Cruise Buzz

Regal Princess Countdown to Ft. Lauderdale Festivities

Love Boat cast reunion taking place in Ft. Lauderdale next month.

After making her inaugural cruise on May 20, 2014, Regal Princess spent her summer in Europe.  Her next big milestone is the ship’s naming ceremony, which will kick off the celebrations that will mark the company’s golden anniversary. The buzz around the naming ceremony is the reunion of some of the Love Boat cast, with Tori Spelling, actress and daughter of famed Love Boat producer Aaron Spelling, serving as the official Master of Ceremonies.

Factoid: All six cast members will serve as Regal Princess’ godparents during naming ceremony in Fort Lauderdale.

“We’re incredibly excited to host what will be one of the largest Love Boat reunions ever aboard our newest ship Regal Princess,” said Jan Swartz, president, Princess Cruises. “What better way to kick-off our 50th anniversary celebration than reuniting the show’s cast with some of the wonderful guests from its ten year run.”

More about the naming ceremony

On Nov. 5 in Ft. Lauderdale, Ms. Spelling will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the ship’s naming ceremony which will feature the original cast ensemble from the iconic television show, The Love Boat, as the ship’s godparents. Performing the naming honors will be 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, cruise director) and Jill Whelan (Vicki, the Captain’s daughter).

Ms. Spelling will additionally conduct “gold carpet” interviews with a host of celebrities who all made guest appearances on the show, including: Loni Anderson, Joyce DeWitt, Jamie Farr, Pam Grier, Florence Henderson, Jack Jones, 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. In addition to these well-known celebrities, the guest star with the most number of appearances on the show – Charo – will give a classical guitar performance that evening.

“The Love Boat is one of my favorite shows,” said Tori Spelling. “And the fact that I get the chance to be part of the cast and guest star reunion is thrilling.”
The Love Boat first aired on September 24, 1977 and sailed into television history for ten seasons. Viewers began their decade-long love affair with the show and its memorable guests and eventually it became one of the highest rated and longest-running shows on television. The Pacific Princess and Island Princess were the primary floating stars of the show, while later episodes and specials were filmed aboard other Princess ships in cruise destinations around the globe.
The show was based on the non-fiction book, The Love Boats, by real-life Princess cruise director Jeraldine Saunders and was preceded by three made-for-TV movies. Famed television producers Aaron Spelling and Doug Cramer steered the show throughout its 10-year run, creating a beloved series that brought comedy, drama and romance to millions of viewers each week, all set aboard Princess ships. Today the show is in syndication worldwide.

The 3,560-guest Regal Princess, which entered service in May of this year, is arriving in Ft. Lauderdale to begin her maiden season of Caribbean cruise vacations. Among the special features found onboard is a dramatic multi-story atrium serving as the social hub of the ship, offering a host of dining and entertainment options; an over-water SeaWalk, a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway extending 28-feet beyond the edge of the ship; the Princess Live! television studio; the largest pastry shop at sea; a Chef’s Table Lumiere, a private dining experience that surrounds diners in a curtain of light; Princess Watercolor Fantasy, a fountain and music show; the Night Sky Lounge, a new nighttime experience that will enable guests to enjoy a chic and contemporary poolside nightclub under the stars; and balconies on all outside staterooms.