The Suite Life on Deck

The Suite Life on Deck is a sequel/spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. The series follows twin brothers Zack and Cody Martin and hotel heiress London Tipton in a new setting, the S.S. Tipton, where they attend classes at "Seven Seas High" and meet Bailey Pickett while Mr. Moseby manages the ship. The ship travels around the world to countries such as Italy, Greece, India, and the United Kingdom where the characters experience different cultures and adventures.

The series' pilot aired in the UK on September 19, 2008, and in US markets on September 26, 2008. The series premiere on the Disney Channel in the US drew 5.7 million viewers, and it became the most-watched series premiere in Canada on the Family channel. The show was also TV's No. 1 scripted series in Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 in 2008, outpacing veteran series Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place in the ratings.

The show was created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan, and developed by Kallis and Pamela Eells O'Connell. Returning stars for the series are Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, Brenda Song, and Phill Lewis. Newcomers for the series include Debby Ryan (as a regular cast member), Matthew Timmons (as a recurring guest star), and Erin Cardillo (as a recurring guest star). Larramie Shaw will join the cast in season two.

The series has been broadcast in more than 30 countries worldwide, and is shot at Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles. The pilot was available as a free download on the American iTunes store starting on September 9 2008, but was later moved to the regular price of $1.99. The series is taped in front of a live studio audience.

Development
On February 4 2008, it was announced that the Disney Channel was developing a new contemporary spin-off of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. The announcement was made by Gary Marsh, the President of the Disney Channel. He stated, "Our audience has shown us that after 88 episodes, 'The Suite Life of Zack & Cody' remains one of their favorite sitcoms ever, we decided to find a new way for Zack, Cody, London and Mr. Moseby to live 'The Suite Life' in a whole new setting -- this time aboard a luxury cruise liner."

The series original creator, Danny Kallis was announced to be involved with the project. The elements from the original series remain the same though the setting is completely different. The series main concepts were created by Kallis and Pamela Eells O'Connell. Kallis, O'Connell, Jim Geoghan and Irene Dreayer are the executive producers. The series is produced by It's a Laugh Productions and Danny Kallis Productions.

In December 2008, it was reported that the Disney Channel had renewed the series for a thirteen episode second season. On May 11, 2009, Disney issued a press release stating that the second season had been extended to include a larger number of episodes than the original thirteen. Gary Marsh, the president of Disney Channels Worldwide said: "With this second-season extension, the cast of ‘The Suite Life’ makes Disney Channel history by becoming the longest running continuous characters on our air - 138 half-hour episodes. We are thrilled for them, and for the brilliant, inspired production team that made this extraordinary run possible." With the second season extension, the characters played by Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, Brenda Song, and Phill Lewis will become the longest running continuous characters in Disney Channel history with 138 episodes.

Settings
According to show creators and producers, the choice of setting was made to appeal to an international audience with different ports-of-call, such as India, Greece, and Italy. An on-board theater serves as an "organic" set-up for musical numbers. Most of the action in the series occurs onboard the "S.S. Tipton." However, the ship travels to places such as India, Greece, Italy, and "Parrot Island," which are unfamiliar places to both Zack and Cody Martin.

S.S. Tipton
The S.S. Tipton is a cruise ship belonging to London Tipton's father. Unlike most cruise ships it also includes a school, "Seven Seas High School," which is a common setting on the ship, as are The Sky Deck, the lobby, and the students' cabins. There are also various areas on the S.S. Tipton that are mentioned, but never seen, including the Lido Deck, the Fiesta Deck, the Promenade Deck, and the ship's Putt-Putt Golf Course, where the captain spends most of his time. In the crossover episode of Wizards of Waverly Place, "Cast-Away (To Another Show)", the boat itself was revealed to weigh at least 87,000 tons.

Other settings

 * Greece - The S.S. Tipton visits Athens, Greece in the episode "It's All Greek to Me." The students visit the museum of Greek Antiquities.
 * India - In the episode "The Mommy and the Swami," the S.S. Tipton docks somewhere along the coast of India. The only place shown in India is the Swami Temple on top of a tall mountain, where Zack and Cody arrive after a long climb.
 * Linchtenstamp - The S.S. Tipton visits this fictional country in the episode "Maddie on Deck." The only place ever shown in the country is the Royal Palace. It is a parody of Liechenstein.
 * Parrot Island - The S.S. Tipton makes a special trip to Parrot Island in order to rescue London in the episode "Parrot Island". Places on Parrot Island where the characters visit include the jail and the market.
 * Rome - The S.S. Tipton docks in Rome during the episode "When In Rome..." The only places seen in Rome are Gigi's Restaurant and the courtyard outside.
 * Hawaii - In the "Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana" crossover, the S.S. Tipton docks in Honolulu.

Zack and Cody Martin
Zack and Cody Martin (Dylan and Cole Sprouse) are identical twins living in the luxury passenger cruise liner, The S.S. Tipton. The Martin twins attend classes at Seven Seas High, which is a S.S. Tipton school program. Zack Martin (Dylan Sprouse) is typically the non-studious, outgoing, and immature twin. He works in the juice bar on the ship as a result of using up both Cody's and his money for the semester. Cody was forced to obtain the job as a towel boy. Zack does not perform particularly well academically, but he manages to perform well physically and enjoys physical sports especially basketball. Zack acts aggressive at times. Zack seems to care about his brother, but at times he does not show this. His brother, Cody Martin (Cole Sprouse), is the erudite, mature, intelligent, wise and sensitive twin. Cody performs well academically, he is a straight A+ student and has shown to have a great interest in academics. Cody does not perform well in sports. Cody has been noted to be several minutes younger than Zack and also often plays along with Zack's crazy schemes. In the beginning of the second episode in the first season, Zack and Cody were both fighting over the new Seven Seas High student, Bailey Pickett (Debby Ryan) since they both seemed to have a crush on her. But in the end, when they found out more about Bailey's life and her ex boyfriend, Zack decides to lose interest in Bailey letting Cody have her. Cody attempts several times to attract Bailey, but is, thus far in the series, unsuccessful as Bailey seems oblivious to his advances. In "International Dateline," he gets really close, but finally succeeds in "Wizards On Deck With Hannah Montana" by impressing Bailey by getting concert tickets, back stage passes, and after party tickets from Hannah Montana. Bailey considers this a date and kisses Cody, thus starting their relationship. Zack usually picks on his little brother, but becomes very protective of him when someone else picks on him.

London Tipton
London Tipton (Brenda Song) is the socialite of the four main teen characters (Zack, Cody, Bailey, and London). She is the daughter of Wilfred Tipton, a multibillionaire who is the owner of the Tipton Hotel chains, including the Boston Tipton Hotel and the S.S. Tipton. She is described as a "dim-witted, spoiled, gullible, and an often airheaded teenager". When she is happy, she usually claps her hands repeatedly jumps up and down, while saying her catchphrase, "Yay me!" Mr. Moseby fools London into thinking that she is on the S.S. Tipton for a vacation, to get her on the ship. London gets enrolled at the Seven Seas High school program because her father wants her to live in the real world. London does not live in a first class suite at the S.S. Tipton, she resides in a small cabin. London reluctantly agreed to accept Bailey Pickett (Debby Ryan) as her new roommate, although she did so after unsuccessfully trying to bribe Bailey into leaving as she did with her previous roommate. The two later become good friends. In the beginning of the Suite Life series, when London resided at the Boston Tipton Hotel, it seemed she was living in her own bubble. On the S.S. Tipton, London has become more aware of the real world and has faced several difficulties. London also has a pet dog named Ivana.

Bailey Pickett
Bailey Pickett (Debby Ryan) is a fifteen-year-old teenage girl from the fictional town of Kettlecorn, Kansas. She is seemingly the perfect girl next door and has been described as a "small town, down-to-earth girl." She shares a room with the wealthy socialite London Tipton, in which the two later form a close friendship together and end up becoming best friends. Bailey is a student at Seven Seas High and attends classes with her new friends Zack, Cody, London, and Woody. She came on the ship to leave Kettlecorn, where she lived on a farm, because she hated the fact that the town is so small. She pretends to be a boy in the pilot in order to get a room on the S.S. Tipton because the girls' cabins were filled. Eventually, she moves in with London when people find out she is a girl. London tries to bribe her not to move in but Bailey refuses. In the beginning of the second episode in the first season, Zack and Cody were both fighting over Bailey since they both seemed to have a crush on her. But in the end, when they knew more about Bailey's life and her ex boyfriend, Zack lets Cody have Bailey claiming that Bailey was carrying too much baggage and that he liked girls with just carry-ons. Cody tries several times to attract Bailey, but is, thus far in the series, unsuccessful as Bailey seems oblivious to his advances, though in one episode when Cody apologized to Bailey for lying to Cody's ex-girlfriend, Barbara, she acted like she would if Cody would have asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend, which ended in a kiss on the cheek. She starts dating Cody in the crossover episode "Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana."

Episodes in which Bailey Pickett was absent:
 * "The Mommy and the Swami" - Episode 12
 * "Mom and Dad on Deck" - Episode 16
 * "The Wrong Stuff" - Episode 17
 * "Splash & Trash" - Episode 18
 * "Cruisin' for a Bruisin'" - Episode 20

Mr. Moseby
Marion Moseby (Phill Lewis) is the uptight and serious former manager of the Tipton Hotel in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Moseby is now the chaperon and manager of the S.S. Tipton. He speaks with a wide vocabulary and an urbane vernacular, and is often annoyed by Zack and Cody's schemes. His repeated catch phrase, "Good Luck with That" has become his trademark. Though he acts as though he does not care about the boys, he actually has a great deal of affection for them. He's constantly running from stem to stern keeping the Martin twins and London out of trouble. Moseby is a father figure in London's life, because of London's father absence in the series he looks after her. Moseby reportedly tricked London in order for her to be enrolled in the Seven Seas High school program. He told London she was going on a vacation at the S.S. Tipton to get her on the ship.

Episodes in which Mr. Moseby was absent:
 * "International Dateline" - Episode 6
 * "Flowers and Chocolate" - Episode 9
 * "Boo You" - Episode 10
 * "Shipnotized" - Episode 15
 * "The Wrong Stuff" - Episode 17

Special guest appearances

 * Kim Rhodes: Carey Martin (2: "The Suite Life Sets Sail," "Mom and Dad on Deck")
 * Ashley Tisdale: Maddie Fitzpatrick (1: "Maddie on Deck")
 * Brian Stepanek: Arwin/Milos (1: "It's All Greek To Me")
 * Robert Torti: Kurt Martin (1: "Mom and Dad on Deck")
 * Brittany Curran: Chelsea Brimmer (1: "Flowers and Chocolate")
 * Sophie Oda: Barbara Brownstein (1: "Flowers and Chocolate")
 * Charlie Stewart: Bob (1: "Flowers and Chocolate")
 * Jennifer Tisdale: Connie the Activities Coordinator (2: "Flowers and Chocolate", "Cruisin' for a Bruisin")
 * Jacopo Sarno: Luca (1: "When in Rome...")
 * Miley Cyrus: Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana (1: "Double-Crossed")
 * Emily Osment: Lilly Truscott/Lola Luftnagle (1: "Double-Crossed")
 * Selena Gomez: Alex Russo (1: "Double-Crossed")
 * David Henrie: Justin Russo (1: "Double-Crossed")
 * Jake T. Austin: Max Russo (1: "Double-Crossed")

U.S. Nielsen ratings
The show's pilot premiered on the Disney Channel in the US on September 19, 2008, and gathered approximately 5.7 million viewers on the night of its premiere. The series premiere in Canada was also the most watched series premiere on Family channel. In December 2008, Business Wire reported the show was 2008's #1 top scripted television series for children between the ages 6 to 11 and pre-teenagers between the ages 9 to 14, beating the veteran series Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place in the ratings. The show was in the #1 spot for the top rated childrens television series for many months. The show has been one of the top 4 live-action television series for many months. Since then, “The Suite Life on Deck” held a commanding lead in the time slot (Friday 8:00 p.m.), ranking as TV's #1 program among the key children demographics, virtually doubling Nickelodeon among children between the age of 9-14, and defeating it by a 58% among children between the age of 6-11. In addition, the series is #1 in total viewers on all cable, outperforming #2 rank (Fox News and Nickelodeon) by 800,000 more viewers.

iTunes
Before the series officially made its debut on air, the first episode was made available as a free download on iTunes. The show's first season is available on iTunes, the unaired episodes are also available on iTunes.

Theme song and opening sequence
The show's theme song, "Livin' the Suite Life," was written by John Adair and Steve Hampton (who also wrote the themes for fellow Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Phil of the Future, and Wizards of Waverly Place, as well as the theme for the ABC Kids series Power Rangers: RPM), with music composed by Gary Scott (who also composed the music cues to signal scene changes and promo breaks, some of which are styled similarly to the theme), and is performed by British singer Steve Rushton.

The series is one of only two of Disney Channel's presently active series whose theme song is not performed by a star of the series (Phineas and Ferb is the other).

The opening sequence begins with a shot of the S.S. Tipton, then it shows Zack and Cody playing basketball on the Sky Deck. It then shows London, Bailey and Zack on the Sky Deck when a basketball lands on Bailey's desk, she then notes to Zack to pay attention as Cody (in front of a chalkboard) pulls down a map of the world. Side-by-side shots of Zack and Cody are then shown, which then switches to London on the ship, first zooming in on her from a far shot of the side of the ship then a shot of her carrying shopping bags. London then takes a picture of Bailey (looking disinterested in doing so), which then switches to a shot of Mr. Moseby being carried on the ship on a lifebuoy and waving signal flags. London and Bailey are then shown lounging in the sun, while Zack and Cody waterski, as the opening title logo (a slightly modified version of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" title logo with the wording "ON DECK" on the piece of paper). Brenda Song, Debby Ryan, and Phill Lewis are the only cast members with episode clips displayed as their names are shown, and episode clips are also shown in-between the opening shot of the S.S. Tipton and the portion of the credits where the creators' names are shown.

Other media
On April 16, 2009, People Magazine released a special collector's edition of The Suite Life on Deck, People Magazine has previously published several special editions based on Disney Channel productions such as the 2008 Hannah Montana and High School Musical special editions. The Suite Life on Deck edition was sixty pages long and included many interviews of the cast, posters, upcoming episode pictures, and included several games based on the series. Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, and Brenda Song are featured on the cover of the special edition. An activity book based on the series was released on July 13, 2009, the book is called "The Suite Life on Deck Sink or Swim Sticker Activity Book" and is 32 pages of full colored sticker spreads. The activity book was published by Modern Publishing and Disney Books and also includes several quizzes, posters and fill-ins. A photo album based on the series was also released, the book includes several posters, colored images from the series, captions and activities for the reader.