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Come aboard: My Nickelodeon cruise
A Word about the Adventure Ocean Program
Led by an absolutely delightful, funny, warm and diligent group of counselors, the Adventure Ocean Program is a terrific example of how to run a children's program on a ship. The kids are kept busy for hours with educational activities and games. They are brought to meals at the Windjammer, where they dine in a separate, supervised area which is roped off, and return to their respective rooms accordingly. The staff went to great lengths to ensure that each child was only not only entertained, but safe and comfortable. One afternoon when I picked up my son, who was in the 6 to 8 group and one of the youngest in his room, I learned he had been pestered quite a bit by an older boy. The counselor assured me that the boy's parents had been spoken to already, and that if he showed a continued inability to get along, he would be asked not to return. Each time I stopped by they were having a great time, once busy with a science experiment, another time playing ball and the last listening to a story.
I did notice, though, that although they brought in additional staff to the Adventure Ocean program for the Nick cruise, there was sometimes a bit of a wait at night. One evening, upon returning to the Explorer's room to pick up my son around 10 p.m., I stood in line for about 15 minutes with about 25 other parents, anxiously waiting to collect our kids. After that time there is a fee of $5 per hour for each child, so parents were racing to beat the clock. Despite the delay, they charged us nothing.
Beyond the character breakfasts and all-you-can eat buffet
As any seasoned cruiser knows, there is far more to be gleaned from the experience than the endless stream of food and parade of entertainment. Indeed, countless memories are made on those days ashore, whether on an organized excursion or by meandering the streets at your own pace. And with kids in tow, the opportunities for adventure are endless. We managed to get off and explore each port on our Western Caribbean itinerary. It was during these few forays that I really had a chance to bond with my eldest child over a few virgin daiquiris, and more than a few laughs.
For whatever reason, my son is fascinated with Mexico. Perhaps it's the Dora and Diego connection, could be his penchant for chimichangas, or the opportunity to show off his kindergarten Spanish; but in any case, he was all about getting off the ship in Cozumel. We opted to hire a car with some new friends, an outgoing couple from Texas with two small boys around my son's age, and headed to Playa Paradiso, a beach just 10 minutes, and a $12 car fare, from the port. It's a small stretch, but for our purposes, and a 93-degree day, it proved perfect. For $10 we got lounge chairs and access to all the activities on the beach, including water trampolines, a floating rock wall, kayaks, snorkel equipment, and use of lifejackets. Exhausted, we finished up with two virgin pina coladas at the bar for another $10, which Tyler ordered himself ("dos of those blanco drinks por favor"). Bliss!
And then there was the day-five shore excursion to Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, which was enormously fun, despite being equally humiliating. We decided to go it alone for a little mother-son bonding. No problem, mon. I'd been to Jamaica before, and Dunn's is on the tame side for a waterfall, to be sure. What could possibly go wrong? We casually breezed by all the poor saps waiting in line for their guided tours, and headed straight for the action. My son noticed all the folks lining up to rent water shoes at the entrance, but I quickly urged him onward. Half the guides were barefoot, we'd be fine. And indeed, he was fine. But about halfway through our water-wading trek, a big current came and stole one of my flip-flops straight off my foot, sweeping it quickly down the falls and out of sight. Oh, the laughs, as I forged a valiant last-minute attempt to save them, flopping wildly in shin-deep water like some sorry salmon swimming upstream. I didn't get much pity, either, as I hopped my way back to the parking lot at the end of the day, burning asphalt scorching my one naked sole.
In Grand Cayman we fared better, enjoying a morning spent floating carelessly in the clearest water imaginable at Seven Mile Beach, ducking beneath gentle waves and building sand castles with a plastic cup. Sometime around noon, a man I recognized from our cruise screamed "sand shark!" and, true or not, we thought it time for a stroll up the beach. We stopped and chatted with some vendors just off the beach, and it was there we were told that the beach is only actually 5.5 miles long, an interesting little tidbit that Tyler took to sharing with strangers for the remainder of the day.
Our ventures ashore in Labadee were equally as entertaining, if a bit more orchestrated. There were Nickelodeon activities on the beach, as well as a blow-up replica of none other than SpongeBob's pineapple house, which the younger kids adored. We did some shopping for souvenirs at the market, bargaining them down to reasonable price for a wooden saber, which became the envy of many young boys aboard.
The inevitable comparison: Nick vs. Disney
How did the first-ever Nickelodeon cruise stack up to a Disney cruise? As you might expect, many families aboard had done Disney sailings, and the comparisons between the two could be heard everywhere, oftentimes during casual conversations in the elevator, other times in outright arguments at the dinner table. In terms of atmosphere, and camaraderie amongst passengers, there are also many similarities between the two. Expect your children to be welcomed and catered to on both Nick and Disney cruises. And during mid-afternoon meltdowns at the pool, expect fellow parents to nod apologetically at you, rather than scowl condescendingly. Stewards will often stop to tousle a child's head in the hallways, rather than smile through his teeth at the extra mess.
"Nothing could compare to Disney's entertainment" was a common theme among avid Disney fans, as was "We've done the Disney thing, and their ships just cannot compare to this" among Nick supporters. I can't really argue with either. It's true, while the entertainment on the Nickelodeon cruise was really good, in terms of effects, and overall wow factor, it was not on par with something you would experience with Disney. However, my son is at an age where he isn't quite as enamored with Mickey and Minnie as he once was, so for him a whole new set of familiar characters was a good thing.
As far as the ship goes, in my mind, no Disney ship can hold a candle to the Freedom. With no ship of its own, Nickelodeon made a wise move by teaming up with Royal Caribbean. As famously kid-friendly as it is, Freedom of the Seas also provides an impressive array of grown-up fun, with options on a level not comparable to a Disney ship. Dining was a little unorganized, as I mentioned, and the Freedom's dining room staff, while truly kind and accommodating, seemed a little shell-shocked with all the kids around. As well, Disney offers slightly earlier, and more dining options, which to me makes more sense.
Still, each and all of the many little Nick touches on this cruise were well-thought out, and welcomed by all, especially the kids. Every night a note and a small trinket were left at turndown for them: a toy fish, a Nickelodeon beach bag, a VIP movie pass lanyard. All provided ways to bring the experience home. The fact is, Nick, which has already announced it will host more cruises, and Disney are simply different options, and many families who love to cruise are welcoming new options from an industry that hasn't exactly catered to children in the past. Each brings something different to the table.
Arriving home with smiles intact: Priceless
As it turned out, I never did get stuck dining with a brooding teenager, and in fact didn't see a single one. I never got sprayed with a water gun — at least not uninvited — and the Dora sing-alongs were not so terrible after all. But more importantly, my son and I really wound up having a fantastic and magical time on our cruise, and we bonded in a way that will stay with us for a long time. We were fortunate to meet some of the most kid-friendly staff around, both on the Royal Caribbean and Nickelodeon sides, and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. But since a Nickelodeon cruise is all about the kids, it's only fitting that he should get the last words, which he uttered just a few minutes after we lugged our suitcases through the front door:
"So, dad, it's your turn to take me next year, right?"
Ha!
Carrie Calzaretta, Family Travel Editor for The Independent Traveler, Inc., is a mother of two who has traveled extensively with her children, Tess, 1, and Tyler, 6, and lives to tell about it.
Editor's note: There are two more Nickelodeon cruises scheduled for next year. The first will be on Mariner of the Seas, which will sail to the Mexican Rivera. It will depart from Los Angeles on July 26, 2009, with ports yet to be determined. The other will be aboard the Freedom of the Seas, and will have an Eastern Caribbean itinerary, departing on August 9, 2009, from Port Canaveral, with stops in St. Thomas, St. Maarten and CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas. For more information, click here.
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