Princess Cruises and "The Love Boat" Connection

I was telling my uncle that I am a Travel Agent as I was handing him my Business Card Saturday, March 5, 2016. He told me that he wanted to go on a Cruise on the "Love Boat," with Captain Stubing, Gopher, Isaac, Doc and Julie. I went along with the joke and asked,"And Vicki too?" He said yes, can you get me that Cruise. That is what my Uncle Raynard it like. But it got me to thinking what if I could find a Cruise on the Love Boat? What about the actual ship the Love Boat?

Well in my search I found this article:


Princess Cruises and "The Love Boat" Connection

It all began in the mid-70s when television producer Douglas S. Cramer, who had created the popular television series Love American Style, decided to transplant his popular comedy vignette series from its studio setting to the environs of a modern cruise ship. The resulting television show, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1997, has been widely credited with introducing millions of viewers to the concept of a contemporary cruise vacation, and the dramatic expansion of the industry to its current size. So popular was the show, in fact, that it was revived in 1998 as Love Boat: The Next Wave with a new cast and characters.

Originally, in searching out a location for the movie pilot of what was to become his Love Boat television series, Cramer found the ideal setting on a Princess Cruises ship.

After the 1977 pilot show, which was shot aboard the line's original Sun Princess in Mexico, Cramer teamed up with top television producer Aaron Spelling and The Love Boat went on to enjoy phenomenal success, continuing for 10 seasons until 1987 as one of the highest-rated prime-time television shows in the country. Princess soon became a household name as the star of the popular series, and continues to be known as the "Love Boat" line today. With Pacific Princess and Island Princess the original floating stars of the show, The Love Boat was filmed aboard many of Princess' ships in destinations around the globe. Occasional Love Boat television specials have been filmed since the show stopped production, and "Captain Stubing" (actor Gavin MacLeod) serves as the company spokesman.

In 1997, all six original Love Boat cast members -- Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing), Fred Grandy (Gopher), Ted Lange (Isaac), Bernie Kopell (Doc), Lauren Tewes (Julie) and Jill Whelan (Vicki) -- reunited for the first time in more than a decade to christen Dawn Princess in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

In 1998 the Love Boat popularity was revived with a new version of the show introduced by Spelling Television. Love Boat: The Next Wave, which ran for two seasons on the UPN network, was also set aboard a Princess ship, the line's new Sun Princess. A new cast of characters served as the Sun Princess staff -- including Robert Urich as Captain Jim Kennedy -- and following the original show's format, a series of guest stars joined the cast each week as guests.

The original Love Boat series is currently in worldwide syndication, having been translated into more than 29 different languages, and is viewed by millions of fans in more than 93 countries.