Once every few weeks, I have a standing Zoom call with some of my fellow Macaroni KID publishers. Over the past 2 years, these women have become my support group, accountability partners, motivators, and most importantly, my friends. In between our Zoom calls, we message and follow along with each other's lives thanks to Facebook and Instagram, but because we live all across the US (and in different time zones), Zoom and FaceTime are the only ways we really get to “hang out” in person.
When we found out there was an opportunity for us to get together while being hosted at the 5-star Nickelodeon™ Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, we knew it needed to happen.
Nickelodeon™ Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya hosted the author in exchange for her review. All thoughts and opinions are her own.
Luckily for me, there are plenty of options to fly into Cancun from Pittsburgh; so I bought my tickets and started counting down the days. When travel day finally came my husband dropped me off at the Southwest Airlines gate at Pittsburgh International Airport, and before I knew it I was 35,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico.
 Reaching over from the middle seat to snap a photo of that coastline! |
Flying into the Cancun airport, I quickly learned firsthand what the Karisma Gourmet Inclusive® Experience was all about when I was picked up for a private transfer by Lomas Travels for a quick trip to the resort. In less than 30 minutes we pulled up to the iconic orange Nickelodeon™ sign at the entrance of Nickelodeon™ Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya.
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My friend and fellow publisher from Scottsdale, Arizona, Veronica, was the first to arrive. It was SO good to give her a squeeze in person!
 Veronica and I catching up over our first specialty drinks at The Nickelodeon™ Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya |
We eagerly checked into our Swim-up Oceanfront Queen Suite where no detail was overlooked. With two queen beds dressed in bright, playful pillows, two spa-like bathrooms with rain shower heads, more closet space than I’ve ever seen in a resort room, a mini-bar stocked with drinks and snacks, and an oversized balcony that dropped into our own en-suite infinity pool overlooking the Caribbean Sea, we were set for the week and ready to start our Summer of SpongeBob adventure! You can check out our room here:
Sitting at a high-top bar table in the middle of the sophisticated Snick Lounge with my arms resting on the cool marble, I waited patiently for the rest of our MacKID crew to arrive.
A quick look around the room at the evocative furnishings and decor depicting some of my all-time favorite Nickelodeon shows immediately brought me back to my childhood. Sipping a sweet, pink drink from a cold rocks glass and nibbling on a yellow-glazed, pineapple-decorated donut, Veronica and I finished up some last minute work before the "real" work began. Take a stroll through our private event at the Snick Lounge in the video below.
Slowly but surely, everyone started to arrive at the resort. On the Le Spatula Terrace, we kicked off our Macaroni KID 2022 Summer Getaway with signature drinks served in coconuts and pineapples, fancy hors d’oeuvres, live music, and engaging conversations with 26 lovely and talented Macaroni KID Publishers from across the US.
And so our trip began.
 Reunited again! It was so nice to see so many familiar faces and to meet the new ones during our Welcome Cocktail hour. Starting on the front left and going clockwise around the table we have Veronica from Arizona, me, Char from Iowa, Amber, Jen and Kat from Pennsylvania, Ally and Jenna from New York and Susan from Colorado. |
During my 5 days at Nickelodeon™ Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, I got to experience SO many cool things. Here's only a snapshot of some of my favorite moments and activities:
 It's Slime time! In traditional Nickelodeon fashion, I got slimed during a personal sliming (hello childhood bucket list). You can't do that on television, but it's DEFINITELY recorded live on our Facebook page! I was slimed with MacKID CEO Jamie Ratner, Campaign and Special Events Manager and MacKID Publisher Kat Dinsmore, and Veronica Leon. |
 I enjoyed an incredibly relaxing and rejuvenating massage and glow facial in the Knowledge room at the Náay Spa. |
 Gourmet food and character meet & greet at Pajama Jam breakfast. |
 You didn't have to Double Dare us to sit in the front row at Slime Time Live... |
 ...where one of our members from HQ got dressed as a giant baby and proceeded to get pied in the face! Char is the baby on the left. |
 A Cowabunga dinner at the TMNT’s favorite restaurant 'Piazza'. |
 Orange Carpet Experience where we got to rock out with our best Ninja Turtle moves with Team Nick and some of our favorite Nickelodeon characters. |
 Private poolside cabanas at Aqua Nick. |
 Riding water slides like a kid. |
Our evenings were spent dancing in the Snick Lounge to live bands and DJs like we were 20 up in the club. I spent much needed quality time with my friends and laughed while making poor attempts to take selfies on the Big Orange Couch. Throwback arcade games lined the Snick Lounge and I might have gotten a little competitive playing a game or two of Pac-Man.
 This photo took a lot of work balancing a phone on a chair and then setting a timer! |
When the Snick Lounge closed down, the party wasn’t over. A quick golf cart ride back to the Seaside building (where our rooms were), and we swam in our en-suite pool, gossiping and giggling, attempting more awkward selfies until all hours of the night. Delirious, we laughed until we cried, unable to mutter anything resembling an intelligible sentence.
 Pro-tip: never set a tripod on the ledge of the pool on a windy night in the tropics. It won't end well. |
Starving from depleting our energy while acting like teenage girls, we ordered room service every night (the crispy bacon grilled burger was to die for). Those nights were so fun and fulfilling, it was hard to make it to bed!
 I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m pretty sure food tastes better when it’s delivered right to your room and you can indulge while wrapped in a cozy cotton Nickelodeon™ branded robe. |
I could tell you my favorite part of this trip was one of the 22 waterslides, my incredibly relaxing experience at the Náay Spa, indulging in (SO MUCH) gourmet food, having my drinks served to me in a pineapple, or even floating all day in either one of the two amazing lazy rivers. But the truth is, it was the nostalgia at Nickelodeon™ Hotels & Resorts that kept beckoning my inner child to come out and play; and being comfortable enough there, surrounded by my fellow publishers – friends old and new – to let her.
 Just another day in the pool, I mean at work, for these MacKID publishers. |
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