Backstreet Boys 20th Anniversary Cruise (Oct. 25th-28th 2013)

"I wouldn't tell people that your going on a Backstreet Boys Cruise!" or "They are still together!?" These are the most common statements that I have received. Imagine their surprise when I tell them that "they have been together for 20 years" and "Yes, I'm going to be on a boat with them for 4 days!" AND "This is my second cruise with them!!"

~A quick back story--

I have been a Backstreet Boys fan since I was 13 years old, which is going on 16 years now. I suppose it started out pretty normal. My best friend Chandra and I got the US release of  the 1997 'Backstreet Boys' CD and we picked our favorite guys. We had a best friend fight over Brian Littrell, so I made the logical switch the Nick Carter. He was closer to my age anyway, only five years older than me. I begged my step dad to buy the Pay-Per-View of the "Homecoming: Live in Orlando" Concert. He finally gave in when it was already halfway through the show during "Quit Playin' Games." My step dad was in awe watching Nick play the drums during his verse, "Wow, that is really hard to sing and play the drums!" I was excited to hear him say that! Finally, a grown up validated that they were 'cool!' For Christmas, 1998, my presents were mostly Backstreet related which I'm sure my mom had no idea that they were anything more than just a passing fad! One present that I watched over and over again was the VHS copy of "A Night Out with the Backstreet Boys" This was a stripped down acoustic performance they did in Europe. Just the five guys, sitting on bar stools and singing to a small crowd, and I loved every second of it! That somehow was proof that these guys were more than just the run of the mill boy-band. They each held their own soul within the group!
I was never allowed to go see them live. I'm pretty sure anytime they came close to where I lived it was during the week or something so my mom wouldn't let me go. I moved to Colorado after high school and they never went there during their smaller tours. I wanted to go on the cruise in 2010 but it was sold out before I could secure a cabin. I had already decided I was going on the 2011 cruise in December so I found a roommate through the fanclub and locked in my cabin the moment they went on sale! The first time I got to see them live though was during the NKOTBSB tour. I bought VIP tickets and the first time I met them I couldn't say a word! I turned around to take my picture and Brian said "You can stand anywhere you want" in MY EAR, and I almost fell over!! That was it, I was hooked...even more so than I already had been!! Nick did our backstage tour and so I got to get my first solo pic with him!

--The 2011 cruise was an event that I will never forget some highlights were: the VERY choppy waters that we ran into right after the sail away party, almost everybody was getting sick! Watching Nick and AJ jet ski on the beach, Brian stepping on my fingers twice and then I think he felt bad so I got my first solo pic with him! :)

---OK, what this blog is REALLY about!! :D

The 2013 20th Anniversary Backstreet Boys Cruise!!
I didn't take as many pictures this time around. I bought a new camera specifically for the cruise and the SD card I had bought wasn't working with it. I wound up having to buy one on the boat but by then I was kinda liking not having to lug it around! heh

I actually got to Miami a couple days before we set sail. I was going to be sharing a cabin with the same roommate that I had last time plus a new girl that I hadn't hung out with before. The weather in Miami was less than exciting though, it rained and was windy for both days. We went out both nights but I'm not really one to go out and party so though it was fun, I think I want to actually meet up with more people from the cruise next time!

Friday- We got their early to watch the guys board, that was one of the most exciting parts! Actually seeing them go through the same doors that we were going to go through!

         Nick taking a pic that he later tweeted:

                                             

I'm in the green shirt :)

I'm on a boat...and the guys are somewhere on it too!! 

I wanted to take a big walk around, the last time we didn't get to see a lot of the boat so I wanted to make sure I saw most of it this time. We first walked to get lunch, after that I wanted to walk to the back of the boat by the water park! We got to the back to look over the ocean and I just happened to look down...

Sorry on zooming so close, but I was excited and figuring out how to work my new camera! lol

                                     The top of the boat, with a pretty good view of Miami!

Fresh air! 

We actually saw Kevin walking through the hallway to get lunch but he was getting mobbed and the few pics I tried to get of him walking by were blurry. 

The guys during the "Hot Hot Hot" Sail Away Party! From left to right: Howie, Nick, Kevin, Brian, and AJ

Howie and AJ pretty much stayed on the other side of where I was or not still enough for me to get a good pic! 

I really liked the DJ this year way better than the one they had last year. 

After the sail away party we went and changed clothes to get ready for the 'Don't Put Out The Glow-Neon Deck Party' before our first event. Since I was Group B we got to see the first "Are You Smarter than a Backstreet Boy" show. 

What I learned from that: 1) Howie doesn't know how to spell Millennium (name of their third album)

                                     2) Brian influences the guys to change their answers to wrong ones!

                                     3) The people who put the game together were not smarter than a fifth                                                 grader (the categories and questions were in some of the wrong spots, and                                         some answers were wrong! (Brian did not come up with the name 'Backstreet Boys')

                                     4) It takes all the boys together to add numbers!

After that we ate dinner. We were really tired by then so we went to the cabin to take a nap because we still had the deck party to go to a couple of hours later! Once we were rested and the party started, we decided to go up to the second deck. I don't know why but I didn't really feel like taking part in the open bar, which I thought I was going to do!

Nick and Howie crowd surfed which was pretty funny to see! This is the only clear pic I got from that night. I also loved the 80's and 90's music they played during this party! 

Saturday, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas-BSB Beach Party-We got up early and ate breakfast, I had a mimosa to make up for not drinking the night before! lol We were in the blue wrist band group which was one of the last colors to get called down to get on the smaller boat that took us to Half Moon Cay, so I did some more walking around the boat.

While we were waiting, I put on my temporary tattoo that we got in our goody bags!

This is from the top front of the ship overlooking the island. This was one of the little boats that took us to the island. It was REALLY windy! 

Finally we got on our little boat to head to the island! The Carnival Imagination looked so pretty and I couldn't get over just how amazing the blue water looked! It was like a painting!

We stood on the beach for a little while in front of the stage, then all of sudden we turned around and the guys were heading toward us on a boat! Right in the middle of the crowd!! 

The beach party was fun, here are some random pics from that. They played musical chairs and limbo but I wound up putting my camera away because it started to rain at one point.

Brian's wife, Leighanne, 

I didn't realize he was eating until                                                                                                    after I took this pic, I can't see far                                                                              away! (Sorry Nick)

It's Q! One of the coolest bodyguards that has                                                            been with the group for a while!

 AJ collapsing in the sand after his obstacle course run

Nick getting ready, he had his team warming up by doing a quick workout before the event!

    Brian frolicking through the sand!

The row boat portion of the obstacle course event. 

 Brian and his team rounding the security guard!

 Kevin and his team going the wrong way!!

It was so pretty! I didn't want to leave!! 

When we got back to the boat it was time to eat so I grabbed a quick bite. AJ had a solo event but it got cancelled because of the rain. Then I decided to go on an adventure to look at people's door decorations since that is one of my favorite parts!! Since it was so close to Halloween a lot of people decorated their door Halloween/BSB related. If anyone finds the door they decorated here just send me a quick message and I'll credit you guys for it! 

 She wrote a book!!

I thought that was pretty cool she had pics with them from the early days!! 

:)

 I thought this game was a great idea!!

A lot of people decorated their doors to commemorate the guys for getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this year!!

 They put the boys in a red telephone box! It makes sense with all the songs where they sing about phones and making calls!!

 Through the years....

 I'm sad this one came out blurry!! --->

Backstreet Minions!! 

 How do they get in and out of their room??

I love the hats coming out of the door!! 

This is Beth and Melissa's door! I have them as friends on fb since we met last time, but we never met up this year so I was excited when I found their door!! 

I loved all these doors! :D

As we were getting ready for the Halloween Deck Party we could hear the concert from our room so we laid down to listen to it. That got me excited because our concert was the next night so we got to hear it twice!!

We decided to get to the deck before the concert got out so we could get a good spot. My roommates decided they wanted to stand by the balcony area and I wanted to go by the back of the stage so we parted ways. 

I decided not to bring anything to the Halloween Deck party because I had been carrying things all day at the Beach Party and was tired of holding things! I wound up being in the second row at the back of the stage where the guys go up the stairs. They had it blocked by rows of a stack of beach chairs. I started talking to a girl next to me who had on a similar dress and we wound up buying these drinks that came in a disco ball. I also started talking to the people in front of me. It turned out they were a couple, if I remember correctly, from Alabama. I told them that I didn't bring my camera since I didn't expect to get pics with anyone, but if I happened to get lucky then would they take them for me? They wrote my email address down and said sure that they would send them to me! Then the guy said "I just want to take some pics for my wife but then I'll move and let you in the front!" I thought that was the nicest thing ever! The guys came out dressed as 'The Village People' I thought that was a pretty good theme for them! When the guy in front of me got a few pics and some autographs he let me in front. Leighanne came out and started taking pics with people. I asked her for a pic and she grabbed my hand and we took our pic! Then she leaned in a kissed me on the cheek, so I kissed her on the cheek back!! Then Kevin came down and literally took a pic and signed with everyone and everything he could touch! He was down in our area for I don't even know how long! So I got a pic with him! Then AJ came down and he wound up standing in front of me, so I got a pic with him, someone else was taking a pic of him at the same time though so I'm kinda flashed out in that pic. Later, Leighanne led Brian down and he did the same thing that Kevin did going down the row from the opposite direction and taking pics and signing everything he could reach. So I got another solo pic with Brian! This is a long shot, but if anyone knows that couple, they still haven't emailed me those pictures as of today, when I get them I will add them to the blog! :)

After I got my pic with Brian which is who I wanted one with, we got out of the crowd because it was getting a bit hectic. I went back to my cabin to wait for my roommates to come in because they were watching Nick's solo event. When they got back we decided to go watch Nick go to his room since he was just getting done with his DJing. We were waiting by the wall and there were these German girls who were waiting across from us. When Nick and Mike (his bodyguard) came down, Mike was saying "No pictures" and this German girl ran practically full speed and knocked Nick into the corner of the wall! I'm surprised it didn't mess up his laptop! Then he was getting mobbed going into the hallway just trying to get to his room!

Sunday- I had to get up early this day because I was a part of the Blackjack Tournament that was held in the morning, The prize was the play for actual money with AJ that night. I have never played blackjack in real life so I had spent some time on the trip to Miami playing practice rounds on my Ipad. We played seven rounds total and at the end of the seven rounds you counted up your points and that's what your score was and if you made high enough then you were put on the board for the final table. We started out with 1500 in chips. I was betting fairly safe, because I was only in the second round. I kind of wished I was in one of the later rounds so I could have watched how other people played. I wasn't aware that it was possible to get over 10,000 points! I did win my table though! Which was a mind blower to me since I had never played before. The last round I did 'all in' and won! I will never forget when my cards read exactly 21 and the dealer had 18. I was feeling pretty excited with my 3,000 points until I saw the scoreboard the lowest person had 3,400!! lol oh well, it was still pretty exciting to win my table! 

Then it was time to eat some quick breakfast and stand in line for our group pictures. 

Originally the group needed to between 8-10 people but as we had just found our 8th group member, a guy from Rose Tours came around to say the group only needed to be 5! Which was exciting because that meant we didn't have to 'share' a guy! My roommates were huge Nick fans so I had already decided to stand next to Brian. As we were walking up the security guys did the usual 'handshakes only, no hugs' talk. I shook Brian' hand, AJ's hand, Nick's hand and he looks at me and then goes" Ok, let's take our picture!" I sounded a bit over exaggerated, "Wait!, I didn't get to shake everyone's hand!!" Nick laughed and said, "Don't worry, you'll get to shake everyone's hand!" Then I froze and we took our pic! Then in my head, I thought since I had already shook Nick's hand that I was going to go straight to Kevin and Howie, but as I walked by, Nick stuck out his hand again! Immediately I got confused but shook his hand again! Then he goes "So how has your day been going? Have you had a good day so far?" I'm sure I resembled a deer in headlights because we were still shaking hands AND he initiated a conversation with me but I managed to squeak "Good, how has your day been going?" *Insert foot into mouth!* If I had been thinking at all I would of said "It has been going GREAT cause I won my table at Blackjack!" but of course that comment did not come to the surface. Then he gave me a hug and I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to me that he did that! That moment was probably worth every single penny I have ever spent on them! I think I could survive off of just Nick Carter hugs! 

I was told to never wear that outfit again haha..I swear when I looked in the mirror it didn't look that bad, I must of just been standing weird. 

Then we went to watch the Wylee Fashion Show and here are a couple of pics from that: 

I didn't start taking pics until Brian started trying on some of the clothes!

I didn't take any pics of Howie's solo event I do love his solo CD though and I need to get it! I also didn't take any pics of the 20th Anniversary Q&A event. Somebody actually filmed the whole Q&A and it's up on Youtube! I figured someone would and we weren't really in a good spot for pictures for them.

Then I went to the BSB store and I bought me a hoodie and a cruise shirt!

Then I went to change for the Bachelorette Party. I got done right as Kevin was starting his solo event. The best song of the night I think he did was when he perfomed "Watching The Wheels" by John Lennon, I don't think there was a dry eye in the atrium! It perfectly summed up his six year absence from the group! 

--it keeps giving me an error but I'll try to upload the vid later!

My roommates went to the hot tub and had eaten pizza but I wanted my last free three course meal That wasn't very fun by myself though because I sat next to some pretty rude and drunk girls. 

Then it was time for our concert and that is really my favorite part because they performed the "In A World Like This" setlist which included a bunch of past hit songs from the last twenty years! Most of my pics from the show came out super blurry though which is a bummer! 

Then by the time we had to go to the bachelorette party I was super tired and my feet were killing me, I wound up getting separated from my roommates and just walked around the ship trying to find them. I watched the guys goof around on stage for a while which was pretty funny but then I wound up going back to my cabin and laying down and watching the party from the tv channel! heh 

We got up the next morning, ate breakfast then loaded up our stuff and got in the big line to get off the boat. I had 'sea legs' for a couple days but it's gone away now.

I want to try to go again next year, but if not then I will definitely make it to the cruise in 2015. I heard they signed a new contract with Rose Tours for at least three more cruises which is exciting! I want to try to hang out and meet more people, it seems I always wind up being myself most of the time! lol