Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Miami Acoustic Fan Event

Hey Cruisers! It's been an exciting few weeks here with all the new events for the cruise! :) Although I haven't received the email yet I just received the email that the fan club sent out about the Miami Acoustic Fan Event! It's official! :) From the email:

Miami Acoustic Fan Event

The long-awaited Miami Fan Event is finally going to happen on Wednesday, December 8th at the Byron Carlyle Theater in Miami Beach!!! You heard it here first!

For those of you who attended the Napa Fan Event or the NYC Fan Event earlier this year, this Acoustic Fan Event is going to be the Miami equivalent of those shows. There will be an intimate, acoustic performance from the guys, a Q&A, and last but not least, a M&G and group photo taken.

This event will go on sale on Friday, October 1st at 10am PST to Fan Club members only. This is a LIMITED SEATING event, so act fast.

Tickets will be $199 which includes all of the above (performance, Q&A, M&G etc). This is a General Admission Event.

So, what do you guys think? Are you going? :)

Monday, September 20, 2010

Beach Party Details

So, there has been a bit of confusion about the Beach Party, so here's some clarification! :)

Amy C emailed Christi at Rose Tours, and Christi confirmed that the Playa Mia Grand Beach Park will be just for us, even though some have said that Carnival is still offering it as an excursion: "Yes we will have exclusive use of the resort, I am sure that you might have talked to a confused agent..."

April also emailed Rose Tours and received an email back from Michelle:

I honestly feel incredibly bad about this situation – the last thing we would ever do is deliberately mislead any guest. We are very excited about this event and only want for our guests to be equally excited.

Our web site was set up at the time of booking with current cruise information. We try to be very specific with the list of inclusions to avoid confusion. The cruise FAQ covers the cruise & it’s inclusions. The ship is not exclusive to our BSB group and there will be other guests onboard who booked directly through Carnival. We want our guests to know that ONLY THEY GET TO PARTICIPATE in these private events, NOT the main Carnival population. That is the reason we put up the note about the private events.

The cruise fare covers the cruise. Much like the group rate at the hotel in Miami, the beach party is offered for the guests as a non-cruise option. Many guests like having a theme related shore excursion option in addition to the ones that Carnival sells. It’s not mandatory and was not confirmed at the time of booking – so that is why we did not mention it or include it on the site at that time.

I think much of the confusion comes in with the fact that the beach party is included on NKOTB (which is a full ship charter and an entirely different model) If you check out Rick Springfield’s cruise from last year – it was almost identical in terms of the beach party being sold later and at additional cost.

As for Playa Mia – it is normally an excursion that Carnival sells to its regular guests. We have taken sole occupancy of the resort (although, it’s possible that not all of the CCL staff is aware of it yet) and it will not be offered for general sale. We have used this resort before and in our estimation, it would most definitely. NOT be comfortable for 2000 guests. Particularly when you factor in the motor coach transportation over to the resort and back. That is why we have limited the number of participants. We have to figure in our own staff and crew for set up and security.

I hope that helps a little – we want this to be a great event and I am sure that it will be a great cruise.

Thanks to Amy C & April for emailing Rose Tours!! :)

So, hopefully that clears everything up for everybody! If you want to get extra excited, check out where we will be partying with the Boys!! :)

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Beach Party!

Hey hey Cruisers!!

I'm sure by now most of you have already got the email about the Beach Party in Cozumel, but just in case you didn't, here it is:

Beach Party in Cozumel - Playa Mia Beach Resort

Reservations are now being accepted for the Backstreet Boys Cozumel Beach Party Shore Excursion on Saturday December 11, 2010. All Backstreet Boys Cruise Passengers who booked through Rose Tours are welcome to join.

COZUMEL PREMIER BEACH PARTY:

Enjoy a Four-hour party including a DJ and appearance of the Backstreet Boys at the Playa Mia Beach Resort! The Beach Excursion will include an unlimited domestic open bar including Draft Beer, Purified bottled water, Soft drinks, Tequila, Mezcal, Brandy, Rum, Vodka, Rum Punch, Margaritas, Pina Colada and assorted flavor Daiquiris. You will also enjoy a delicious International Buffet which will include a menu of Grilled Chicken breast, Pork loin in mushroom sauce, Fish Filet, Fettuccine Alfredo, Rice with fried bananas, Cesar Salad, Guacamole, a variety of Desserts and MORE! You can eat, dance, swim and relax on a sun chair enjoying the beautiful beach! We will even have special beach games available in which you can participate. Your beach party will include round trip transportation from the ship to the beach resort, Buffet, Domestic open bar and beach activities.

The price of the Beach Party is $119.00 per person and will be charged at time of booking. This charge will appear as Rose Tours & Travel. If you are interested in attending, please follow the link below and submit your reservation now as space is limited. (RAIN OR SHINE)

Final payment for your cruise will be charged by Carnival Cruise Line the week of 10/1/10. It will be billed to the card you have on file There is nothing that you need to do.

Your Documents will be emailed to the email address on your reservation approximately 2 weeks prior to departure.

You will be able to pick up your beach party tickets on Thursday December 9th at the Hospitality Desk in the Universe Dining Room between 1:00PM - 4:00PM.

*Questions, please call Rose Tours at (888) 491-7673 or (215) 663-8800.

You must be booked on the Backstreet Boys Cruise with Rose Tours to book the Beach Party.

Book early - Space is Limited!

So, what do you guys think? Are you going to the Beach Party?

EDIT:
For those of you who are unsure about the Beach Party and curious about the other excursions offered for Cozumel, there's a list of them here. Hopefully that helps!! :)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

THREE months!!!!!

Wow, cruisers!! Can you believe it?? We are only THREE months away from cruising with our Boys!! :) SO exciting!! I always know when it's the 9th of every month. I can forget to pay my rent on time (Oops!), forget to water my plant for Hort class (Surprisingly, it's still alive!), and forget my nametag at work (Oh well.), but I always know when the 9th is!

I honestly have not shopped for the cruise yet. Haha, hard to believe, huh? It's not to say I haven't looked at clothes or shoes for the cruise (I found a super cute white dress...if we have a white night, which is why I haven't bought it yet!), but I haven't actually bought anything. Now, I know I can't just wait around for the themes (though I wish I could!) since they won't arrive until two weeks before we cruise, but I just wasn't sure what to buy yet. To get a few ideas of what would be safe to buy, I checked out the nKoTb cruise blog and found this wonderful list (Thanks, Katie!! You are too amazing!!):

Safe Bets
  • Bathing suits
  • Beach/day wear
  • Flip flops/sandals
  • Sunglasses, beach bags, other accessories
  • Sail away party outfit (although many wore swimsuits to that)
Somewhat Risky
  • General evening dress - I'm betting on one generic "dress to impress" night, and even if it doesn't happen, you can probably wear such a dress elsewhere.
  • Something to wear for the photo op - Last year I bought a really cute dress before finding out our photo session was at 10 a.m. I felt pretty silly wearing it at that time of day but I did anyway. You don't get the schedule with enough notice to do much.
Don't Do It!
  • More than one evening dress - There were a lot of disgruntled cruisers who bought 3-4 hot dresses last year before themes were announced and were stuck buying more to fit the themes.
  • Anything with a theme in mind - I've come close to buying another white dress now because it was so hard to find white in April, but I figure as soon as I do, they'll decide to do pink night instead.
Most everyone will tell you that they overpacked for 2009. I only brought a carry on, and I STILL had more than I needed. In general, you'll need swimsuits, a cover-up, a couple tank tops and shorts, and your theme outfits.

[Taken from the nKoTb Cruise Blog]

Now, keeping that all in mind, what do you guys think? Have you purchased anything specifically for the cruise yet? If so, what have you bought? Let's discuss!! :)

Monday, August 30, 2010

100 Days!!!!!

Hey Cruisers!!!

How excited are you guys?? We are exactly 100 days away from cruising with our Boys!!! Yay!! Just to get you even more excited (as if that is even possible!!), here's a post from the nKoTb Cruise Blog about eating on board:

Breakfast:
With the drinking and all-night parties, nothing beats scheduled room service. Hang your order on your door at night, and you can get coffee, cereal, fruit, toast, or yogurt delivered at the time of your choice. However, I seem to remember the latest time being around 9:30, so you can't sleep in too long. We did this every morning to get coffee and juice. Otherwise it would have been difficult to get out of bed.

After we showered and dressed, we went upstairs to hit the breakfast buffet next to the pool. Breakfast buffets are my favorite kind of buffets. Scrambled eggs, pancakes, french toast, fruit, potatoes . . . I'm getting hungry writing about it. Of course they also had bacon and sausage if you're into that kind of thing. I believe this lasted until 11 a.m.

Inside near the shops there was a coffee bar that offered lattes and cappuccinos, but those were an additional cost.

Lunch:
We didn't get around to eating lunch until after 3 p.m. both days. There are two buffets: one next to the pool and a larger one inside. The one next to the pool offered hamburgers and chicken sandwiches. Not much for vegetarians.

The larger buffet had a full salad bar, a hot bar with various meats, sides, and apps, the pizzeria, a dessert table, and an ice cream machine. I was a big fan of the salad bar. I seem to remember some kind of broccoli slaw that was particularly good.

From room service, you could order deli sandwiches or salads. There was also a sushi bar near the casino, but I never saw it open.

Dinner:
If you managed to stay on schedule and eat at either 6 or 8 p.m. you could go to the dining room for multi-course waiter service. The portions were tiny, but you could order as much as you wanted. You get a choice of six starters, a couple of salads, and six or seven main courses.


The inside, large buffet was also reset for dinner. They seemed to have most of the same dishes as what was in the dining room, but in buffet form. They also had the pizza and ice cream. Unless you really hate getting up in the middle of your meal, I think the buffet is the better option. For one, when you're getting a fruit salad, you can give yourself more than half a strawberry. And the dessert table has the same chocolate lava cake you get in the main dining room. This was available until 9 p.m.

Room service was limited for dinner. Same sandwiches and salads they had at lunch. Still, if you're in your room getting ready for the night, it could be the way to go.

Late Night:
At midnight, they'd reopen the buffet near the pool. I remember Friday night was Mexican night. I don't know if the other nights had themes. Since I didn't get around to eating dinner till around 9 p.m., I never hit this buffet. The pizzeria and room service were available 24 hours a day.


The only problem with eating onboard is finding time to do it. You may find yourself stuck in line during meal times, and staying up all night tends to throw off your schedule. Still, the food is there and decent when you can get to it. Worst case, you eat pizza and ice cream for three days, and there's nothing wrong with that!

[Taken from nKoTb Cruise Blog]

Now, that might not be exactly the same as our cruise, but it should give you an idea of what will be available to eat onboard! Yum!!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Budgeting

Hey Cruisers! It's nearly the end of the summer, so I figured it was time for a budgeting post! :)

This is taken directly from the nKoTb Cruise blog
, so anything different for us will be noted in red.

There's a lot more that has to be budgeted. Keep all this in mind as you plan for the next few months.
  • Remaining balance: The total of your cabin less the $700 we've already paid ($300-1800)
  • Flights: Have you booked yet? (~$200-700 depending on where you're flying from)
  • Transportation to/from FL airport: $30-75
  • Transportation/parking at home airport: $0 if you're lucky, up to $200 if you're not
  • Hotel: One night, split with a roommate, probably $100
  • Passport (if you need it): $100
  • Clothes: Pre-cruise party, theme nights, swim suits, daywear, shoes. . . let's be serious. $200-700
  • Drinks, photos, shore trips, misc on board: ~$150
  • Other (door decor, travel toiletries, pre-cruise mani/pedi, etc): ~$150
Maybe some of my estimates are a bit high. I live in one of the most expensive areas of the country, so I'm rounding up. For example, I know parking at JFK costs a lot more than it does at the Pittsburgh airport. And you certainly don't HAVE to spend anything on clothes or get a pedi before the trip, but chances are you will.

Where does that put our totals?

At the low end: You're in a category 4 room, have a ride to the airport, don't need a passport, and are very good at keeping a budget. $1150

At the high end: You booked a suite, have an expensive flight, and will spend $300 on the perfect theme outfit if necessary. $4000

Did you read that and think, "Katie, you are crazy. NO way I will be spending $300 on a dress. Put me in the $1150 group." Well, I would have said the same thing to you last year. And how much did I spend on my white dress two weeks before we sailed because I was getting frantic to find something white and flattering? $300. (Note to TPTB: If we do white night again, I'm wearing that same dress.)

[Taken from nKoTb Cruise Blog]

So, Cruisers, does anybody have any suggestions for budgeting? Have you already purchased your plane tickets? Where is everybody staying in Miami? Without the themes yet, has anybody bought any cute clothes yet? Let's compare notes, Cruisers!! :)

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Second payment is today!

Today is July 1st, and we all know what that means!! :) The second payment is due today, so hopefully everybody is ready! It really makes me excited to know how close we are getting!! :)

As of this morning, my payment still hasn't been taken from my account. So, I'm not sure when Rose Tours is going to automatically take it, since I heard it was suppose to happen at midnight? According to the nKoTb cruise blog, the second payment varies on when it is taken out, so I guess we will have to wait and see!!

UPDATE: The money hasn't left my account yet, but it is a pending charge, as of 10:07 am. Anybody else have their money taken or a pending charge yet?

UPDATE (Again): The money left my account today (07/02). :) @SarahMcTamney also tweeted me that hers left yesterday, and Rose Tours even called her just to double check. Anybody else? :)

Waitlisters MelMuff (#2471), Melissa (#2541), Carrie (#2554), Emelita, and Kate were all called (and accepted!!), so don't get discouraged if you're on the wait list!! It also appears they are going in order on the wait list, based on what I have heard so far!

The spot in Gissell cabin has been filled by @nonoebel1103, but I haven't heard about the spot in Saldawgli9979's cabin. Also, @Swayshay is looking for a spot in the cruise, if anybody has a roommate who drops out.

Hope everybody has a great day! Only 160 more days!!