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joey mcintyre

Entertainment Blog

NKOTB Cruise to Cozumel 2016

NKOTB Cruise 2016: aka STILL Selfie Madness

#nkotb

October 2016

NKOTB Cruise!  I really have never been one that is into cruising.  I am usually the type that prefers an all-inclusive beach vacation but, I have seen how much fun these charter cruises are.  This year I booked ahead and stayed with a friend of mine and it was absolutely an improvement this year to be in a cabin with the balcony.

I have to say they keep you busy and by the end of the trip you will be more exhausted than you ever have been in your life.   Donnie Wahlberg especially I am convinced never sleeps.

Each night on the cruise they have theme nights.  I must admit that they were a lot of fun:  Theme’s on this cruise included Purple Night, Neon Night, Halloween Night and GPS Night.   These parties were held out on the main lido deck each night and it was fun to see all the creativity that went into them both by the other cruisers and the guys.

One thing that became very obvious to me again in the first hours of being on the ship was the extreme selfie madness that was about to happen.  It almost became this challenge.  Can you get a selfie with each New Kid and it left you feeling like if you didn’t you were some sort of cruise failure.  It truly took away from a lot of the theme nights in my opinion.  It was also frustrating when you were waiting or wanting to get a selfie with a New Kid to see someone else that had already had 5 with them were trying to get in for another one.  All you saw were cell phones in the air and it’s almost like those circling the various stages cared less about the performance of the guys and more about pushing their way into location to get a selfie.  I ended up getting a selfie with 2 out of the 5 this year.  It was fun to be a part of Donnie’s World Record breaking selfie line.  He did it officially this year!

nkotbThe rest of the time on the ship you were kept entertained with NKOTB Game show which was funny and it was nice to see the guy’s fun personalities shine.  They were really funny and a just a bit naughty this year.  We also had a concert one night and were able to check out a taping of Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny Sirius XM show that she taped on the ship.  There were a lot of fun surprises that occurred during that taping with guest appearances by the guys.  I was excited to see the Trifecta added to the schedule this year with Danny, Joe and Jordan.  I just wish each guy had equal time singing solos.  I loved the Solo Wood portion, Jordan’s time was pretty short and he is amazing and Joe and Adam Ray also kept us entertained.  I will also say I missed Duets at Dusk this year, last year it was such a touching part of the cruise.

The day we got off the ship we were in Cozumel.  I had the worst sea legs so ended up getting back on the ship and laying out.

The group photos of 10 with the guys also took up a significant amount of time in the schedule over the course of two days. It was so frustrating having to find two additional people, I felt like I wasted an entire afternoon finding ppl to join our group and then waiting in line for hours for the actual picture.  In the end what bummed me out even more was that was actually a beautiful day where we could have enjoyed the weather b/c our last day to sea was chilly.  I have thought since what could improve it or make it better and I am not sure why the suggestions have not been taken from last year.  I almost think why not allow people to get their selfie with each guy as they go down the line because you are already saying hello and hugging each guy quick.   I know it might take a bit longer but, if everyone knew that was the one time they could ask for one it might make the rest of the cruise more pleasant and everyone would have one with each guy or don’t make people get in groups of 10.  The Backstreet Boys do a similar cruise and I believe they only require groups of 4 or 5.  They you are not wasting so much time searching for groups of 10.   I do however realize that would be a lot for the guys.  They are all very sweet and a lot of fun.

The ship smelled really bad this year too and I thought the food and service in the dining rooms was just ok.  Guy’s Burger place on the Lido desk however was very good!  I also think Carnival needs to vastly improve the wifi on the ship.  It’s a good amount of money to pay for something that works insanely slow.  The boarding process this year was a lot smoother going out of New Orleans!

Final thoughts/suggestions:  Overall I had fun, I met up with my friends and made new ones!  I do hope either Rose Tours or NKOTB can come up with some way to solve the selfie madness and the group photos.  I am not sure if I will cruise again the sea legs make it really hard to get back to normal after.   I would love to see the night parties start on time or at least close to on time.  Selfie madness have a solution whether it be we take them at the group photo time, each guy sets up a time like Joe did in 2015 and if you want one you wait in line for it or give us colored bracelets one for each guy, when you get the selfie the bracelet gets ripped off.  Truly the best option would be the line up like Joe did or at the group photos.  Maybe spread that over 3 days instead of 2 so it’s not so many at once for the guys.

Tips for cruise virgins:

  1. Come well rested because you will be going, going, going.
  2. Be prepared for something to help with motion sickness. I had used the arm bands and was fine.
  3. Take advantage of what you can bring on the ship. I am a red bull drinker and was glad I was able to bring on a package because they didn’t have any on the ship.
  4. Pack lots of comfortable shoes
  5. Get into the theme nights they are a lot of fun
  6. Try to get in a photo group ahead of time but spend time getting to know people either on the fan club boards, the various facebook pages etc.
  7. Be prepared that you may deal with sea legs/motion for days after you get off the ship. I keep the arm bands on but, still dealt with that for a good 4 days after I was home.
  8. Don’t stress, just live in the moments and have fun.

Some of my favorite shops to get cruise ready:

Bebe:  http://www.bebe.com/

Nordstrom:  http://shop.nordstrom.com/

White House Black Market:  https://www.whitehouseblackmarket.com/store/

Until next time,

Xoxo

Heather

 

Entertainment Blog

An Evening with Donnie Wahlberg & Special Guests: $700,000 Raised!

An Evening with Donnie Wahlberg & Special Guests:  $700,000 Raised!

A Benefit to Help Families Affected by Autism

 #gohomewithdonnie    

Background on Generation Rescue from their website:

Generation Rescue is dedicated to recovery for children with autism spectrum disorders by providing guidance and support for medical treatment to directly improve the child’s quality of life for all families in need.

When Lisa and JB Handley’s son was diagnosed with autism in 2004, they simply did not believe it would be Jamison’s lifelong destiny.  They committed themselves to healing their son.
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Lisa and JB pursued all of the theories and avenues they could find, educating themselves as fully as possible as they reached the most likely conclusion:  the combination of antibiotics and vaccines administered to Jamison in his first 18 months of life had overwhelmed his system and triggered his body into a state of being that we currently call autism.

Armed with this knowledge, the Handleys began recovering their child.  To their surprise, they found that parents all around the world were experiencing the same struggles—and same victories.  In 2005, the Handleys decided to create a community for these amazing families.  They named it Generation Rescue.

Later that same year, Jenny McCarthy’s son, Evan, was diagnosed with autism.  Jenny embarked on an extensive search for answers.  When she found Generation Rescue’s website, it quickly became her touchstone.  The stories and advice from other families served as her blueprint for Evan’s own recovery.
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In 2008, Jenny reached out to JB and Lisa to thank them for creating the organization that gave voice to her struggles and provided the solutions that saved her son.  Aware of how vitally important the organization is to so many families, Jenny offered to help any way she could.  She became president of Generation Rescue.

Today, Generation Rescue is known throughout the world for its dedication to the recovery of children with autism spectrum disorders by providing guidance and support for all families in need.  JB, Lisa and Jenny couldn’t be more proud.

To Donate:  https://ssl.charityweb.net/genrescue/

On to the details of the night:

First I want to thank Deanna Benedetto Butkovich and her husband Mike for inviting me to this event since they were a sponsor!  Mike’s company is Just In Time Pool & Spa Service.  If you need Servicing, Installation etc call them in the greater Chicago area!  630-300-4420

Jenny truly has such a passion for this cause and it is evident in all the love and care that both she and Donnie put into the night.  TheD5y might just be one of the sweetest couples ever too!

Some of his special guests included Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood as well as Naughty By Nature, Nice and Smooth, Rob Lewis and more. Jonathan Knight was sad to miss it as he was going to be closing on a house he was flipping and it wasn’t ready yet.

He performed some songs rarely done in concert such as Dirty Dawg, One Song, I Got It, Rise and Grind, and She’s a Killer. They also performed some cover songs like All of Me (performed by Joey), Uptown Funk, Let’s Go Crazy and Kiss and more.  They also did the Right Stuff.

Joe’s rendition of All of Me was beyond beautiful.  Sorry fd2or the shaking video in the beginning, I was learning how to video on that camera that night.

https://youtu.be/3ZYvdfgmyks

Here is a video of Donnie performing: She’s a Killer.

https://youtu.be/KoU03CWG4Dg

The after party was also a lot of fun.  They did additional fundraising for some incredibly cool experiences including a trip to the Chew, Arsenio Hall, Mixtape, Meet & Greet with Carrie Underwood and more!

The most clear message from the evening is how passionate both Donnie and Jenny are to help Generation Rescue and other pared4nts that are managing Autism.  It was such a wonderful experience to be a part of this event, it was so nice to see Jordan, Joe and Danny too.

$700,000 was raised for Generation Rescue

I will post more pics of the event over the next month on my IG account:  @lightsCmemories and on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/lightscmemories/

#BHLOVE

Until next time,

Xoxoxo

Heather

 

 

 

 

 

Entertainment Blog

NKOTB Cruise 2015: aka Selfie Madness

My virgin voyage – October 2015NKOTB Cruise 2015: aka Selfie Madness

Going on a cruise has never really been anything I have been interested in but, I had seen how much fun my friends have had on the NKOTB Cruises in the past so decided to give it a try this year.  I decided after the fact so I was able to take the spot of someone that was not able to go on the cruise.

Picture2I have to say they keep you busy and by the end of the trip you will be more exhausted than you ever have been in your life.   Donnie Wahlberg especially I am convinced never sleeps.  The photo below is the oath Donnie has everyone do together at the sail away party.

Each night on the cruise they have theme nights.  I must admit that they were a lot of fun:  Theme’s on this cruise included 80’s prom night, white night, GPS night and TV Character night.   These parties were held out on the main lido deck each night and it was fun to see all the creativity that went into them both by the other cruisers and the guys.

Picture3

Picture5Picture4One thing that became very obvious to me the in the first hours of being on the ship was the extreme selfie madness that was about to happen.  It almost became this challenge.  Can you get a selfie with each New Kid and it left you feeling like if you didn’t you were some sort of cruise failure.  It truly took away from a lot of the theme nights in my opinion.  It was also frustrating when you were waiting or wanting to get a selfie with a New Kid to see someone else that had already had 5 with them were trying to get in for another one.  All you saw were cell phones in the air and it’s almost like those circling the various stages cared less about the performance of the guys and more about pushing their way into location to get a selfie.  I ended up getting a selfie with 4 out of the 5.  I never had an opportunity with Danny.  Joe,  I thought did something great, after one of his performances he said I will be sitting in X spot anyone that still needs a selfie with me line up and he sat there for an hour or more but, everyone got their selfie in a much more controlled environment.NKOTB Cruise 2015: aka Selfie MadnessNKOTB Cruise 2015: aka Selfie MadnessNKOTB Cruise 2015: aka Selfie Madness

The rest of the time on the ship you were kept entertained with NKOTB Game show which was funny and it was nice to see the guy’s fun personalities shine.  I didn’t have good seats at all for the seated performances so sorry I can’t share any pictures from those events for this year.  We also had a concert one night and were able to check out a taping of Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny Sirius XM show that she taped on the ship.  There were a lot of fun surprises that occurred during that taping with guest appearances by the guys.  Danny also did a cooking demonstration and probably one of my favorite extra activities was Joe’s Duets at Dusk.  That was just a beautiful part of the cruise and so many extremely talented individuals were showcased.  We also were entertained by comedian Adam Ray.

NKOTB Cruise 2015: aka Selfie MadnessThe day we got off the ship and had the Grand Turk Pool Party was just ok.  I thought it was a very short time period the guys were there interacting and just didn’t seem to be well organized.  I am not sure what I was expecting as a first timer.  I know they tried to deal with the selfie madness by doing pool games and the winning team got a selfie but, then other games were played and the winning team never received the selfie.

The group photos of 10 with the guys also took up a significant amount of time in the schedule over the course of two days.  I was very lucky and in a great group of 10 with a few girls I had met at a NKOTB show in Vancouver earlier in the year.  It was a nice no drama group.  You wait in a huge line in your group of 10, get your photo and that’s it.  I have thought since what could improve it or make it better.  I almost think why not allow people to get their selfie with each guy as they go down the line because you are already saying hello and hugging each guy quick.   I know it might take a bit longer but, if everyone knew that was the one time they could ask for one it might make the rest of the cruise more pleasant and everyone would have one with each guy.  I do however realize that would be a lot for the guys.  They are all very sweet and a lot of fun.

NKOTB Cruise 2015: aka Selfie MadnessIt was wild too on the last night to stay up and party and dance with Donnie all the way into port.  Many of the other guys turned in at various points in the night.  Jon and Donnie both kept it going all the way until the sun came up.  It was quite the experience.

Final thoughts/suggestions:  Overall I had fun, I met up with my friends and made new ones!  I do hope either Rose Tours or NKOTB can come up with some way to solve the selfie madness.   I am going to go on the cruise this year.  I was pretty luke warm on the idea of doing it again.  We unfortunately didn’t pull the room type we wanted either so hoping this year will be a lot of fun.  I would love to see the night parties start on time or at least close to on time.  Selfie madness have a solution whether it be we take them at the group photo time, each guy sets up a time like Joe did and if you want one you wait in line for it or give us colored bracelets one for each guy, when you get the selfie the bracelet gets ripped off.  Truly the best option would be the line up like Joe did or at the group photos.  Maybe spread that over 3 days instead of 2 so it’s not so many at once for the guys.  I would also love to see a special event by Jordan and Jon too.  Jon is so sweet and so much fun and it would be fun to see him shine!  A solo performance by Jordan or something along those lines would also be a great addition to the schedule.

NKOTB Cruise 2015: aka Selfie MadnessTips for cruise virgins:

  1. Come well rested because you will be going, going, going.
  2. Be prepared for something to help with motion sickness. I had used the arm bands and was fine.
  3. Take advantage of what you can bring on the ship. I am a red bull drinker and was glad I was able to bring on a package because they didn’t have any on the ship.
  4. Pack lots of comfortable shoes
  5. Get into the theme nights they are a lot of fun
  6. Try to get in a photo group ahead of time but spend time getting to know people either on the fan club boards, the various facebook pages etc.
  7. Be prepared that you may deal with sea legs/motion for days after you get off the ship. I keep the arm bands on but, still dealt with that for a good 4 days after I was home.
  8. Don’t stress, just live in the moments and have fun.

 

Until next time,

Xoxo

Heather