In addition to the videos I've posted here on the site, all the rest from the cruise (as well as some other random stuff) can be found here. Please enjoy & feel free to share!
1.) Easily the most important: for two seconds, stop taking picture after picture of the guys and take pics with and of your girlfriends. You'll never forget what the guys look like, and others will get the shots you're missing. No one will have backup photos of you and your friends if you don't stop for a second and capture those memories. Trust me. I don't have near as many photos of me & the girls (especially of me with the girls) as I wish I did. Furthermore, this goes double for anywhere that's remotely as beautiful as Half Moon Cay (as I expect Nassau probably is, too). Places like that are literally surreal, and made for photo ops. Take them. Come home with a camera, memory card, or computer full of pics of you, your friends, and the guys. Trust me.
2.) Visit wherever you're scheduled to go. As I said, we didn't get off the boat in Nassau. If next year's cruise destination is different, who knows when my next chance will be to see Nassau, and I was just there. I do have a tiny regret about wasting the opportunity, even though the day was lovely. In addition to not missing rare and beautiful sights like these, my point is to perhaps spend a little time with your roomies in advance budgeting your time and figuring out what's important to each of you so that you can make it all work. (Hint: it is okay to split up if necessary.) If next year's trip is to Bermuda & Jamaica, I'm coming home with stories from both. If it's from Europe, Mexico, or hell, Alaska, expect to read stories from wherever we go. Don't give yourself the opportunity to wish you'd at least gone for a quick walk around the port.
3.) Take advantage of the sun. I didn't bother to get a base tan before I left. (I did have a good base color thanks to an amazing spray tan I do myself, but it was just color.) Besides the day I spent at HMC, and a few hours at the pool at the Lido Deck one afternoon, I didn't really come home as brown as I could (and should) have! And believe me: I packed plenty of sunscreen (enough for the three of us, in fact), so that wasn't a factor. I just take the sun where I live for granted, and it wasn't a big lure. As a result, I came home much lighter than I'd have liked to.
5.) Bring an extra camera battery. Though I charged my camera every night (and often during the day, too), I could only take pictures until I had one bar left (just in case I happened to run into one of the guys on my way back to the cabin, of course). One of the girls I know said she bought several extra (generic) batteries on eBay before the cruise and always had charged back-up batteries on her. Genius! Why didn't I think of that? I've already bought a spare charger, so next year I plan to have an extra camera battery or two wherever I go so I don't have to worry about it.
6.) Plan door decorations as soon as possible. This is a challenge because if you want to win the contest (and I do…prizes are usually good!) you have to follow the theme. In our case, we had an idea and stuck to it, but we weren't organized about communicating. I emailed the girls with my idea, they both said it was fine with them, and we made plans to bring materials of our own and do it in the hotel, or on the boat, or… Next year, I'd like to have one person collect everything before we even leave for Miami, or at least plan all together what we're going to do and also the when & where we'll actually be doing it, so it gets done and up on time.
7.) Have a photo group ready ahead of time. Lots of people did this one. I admit, I thought last year when they were putting groups together months before we left that it was silly. Turns out, the choices are simple: either do it early, be organized, and breeze through the process without drama, or else don't care who you stand with or what happens…otherwise, there'll be drama. I don't really care about meet & greets, so I could stick to the latter…but who doesn't want a chance to hug & chat with their fave? Especially because in my case, that was the only face time I got on the whole cruise. That's fine, because the NKs were just a perk for me on a fantastic cruise, but if you're going expecting to talk to the guys, take my advice here & plan ahead.
8.) Stay up on the Lido Deck all night on the last night. Watch the sun come up with your friends, with or without any NKs present, and with or without going back to your room to change into PJs. This one's simple: you're already dead from lack of sleep, and wherever you're about to go you'll be sleeping (on a plane, shuttle, or in a hotel). Stay up and watch the sunrise. Say goodbye.
9.) Hit the breakfast buffet. I didn't even think about it, or realize it existed, until after the cruise was over this year. Given the way Donna & I attacked the hot buffet when we got back to Miami, it would have been nice to know we had the option while still on the ship, too. I even heard they serve breakfast until 11 or 12. Good to know!
10.) Meet as many friends as you can. Okay, I did this one this year too. It just was such a great experience, this one's a reminder to myself to do so again next year. Whether they're Twitter friends, friends of friends, or just new people – where else do you find a boat full of really amazing people who already have the rarest and most amazing, beautiful thing in common. As Donna said, we're home on the ship. Go meet the family! Make some memories!
And that'll do it for me with this year's cruise wrap-up. Unless anyone has questions…feel free. Otherwise – hope those that have already had the chance to see NKOTBSB (Chicago, and moving forward) have enjoyed the hell out of it. I know I can't wait!
Stacy, this was fabulous!!! Its like my own personal diary. Thank you so much for being there with me and for writing about this!
Thanks! It sort of WAS our own personal diary, except I sort of had to "fly by the seat of my pants" for the last day or so (and playlist) because I forgot to save all my notes and lost them…oops. Anyway, thanks for going with me and I'll see you next year, or hopefully sooner! Love you!
Girl i know. I still am looking at photos saying" we didn't take enough pictures.
I had a blast. iI am sorry I did not get to see you. I cannot wait to go again..
YES GIRL extra battery for camra. I brought my laptop so i could store photos and load and unload so nothing would get lost but I thought i lost part of my adapter cord. I shoulda looked harder we would have taken even MORE photos!