AFTER 27 YEARS
OF SERVICE, PRINCESS CRUISES SAYS "BON VOYAGE" TO THE FLEET'S
PACIFIC PRINCESS, THE SHIP THAT PROVIDED THE SPECTACULAR SET FOR
"THE LOVE BOAT."
"The Love Boat" hosted more than 750 Celebrities (including Tom Hanks, Heather Locklear, John Ritter, Billy Crystal & Ginger Rodgers) and 750,000 Passengers and paved the way for modern-day cruising vacations.
BACKGROUND
Pacific Princess History: Princess Cruises acquired the German built ship
in 1975 from Norwegian cruise company Flagship Cruise Lines and christened
her the Pacific Princess, installing her on the Mexico and Alaska routes.
That same year, television producer Aaron Spelling approached Princess
Cruises about filming a new TV show aboard the ship. Although the ship
was sailing at near capacity, the company felt that participating in the
series would be an ideal way to increase awareness of cruises in general,
and drive interest in the Pacific Princess. After nine lively seasons,
and subsequent airings of re-runs that continue around the world today,
the "Love Boat" television series -- and its regular star, the
Pacific Princess -- are widely considered responsible for sparking the
modern-day cruise vacation.
Pacific Princess on
The Love Boat: From 1975 to 1986, more than 200 celebrities "sailed"
aboard the Pacific Princess (on "The Love Boat" series) including
Tom Hanks, Mickey Rooney, Heather Locklear, John Ritter, Billy Crystal,
Jamie Leigh Curtis, Douglas Fairbanks, Hulk Hogan, Carol Channing, Charo,
Gene Kelly and Ginger Rodgers. They enjoyed dining in the coral dining
room, swimming in the crystal pool and strolling the lido deck. Pacific
Princess passengers were invited to participate as extras on the show.
Eager passengers booked long in advance in order to participate in the
filmings. During the run of the show, the ship and the show's main cast
- Gavin MacLeod, as Captain Merrill Stubing; Lauren Tewes as Cruise Director
Julie McCoy; Fred Grandy as Yeoman Purser Burl "Gopher" Smith;
Bernie Koppel as Dr. Adam Bricker; Ted Lange as bartender Isaac Washington;
and Jill Whelan as Vicki Stubing -visited exotic locations and ports such
as Acapulco, Barcelona, Stockholm, Mazatlan, London, Los Angeles, Helsinki,
Paris and Sydney.
SOT
Gavin MacLeod, Princess Rep
B-ROLL INCLUDES
"Bon Voyage" tribute to the "Love Boat"; video clips
and opening cast credits from "The Love Boat" TV series; from
Gavin MacLeod's personal video library.
Video Provided By: Princess Cruises