Acoustic Concert

I totally just jumped up in my chair when I saw this email come through. I'm so excited they've listened and we're finally getting an acoustic concert on board!!

BSB 2016 Acoustic Song Selection

You guys have been asking for it, and we're all about making you happy. This year, we're doing something extra special: we'll be doing a full acoustic show onboard #BSBCruise2016. That's not all.... you get to suggest what songs of ours you'd like us to perform. Nothing is off limits...

Vote HERE for what songs you'd like to see in our full acoustic show onboard

-BSB

So what is everyone voting for?? All I know is I don't want to hear singles. I want to hear some unreleased songs or other songs we don't get to hear too often. Here are a few I'm thinking...

• Back to Your Heart
• London (AJ)
• Crawling Back to You
• Spotlight (hey, its worth a shot!)
• Undone
• I Still
• Get Another Boyfriend (I'd like to see them tackle that haha)

My only lingering question here...is this THE concert or is it in addition to a "normal" concert. I'm assuming its our one and only concert but certainly hopeful its not. Can't wait!!

50 Shades of BSB

Welp, I never thought I'd have a blog post with this title. But here we are. Our 4th theme night for BSB Cruise 2016 is officially - 50 Shades of BSB Leather & Lace Party! Check out AJ in this teaser video.....

#BSBCRUISE2016
50 SHADES OF BSB LEATHER & LACE PARTY
Dress in leather &/or lace & let's see where the night takes ushttps://t.co/jycZOKORwO

— backstreetboys (@backstreetboys) March 4, 2016

My Take 
I'm guessing Brian got outvoted on this one!

Seriously though, my general take on theme nights is to not think about what I'm going to wear, but rather what the boys are going to wear and what the night will entail. With that said, I'm excited to see where they're headed with this. I like that it's something different, though it feels very similar to Bachelorette Night. It should certainly be interesting to see how the boys interpret the theme and what they wear. I'm sure AJ will get really into it.

My biggest concern with the theme night is figuring out what the heck I'm going to wear! I literally have zero articles of leather or lace in my closet, nor do I intend to go out and buy them. I'll have to think outside of the box a bit on how to dress for this theme without dressing for this theme. Does that make sense? The other thing I'm slightly concerned about is seeing what some fans will (or will not) wear. Should be an interesting deck party, that's for sure.

Cruise Wish List

Since we've been getting the themes announced, I imagine the Backstreet Boys and their team are currently putting together the itinerary for the cruise. That thought has me all sorts of giddy inside! Oh how I wish I could be a fly in that room.

I thought it would be fun to think through some fun, new activities I'd love to see on the next cruise.

Activities

• Pool Party Luau
  Since we're not doing a beach party this year, I think the timing on this would be wonderful. Essentially the beach party, but up on the lido pool deck. I envision fun poolside games like belly flop contests, wet T-Shirt relays, pool volleyball, etc. They can even still bring back some of our favorite back games like the coconut game.
  
  
• Intimate Events
  One of the best things about the cruise is the chance to get up close and personal with the Backstreet Boys but I'd love to see even more opportunities for this. Maybe they can have contests to eat brunch with the Backstreet Boys (They gotta eat anyway, right?) or perhaps allow some fans to attend the soundcheck. Even better if they select door decoration winners for this.
  
  I just like the idea if the crowd is limited, we can get some meaningful conversation/interaction and not act like crazy people. Win/win all around in my opinion.
  
  
• Deck Party Activities
  I look back to one of my personal favorite deck parties over the years and it was actually pajama night where the guys played Truth or Dare. It was so entertaining! I hope they continue to incorporate appropriate themed activities for the deck parties. My creative juices are stifled at the moment, but even things like the 'Heads Up' game from Ellen's TV show where topics coincide with the theme. Or for Night at the Cinema - they could do 5 Second Summaries (from Jimmy Fallon) where you have to guess movies based on a 5 second summary. There are also a ton of fun mini games from Hollywood Game Night that could be fun.
  
  
• Battle of the Sexes
  I've always liked this idea for a game show. Boys versus fans with fun (and by fun I mean raunchy) questions and activities.
  
  
• Solo Events
  I loved the scavenger hunts last year (of course I'm biased) but I also love the solo events. Each Backstreet Boy can use this opportunity to do things that suit their personality and interest them. I'd love, love, love if they bring solo events back in 2016.
  
  
• Town Hall
  This is an idea from the New Kids world and I think it would be interesting to try with BSB.  Similar to a Q&A, but its basically a forum where we, the fans, get the opportunity to give ideas/suggestions/feedback to the boys. I think it could be mutually beneficial...they can get firsthand feedback from us and we get to feel heard. I think the key here is pre-screening the feedback.
  
  

Other Ideas 

• Deck Party Interaction
  This really goes hand in hand with my point above. I've learned that there really is an art to the perfect deck party. They started off with very little interaction with the fans back in 2010. And now I think they've veered off into (dare I say) too much interaction with fans?? I know, I know. That sounds ridiculous. But please hold off on throwing tomatoes at me.
  
  I think there's a balance to be had. If all the boys are in the crowd taking selfies, it leaves us with not a whole lot of entertainment. Thus I find myself forced to stand in a crowd of girls trying to get my selfie. I think having some fun activities (see above) in conjunction with selfie time, is great. Or have 2-3 boys in the crowd and 2-3 on stage. Or dedicate the first 30 minutes to an activity and then go into selfie time.
  
  
• Final Goodbye
  I realize it's kinda hard to pull off, but at every concert the boys give us a final bow. It'd be nice if they did something at the end of the cruise towards the end of the last deck party where they just said something like "It's been a blast. Hope to see you all again real soon. Thanks for spending thousands of dollars coming out to see us" :P Okay, maybe not in those EXACT words, but you get the idea.
  
  
• Get the boys using the PA
  I'm stealing another idea from the New Kids. Our boys need to hop on that darn PA. It seems like so much fun to wake up to the boys goofing off on the PA system. If you put a mic in front of AJ, you know he's going to ham it up!
  
  
• Door Decoration
  I so enjoy decorating my cabin door and I know from experience that we all put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and money into those things. While they currently have winners, it seems the prizes and recognition have declined from that first cruise. I love that they now have multiple winners and acknowledge more fans. But I'd love to see improved winner announcements as they did the first year. They brought the cabin on stage and they got a picture with the boys.
  

What else would you cruisers like to see? 

Theme Night #3 - In a World Like This Night

Man oh man, these theme nights keep rolling in. I can barely keep up! Not that I'm complaining. I'm happy they're giving us lots of time to shop.

#BSBCruise2016 theme night 3 voted by YOU In A World Like This This night is all about celebrating where we're from pic.twitter.com/afzFWNmtty

— backstreetboys (@backstreetboys) January 28, 2016

BSB Cruise 2016
Our Third Theme - As Voted By You!

Rio, Monaco, LA, Tokyo... The BSB Army is WORLDWIDE and we want you to represent.
You voted, and our third theme night on #BSBCruise2016 is.....

In A World Like This Night
This night is all about celebrating where we're from -
show your hometown pride.
 
In A World Like This... We've Got All Of You.
Let's make some new memories onboard.

My take - I'm excited but perhaps not as excited as I am with the other themes. Mainly because this is a repeat from the very first cruise. Yes, it's been a while, but it's been done. I just like to experience something new. On the bright side though, this will be easier for me to prepare. I'll likely either go Red, White, and Blue to represent the good ole US of A. Or I may represent some of my local sports teams. Gotta check to see what I have buried in my closet.

What does everyone else think of this theme?

Theme Night #2: Casino Royale

Today we had another lovely surprise - the announcement of our second cruise theme is Casino Royale! And they even put together a cute video for us, starring the one and only Mr. McLean.

#BSBCruise2016 Theme 2
Cue the theme music, the next theme for #BSBCruise2016 is... Casino Royale! Smart, sexy and sophisticated - we can't wait to see you unleash your inner 007. Backstreet Boys Cruise
Posted by Backstreet Boys on Friday, January 22, 2016

I'm super excited for this theme! Something fun and different. And c'mon, who doesn't want to see Nick, Brian, Howie, Kevin and AJ dressed up in a suit? I'm so ready for it to be May already!

Theme Announcement: A Night at the Cinema

Very exciting and unexpected to have our first cruise theme announced. Drum roll please....'A Night at the Cinema'

In case you missed it, here is the email announcement from the boys...

Ahoy cruisers!!
Just a few months til we set sail for BSB CRUISE 2016!!!
Time to get serious about important cruise business - THEME NIGHTS!  Here's how it's going to work this time around: We're going to select the first three themes... and we're asking YOU to help select the final theme. How you ask? Easy - head here to vote.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be announcing each theme night, so keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook.
Without further ado, here's our very first theme night of #BSBCruise2016....

A Night At the Cinema!
Since we'll be in Cannes during the opening night of the world famous Cannes Film Festival, we want to dedicate this theme to the magic of the movies. Dress up as your favorite movie character - past or present, cartoon or extraterrestrial... nothing is off limits.

Port Change
The BSB Cruise will be switching ports from La Spezia Italy to Livorno Italy. This port will be closer to both Pisa & Florence. Pisa will approximately be thirty minutes from the port, and Florence approximately an hour and fifteen to an hour & a half away. Travel time was previously one hour to Pisa & two hours to Florence. Excursions will be available for trips to both cities on royalcaribbean.com about two weeks prior after you receive your electronic documents.

Don't forget - an extremely limited number of cabins are available on this year's cruise. Get all the info at backstreetboyscruise.com

Can't wait to see you on that boat....
- BSB

My Takeaways

1. I'm not at all surprised by the theme. I don't know I ever put it in writing, but I was like 95% sure they'd do some sort of movie theme given we're going to Cannes. I'm personally excited for the theme. I foresee fans getting into it and coming up with some very clever outfits. And, as always, I'm excited to see what the boys come up with. Hint hint, Magic Mike ;)
   
   At the moment, I'm fresh out of ideas. Anyone have some fun ideas??
   
   
2. Make sure to vote for the final theme night. Certainly some interesting options on that list:
   
   • In a World Like This - represent your home country    
   • BSB Party – fans dress up in anything starting with the letter B or S    
   • Backtreet's Frat, alright!    
   • Leather and Lace - wear leather or lace    
   • Sugar and Spice - dress a little naughty or a little nice    
   • KTBSPA Night – fans wear memorabilia    
   
   I voted for KTBSPA night. It would be easy and "free" as I already have stuff to wear. I also think it would be fun to see what the guys come up with for this and more importantly I think the night itself would be a lot of fun. I anticipate we'd be able to geek out over BSB WITH BSB.
   
   
3. I love the timing of this announcement...I think they were very intentional releasing this news this morning after Nick's *ahem* incident last night. Anyone else get like 100 messages from friends and family sharing this news?? Just me? lol
   
   
4. Back on track...I also noticed that this is the first cruise ever where we will have 4 theme nights. Historically we've only had 3. That's exciting we get a bonus theme!

Can't believe we're less than 4 months away. The time is going to fly by. Woohoo! #BSBCruise2016

Port Change - Livorno, Italy

In case you missed it, according to the official Backstreet Cruise website, the ports have been changed from La Spezia, Italy to Livorno, Italy.  Here is the official announcement.

The BSB Cruise will be switching ports from La Spezia Italy to Livorno Italy. This port will be closer to both Pisa & Florence. Pisa will approximately be thirty minutes from the port, and Florence approximately an hour and fifteen to an hour & a half away. Travel time was previously one hour to Pisa & two hours to Florence. Excursions will be available for trips to both cities.

Personally I think this change will be for the best as it's closer to Pisa and Florence. Should make any day trips easier and give us more time in the port. Selfishly, I've already been to La Spezia, so I'm looking forward to exploring somewhere new. 

I think this change of port also serves as an important reminder to be very cautious with booking any excursions as the ports and days have been known to change in the past. Last year they kept the same port, but flipped the days on us, and we found out while on board. Thus I advise if you want to book an excursion, either go through the cruise line so it'll be covered in case of any changes, or make sure its refundable in circumstances like this. But I still advise to wait until we get the itinerary from Rose Tours just so you can plan accordingly.

Happy New Year to all cruisers around the world! See you next year ;)