Nickelodeon Family Suites Family Activities

The Mall, which is the hub for all of the resort's indoor activities, is accessible via covered corridors from all the guest rooms. The Mall overlooks a spectacular pond which is home to a family of ducks; and kids can grab a handful of food from a dispenser and feed them.

In the Mall is a 3,000-square-foot arcade with dozens of games. Rather than lugging around a cup of tokens, kids buy an arcade play card, and before they leave redeem the points they've accrued on the card for prizes. Next door to the arcade kids can try their hand at video games at the Nick.com cyber-cafe where, with a pre-paid card, they can surf family-friendly Nickelodeon websites while sitting at computer stations.

Other activities at the Mall include caricatures, face-painting, a food court, and the Kids' Spa, an ideal spot for girls to get pampered with manicures, pedicures, hair-wraps, braiding and airbrush tattoos.

The Other Stuff convenience store is located in the Mall and is open daily. Find a plethora of toiletries as well as snacks and quick meals. You'll find ice cream, fresh fruits, garden salads, gallons of milk, wine, baby food and a bagel station. Here you can also buy a Nick Hotel cup for $8.95 which not entitles you to free drink refills at the food court.

Also here you'll find the Nick Stuff shop, where kids can pick up T-shirts, hats, crocs, and plush stuffed toys. Here parents can purchase park and shuttle tickets to Universal Orlando, Sea World, Aquatica, and Wet n' Wild.

Located just outside the Mall, in a large colorful indoor space, kids can get crafty at the Nick Workshop where they create their own Nickelodeon autograph books, backpacks, 3D foam art, sun catchers, and T-shirts. Kids can also do Build a Buddy at the Nick Workshop where they'll get to choose their own fuzzy animal friend, stuff and dress it in a special Nick Hotel T-shirt and outfit it with accessories. Kids can also name their new friend with a birth certificate. The first workshop of the day is free.

My kids, who tend to get up at the crack of 6 a.m. loved getting in an arts and crafts activity every morning before we headed out for the day. And the price was just right!

Family Friendly Outdoor Activities
The hotel's family-friendly vibe encourages families to play together. Both the Lagoon and Oasis courtyards have poolside entertainment programs including Nick Live Poolside where pies will fly, the slime is primed, there's lots of high-energy music and an enthusiastic Nick cast who motivate everyone to participate in a variety of interactive games. And all players have the opportunity to take part in a final group sliming.

Additional features at both the Lagoon and Oasis include courtyards include a poolside snack bar treats, family-size whirlpool spas (kids under 12 are restricted from using these) and private cabanas with stocked mini fridges, lounge chairs and personal poolside service. The Lagoon pool has Dive-in Movies on select nights during with Nicktoon episodes followed by a movie.

Family Friendly Indoor Recreation
Nick's 4-D theater shows six films. Kids will journey alongside SpongeBob Square Pants, Patrick and friends as SpongeBob searches for a runaway pickle in his desperate quest to make the perfect krabby patty, but they'll also experience the film from a sensory perspective and feel gusts of wind, water, bubbles and even smell scents . For the more adventurous film buffs, other 4-D experience movies at the Nick Hotel include an extreme log ride and an animal adventure. Guests can purchase a wristband for $9.95 which will entitle them to unlimited trips to the movie theater.

Families can also party like rock stars at the SpongeBob Square Pants Bikini Bottom Bash, where they'll be entertained with music, crafts, snacks, games, tattoos, prizes and a personal meet and greet photo opportunity. Space is limited.

My kids adored the 4D movies and real theatre experience, and made sure to get in as many unlimited trips as humanly possible, or at the very least, as many as my husband and I could manage to sit through.

Family Friendly Nighttime Indoor Recreation
Although the hotel does not offer any on-site sitters, they will provide guests with a list of recommended sitters who are available to come to the hotel to babysit.

For night-owl families the resort offers guests many on-premises opportunities to be entertained as audience members or take their place on stage as contestants.

Kids can pretend to be a rock star at karaoke night, held at Studio Nick. Because there isn’t a chance for everyone, there's a big toilet bowl in the center of the stage, nicknamed the Toilet Bowl of Fame from which guests draw pieces of paper for their chance to take the stage.

Families can also attend the game show "Who Knows Best?" which pits kids against adults in a challenge of generations. Three teams made up of kids and parents compete to see who knows more about the others. Kids compete against their parents and have to answer questions like "Who leaves the bathroom smellier?" and "What are your favorite fast foods?"

"Nick Live Goes Wild Family Style" is inspired by Nickelodeon's popular television game shows and will have audience members roaring. The show consists of two families competing against one another, answering trivia questions with lots of audience participation. Expect slime and pies.

All shows are on select nights and reservations are required.

The nighttime shows fill up fast, so guests need to be sure to get their tickets from the guest services desk in the mall or at the lobby to guarantee their seats. Are they free?

Casting for the hotel's nighttime family shows takes place daily at the Lagoon pool. Families can fill out casting cards and turn them into guest services for consideration. To increase your odds of getting picked, include a unique or a funny anecdote about your family. Casting cards must be completed and turned into guest services by 2:30 p.m. for consideration, and show casting takes place at 3:30 p.m. at the Lagoon pool.

Our normally reserved kids were completely swept up in the energy and on-stage antics of the host and contestants at the studio Nick performances, and were probably the most vocal of all the audience members as they flailed their arms about in the hopes of being picked for their shot on stage.