Royal Caribbean says SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical will make its cruise-ship debut aboard Hero of the Seas in summer 2027.
The cruise line confirmed the production through its Crown & Anchor Society Facebook page after the show briefly appeared on Royal Caribbean Entertainment’s casting website. The musical will follow SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom friends as they race to save their town from volcanic destruction.
Based on the Nickelodeon animated series, the stage musical debuted in Chicago in 2016. Its original score includes songs by artists including Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Sara Bareilles, Aerosmith, Plain White T’s and Panic! At the Disco. The production won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design.
Hero of the Seas is an upcoming Icon Class ship now under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. Royal Caribbean Blog reported that the vessel floated out last month, and construction is moving into work on its interior spaces, including entertainment venues.
Royal Caribbean has used recognizable theatrical titles as headline productions on other Icon Class ships: The Wizard of Oz is featured on Icon of the Seas, Back to the Future: The Musical is on Star of the Seas, and Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is exclusive to Legend of the Seas.
