Itinerary/Beach Party

Now that I’ve been able to digest the fact that we there will actually be another cruise, lets start diving into the fun stuff!

Invitation from the Backstreet Boys

If you are a member of the fan club, you should have received an email yesterday around 1:00 with the official invite. In case you missed it, you can access the email here. My favorite part was where they say "Please block off Dec 2 - 5th. Let your friends and family know you won't be answering their calls because you'll be too busy hanging with us as we play, eat, dance and drink the nights away!" I immediately forwarded this email to pretty much everyone I know, even my grandparents. Figure I'd spread the word early in case anyone didnt know what to get me for my birthday or the holidays :) Most people were excited for me, but I think my dad is just sick of hearing about this cruise already haha. I'll have to try and scale back on how much I bring this up around him...

Anyway, here is an accompanying video with the Backstreet Boys inviting everyone to attend the cruise.

"Spring Break Ain't Got Nothing on us"

Itinerary

Friday, Dec. 2, 2011 Miami, Florida- Boarding at 12:00pm and we set sail at 4:00pm
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011- Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Arrive at 10:00am and depart at 6:30pm
Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011- Fun Day at Sea
Monday, Dec. 5, 2011 Miami, Florida- Debark at 8:00am

First thing that obviously stands out is that it’s a 3 day cruise so we’ll have to do our best to pack all of the fun in during the shorter time frame. The next thing that I noticed is that there are no public ports of call and really no time for excursions. Since the beach party is included, I would assume most cruisers want to participate in that and shouldn’t need to do any excursions. Plus, I doubt they will even offer any, but I could be wrong.

I'm very excited about going to Half Moon Cay. I’ve been, years ago, and I really enjoyed it. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Half Moon Cay, it is a private island owned by Carnival. We may also see Holland America ships there as well, because Carnival owns Holland America. Personally I prefer a private island as opposed to other ports because I feel like its exactly what you would envision traveling in the Bahamas to be. Beautiful beaches, pristine waters, and white sand. Its gorgeous. Plus there’s no commerce and dirty buildings, just beaches.

Another thing to note with Half Moon Cay, we will have to tender in. This means we cant just walk off the ship, but have to take little boats over. This will be time consuming, just so something to factor into your timing. These boats can also be pretty choppy, so if you're prone to sea sickness, be warned.

Beach Party

Well the good news is that not only will they be doing another beach party, but it will be included in the cruise price. In my opinion, this was a wise move by Rose Tours considering last year’s debacle. Its nice that they are not charging extra, but I imagine it will be quite chaotic with probably 2-3x the number of people as last year considering not everyone went last time. We will be getting a buffet, but I wonder if we will get an open bar again? One can hope, but I doubt it since we are not paying extra and since they didn’t indicate we would.

Backstreet Cruise 2011 Officially Announced!

Very exciting news! Today the Backstreet Boys officially announced that the second annual Backstreet Boy cruise will be December 2-5th, 2011 on the lovely Carnival Imagination. Tickets will be going on presale to 2010 cruisers Monday April 11th at 12pm EST. Second presale for fan club members is Wednesday April 13th at 12pm EST. Tickets will be going on general sale to the general public on April 15th at 12pm EST.


My initial thoughts, to be honest, are a mixture of excitement and disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that they are doing another cruise, especially this year. But the other half of me is a little bummed that it is only 3 days as opposed to 4, and a full charter as opposed to half. I guess they spoiled us last time!

That said, watching the video below got me super excited again. Assuming I can get tickets, I will most likely be going, so you can expect plenty of updates in the months to come!

Promo video for 2011 Cruise

Rumors of 2011 Cruise

Well there have been a lot of rumors flying around that suggest we will be getting another cruise announcement soon. Nothing confirmed at this point, but there have been a few tweets from Jenn and the Backstreet Boys hinting that it is in the works.

Brian has also supposedly been telling fans that the cruise will be Dec 2-6th and will be a full charter. These are just rumors at this point, but I'm getting very hopeful and anxious that we will hear something official soon!

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”

Top 14 Moments of BSB Cruise 2010

I tried to narrow this down to my top 10 memories of the cruise but I just couldn't pick as there were too many great moments, so you get 14 of them.


14. Meeting the Backstreet Boys for the second time during the PDA Photo Session and being able to get a picture with AJ. It was the perfect culmination to my trip.


13. Having a wonderful dinner with Jessica and her mom on the second night only to be interrupted by AJ asking her for a dance.

12. AJ and his friend Madonna Mark singing ‘Like a Virgin’…then AJ seductively crawling on the stage and imitating Madonna.

11. Nick getting up in the middle of the Q&A session to pee and bringing his microphone with him.


10. Seeing AJ in person wearing a kilt. Too funny.


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

8. During the Q&A: 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, thats me! In LA especially nobody cares there. Whatever dude. Do your thing. You crazy nut.”

7. Nick came down to the bar during masquerade night and was handing out shots.

6. Catching AJs ‘one-man show’ in the casino. Totally unexpected but one of the best parts of the trip for me. It was great watching him goof around and be himself while playing some blackjack with only a few fans nearby. He made us feel really welcome.

5. Beautiful beach in the Caribbean. Free drinks. Mexican Buffet. Me chilling with my friends and the bro. Sun setting over the ocean.


4. First lunch on board eating next to Howie and Brian’s table. It was that initial adrenaline rush of knowing we’d actually be hanging out with the Backstreet Boys for the next 4 days, very indescribable.


3. AJ singing London at the masquerade party. Absolutely incredible.

2. Nick and AJ dancing to ‘Low’ by T-Pain in the dining room on the first night. Great vibe and happy to be part of it at the best table in the dining room.


1. Meeting Nick, AJ, Brian and Howie for the first time at the acoustic show. I had major butterflies in my stomach but it was everything I had hoped for and more.

Recap: Day Four Sea Day

I got out of bed this morning with a mixture of sadness and excitement. I knew it would be another lovely day at sea with the Backstreet Boys, but it was also the last day at sea. I just wasn’t ready for the fun to end so I was going to make sure I enjoyed it thoroughly.

First item on the agenda was the PDA photo session. For me this event was almost anticlimactic because I had seen them all so much around the ship. I never thought the day would come when I wouldn’t be extremely nervous to meet them. Nonetheless, we finalized our group of 8 the night prior. I wanted to stand next to AJ because he is the only BSB that I didn’t have a picture with. Since everyone wanted to stand next to a different Backstreet Boy, it worked out so well that in the end we even had 2 spots by Nick. Thus we were able to have Shauna and Lalie join our group, which made me really happy that I was able to make that happen for them.

The line moved along rather quickly. As we made our way to the front of the line, the bodyguards told us that no hugs were allowed, only handshakes. I didn’t have too many problems with that, I understood that they couldn’t do hugs for everyone. When it was finally our turn, I made sure to shake everyone’s hands but really didn’t say anything to them other than “Thank you”. Since I really didn’t have anything intelligent to say, better off making sure I didn’t embarrass myself. When they were ready to take the picture, I parked myself next to AJ. While he’s not necessarily my favorite Backstreet Boy (albeit a very close second) he was my favorite on this trip, so it was very meaningful to have him next to me in the picture. Definitely the perfect culmination to my trip. I think the picture turned out well except that Cory was blocked slightly. The moral of the story in both of my group pictures…short people in front (which includes Howie)

Group Pic

Since we were among the first to get our picture taken, we had the whole day ahead of us with nothing else to do before the concert. I grabbed some lunch at the aft pool and ended up in line behind Rochelle. I didn’t want to bug her, but I saw other fans come up and ask her for pictures and she was just so sweet. I figured that since she was stuck in line anyway, I may as well ask for a picture. I congratulated her on the engagement, and she was so nice to me. While I was in line, Howie also came by in search for food.

Me and Rochelle

After lunch, I wanted to swing by the sound check even though I couldn’t go in. The music was loud enough that you could hear perfectly fine from outside, thus Cory and I decided to listen figuring they’d only do a few songs. But they went through the entire concert which was really cool. Got me super pumped for the show that night.

Me and Cory sad we couldn't get in the sound check

Nothing much else eventful happened that afternoon before the concert. Saw Brian and family at the pool. It started to rain so we all retreated inside. Learned how to make towel animals. Chatted with Howie’s mom a bit while getting an afternoon snack at the deli. Fast forward a bit more….finally the concert!

The concert was fantastic! My only complaint was that I couldn’t see part of the stage due to the gigantic speakers. They did the full ‘This is Us’ set with videos and all. I squealed with excitement when they sang ‘If I Knew Then’ since I was not expecting that. There was also a proposal in the middle of the show, which was pretty cool. I’m not sure how I’d feel about my boyfriend proposing to me on stage…I think I’d be too distracted to give a proper response ;)

AJ during 'This is Us'

Nick singing his heart out

Have to grab a picture when they actually looked over to my side

Great concert!

There were no dancers, but the guys did bring up the winners from the ‘She’s a Dream’ dating game and sang to them on stage. Oh how I would’ve loved to been up there. My favorite song of the concert was ‘Incomplete’ because I love AJs part in it. I thought this song really highlighted it well.

'If I Knew Then'

'This is Us'

The festivities continued up on deck 11 for the Black and Blue bubble party. It was soo windy and chilly up there that we had to make a trip back to the cabin to get sweatshirts and jackets. So much for seeing the nice black and blue outfit I had spent so much time planning. Oh well…at least I was getting my $65 worth wearing my new BSB hoodie. It took a little while for the Backstreet Boys to show up so when they decided to leave shortly after, it was a slight let down. They basically arrived, played with their little bubble guns for a bit, and decided to go inside.

AJ wants to do the cruise "Again and again and again!"

Howie was the one who decided to move the party to the club and before he could finish his sentence the pool deck was practically empty because everyone ran downstairs. Inviting 1300 girls to a room that only holds about 200 was not a good idea, but I can’t really blame them for not wanting to stand outside. It was too cold for anyone to really enjoy themselves.

I managed to make my way into the club though unfortunately my friends weren’t able to. While I was able to get in, I truthfully didn’t really enjoy myself. Unless you were in the VIP section, or in the first 2 rows near the VIP section, you couldn’t see anything. Nick, Howie, and AJ showed up and basically stuck to the VIP area the whole evening. AJ briefly went to the DJ booth, so you could at least hear him for a bit, but that was pretty much the most exciting part of the evening. Around 4am I very reluctantly decided to leave knowing I wasn’t going to be able to get into the VIP section and that would probably be my last BSB sighting for the cruise.

The Black and Blue party was definitely not the best way to the end the trip. I would have preferred them to just end with the concert and saying a proper goodbye to everyone after the show. Though if you really think about it, the Black and Blue Party is what I originally expected all the deck parties to be like, they just set the bar too high with the first 2 parties!

Overall, this was the trip of a lifetime for me. The cruise far exceeded my wildest expectation times 10. I was so pleased with how receptive the Backstreet Boys were and they weren’t just cooped up in their cabins the whole time. I also met some incredible people that I hope to remain friends with for a while. I think the cruise was worth every penny and if they decide to go through with another one, I will absolutely be there!

BSB Cruise 2011?!

On Jenn's twitter, she just posted that a BSB cruise for 2011 is in the works!!! I better start saving now :)