One of my favorite parts was when they played musical chairs and AJ didn't know how to play because of his "deprived childhood". Seriously, who doesn't know how to play musical chairs? The boys battled it out to the end Kevin ended up winning, which I thought was very cool. They also played twister and limbo.

As the afternoon progressed, the boys got their hands on some water guns and started spraying us, and more importantly each other. Normally it wouldn't have been a big deal but the water guns were full of salty ocean water. Yuck!

This pic of Nick makes me :)

Water guns of course lead to a wet T-shirt contest and only one Backstreet Boys decided to participate in that contest. I'll give you one guess as to which Backstreet Boy it was.

I never noticed AJs tattoo of a topless, large breasted woman on his bicep before. Only AJ.

Yes, it was AJ who participated. Brian seemed to have a lot of fun soaking him. This is where the real fun started to happen. You'll realize the next portion of my review is mostly pictures and not so much words. I was pretty speechless and I think the pictures can speak for themselves as to what I was feeling at the time.

Amid all the happiness, I did have one low moment at the beach party. And that was when they announced that the prom queens had already been decided. The logical part of me knew that I wasn't going to get picked anyway, but that hopeful girl inside of me still held onto that small sliver of hope that it could be me. Luckily the boys kept me well distracted though. I think it was about this point that they announced the 3-legged race so the massive crowd in front of the stage disappeared allowing a spot right up front to watch.

Nick randomly throwing french fries to us?? Made me feel a bit like a bird.

I was soooo close to getting a picture with Howie. But I was lucky enough to get a picture with Brian. 

Love those bright blue eyes of his!

I'm getting happier and happier by the moment. Eventually the boys went off to do the 3-legged race but Brian and Howie returned back to the stage to play some volleyball with the fans. Nick and AJ simultaneously ran off into the ocean to go jet skiing. I was so conflicted where to go, but ended up staying put with Brian and Howie because I had a decent spot and they were actually interacting with us. I wasn't sure how much luck I'd have chasing Nick and AJ with 90% of everyone else on the beach.

At one point Brian decided to bring the game to the actual volleyball court so I went over to get a good spot, and maybe get lucky enough to get picked to play with him (even though I can't play volleyball to save my life) No luck with that, but I did inadvertently have a great spot right where they served the ball. Howie and Kevin eventually joined in the festivities so I just enjoyed watching them play. Funny story with Kevin. There was a girl near me who was talking about Kevin's underwear situation, or lack thereof (see video below). If you notice at the end of the video, I'm pretty sure he heard them talking about him "free-balling." I was half mortified that he thought I may have said it, and half laughing at the oddity of the situation.

Kevin playing Volleyball

After the beach party, it was a mad scramble to get back to the ship and get ready for the dinner/concert/prom night. I was so happy have my voice back for this night so I could actually talk during dinner and be able to sing at the concert.

Concert (Group B)
All I can say it wow! I was totally not expecting what they did for this concert and it ranks up there among my favorite Backstreet concerts of all time. Also one of the best parts of the cruise for me. I'd start going through my favorite parts of the concert, but they were all highlights. So my extra favorite parts include AJ singing London (of course) and then the boys talking about how much they wanted to steal that song from him. See, its not just me who loves that song!

Nick proving they do in fact have a set list.

I enjoyed all of their interaction with the fans, even making their way up to the top section. At several points Nick came to my row and I was close enough to touch him. Brian also made his way down our row too. Some of my other favorites included Don't Want You Back, Drowning with Kevin, Lie to Me, Burning Up, okay basically the whole darn set list. One that stood above the rest was Brian singing Mary Did You Know. This was so unexpected, and it was so quiet in that room that you could hear a pin drop. Very rare at a Backstreet concert but it was just an amazing moment.

Mary Did You Know- This song took my breath away. 

These boys can bring tears to my eyes one minute and have me cracking up or dancing my butt off the next. For example Nick leaving the tag on his coat had me laughing so hard. Another fan favorite across the board was If You Want it to be Good Girl/Get Down medley.

If You Want it to be Good Girl/Get Down. At 2.29 Nick's gyrating right in front of me!

I could stay here and post every video from this concert because the whole thing was incredible, but that shall have to suffice for now. More later. I promise.

Prom Night

I was still on a high from the concert, which made prom night that much more enjoyable from me. I was dancing around having a great time with my friends, and almost forgot that the Backstreet Boys were coming back out to party with us. In fact we were dancing so much that even my flip flops had to come off.

We weren't even wearing heels and our feet were killing us

I'd say the highlight of this event was Kevin being a part of it. All five Backstreet Boys came out to sing 'I Still' which was really special

Kevin at prom night singing I Still

I think I had more fun at Prom Night than 80s night, but only due to my own efforts. In my opinion the deck party itself was geared towards those 5 prom queens and not so much the rest of the crowd. They really didn't have too much going on aside from their activities with the prom queens. However before the night ended, I was able to get a picture with my unofficial prom king, Kevin. 

Me and Kev

Meeting Kevin was indescribable. After we took the picture he looked me directly in my eye, shook my hand and said "thank you." I was so taken aback by his actions that my poor brain just couldn't process what was happening fast enough. Never before have any of the Backstreet Boys actually initiated a conversation with me. Albeit an incredibly short conversation, but it still counts. He really made me feel so special and I'll never for that moment.

After Kevin left, Howie was once again the only Backstreet Boy up partying until the wee hours of the morning. I was right there with him having a good time. I only went to bed once I saw his security guard return without him, figuring it was then safe to go to bed. If I recall correctly, that was around 5am. Sadly though I still didn't get to bed until 6 because I was up chatting with my roommate. Felt like an old fashioned Backstreet sleepover. I'm sure we would've stayed up longer, but we still had one more day of excitement ahead and needed to get some rest.

Top 5 Nassau Shore Excursions

Hey Cruisers! We will be spending 2 full days in Nassau this upcoming cruise. Here are some great excursion ideas that sound like a ton of fun. Courtesy of www.lovecruise.co.uk

Here are our top 5 shore excursions you should definitely consider when taking a Caribbean cruise to Nassau, Bahamas.

Kayaking in the Lucayan National Park

Explore this spectacular 42-acre eden with an amazing kayaking tour through the Lucayan National Park. Explore the park’s pristine beauty by kayak as you paddle underneath the mangrove canopy and take in the stunning array of Animal and plant life and go on to explore the mysterious caves and Lucayan Relics.

City and country tour

If water sports or beaches aren’t really your thing, then why not partake in a sightseeing tour of Nassau and its rich history. Tours will typically take you to some of the most historically important and monumental spots on the island. You will get a chance to see the historic downtown area as well as the beauty of the Nassau country side.  The Tours include the ancient forts where pirates used to attack and hide out in, Fort Fincastle and Fort Charlotte.

Scuba diving in Stuart Cove

Just a short ride from Nassau and Paradise Island, Stuart cove is a stunning dive site teeming with Tropical fish and sunken wrecks to explore. Wrecks include a mammoth 100-foot freighter, 50 feet below the surface and the acclaimed James Bond wreck in 40 feet of water in the form of a former tugboat known as the Tears of Allah, which starred in Never Say Never Again. Another James Bond wreck is the Cessna used in the film, "Jaws."

Glass Bottom Boat

Want to see the fabulous marine life without getting wet? Then a trip on the glass bottom boat is perfect. With a completely see through glass floor, you can view the vast array of fish all from the comfort of the boat.

Biking tours of Nassau

Another great way to explore what Nassau has to offer is via a guided bike tour. This is perfect for families and can cater for all fitness levels, giving you the chance to view the island and stop off for a spot of shopping or relax by the beach.

Ellis Green writing on behalf of www.lovecruise.co.uk

Itinerary Change- Going to Nassau

Just announced today- We will be docking in Nassau instead of Half Moon Cay.

BSB Beach Party
Due to a scheduling conflict, we are excited to announce that our new port of call for the 2nd Annual BSB cruise will now be an overnight stay in Nassau, Bahamas.
Your exclusive, private beach party will be held on beautiful Cable Beach. The Beach Party is still included in your cruise price. The beach party includes admission, transportation to and from, full Buffet and selected non-alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages and soda will be available for purchase with cash or credit card. Our overnight stop allows you plenty of free time to shop and play in Nassau.
Remember, it’s better in the Bahamas!

I’m still trying to figure out what I think of the change. I find it very interesting that they will be making this an overnight stop. That is pretty rare for cruises to do. I guess we could look at this as a good or bad thing. I think more people will be off the ship in the evening hours- either at the beaches, shopping, or enjoying the night life. It’s certainly nice to have the option to check out some clubs or bars in Nassau. Plus it will be nice to have a few less people on the ship. My only fear is that the Backstreet Boys may also take advantage of that option and not be on the ship- causing us to have even less time with them.

As for Nassau, it’s definitely a port with a lot of things to do. Most notably, the Atlantis resort. I’ve been there a couple of times, and the place is just spectacular. Even if you don’t buy access to the water park, it’s still fun to walk around and see the resort. Im not sure how much time we will have to see Atlantis or other sites since we have our beach party, which will now be held at cable beach. I’ve heard good things about this beach. The pictures also look gorgeous.

Cable Beach

Given the choice between Half Moon Cay and Nassau, I'd still probably choose Half Moon Cay. But I think we will still have a great time at Nassau. I can't wait to get more info!