After taking a hiatus this year, 2012 will be my third -- and final -- cruise. (I say final because the third cruise is likely to break five-digits spent on this one activity, and I have to draw the line somewhere.)
This year, I vow to do a few things differently, partly because I've learned my lesson on some things, and partly because lots has changed since I last cruised. Back then, I went to the gym 6 days a week, spent my weekends reading, and stayed up past 10 p.m. Nowadays, I spend most of my time covered in drool, spit up, poop, or all three.
In 2012, I vow to:
Not even pack high heels. Yes, they look nice for the 20 minutes I keep them on during formal night, but then I end up barefoot while the shoes get kicked around and slopped with pool water. Why waste the space in my suitcase?
Shop less. Between 2009 and 2010, I think I bought something like 7 swimsuits for the cruise. And that's just swimsuits! Nevermind the sundresses, theme outfits, jewelry, purses, shoes, and PJs. What was I thinking? This year, I'm doing a lot more shopping from my own closet. I'd be forced into this resolution anyway, since I can't afford the luxury of leisurely trips to the mall anymore.
Sleep more. I realize this is blasphemy on a New Kids cruise, but I can't pass up the rare chance to nap in the middle of the afternoon or sleep in past 7. In 2010, I slept around 10 hours total the entire trip. 2012 is going to be the year I learn to nap onboard.
Stand with anyone, including a pole if necessary, for the photo op. At this point, I have a photo with each New Kid. I'm more interested now in getting a chance to say hi while avoiding hour after hour in line. Photo ops this year are said to be much improved though.
Leave my phone on. Yup, I'm going to be the doof who comes home to an $800 phone bill. I just don't want to be unreachable. Unfortunately that won't help me on Half Moon Cay, where there are no cell towers, or most of the time at sea, where I never could get a signal.
Fly in the morning of. I'm breaking one of my own rules here, but this year I'm flying in to Miami the morning we depart. I don't recommend this. But with the added day, I just can't be away any longer. Again, don't do this. This is crazy.
Take Tuesday off. I'm finally learning my lesson with this one and taking an extra day off after the trip to recover. The day after the cruise, you'll be hoarse, exhausted, bloated, and seasick tipsy. Best to feel this way at home on the couch.
Repeat cruisers, what are you planning to do differently in 2012?
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Your No-Stress (Okay, Low-Stress) Guide to Booking a Cabin
It's official.
Even for a repeat cruiser, booking week can be rough. You're thrown from a state of anticipation to one of uncertainty and anxiety. Nothing can make it possible for 4,000 people to book 1,000 cabins, but I will do my best to prepare you for booking day.
What I can't do is tell you how much this year's cabins will cost. That info won't be released until Thursday. What we do know, from comcasttix.com, is that inside cabins start at $699, ocean view cabins start at $1099, balcony from $1299, and suites from $2399. This is consistent with 2011 pricing.
Via Rose Tours Terms and Conditions, a $300 per person deposit is payable with your reservation. A second payment of $500 per person will be charged on November 29, 2011. The remaining balance will be charged the week of April 24, 2012. Payments must be made in the form of a credit card. Last year, there was also a $5 booking fee per passenger payable at time of booking.
If you cancel: the $300 deposit is non-refundable. Between November 29 and April 23, you will be charged a cancellation fee of 50% of the total cruise fare. After April 24, you won't get any refund and you'll be responsible for 100% of the fare and taxes.
Before On-Sale
Even for a repeat cruiser, booking week can be rough. You're thrown from a state of anticipation to one of uncertainty and anxiety. Nothing can make it possible for 4,000 people to book 1,000 cabins, but I will do my best to prepare you for booking day.
What I can't do is tell you how much this year's cabins will cost. That info won't be released until Thursday. What we do know, from comcasttix.com, is that inside cabins start at $699, ocean view cabins start at $1099, balcony from $1299, and suites from $2399. This is consistent with 2011 pricing.
Via Rose Tours Terms and Conditions, a $300 per person deposit is payable with your reservation. A second payment of $500 per person will be charged on November 29, 2011. The remaining balance will be charged the week of April 24, 2012. Payments must be made in the form of a credit card. Last year, there was also a $5 booking fee per passenger payable at time of booking.
If you cancel: the $300 deposit is non-refundable. Between November 29 and April 23, you will be charged a cancellation fee of 50% of the total cruise fare. After April 24, you won't get any refund and you'll be responsible for 100% of the fare and taxes.
Before On-Sale
- Choose your roommates. Keep in mind that two- and four-person rooms are easier to come by than three-person rooms.
- Decide on a budget. Don't forget port fees, taxes, and all the extras.
- Using last year's pricing and the Destiny deck plan, create a wish list of cabin types in the order you will try to book. For example, you will first try for an 8D, then 8E, 8M, 8N, 9B, and so forth. I recommend planning at least 10. The deck plan will help you figure out how many of each room type are available. Include cabin category (e.g., "ocean view") in your list.
- Decide who will try to book the cabin. BN members will book first, at noon Thursday, followed by past cruisers at 1 p.m. and general sale on Friday.
- Choose early or late dining.
- Decide if you will purchase travel insurance from Rose Tours. All passengers in the cabin must choose yes or no on travel insurance; you can't choose individually. (My advice is to shop around.) Remember, insurance will not help you if you decide later that you can't afford the trip.
- Make sure the person booking has full names, DOB, email addresses, billing addresses, and credit card information for each person in your cabin. If you put in only one credit card, that card will be charged the deposit for everyone in the cabin. Each street address has to match the billing address on the credit card or the system will not process the card or the reservation. (Be smart. Don't email or tweet this information.)
- Read the Rose Tours booking procedures and FAQs carefully.
- Block off time in your calendar to be near a computer come sale time!
On Sale Day
- Make sure the person(s) booking has all of your information plus the wish list of cabin categories and types. It helps to have these in a text file so you can copy and paste during booking. (If possible, have each roommate on the phone together during booking so you can have more than one person trying.)
- When you log on to the ComcastTix site, you will see four options. Click the red "Tix" button next to the category of the room you want to book.
- Past this screen will be a link to every possible room type and combination available in that category. That means there will be a separate link for 8D Double, 8D Triple, 8D Quad and so forth. The list can get very long. Be careful to click on both the cabin type AND the number of passengers you want to book.
- If your first choice is not available, go back to the list and find your second, third, or fourth choice until you find an available room.
- Using your text file of passenger info, copy and paste all the fields into the reservation form.
- At this point, if more than one of your roommates has made it to the reservation form, make sure only one of you clicks submit! Multiple reservations will cause all of your bookings to get thrown out.
- Cheer, dance, do a shot, whatever! You're on cruise 2012! Print your booking confirmation for safe keeping.
If You Don't Make It
First, don't stop trying to book until @NKOTB officially says all cabins are gone. Lots of people "play" with the system and "practice" booking without taking the cabin. They'll open up throughout the day.
Once all cabins are sold out, Rose Tours will open a wait list. Put your name down ASAP. Last year, the entire wait list was called and offered cabins before the cruise. If you are on the wait list, save your pennies! When Rose Tours calls, they'll want whatever payments have been received within a few days. That means if you get the call on December 5, you'll pay $800 at once, or if you get the call in May, you'll pay the full amount.
Do you feel prepared? What did I forget? Add your questions or tips to the comments!
Do you feel prepared? What did I forget? Add your questions or tips to the comments!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Cruise announcement coming Monday?
For possibly the first time ever, Ground CTRL gave us something early. Users of their Ground CTRL iPhone app got a surprise yesterday when the news tab released info of the 2012 cruise. As of this morning, the entry is gone.
If the information is accurate, here's what we know:
So who's in? Don't forget, if you're looking to find a roommate, you can post here.
If the information is accurate, here's what we know:
- Cruise will be June 7-11 on the Destiny
- Sailing from Miami to Key West and Half Moon Cay (this is very unusual as it does not seem to be an available itinerary)
- An official announcement is Monday
- Pre-sale for past cruisers and BN members is Thursday 8/18 starting at noon, although it is unclear if this will be all at once or in waves
- General sale is Friday 8/19 at noon
- Cabins start at $699 (same as last year)
- Promised features improved photo op, new themes, more individual and group events, and some sort of evening theater event with NKOTB
So who's in? Don't forget, if you're looking to find a roommate, you can post here.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Need a roommate? Post here!
By request, this post will create a place to find roommates for the 2012 cruise. Ning is no more, BN is a closed site, and Twitter is hard to keep up with, so hopefully this will help singles in search of the perfect cruise mate.
For reference, here are the cabin types and prices from 2011.
Do your cruise roommates a solid; don't book if you aren't sure you can afford to cruise.
Hope this is helpful!
For reference, here are the cabin types and prices from 2011.
Do your cruise roommates a solid; don't book if you aren't sure you can afford to cruise.
Hope this is helpful!
Friday, August 5, 2011
OMG We're back again
No, I didn't jump ship. This is still the NKOTB Cruise blog. But those tour mates had an appropriate lyric.
Rumors are afoot. Among hopeful first time cruisers, nerves are starting to set in. So what's a cruiser to do?
How to prepare for a cruise when no cruise has been announced
It is possible. Really, some preparation is necessary, since historically cruise announcements have come merely days before cabins go on sale. And, prices for the cruise aren't revealed until the moment of on-sale.
Step One: Honestly determine whether you can afford to cruise. With cabin prices, port fees, transportation, and on board necessities, it's nearly impossible to spend less than $2000 on the trip. In fact, you will probably spend a lot more. Don't count on being able to sell your spot to someone else if you decide later you can't make the payments. Last year some who canceled found themselves selling at a fraction of the cabin cost just to find buyers. And travel insurance won't help if you decide later you can't afford to go. The cruise is a lot of fun, but it's only a few days. It's not worth going into debt.
Step Two: Decide who you will room with. Will you have one roommate or three? If you don't have anyone in mind for a roommate, will you do the single room match program, or will you try to find someone on Twitter or the forums to book with? Keep in mind, only one person can do the booking, so you will either have to share credit card information or arrange payments. If you don't trust the roomie with this information, the match program would be safer.
Step Three: Start to think about what type of cabin you want. Make sure you and your roomies agree on whether you want a suite, a room with premium seating, or something closer to steerage.
Step Four: Along with your roommates, set a budget for how much you will spend on your cabin and commit to it. Check nkotbcruise.com to see prices from last year (don't forget the port fees and taxes!). Since prices aren't released beforehand, many cruisers find themselves grabbing any room available without even looking at the cost. Be prepared by deciding how much you would like to spend and determining an upper limit if your first choice (or three) isn't available.
Step Five: Take a deep breath and wait for the time to arrive. As much as we try to sleuth out information, nothing is certain until it's announced. And nothing is announced until NKOTB is good and ready. But don't worry; we've got at least 10 months to prepare!
Keep up with the latest blogs. Subscribe by email or RSS on the right.
Rumors are afoot. Among hopeful first time cruisers, nerves are starting to set in. So what's a cruiser to do?
How to prepare for a cruise when no cruise has been announced
It is possible. Really, some preparation is necessary, since historically cruise announcements have come merely days before cabins go on sale. And, prices for the cruise aren't revealed until the moment of on-sale.
Step One: Honestly determine whether you can afford to cruise. With cabin prices, port fees, transportation, and on board necessities, it's nearly impossible to spend less than $2000 on the trip. In fact, you will probably spend a lot more. Don't count on being able to sell your spot to someone else if you decide later you can't make the payments. Last year some who canceled found themselves selling at a fraction of the cabin cost just to find buyers. And travel insurance won't help if you decide later you can't afford to go. The cruise is a lot of fun, but it's only a few days. It's not worth going into debt.
Step Two: Decide who you will room with. Will you have one roommate or three? If you don't have anyone in mind for a roommate, will you do the single room match program, or will you try to find someone on Twitter or the forums to book with? Keep in mind, only one person can do the booking, so you will either have to share credit card information or arrange payments. If you don't trust the roomie with this information, the match program would be safer.
Step Three: Start to think about what type of cabin you want. Make sure you and your roomies agree on whether you want a suite, a room with premium seating, or something closer to steerage.
Step Four: Along with your roommates, set a budget for how much you will spend on your cabin and commit to it. Check nkotbcruise.com to see prices from last year (don't forget the port fees and taxes!). Since prices aren't released beforehand, many cruisers find themselves grabbing any room available without even looking at the cost. Be prepared by deciding how much you would like to spend and determining an upper limit if your first choice (or three) isn't available.
Step Five: Take a deep breath and wait for the time to arrive. As much as we try to sleuth out information, nothing is certain until it's announced. And nothing is announced until NKOTB is good and ready. But don't worry; we've got at least 10 months to prepare!
Keep up with the latest blogs. Subscribe by email or RSS on the right.
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Cruiser's Guide To the Galaxy
Okay, maybe not Galaxy. But possibly Destiny! As you may know, I will not be cruising next year, and therefore I will not be updating this blog much. (I won't say never, because I can't stay entirely silent, but updates will be more rare than regular.)
Part of my reason for deciding not to do the blog this year was that so much of the information would be the same as what's already written. While we don't know the exact itinerary or details, the ports are the same as past years, packing will be much the same, cell phones work the same, etc etc. So instead, what I've done is organized past entries by category so that you can (hopefully) find answers to your questions. And if you don't see something listed, try the search bar on the right.
Happy cruising!
General FAQs: includes arriving at the dock, passport requirements, pricing of items on board, booking flights, and much more.
Booking Your Cruise and Travel
Budgeting and Money
While On Board
Shopping and Packing
Receiving Cruise Details
Past Cruise Recaps
Part of my reason for deciding not to do the blog this year was that so much of the information would be the same as what's already written. While we don't know the exact itinerary or details, the ports are the same as past years, packing will be much the same, cell phones work the same, etc etc. So instead, what I've done is organized past entries by category so that you can (hopefully) find answers to your questions. And if you don't see something listed, try the search bar on the right.
Happy cruising!
General FAQs: includes arriving at the dock, passport requirements, pricing of items on board, booking flights, and much more.
Booking Your Cruise and Travel
- Prepping: It's not too early to. . .
- Purchasing travel insurance
- Choosing Miami vs Fort Lauderdale airport
- Finding or becoming a replacement roommate
- Dangers of too many name changes
- Beware of scammers
Budgeting and Money
While On Board
- What's in the gift bags?
- Eating onboard
- Using the ship spa
- Using cell phones at sea
- Keeping in touch with friends on board
- Door decorating
- Cruise photo op
- Tips for first time cruisers
- Six things to watch out for
Shopping and Packing
Receiving Cruise Details
Past Cruise Recaps
- 2009 Friday, Family Feud, Saturday, Sunday
- 2010 Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- 15 little things you'll love about the cruise
- Top 5s of 2010
If you have special tips you'd like to share, please do so in the comments. Good luck to everyone booking on Friday!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
My Top 12 Moments of the Reunion (Thus Far): Part Two
I started with moments 12-7, and they really do keep getting better.
6. Radio City weekend: Radio City weekend was like the cruise, but on land. Thousands of BHs converged on one place for three days of New Kids madness. And I almost didn't go to the Thursday show. What was I thinking? Could I really have been sitting at home, an hour away, with nothing pressing to do while there was a NKOTB show going on? Thankfully I wised up.
Thursday I met Amy at Radio City and once in our seats we adopted Lisa, who had come from Scotland by herself for the three shows. When the lights went down and the video screens flickered to life, I got goosebumps. Tears started to flow before the curtain rose. And when we could see smoke and "NKOTB" appear in lasers just like the 2008 tour opener, I had chills from head to feet. The rush of the past two years came back at once.
Since I'm naturally impatient, I typically spoil myself on any concert surprises, but I had no idea Naughty by Nature was going to walk out on stage. It almost made me want to give up trying to find things out ahead of time. Almost.
Friday all of my lovely friends arrived in town. Amazingly they trusted me as our tour guide despite my track record of getting lost within three miles of my own house. That's love. The concerts were of course incredible (and extremely emotional), but it was just as good to have us all together again, and bittersweet since we don't know when we will meet next.
Thinking of this weekend makes me really really want a cupcake.
5. Cruise 2009: I would compare Cruise 2009 to being in Candyland. (Or, if you don't like candy, some other fantasy fairytale location. Rum Runner land?) I was in awe of everything around me, from the banners in the atrium to the daily newsletters. Since we didn't know what to expect, everything was a bonus. When we saw a New Kid around the ship or when they appeared at the deck parties, we could hardly believe our luck. I got on the boat knowing only a handful of friends, and by the time we got back to Miami, that number had grown exponentially.
4. Cruise 2010: If anything can beat three days of sun and palm trees with New Kids, it's four days of sun and palm tress with New Kids. Cruise 2010 ranks above 2009 for the no lines, day on the beach, better deck parties, and 10 times the amount of Jon singing. The biggest difference between 2009 and 2010 was that this year, it felt like everyone on the boat was friends. We were all more relaxed, including the guys we were all there to see. I can't imagine Joe's piano singalong happening in 2009. But this year, it fit the vibe, and I soaked up every minute of it.
As soon as I had heard it, I was on a mission. I have never been so determined to win a contest in my life. I entered on four local stations and then every national station I could find, knowing full well being out of their listening area made me ineligible. Those stations only allowed one entry, but XM allowed unlimited entries, so long as you hand wrote all your information on a 3x5 index card and then hand wrote the (six-line long) address and your return address on individual envelopes. I did that. 107 times.
On July 17, I was sitting at my desk at work around 6:00 p.m. when I got an email from Clear Channel telling me I was a finalist. Shaking, I got my phone out to call and tell my cousin and saw I had three missed calls from a New York area code. A little bell went off in my head, telling me that was the Z100 promotions number (which I knew since I called them more than once trying to find out when they would draw the winner). I immediately hit redial and the woman who emailed me answered and screamed YOU WON!
So there I am, at my cube, screaming and crying and laughing uncontrollably all at the same time. She was trying to tell me what the prize was and I couldn't hear a word of it. People started coming out of their offices and from the other side of the building to see what was going on. The guy who sat in the office across from me said he had never seen anyone so happy at work.
I called my cousin Nickole, who lives 400 miles away in my hometown, because she and I grew up New Kids together. I said, "Where are you?" She said, "Driving." I said, "Don't drive off the road because I won the New Kids trip to LA!" Then we both screamed some more. It's been almost two years and I still can hardly believe I won.
A week later I was on a plane on my way out to LA. This was the day I met Malina and several other BHs I still talk to.
The day of the party, Nickole and I couldn't eat, hadn't slept, and had a hard time saying more than five words in a row to each other without shrieking. None of the winners had any idea what to expect. I was picturing sitting at tables in a dark room while someone pushed play on the CD. In reality, there were less than 150 people in a small rehearsal studio and I was standing not even 10 feet from the NKs while they were on stage. They sang, they joked, they danced, they surveyed our opinions on "This One's For the Children." During Summertime, Donnie sang to me in my strapless sundress. Seriously, this happened!
Then if that wasn't enough, we got to meet and talk to all the guys in small groups. This is the first time I met any of them other than Joe, but I still went to him first. The first thing Danny said to us was that his balls were sweaty. Donnie hugged me and kissed me and hugged me and kissed me and made it clear he was planning to convert a lot of girls come fall. Jon and Jordan did what they do best: looked gorgeous. And just when I thought it was over, they called us back in the room to get one on one photos. The new album hadn't even come out yet, and all of my New Kids dreams had come true.
(My rarely seen "other" photo, taken when Danny was trying to put my hand on Joe's ass.)
Sidenote: Tara, the girl who won from XM, had entered only once.
2. December 20, 2009 House of Blues: House of Blues almost didn't happen. A Nor'easter was threatening the entire east coast, canceling flights, closing roads, and generally wrecking havoc. But Blockheads with plans to see NKs are hard to stop, even if it means leaving a day early or taking 3 a.m. trains to get to Boston.
What catapults HOB to #2 on the list was the weekend as a whole, from walking through the blizzard to Shaw's at 1 a.m. to arriving at the after party so late Donnie was ready to leave.
Within a 24 hour period, I/we:
1. Getting to know my million sisters. The reason I have this blog, the reason why cruise 2010 was better than 2009, the reason why these memories are as good as they are is because I have shared these past two years with you. There's not one thing on this list I experienced without you, from the day of the May 2008 Today Show when I sent my first tweet to when the curtain closed at Radio City Saturday night. The kindness I have been shown by BHs is incredible. Nothing beats meeting someone in person when it feels like you already know everything about each other. People I've never met have asked me to share their fan passes for the Today Show, given me copies of rare mp3s, and sent me their vintage Joe posters because I'd lost mine.
The most generous kindess is what I was shown last summer, at the end of my mother's illness. In those dark weeks and months, I had a place to go to forget reality and smile. And during my worst times, I felt real love from a group of strangers who shared nothing with me but an affinity for the same band. For that, I cannot thank you enough.
The friends I have made in these last two years are now among the closest I have. They're the people I tell my secrets to. When they're happy I feel their joy and I cry with them when things get bad. If all of this were to end tomorrow, we'd still be a million sisters. You all have a special place in my heart.
6. Radio City weekend: Radio City weekend was like the cruise, but on land. Thousands of BHs converged on one place for three days of New Kids madness. And I almost didn't go to the Thursday show. What was I thinking? Could I really have been sitting at home, an hour away, with nothing pressing to do while there was a NKOTB show going on? Thankfully I wised up.
Thursday I met Amy at Radio City and once in our seats we adopted Lisa, who had come from Scotland by herself for the three shows. When the lights went down and the video screens flickered to life, I got goosebumps. Tears started to flow before the curtain rose. And when we could see smoke and "NKOTB" appear in lasers just like the 2008 tour opener, I had chills from head to feet. The rush of the past two years came back at once.
Since I'm naturally impatient, I typically spoil myself on any concert surprises, but I had no idea Naughty by Nature was going to walk out on stage. It almost made me want to give up trying to find things out ahead of time. Almost.
Friday all of my lovely friends arrived in town. Amazingly they trusted me as our tour guide despite my track record of getting lost within three miles of my own house. That's love. The concerts were of course incredible (and extremely emotional), but it was just as good to have us all together again, and bittersweet since we don't know when we will meet next.
5. Cruise 2009: I would compare Cruise 2009 to being in Candyland. (Or, if you don't like candy, some other fantasy fairytale location. Rum Runner land?) I was in awe of everything around me, from the banners in the atrium to the daily newsletters. Since we didn't know what to expect, everything was a bonus. When we saw a New Kid around the ship or when they appeared at the deck parties, we could hardly believe our luck. I got on the boat knowing only a handful of friends, and by the time we got back to Miami, that number had grown exponentially.
4. Cruise 2010: If anything can beat three days of sun and palm trees with New Kids, it's four days of sun and palm tress with New Kids. Cruise 2010 ranks above 2009 for the no lines, day on the beach, better deck parties, and 10 times the amount of Jon singing. The biggest difference between 2009 and 2010 was that this year, it felt like everyone on the boat was friends. We were all more relaxed, including the guys we were all there to see. I can't imagine Joe's piano singalong happening in 2009. But this year, it fit the vibe, and I soaked up every minute of it.
3. July 26, 2008 CD Preview Party: Back in June 2008, when I was constantly listening to the radio to hear Summertime several times per day, I'd hear this commercial along with it.
As soon as I had heard it, I was on a mission. I have never been so determined to win a contest in my life. I entered on four local stations and then every national station I could find, knowing full well being out of their listening area made me ineligible. Those stations only allowed one entry, but XM allowed unlimited entries, so long as you hand wrote all your information on a 3x5 index card and then hand wrote the (six-line long) address and your return address on individual envelopes. I did that. 107 times.
On July 17, I was sitting at my desk at work around 6:00 p.m. when I got an email from Clear Channel telling me I was a finalist. Shaking, I got my phone out to call and tell my cousin and saw I had three missed calls from a New York area code. A little bell went off in my head, telling me that was the Z100 promotions number (which I knew since I called them more than once trying to find out when they would draw the winner). I immediately hit redial and the woman who emailed me answered and screamed YOU WON!
So there I am, at my cube, screaming and crying and laughing uncontrollably all at the same time. She was trying to tell me what the prize was and I couldn't hear a word of it. People started coming out of their offices and from the other side of the building to see what was going on. The guy who sat in the office across from me said he had never seen anyone so happy at work.
I called my cousin Nickole, who lives 400 miles away in my hometown, because she and I grew up New Kids together. I said, "Where are you?" She said, "Driving." I said, "Don't drive off the road because I won the New Kids trip to LA!" Then we both screamed some more. It's been almost two years and I still can hardly believe I won.
A week later I was on a plane on my way out to LA. This was the day I met Malina and several other BHs I still talk to.
The day of the party, Nickole and I couldn't eat, hadn't slept, and had a hard time saying more than five words in a row to each other without shrieking. None of the winners had any idea what to expect. I was picturing sitting at tables in a dark room while someone pushed play on the CD. In reality, there were less than 150 people in a small rehearsal studio and I was standing not even 10 feet from the NKs while they were on stage. They sang, they joked, they danced, they surveyed our opinions on "This One's For the Children." During Summertime, Donnie sang to me in my strapless sundress. Seriously, this happened!
Then if that wasn't enough, we got to meet and talk to all the guys in small groups. This is the first time I met any of them other than Joe, but I still went to him first. The first thing Danny said to us was that his balls were sweaty. Donnie hugged me and kissed me and hugged me and kissed me and made it clear he was planning to convert a lot of girls come fall. Jon and Jordan did what they do best: looked gorgeous. And just when I thought it was over, they called us back in the room to get one on one photos. The new album hadn't even come out yet, and all of my New Kids dreams had come true.
(My rarely seen "other" photo, taken when Danny was trying to put my hand on Joe's ass.)
Sidenote: Tara, the girl who won from XM, had entered only once.
2. December 20, 2009 House of Blues: House of Blues almost didn't happen. A Nor'easter was threatening the entire east coast, canceling flights, closing roads, and generally wrecking havoc. But Blockheads with plans to see NKs are hard to stop, even if it means leaving a day early or taking 3 a.m. trains to get to Boston.
What catapults HOB to #2 on the list was the weekend as a whole, from walking through the blizzard to Shaw's at 1 a.m. to arriving at the after party so late Donnie was ready to leave.
Within a 24 hour period, I/we:
- Walked into Hard Rock Cafe, saw flashes, and found out Donnie was there hugging everyone
- Met Andrea and then shared a bed with her, from which we tweeted each other at 6 a.m.
- Carried 38 cardboard boxes through Lord and Taylor while I looked for a headband that wasn't $34
- Almost tripped over Donnie's piano bench before realizing the song he was playing was "I Need You" (Why? I have no idea.)
- Were surrounded by tinsel
- Were present for several "very serious messages"
- Wrapped those 38 boxes with only one paper cutter between us
- Heard both Jordan and Joe sing O Holy Night
- Ran into Ricky Bell and Johnny Gill
- Were attacked with run-by huggings from Donnie
- Heard Coming Home performed for the first time
- Saw several Christmas songs performed live, Jordan dressed as Santa, and the reappearance of Joe's gold sequined jacket
- Watched Andrea dance with Jordan on stage (It's magic!)
- Got the Full Service treatment with special guests New Edition (the ones who made it through the blizzard at least)
- Got pics with each New Kid except Jordan, because I didn't want the flash to hurt his eyes
- Found out Kevin was under the impression Elizabeth was 6'4"
- Saw Joe, who not only knew who I was but immediately said "I still have your letter and think about your good ideas." (Me: "What letter?" Sigh.)
- Amazed ourselves by leaving for the after party at 1 a.m., a time when we were usually sound asleep
- Got hammered on one $11 drink at the after party
- Stayed up all night laughing and looking at our photos
And now you know why the four of us refer to HOB as the "Best! Day! Ever!"
1. Getting to know my million sisters. The reason I have this blog, the reason why cruise 2010 was better than 2009, the reason why these memories are as good as they are is because I have shared these past two years with you. There's not one thing on this list I experienced without you, from the day of the May 2008 Today Show when I sent my first tweet to when the curtain closed at Radio City Saturday night. The kindness I have been shown by BHs is incredible. Nothing beats meeting someone in person when it feels like you already know everything about each other. People I've never met have asked me to share their fan passes for the Today Show, given me copies of rare mp3s, and sent me their vintage Joe posters because I'd lost mine.
The most generous kindess is what I was shown last summer, at the end of my mother's illness. In those dark weeks and months, I had a place to go to forget reality and smile. And during my worst times, I felt real love from a group of strangers who shared nothing with me but an affinity for the same band. For that, I cannot thank you enough.
The friends I have made in these last two years are now among the closest I have. They're the people I tell my secrets to. When they're happy I feel their joy and I cry with them when things get bad. If all of this were to end tomorrow, we'd still be a million sisters. You all have a special place in my heart.
Addendum: Thank you Jared : )
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