Captain Merrill Stubing will be
onboard the Pacific Princess when
it sails into Sydney this weekend.
ACTOR Gavin MacLeod, who played the
captain in the Love Boat television series, is
set to delight fans when he sails into the
harbour on Sunday (26 February).
The Princess Cruises ship is the namesake of
the original Pacific Princess, which starred in
the filming of the popular Love Boat series in
the 1970s and 80s.
Since the show ended in 1986, MacLeod has
continued as a spokesperson for the cruise line.
He joined the world cruise as a guest
speaker from Auckland to Sydney, sharing
tales of the original Pacific Princess and the
cult series which made him a household name
around the world.
Regarded as a catalyst for the cruising boom,
the Love Boat was broadcast for ten seasons
from 1977 to 1986 and is still in syndication in
92 countries worldwide including Australia.
Princess Cruises’ passengers were often cast
as extras.
According to the company’s commercial
director Stan Birge, Princess has always
welcomed Captain Stubing back on board.
“The Love Boat is a colourful part of our
history and we love being able to bring such a
cherished era of television and cruising back
to life with Gavin’s help,” Birge said.
Captain Stubing fans can share their memories
of the program and cruising onboard the
original “Love Boats”, Pacific Princess and
Island Princess, on Facebook at http://
www.facebook.com/PrincessCruises and on
Twitter using the hashtag #loveboatinsydney.
