mardi gras at universal studios

a few fridays ago (march 9) little sis and i got on a plane and headed down to orlando florida...the reason for our trip? a concert of course!...haha!!!...big time rush was set to have a concert in universal studios on that saturday...they were so great the first time so we hopped on the chance to see them again!...we stayed a few days after the concert so we would be able to go to the parks too...i guess we'll take this vacay review on a day by day basis!

friday
our flight wasnt until after 830 so we didnt get into orlando until late...we got to the hotel around midnight and proceeded to check in...(btw we stayed at the royal pacific...a little expensive but it was great...i would recommend it!)...we were pleasantly surprised when we were awarded a free upgrade to the club level room...that was great because there was a free continental breakfast every morning for the guests on that floor...this ended up saving us a lot of time and a lot of money...so yay!!!

saturday
we woke up, ate our free breakfast, and headed over to the park for what we knew was going to be a loooong day...the only thing we had planned for the day was standing in line...we got there at around 10am and there was already about 150 people in front of us (the park opened at 9)...so we got on line and waited and waited...

it wasnt as terrible as i thought it would be...we brought cards...so we played war and spit...we also had little sis' brand new ipod...so we watched an episode of big time rush (appropriate right?!)...since it was a mardi gras celebration they had a whole bunch of entertainers on stilts walking around....so that was fun...also the line moved to new locations a few times...the first time we moved was around noon...and then at 5 we were let into the place where the concert was held...i thought they let us in a little early cause the concert didnt start until 830...once we were in that spot there was no moving...

the line at around 3pm

the crowd behind me at the concert

when we were let in the center section was about 4 or 5 rows deep already...so i went over to the side a little bit...we were FRONT ROW!!!!...we werent in the center but who cares cause we were in the front...based on the previous btr concert i went to i knew they would more than likely be coming off the stage...and sure enough they did...they were all right in front of me at one point or another...i even got to touch them a few times...excuse me while i allow the 12 year old inside of me to squeal...*eeeeekkkkk*....haha!!!

none of my pictures came out very good but you get the idea

the concert was great!!!...those big time rush boys really are great singers and performers...im in love!...haha!...we had a great time at the concert...we even met a few more 20+ rushers...they were great!!! (wow...i just said great A LOT...oops!...haha!)


sunday
we wanted to get up and be at the park by 8 when the park opened for people staying in the universal hotels...i heard that the wizarding world of harry potter gets really packed really fast and getting there early is really the only way...unfortunately the alarm we set didnt go off...we ended up getting there around 930...it didnt turn out too bad, thanks to springing ahead that night i think most people were off to a late start...also it was raining so the park was way less crowded than normal...

anyway when we got there we went directly to harry potter...i was so excited!!!...it was so cool...walking around hogsmead and seeing Hogwarts was amazing...i felt like i was really there...they had all the shops from the book, like honeydukes and the three broomsticks...they even had butterbeer...i was totally geeking out seeing everything...the best part was the ride...the line took you through hogwarts castle...you go through the dungeons, then to the green house, then to dumbledores office, then threw a hallway with talking and moving portraits, then to the defence against the dark arts classroom (where herminone makes it snow!) then to the griffindor common room, then you see the sorting hat, then to the room of requirement...this is where you board the magical bench and the ride starts...its a super fun ride!!!!...even if youre not a harry fan i think you'll still love this ride!!!...its def worth the wait!....

thanks to the rain the the park was pretty empty so we were able to get through everything pretty quickly...by lunch time we went on all the rides at islands of adventure...we would have gone on the roller coasters a few more time each but the rain hurt...when we went on the hulk i felt like ice pellets were attacking my face...i couldnt even keep my eyes open because it hurt sooo bad...of course we laughed about it the whole time but it really did hurt!...haha!...

after we went to lunch we headed over to the other park...we were able to get through all of those rides too...i think my fav over there is the mummy ride...its an in the dark coaster and tons of fun...there was a new roller coaster that we went on...it was a lot of fun and a little different...you get to pick a song you want to listen to and there is a camera that films you the entire ride...i thought that was pretty cool!

that night we ate dinner at nba city...neither of us care all that much about basketball but i read a lot of reviews that said it was good...so we went there...and it was good!...great food and reasonable prices...we were happy campers!!...

monday
since we got to everything on sunday we went through and went on all the good stuff again...but the park was way more crowded so it took us a lot longer to do things...we started with harry potter again...we waited 20 mins sunday for the ride...monday we waited 1.5 hours...when we got off the line was twice as long and we could barely walk through the hp section...it was sooo crowded...good thing i was able to find the secret butterbeer line thanks to laura's tips!...if not i think the line for that was about an hour!...crazy!!!

besides harry potter we hit up all the other awesome rides in islands of adventure, ate lunch, then header over to universal to do those rides again!...eventually we went on everything we wanted to multiple times so we headed out...we walked over to the hard rock hotel...we thought that there would be a lot of cool stuff there...yeah, not so much...we were a little disappointed but at least we burned off some of the ice cream we just ate!...haha!!!

despicable me ride coming soon!

that night for dinner we went to the latin quarter...it was good but a little pricey...there were a lot of awesome reviews for it...it was good but not omg amazing...Chevy's in linden is just as good...and much cheaper...

tuesday
we didnt do anything on tuesday except for go home...boo!!!

well thats it for now...ill be back soon!!!

battle of the vip: bsb vs btr

ive done vip for both backstreet boys and big time rush...so the time has come to compare the two experiences...so here goes bsb gold vip vs btr vip...(i picked gold because its the most similar to the btr package)...so lets start with the facts...

group: backstreet boys
tour: nkotbsb
vip level: gold (2nd highest out of 4)
price: $312
what you get:
~ sound check (2 or 3 songs)
~ q & a (4 questions)
~ meet and greet
~ individual photo with the boys
~autographed picture of the boys


group: big time rush
tour: better with u tour
vip level: premium (2nd highest of 2)
price: $195
what you get:
~sound check (2 songs)
~meet and greet
~ picture with btr (1 per order)
~ i <3 btr tote bag
~ giant btr poster
~ 4 btr pins
~ 4 btr stickers
~ concert ticket in rows 2-10

lets compare, shall we...

~ cost ~
 the btr vip costs a lot less than bsb...and you get a great seat for the concert with btr included in the cost...for bsb you need to buy your concert ticket separate so you need to add about $100 onto your vip cost for total concert cost...
winner: BTR

~ goodie bag ~
you dont get a goodie bag with bsb vip...btr gives you a tote bag, poster, stickers and pins...all kinds of fun stuff...i was really excited about my btr swag bag and i wished i got a bsb swag bag with their vip...our goodie bags from the bsb cruise we're even as good as this...well, 2011 cruise was close but the plastic bag we got on the 2010 cruise was a joke...
winner: BTR

~ autographs ~
you cant ask for an autograph during either vip...but with gold and platinum bsb vip you get a pre signed photo of the boys...since we are looking at gold, ill say this counts...i really wanted btr autographs and im a little sad i didnt get it...
winner: BSB

~  sound check ~
for the sound check portion of the vip both groups sang 2 songs...bsb asked the audience to pick songs...it works out great because if you go to multiple vips you get to hear them sing different songs every time...they sing with a pre-recorded music track...im pretty sure that btr sings the same songs at every sound check...i cant confirm this because i only went to one...but they didnt poll the audience to see what they wanted to hear so my guess is they are set in the 2 songs they sing...they chose to sing their songs with a live acoustic guitar (maybe 2 i cant remember if kendall played too)...this was great because you got to hear the songs in a different way than they would be singing them later in the concert...also they sounded amazing!!!...so this one is really close call...is it better to be able to pick the songs and have them be different every time...or is it better to get a mini acoustic show...ahhh...i cant decide...okay so im thinking about it and i keep coming to the same conclusion "man i wish i heard acoustic bsb"...so i guess acoustic wins...
winner: BTR

~ q&a ~
for bsb vip there is a q&a segment...there are only 4 questions (1 for each) but ill take 4 questions over zero questions any day!...this part gives you a little bit more time with the boys...and if you are lucky enough to ask a question then that gives you an opportunity to say whatever you want to them without being rushed along...another thing thats great about this is its different every time and fans are starting to get creative with their questioning...people arent asking questions that everyone already knows the answers to...there is no btr q&a...i really wish there was...i think it would be a great way to get to know them a little better...
winner: BSB

~ stage presence ~
when the backstreet boys come out to the stage they kinda stroll out one by one...they take their time...they chit chat with each other...they chit chat with the fans...they make jokes and laugh...and this continues the whole time they're on the stage...they are very comfortable up there and they kinda do whatever they want...they make you feel like youre just hanging out with them, nbd!...when big time rush came out it was like they were all business...they all came out together...they sat down...they said hi...they sang their songs...they said thank you...then it was picture time...it was like wait a second did that just happen...they seemed a little unsure of what to do or how they should act...in their defence im pretty sure it was the very first time they were doing sound check with the vip...im sure their level of comfort will increase with time...i mean bsb has been at this for almost 20 years so of course they will have more stage presence...
winner: BSB

~ meet & greet ~
as far as time with the boys goes it was about the same for both groups...you get about 3 seconds with each boy...the btr meet and greet seemed to be a little more easy going...bsb has a strict no hugs policy...i dont think btr has one of these...i saw lots of girls getting hugs from btr...unfortunately i did not get a hug...thanks to my training with bsb and their no hug policy i automatically stuck my hand out for a hand shake...ugh!!!...but next time i will get my hug!...so for the allowance of hugs i have to give btr the edge...
winner: BTR

~ picture ~
if youve ever been to a bsb vip then you know that they cant possible win this section...but im going to share anyway...haha!...the reason bsb cant win this comes down to one word: BARRICADE...haha...thats right most of the vip pictures were taken with a barricade between the boys and the fans...this tour there was a huge controversy because some citys had the barricade and some didnt...totally not fair cause we all paid the same price...but theres no use in complaining now...anyway...for my gold i was lucky enough to not have a barricade...which was awesome (but i did have one for my platinum)...the problem with the barricade is most of the pictures come out really bad...most of the time its the fan standing there like an idiot infront and the boys spread out in the back...its just all bad (unless you come up with a cute pose like i did...haha!)...for the big time rush picture there was no barricade...they even had a backdrop for the picture with their name and the name of the tour...i thought that was a nice touch...
winner: BTR


bsb gold vip - july 2011

btr premium vip - february 2012

BOTTOM LINE:
we've looked at 8 different points and right now the score stands at BSB 3, BTR 5...raise your hand if youre surprised (*raises hand*...haha!)...but the competitions that bsb won are big deals...so just like cory did when he was comparing topanga and lauren, im gonna take all the jelly beans and put them on the bsb side...sorry big time rush!, you're amazing but you're not my backstreet boys...nothing can compare to meeting bsb...i dont care how much they charge me and how little they give me, i will still always pick bsb...

so the grand prize winner is BACKSTREET BOYS!!!

(now whos surprised? no one? thats what i thought!...haha!!!)

winter concerts

as i mentioned before the past few months have been jam packed with concerts...i was going to write a separate post for all of them but i feel like that will set me back again...i dont want to constantly be catching up...ya know?!...so im just gonna write something quick about each of them...here we go...
aaron carter
january 19
new york city

this concert was...interesting...haha!...while im not a super fan of aaron carter, i always did like his music...a lot of his old songs are so much fun!...i was expecting him to sing a few of those...he only sang one...ugh!...that was kinda disappointing...so i wasnt super impressed with his show...i would say it was okay...but lets not throw away the entire evening...i really did have a ton of fun at this concert...i gave me a change to catch up with one of my backstreet girls...and we discovered the super talented alexis babini!!!!...omg! he is AMAZING!!!!...he opened for aaron...he was so cute up there with his guitar and harmonica...his songs were great and catchy...in the middle of one song he whispered "dramatic pause"...after that i was sold!...haha!...he said that he would be down by the merch booth during intermission so we went down there...he was so nice!...he made it a point to ask everyone their name which i thought was a nice touch...i also purchased his cd...i listened only that for at least a week straight...its soo good!...i recommend all of you to do a quick you tube search for him...i promise you wont be disappointed!!!!

alexis babini and me <3

nick carter
february 2
new york city

i wasnt sure how i was going to feel about going to this concert...his sister passed away just a few days before this show and there was a lot of controversy over should he or shouldnt he go on with the show...he decided to continue on with the tour and this was the first show since then...i would be lying if i said it was just a normal concert...there was something really special about being there for that show...and i have never heard nick sound as amazing as he did that night (and you people know that I have heard him sing live lots and lots of times...haha!)...most people would probably say that falling down was the best song of the night but i disagree...i would say "i got you" was the most emotional for me...during the song girls started holding up pink hearts...there were so many of them...at the end of the song you could tell that nick was truly touched...he then changed the last words in the song from "got you" to "thank you"...it gave me chills!



nick carter
february 4
philly

little sis and i drove to this concert with anne marie (check out her you tube page for some awesome videos!)...the 3 of us had a blast on the car ride!!!...seeing nick in philly was a lot more relaxed...the atmosphere in the theater was back to normal...nothing like the feeling in nyc...little sis and i went up to the balcony and had a great veiw...it was much better that standing like a sardine in the crowd on the main level...nick sound great and he looked good...minus the hair...im not really feelin the long hair...oh well...haha!..after the concert we went to wawa and met up with laura!...i wish we got to spend more time with her...overall taking the trip to philly for this show was def a good idea...of course i had tons of fun!!!

outside of wawa after the show

alexis babini
february 14
new york city

thats right...it took me less than a month to see babini in concert!!!...i went with anne marie (again...haha!)...the concert was at a tiny bar with a small stage in the corner...we sat at the bar which was at the back of the room and the stage was probably about 10 feet from us...if that!...he sang for the full hour that was allotted for him...he also played guitar piano and harmonica...hes so talented...after his set he came over to us to thank us for coming and chatted for a little bit...he didnt have to do that but he did...needless to say he is def one of my faves....i love me some babini!!!...haha! ;-)

it really wasnt a take pictures kinda show...so this is from when he opened for aaron

big time rush
february 17
vegas

my first ever btr concert...i had a ball!!!...i decided to get vip for the concert (with a price tag of $195 i thought it was a bargain!)...i couldnt pass it up...those big time rush boys are just so cute, i had to meet them!!!...ill go into more detail about the vip in a future post...for now ill just say they are super sweet and even better looking in person than on tv!...okay so onto the concert...it was a lot of fun...they have a ton of energy...they were all over that stage...they even had a trampoline and fire poles on the stage...their show was a lot of fun...when it comes to concerts that arent backstreet boys, it takes a lot to impress me (bsb could stand there and pick their noses and id love it thats why they arent included...haha!!!...i also tend to compare others to bsb and say things like "hmm, i wonder who did that before"...haha!)...anyway, i gotta say that i was really impressed with btr!...so much so that im going to orlando tomorrow to see them again...haha!...if you get a chance look up "no idea" live on you tube...watching a video doesnt really do it justice but in person it was truly beautiful...my fav of the night!...

me in the middle of those cute big time rush boys!

well thats it for now...like i said ill be seeing big time rush again shortly...i cant wait for saturday!!!

also, i have a question for all of you...should i go to geneva in may for NKOTBSB?...i saw the show 6 times last summer...but is that enough?!?