By
Rebecca Gibson |
Princess Cruises’ was joined by six members of the original The Love Boat cast and 25 of the show’s past guest stars during the christening ceremony for its latest newbuild Regal Princess on 5 November.
Acting as the ship’s godparents, the six cast members included Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing), Fred Grandy (Gopher, the chief purser), Ted Lange (Isaac, the bartender), Bernie Kopell (Doc, the ship’s doctor), Lauren Tewes (Julie the cruise director) and Jill Whelan (Vicki, the captain’s daughter).
During the ceremony, all six pulled a lever that sent a record-breaking fifty champagne bottles smashing against the ship’s hull in recognition of the line’s anniversary celebrations, A large Nebuchadnezzar-size 51st bottle was also broken against the ship’s hull to signify Princess’ continued future success.
Meanwhile, regular guest star Florence Henderson served as the Master of Ceremonies, most frequent guest star Charo gave a guitar performance, while Jack Jones reprised the original version of his Love Boat theme tune. Other celebrities at the event included Loni Anderson, Joyce DeWitt, Jamie Farr, Pam Grier, Christopher Knight, Diane Ladd, Lorenzo Lamas, Carol Lawrence, Rich Little, Kristy McNichol, Lee Meriwether, Don Most, Tracy Nelson, Mackenzie Phillips, Doris Roberts, Marion Ross, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Charlene Tilton, Joan Van Ark, Dick Van Patten and Adrian Zmed.
The Love Boat-themed festivities, which also launched the line’s 50th anniversary celebrations, were organised in recognition of the role the show played in the cruise line’s 50-year history.
Princess’s ships served as the backdrop of The Love Boat television series, which aired from 1977 to 1986. The pilot episode of The Love Boat was shot onboard Princess’ 730-passenger Sun Princess and was then filmed on Pacific Princess and Island Princess. Later episodes and specials were filmed on many of Princess’ other cruise ships in destinations around the globe.
“The The Love Boat put Princess Cruises on the map, bringing the romance and adventure of our cruise vacations into millions of viewers’ homes for the decade it was on air,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess. “So it was fitting that the cast was selected as godparents for Regal Princess as we begin our 50th anniversary celebrations.”
The 3,560-guest Regal Princess will now homeport in Fort Lauderdale to offer a series of Caribbean cruises. The ship, which is the 18th in the Princess fleet, has 17 decks and features 1,780 cabins, outside balcony staterooms, private poolside cabanas and the new Princess Live! television studio, as well as a variety of dining and entertainment venues and SeaWalk, a cantilevered, glass-bottomed walkway extending more than 28ft beyond the edge of the vessel. Regal Princess also has 16 bars and restaurants, including three dining rooms, and a spa and fitness centre.