Nickelodeon Cruise

On the East Coast, Nickelodeon chartered Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. It was rumored the ship was only 75% sold but that we were sailing with about 1,600 kids on board! The majority of them all seemed to be under the age of eight, running around in a sugar-induced high all week, dressed in some sort of Sponge Bob paraphernalia.

For the majority of our seven day cruise, Nickelodeon was in charge. Occasionally, Royal Caribbean provided their usual entertainment and we were able to catch a few of their standard nighttime shows. The remainder of the time, the kids ruled and mom and dad took a backseat. So that everyone on the ship was able to attend the main events, you were given assigned tickets to the must-see entertainment. Everyone had a specific "slime time." You had your own family time to meet the real voice of Sponge Bob, the delightful Tom Kenny, and then time to meet the characters themselves, Sponge Bob and Patrick, for a photo op. Quick photo times were also assigned for the teenage stars of True Jackson, as well as Dora and Diego. Tickets were also provided to an ice skating show, as well as Slime Time Live. It wasn't the normal goopy stuff but it was definitely cold and wet!

Throughout the week, meet and greets were set up with a variety of Nickelodeon characters including Wanda and Cosmo, Otis the cow, and those lovable penguins from Madagascar. Shows and games included Magic by Drew Thomas of America's Got Talent fame, "Nick Live!" poolside games, Nick Family Improv, a very raunchy adult comedy show given by the actor who voices Otis, and a Club Nick Deck Party. Unfortunately, there were so many activities going on for younger children, I think a lot of the normal activities for adults were not taking place. I found myself reading way more than usual on a cruise. Not that that is a bad thing but on a ship that big, you should never be without things to do regardless of your age. I do have to say the Nickelodeon staff had boundless energy and kept the younger children thoroughly entertained.

Throughout my cruise, I wore my Castaway Cay lanyard, which caused several people to come up to me and ask me how Disney compared to Freedom of the Seas. Every time I gave the same answer: Hands down Disney won. The reasons could be written in a completely different article but I felt they should be included here because they may be more of a reflection of Nickelodeon taking over Freedom for a week and not how Freedom normally operates.

There are some things that Freedom of the Seas really excels at that I hope Disney considers for its future ships. The facilities are phenomenal: rock climbing wall, FlowRider surf pool, mini golf course, and ice skating rink. They have the best pools ever! The interactive pool area is so much fun for the kids, as well as for the adults. We loved the karaoke booths and I enjoyed having the small reading light at night that they offer by your bedside.

The teen program they offer for ages 12-17 is outstanding. The kids are entertained continuously and they are given special times to use each facility (i.e. FlowRider, ice skating rink), which is a huge perk for them.

Embarkation and disembarkation are much more efficient on Disney. We were the first group on and off the boat and it still took us forty five minutes each way. Disney's process usually takes us about 10 minutes. Our luggage was supposed to be waiting for us in the terminal between 7:15 and 7:45 a.m. No luggage had even been set out until 7:45 am.