"I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat" my Alarm rang,I grabbed my phone, 7:OO in the morning, though it was a cloudy morning with light rain, my spirits were high and ready to take on the day. It was cheesy but fitting that my alarm would be this song considering I was in Miami, boarding the Backstreet cruise in just a few hours. These next few days were sure to get interesting. The itinerary was jam packed with different events, such as Family Feud, a dating game, and dare i say it- Twister. it was definitely gonna wear out these boys. It was good to have a change of scenery just for a few days considering I had just come from a cold and brisk New York, Having spent the Thanksgiving holidays with my family. 

Everyone was to meet at the hotel lobby by 9:30 am to load up on the buses to head off to the Port of Miami. That gave me a few hours of sanity and time to get myself together.

Once it was time to go, I took the elevator to the lobby,finding a crowd of people  lounging around waiting for the buses to come. I went to the front desk to check out as I heard someone call my name as they approached me. "Hey Leighanne" I exclaimed giving her a hug "Hey, so there's a little someone I would like you to meet" she said pulling a young boy with blonde shaggy hair "This is my son Baylee". Baylee was just like his father, physically and he also had his charm. "Hey there Baylee." I said shaking the little ones hand. "So are you ready for the insanity?" Leighanne asked "I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm a bit nervous, i haven't been around backstreet fans since I was one of them but that was back in 1999" I chuckled "Well the fans are...still crazy for the boys, but it's gonna be fun" Leighanne replied as we went to take a seat at one of the sofas. Brian spotted us and came over. "Hey you made it, how was your flight?" he greeted me "Good, got in pretty late but everything was good, are you ready to get this show on the road?" I asked "I'm a little scared, hopefully I won't have to run for dear life away from the fans" he teased. I was getting the feeling that everyone was nervous and scared all at the same time about this trip, this was their first cruise so we were all oblivious to what this cruise with fans would turn out like. 

Two chartered busses made their way and people started filing in the buses. I was headed towards the bus where the employees would be riding. "Alyssa!" I heard someone yell. I turned and found AJ and Rochelle loading their stuff. "Come here woman" AJ called. I walked over an greeted them each with a hug . "What are you doing riding over there, you're riding with us babe" he said as he loaded my suitcase into the bus "come on" Rochelle said as she lead me onto the bus. The bus was filled with family and friends that the boys had invited along on this trip. I was introduced to a few of them by Rochelle. I took a seat and got into my own zone checking emails and text messages since I'd be phoneless while at sea. "WOOO! I'm on a boat!" someone exclaimed while they boarded the bus, everyone cheered on. I looked over, Nick of course. He took a seat across the isle from me. His adrenaline was pumping. "Well well well look who it is" he said grinning "Good morning Nickolas" I said sarcastically. "Are you ready to party" he asked as he took his headphones off. "The question is are you ready for the insanity, you're the "heartthrob " of the group" I teased. "Fuck it, I'm ready..booze, cruise, parties I'm ready baby" he replied. "alright, I'll have fun watching the fans chasing you down the hallways" I said "well, you'll just have to hide me in your room" he grinned "Righttt" I rolled my eyes and laughed.

The bus ride to the Port of Miami was full of banter and excitement. We were there pretty early, despite the fact that fans were told  boarding was  at 12pm, it was 10 in the morning and there were fans all ready to board the ship and start the party. After going through security and checking in, we were going up the escalators and flashes were going off non stop with fans letting out shrieks of excitement, hollering at the boys to look at their direction. I tried to remain in the back and blend with the crowd. The more far back I was the better. We finally made it inside, this ship was huge, it really seemed like a floating city with shops, a spa and many other amenities. I was given my all access pass and I headed to my cabin. I was on deck 7, which had a separate area roped off for the boys and their guests. I went into my room and found myself in a spacious suite With a king size bed ,sofa, and all the works. I wouldve been fine with an inside cabin but I can't deny that a balcony was pretty sweet. I looked at the itinerary that I was given and the boys had no events till 5 which gave everyone time to get settled. I wanted to check the boat out while it was still normal out there so I grabbed my key and phone and headed out. Walking down the hallway I heard someone call my name from a room, I stepped into the room. A penthouse suite, well damn talk about big pimpin. Nick poked his head out of the balcony "Come see this" he called. I walked out to the balcony "what's up?" I asked "Look at this" he said as he nodded towards the Miami skyline. We leaned towards the railing taking it all In. I broke our silence, "Jenn worked her ass off for this to happen didn't she". "Yeah she did, have you ever been on a cruise before?" he asked "Nope, always wanted to but never had the time" I answered looking at the seagulls flying above us. "We should go on another cruise one day" he said as I gave him a questioning look "you know like everyone together but with no fans or security or scheduled events, just chillin'" he quickly added. "That would be fun, but how about we get through this one first" I chuckled "You're right, we haven't even started sailing yet, and by the looks of our schedules, a vacation is gonna have to take a backseat for a while" he said giving me the famous Carter half smile."well listen, I was gonna go take a walk around the ship if you wanna come" I offered. "Sure, but security is gonna have to tag along" he replied. 

Walking around the lido deck with Nick and two security guys, I wasn't aware of what I had gotten myself into until I saw a group of about 30 girls making a dash towards Nick. All with a camera on tow asking for hugs and pictures. If this was Any indication of how this cruise was going to be then I was definitely in for something.