Day 2 on the SS Backstreet 2011

I woke up the next morning still sick to my stomach. I hardly slept through the night, and every time I woke up I would sit up and smash my head on the bottom of Brandy's bunk. In the midst of being so ill, I hadn't been thinking about the itinerary. I had been in the fetal position during the events of the previous day, and I didn't have the highest of hopes for the following days. I did get up and try to pull myself together. While I was stumbling around, my room mates pointed out that we had docked. We were spending the day in the Bahamas and the ship would stay docked until the following morning - I had never been so relieved! I threw on some clothes - which happened to be not exactly beach friendly - and grabbed a few cans of gingerale. Brandy, Charlene and I waited where we had been instructed to wait with no real idea of what we were suppose to do. We spoke to different staff members who all told us something different. Eventually there was an announcement that group A would be boarding the buses to head to the resort first. We were not group A, but since we had been told that group B would be boarding first and we had been waiting for an hour or so we decided to try our luck.

After leaving the ship, there was no clear sign that pointed us towards the buses. We followed the group, and eventually determined we were lost. Thankfully we stumbled upon the buses. Char and I climbed onto one bus, briefly losing Brandy. These buses were like those from a circus! They appeared so small, but dozens of girls fit. Seats were pulled down from various places, and I don't believe seat belts were involved. The bus ride was an adventure. It was great to see all of the sights - at one point we drove past the governor's house. I chatted with the girls next to me about the night before. They had gotten seasick as well, but had managed to make it to 80's Sphynkter Night. One of the girls had told me she had purchased seasick medication from the Customer Service desk on the boat. They worked for her, so I figured I'd give it a try once we were back on the ship.

We pulled up at the resort, and we had the entire beach to ourselves. The poor guests had been told that they wouldn't be able to use the beach that day. In a very trusting manner, the three of us put on stuff on a chair and headed towards the stage. We knew that we would be served lunch, but the growing group of girls near the stage grabbed our attention first. We took our place only a row or two back from the stage, and began our wait.

Like any good Backstreet event, the wait was long. After a few more bus loads of girls arrived, they announced that the buffets were open for lunch. By that time, we were trapped. I was no longer feeling seasick and I was starving. If I made it through the crowd to buffet table, there was no way I'd make it back to our spot. One of the girls next to us decided to risk it, and she brought back lunch for her friend. Eventually Char and Brandy ventured that was as well. Brandy and I nibbled on the same plate, but the food was less than desirable. The juice was tasty, but what I really wanted was water. I did not come prepared!

If I had to guess, I'd say we waited close to three hours for the boys to arrive. Three hours standing in the sun in the Bahamas. Luckily there was a breeze, but that breeze did not stop the sunburn. I hate to admit it, but after being sick for nearly 24 hours I was exhausted. The DJ began to play some music, and there was a few dance-offs. Then the crew began to prepare the stage for the boys' arrival. With the preparation came five microphones. Yes, FIVE. The original five members of the Backstreet Boys would be joining us shortly. It had been announced that Kevin Richardson would be in attendance for the beach party in Nassau, Bahamas. Kevin's return was likely one of the most anticipated moments of the 2011 cruise. Some might have seen him recently during the NKOTBSB concert in Los Angeles. Some may have never had the chance to see Mr. Richardson. For me, I hadn't seen Kevin since the Never Gone tour. That was six years ago. To put it mildly, I was excited.

It was no secret that Kevin was in the area, but when the boys arrived there was only four. Brian, Howie, Nick and AJ had some fun with silver beads that they tossed out. After all the beads had been passed out, the boys took to their microphones. A few cheesy jokes later, and it was time to introduce the missing member..

"Girl, look at that Kevin!"

My five favorite men.

Once Kevin had arrived, the Beach Party festivities could begin! First up - musical chairs. Poor AJ had no idea how to play musical chairs. In his world, musical chairs and duck, duck, goose were the same game. After the rules had been explained, the game began. Even with instruction, AJ struggled. This might have been my favorite activity to watch. The boys were silly and enjoying themselves. AJ got it together long enough to end up in the final two with none other than Kevin. After a hard fought battle, Kevin came out on top. Next up - a friendly game of Twister. If nothing else, this served as an entertaining way to check out the boys' derrières. One by one the boys were eliminated, but Nick held on. He was the Twister king!

It was about this time when I started to feel awful. I had been fine all morning, and started to feel like I'd never escape the seasickness. I was feeling the lack of sleep, food and water. My body was hurting. The heat of the sun was only intensified by how closely compacted we had all become in hopes of getting one step closer to the stage. At this point, I decided to step away from the crowd and enjoy the games from a distance.

Twister!

Limbo, a wet t-shirt contest, and a three-legged race were also attempted that afternoon. But my favorite part of the beach party was what those five boys do best - an acapella version of My Safest Place to Hide. Through out the cruise I finally got to hear a few of the songs I had been dying to hear the boys perform - My Safest Place to Hide, I Still, Helpless When She Smiles, AJ's London, Nick's Burning Up and of course If You Want It To Be Good Girl.

Thank you Anne Marie for the video!

 

When the boys were finished beautifully serenading us, they broke off to do different things. Kevin, Howie and Brian joined a game of volleyball while AJ and Nick headed towards the jet skis. I headed over towards the beach where the jet skis were. Why watching your two favorite boys fool around on jet skis would be entertaining is something only a Backstreet Boys fan would understand!

After the jet skis, we watched the three other boys attempt to play volleyball. The skill was lacking, but I am sure the heart was there. Near the volleyball court were a few small stands with locals selling different nick-nacks. I grabbed a few key-chains and magnets for gifts. I also bought myself a beautiful leather-like bracelet that I have yet to wear..

An incredible day on the beach had come to an end, and we climbed back onto the circus van and headed back to the ship. During the drive it rained briefly. Even in the rain, the Bahamas is beautiful. Along the way we stopped at Festival Place which we had walked through earlier. We walked around looking at and wasting more money on souvenirs and grabbing snacks. Char, being the brave soul that she is, bought conch fritters. I don't know much about conch, but I do know that I have no interest in consuming it!

It had been a long and wonderful day, and the night was only going to get better. We were staying docked (thank goodness!) until the early morning, and our group had our concert that evening. We headed back to the boat to get ourselves ready. The first order of business - the Customer Service desk for some seasickness medication!


More photos!