Actors on the Nickelodeon Cruise Make Children Happy

My children and I were so lucky to have been invited to go on the Nickelodeon Cruise.

This Royal Caribbean West Coast cruise set sail from Los Angeles, going to the Mexican Riviera with ports of call in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. In between, as you can guess, there is non-stop Nickelodeon fun and activities for the kids. Since this was my first real cruise (we were also on a two-day “mini-cruise” in February), I can say that this was the Best Cruise Ever! (Yes, having no point of comparison makes this a rather flimsy claim, but all the children I spoke to on the cruise were having the time of their lives.) One of the biggest highlight of the Nick Cruise was the up-close interaction with several young actors on Nick television shows.

Jennette McCurdy on Nick Cruise

Children younger than mine were delighted to see Dora, Diego, and the Penguins (from Madagascar) walking around, and my kids loved getting to meet real-life actors from iCarly and True Jackson, VP. On the 2-day cruise my younger daughter got to “interview’ iCarly actor Nathan Kress, and she was delighted when he recognized her and sat next to her for a few minutes. He’s a great guy.

Keke Palmer with Fans on Nick Cruise

My older daughter got to interview his costar Jennette McCurdy on this cruise, and later, when Jennette remembered her name and spoke to her briefly, my daughter was (for once) rendered nearly speechless. And Keke Palmer, star of True Jackson, VP, was so friendly and delightful that even the shyest kids accepted her hugs with glee.

Tom Kenny

Yes, Spongebob Squarepants is all over the Nick Cruise – and there was a great “concert” starring the voice of Spongebob, Tom Kenny. Seriously, he rocked out with a band, in a way that the children and teens really appreciated. It was the most joyous sing-along of the Spongebob Squarepants theme song you can imagine. Loud, too. On the last night of the cruise, all the stars participated in a game of “Tic Tac Nick” (I think it should have been called Nick Tac Toe, but whatever) in one of the giant theaters, The Savoy. Lucky Tom Kenny got to go twice, once as himself and once as the voice of Spongebob. This was, like every other theatrical show – including the ice show – an audience participation game.

Happy Cruising Kids

More on the cruise to come – I loved getting off the Mariner of the Seas and exploring a little of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta with my children – but believe me; those teen actors on the Nickelodeon Cruise couldn’t have been nicer to the kids on the boat, or more professional with the adults. Nickelodeon does a great job with their cadre of young actors. What a wonderful family vacation.