The
Nickelodeon brand of kids' entertainment has extended its growing
influence in the travel industry to include family cruising.
Nickelodeon, the
popular children's TV network, and Royal Caribbean International
partnered Jan. 25 on a Nickelodeon-themed cruise itinerary, which
Royal Caribbean is tagging as "a seven-day Sun, Surf and Slime
vacation," beginning this summer.
The first Nickelodeon
cruise will sail from Miami on Aug. 10 aboard the 3,634-passenger
Freedom of the Seas and will visit ports in Mexico, Grand Cayman
and Jamaica, with a stop at Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private
beach in Haiti. Labadee will be redone in a Nickelodeon theme,
according to the cruise line.
The Nickelodeon
Family Cruise by Royal Caribbean will offer Nick-themed activities,
such as live game shows featuring the trademark Nickelodeon slime;
visits with Nick characters; and appearances by the network's
live-action stars.
The cruise, which is
a charter and not commissionable to travel agents, went on sale to
the public Jan. 28; visit www.nickfamilycruise.com for more
information.
The pairing with
Royal Caribbean is one of three joint ventures in the travel
industry that Nickelodeon has entered into recently .
In December, Marriott
said it would expand into the global arena its previously announced
launch of Nickelodeon Resorts by Marriott, a chain of water
park-centered properties, with the first set to open in San Diego
in 2010.
Also in December,
Hertz said it had joined with Nickelodeon to create a new service
called "Nick on the Go," for families traveling with children. The
service, which costs $16.95 per day, features a portable media
device loaded with Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. TV shows
Last spring, Mall of
America in downtown Minneapolis/St. Paul, teamed with Nickelodeon
on a $30 million transformation of its indoor theme park, which
will be renamed Nickelodeon Universe, with a grand opening
scheduled for March 15.
"For the past few
years, we've been witnessing the coming of age of Nickelodeon
families and have been expanding our brand and business to meet
their growing entertainment, recreational and vacation needs, from
hotels, to theatrical shows, to theme parks," said Cyma Zarghami,
president, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group.
"Taking to the seas
with our first-ever family cruise with Royal Caribbean was the
natural next step for us. Combined with the ground-breaking of our
first Marriott Hotel and the opening of the biggest indoor theme
park in the country at the Mall of America, Nickelodeon will be
offering more family experiences this year than ever
before."
Nickelodeon also
operates a resort in Orlando under the Holiday Inn flag.
To contact
reporter Margaret Myre, send e-mail to [email protected].