Royal Caribbean has revealed it will stage "The SpongeBob Musical" on its new ship, Hero of the Seas, which is set to debut next summer.
It will be the first time the Bikini Bottom Tony-nominated Broadway production has been adapted for a cruise ship.
The show, based on Stephen Hillenburg's animated series and reworked for the Royal Theater, follows SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom friends as they try to save their town from destruction.
"'The SpongeBob Musical' delivers on that by bringing generations together through a story families know and love," said Christi Coachman, Royal Caribbean's vice president of entertainment.
Hero of the Sea is set to be the fourth Icon Class vessel, joining Icon, Star and Legend of the Seas in the line-up, and will sail from Miami starting August 2027.
The new addition to the Royal Caribbean fleet will also feature Crown's Edge, a skywalk and zip line 154 feet above the ocean; Category 6 which is billed as the largest waterpark at sea, plus nine pools, including the adults-only Hideaway with two pools and what the cruise line calls the "largest swim-up bar at sea".
Hero of the Seas 28 dining venues, including the Orleans Parrish Supper Club and a train-car dining concept called Royal Railway, Hero Station.
It is also bringing new family accommodation formats such as a three-deck Ultimate Family Treehouse with a rooftop terrace, whirlpool and a two-deck teen space.
In its debut season, Hero of the Seas is scheduled to run 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami, each calling at Perfect Day CocoCay in the Bahamas, with options including Cozumel, Roatan, St Thomas and St Maarten.
