Story: Our excellent adventure to Orlando

The excitement was building from the moment our shuttle whisked us from the Orlando International Airport. “I can’t believe it’s finally here!” my daughter Caitlin exclaimed. Who could blame her? Caitlin was pumped up for this father-daughter excursion to the Nickelodeon Family Suites when it was planned months ago. After doing research on the property, I concluded that the Nick Hotel was a glorified Holiday Inn done up in a mot if dedicated to cable TV cartoon characters. To Caitlin, this was a dream about to come true.

After our 10-mile journey, there it was. The words “Nickelodeon” flanked by the likes of SpongeBob, Jimmy Neutron and others - peering out from behind the palm trees flapping in the wind. While I was thinking it was the ultimate in commercial cheese, Caitlin couldn’t contain her excitement. Her dream turned into reality. After drowning my cynicism, the moment was priceless. The smile on her face was like no other.
When we arrived in the lobby, Caitlin joined her fellow SpongeBob devotees on bean bags in front of a flat screen TV playing an endless loop of the show. As I was checking in, I was greeted by a fully costumed “Blue” from “Blue’s Clues.” All of this instant entertainment made the sign-in process less painful.

Wristbands: A rite of passage

“Welcome to the Nick Hotel,” the cheerful hotel clerk said. “Here is your ‘script’ which is a rundown of all the events happening here. And here are your wristbands!”
“Wristbands?” I queried in a dead-pan tone. “What did I get myself into?”
“Yes, put this wristband on the entire time during your stay,” he said. “If you lose them, it is a $25 replacement fee.”

I was assured that the wristbands were OK as I witnessed dazed parents with their excited kids proudly wearing them. “A rite of passage,” I told myself as I gazed up at the lobby’s ceiling with Wanda from “The Fairly Odd Parents” looking down upon me.
As it turned out, the wristbands are a good idea. Stragglers from other hotels might come in and take advantage of the hotels amenities. Even in the off-season, this hotel is hopping with plenty of visitors and it can be tough to tell who is a guest and who isn’t.

The SpongeBob suite is a treat

At first, the hotel’s layout seemed to be confusing, but with a quick study of the provided map, we found our room SpongeBob suite in no time. I soon found out that Caitlin was in charge. Others suites are graced with characters from “Jimmy Neutron” and “The Fairly Odd Parents.” After fumbling with the room key, we entered. Caitlin was mesmerized. The SpongeBob family was plastered throughout the two bedroom suite. “This is awesome!” Caitlin exclaimed. “Patrick, Sandy, Plankton and Squidward are here!” She motioned to the wall in her room containing SpongeBob’s friends. The only thing that tore her away from the room at that moment was what was waiting for her right outside our door – the pool area known as the Lagoon.

An outdoor aquatic playground

The Lagoon is a collection of pools, water slides, water jets, climbing nets and the ultimate: a 400-gallon dump tank. Children can spend hours or perhaps days in this area without getting bored.

As I was standing in front of the water slides, a fellow wristband-wearing dad approached me. “I wish we had this when I was a kid,” he said. “I agree. I’m still in shock from this,” I replied, as I watched Caitlin disappear into this massive water maze.

Back to dry land

While the Lagoon is the centerpiece of the kids’ activities, it is the Mall area that equally grabs their attention. The Mall contains a buffet, food court with fast-food joints, a gift shop and Studio Nick. Studio Nick is where we caught one of the “Nick Live Family Style” shows. Modeled after a typical Nickelodeon game program, ‘Family Style’ is a mix of competition and audience participation. The show’s payoff moment was when a participant got “slimed.”

Endless entertainment and offerings

Even before you walk into Studio Nick, a photographer offers to take your photo for a price. “You look like Rock Hudson,” the photographer goaded. Nice try. Balloon, name, face-painting and caricature artists also compete for your dollars. If that wasn’t enough, we were faced with the Kid’s Spa. It is not uncommon to see pre-pre-teen girls emerging from the spa with corn rows.

If you can find the time to visit a Disney park, then hop on a free shuttle. During our stay, we did a free shuttle to Epcot. By doing this, we had a problem. We missed out on craft time in the Nick Workshop and a color-your-own Nickelodeon t-shirt at the pool. That last offering came with a charge.

The sounds of kids’ joy mixed with the Lagoon’s pouring water. The look of happiness on young faces in Studio Nick as the slime was dumped. It brings a sense that all is well in a world filled with chaos. After my trip to the Nick Hotel, I learned quite a bit. Indeed, I learned that SpongeBob annoys Squidward and he in turn ignores it, but both learn to work with each other. More importantly, the Nick Hotel taught me that kids need to be kids. There is no better journey than that.