Love Boat stars reunite to christen Regal Princess

It was a night of love, or possibly L-U-R-V-E, as the stars of TV comedy The Love Boat gathered for the christening of cruise ship Regal Princess this week.

Six actors from the original cast acted as godparents and a host of performers who made guest appearances had walk-on parts in the lavish ceremony in Port Everglades, Florida.

Two Princess ships were used as locations for filming the series which ran for 10 seasons in the late 70s and early 80s.

Gavin MacLeod, who played Captain Stubing, was joined in the naming by 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). Together, they pulled a ship’s telegraph to send 50 bottles of Champagne crashing against the ship’s hull - marking the start of celebrations of Princess’s 50th anniversary next year - and a final bottle by the ship’s pool.

The galaxy of stars also included Don Most, who played Ralph Malph on Happy Days; Jamie Farr, the cross-dressing Corporal Klinger from M*A*S*H; Florence Henderson, the mother in The Brady Bunch; singer Jack Jones;  Golden Globe and BAFTA winner Diane Ladd; Falcon Crest star Lorenzo Lamas; Doris Roberts, the mother-in-law in Everybody Loves Raymond; Marion Ross, Mrs Cunningham in Happy Days; Frank Sinatra Jr; Dallas actress Charlene Tilton; Knots Landing’s Joan Van Ark; and Adrian Zmed from T.J.Hooker, among many others.

Star of the show, though, was singer-comedienne Charo, who appeared in eight episodes of the Love Boat and was a regular on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. She brought the house down with a flamboyant flamenco guitar performance.

A video tribute to the company’s history included reminiscences from founder Stan McDonald, now 94 and enjoying retirement in Seattle, and glimpses of the Duchess of Cambridge launching sister ship Royal Princess in Southampton last year, and Princess Diana christening an earlier ship of the same name.

Princess Cruises’ president Jan Swartz said the event was not just about love, but about passion - “50 years of passion and a passionate founder who believed travellers could be drawn to the seas.”

The £460 million Regal Princess carries 3,560 passengers and has its own TV studio and one of the biggest spas at sea. The almost identical sister ship Royal Princess will be sailing from Southampton throughout next summer, in competition with P&O’s Britannia - being built to a similar design - and Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Princess brings weddings at sea right up to the present

Romance is in the air again at Princess Cruises, which seems determined to wring every ounce from its Love Boat reputation.

The line was the first to offer a sea-going wedding programme back in 1998 – until then the thought of as Captain performing a ceremony at sea was just a myth. Now Princess’s “Tie The Knot” wedding programme also offers harbour-side and beachfront weddings at some ports of call.

And of course Princess ships were the location for filming TV series The Love Boat.

Today’s move has much more of a modern ring to it – couples will be able to create their own online registry to encourage friends to contribute towards the cost of a cruise honeymoon and to pay for shore excursions, spa treatments, romantic dinners and even cocktails by the pool.

All very sweet and dewy-eyed, but someone should help UK managing director Paul Ludlow get with the programme – his suggestion that “many couples [are] already co-habiting before marriage,” meaning that “the traditional home-start gifts are often not needed” is distinctly unromantic.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

All Leisure cuts its losses and sells cruise ship Discovery for $5m

The cruise ship Discovery – one of the original locations for filming TV series Love Boat – has been sold for $5 million.

On paper, owners All Leisure Group have made a substantial loss on the deal, because the 43-year-old vessel was valued at £9.9 million.

But they made a loss of £3 million operating the 710-passenger ship in 2013. After sailing the ship under their Voyages of Discovery brand, All Leisure chartered it to Cruise & Maritime Voyages two years ago, and ran it as a joint venture.

A company statement said: "Although the consideration received is less than the current book value of the vessel, the board's decision to sell MV Discovery also took into account the absence of the future liabilities and other uncertainties associated with many other bids."

The ship’s future under new owners Liberty Resources, of Nassau, Bahamas, is unclear. Discovery left Avonmouth for the last time on October 9. It was handed over to a new Indian crew in Falmouth the next day, and was reportedly re-named Amen. It is currently in the Mediterranean, heading east, although its AIS automated tracking system has not been updated to show its next port of call.

UPDATE: According to its AIS, Discovery, now named Amen, has been re-classified as a cargo ship and is expected to reach Dubai before the end of the month.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Raise A Valentine's Glass To Princess!

Here's a great way to celebrate today's special day - with a special cruise offer to mark the occasion.

Princess Cruises is introducing a 'Love Boat Bonanza' offer over the Valentine's period, including a free case of six bottles of wine for every booking. Passengers in the mood for a romantic break can also take advantage of great value fares, a reduced deposit of £99 per person and up to $200 onboard credit.

The offer, which runs from 12-28 February, applies to a range of cruises to destinations including the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Norwegian Fjords and round-trips of Britain. All set sail between May and August from either Southampton or Dover.

Prices per person start from £949 for 14 nights in the Mediterranean, £899 for 11 nights in the Canary Islands, £679 for seven nights in the Norwegian Fjords and £699 for eight nights around Britain.

Paul Ludlow, Managing Director for UK and Europe, said: "We're confident our Love Boat offer is the perfect Valentine's pick-me-up. From the culture and cuisine of our Mediterranean cruises, which take in cities including Barcelona and Rome, to the astonishing sights of the Norwegian Fiords, there really is something for everyone. And, what's more, you can raise a glass or two of our complimentary wine to round off your break."

More info: call 0843 373 0333 or visit www.princess.com.

The new edition of World of Cruising is now out, and you can see the digital version online on our home page at www.worldofcruising.co.uk. To subscribe at our special offer rate for 2014, see this link.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Re-Branding Is All The Rage

Following hard on the heels of the recent 'relaunch' of Azamara Cruises as Azamara Club Cruises, Princess Cruises have decided they need to spruce themselves up for the UK market.

For many years, Princess have been seen as the 'American' arm of P&O, and yet that is a gross over-simplification of the relationship between the two sister companies, who both became part of the giant Carnival conglomerate in 2002. There has always been an element of cross-over from P&O to Princess, and vice versa, since the 'Love Boat' cruise line started sending ships over to Europe more than 10 years ago. Their style appealed to passengers on both sides of the Atlantic, and the differences between the two fleets provided plenty of contrast.

More recently, P&O vessels have started to look more like their Princess counterparts - less traditional, more glamorous and all with a common starting point from the shipyard.

However, there obviously remains a 'difference' both from the Italian roots of the Princess line (many of their original vessels having been merged in from the Med-based Sitmar Line) and their predominantly American clientele, so it is a little surprising to hear the 'US' version needs to re-brand itself for British consumption.

You would think UK cruisers would be sophisticated enough to know the difference, and to understand the attractions, of cruising with Princess rather than the P&O option, but it seems that is not the case.

Among other things, Princess intends to present a 'fresh look' that has an 'emphasis on high standards' and will provide a ‘rejuvenating and relaxing retreat’ at sea.

Hmm. Call me old-fashioned, but I would pretty much say those should be the cornerstones of every cruise line today. Most ships are relatively new (or heavily refurbished); most cruises offer high quality in terms of food, service and entertainment (especially when compared with similar-priced land alternatives); and ALL cruises should ultimately be a relaxing experience (unless you try to take in every onboard activity and every excursion at every port of call!).

Princess already have excellent ships, with a genuine variety in their fleet and some superb service enhancements (like their Movies Under The Stars facility - see above). They offer great dining options and some far-reaching itineraries, as well as a distinctive Italo-American gloss that sets them apart from main rivals Holland America and Celebrity.

So I'm left wondering if this 're-brand' is primarily a marketing exercise aimed at making Princess better known to those who have yet to sample a cruise rather than anything substantial in terms of their product delivery.

Then again, perhaps I need to take a Princess cruise sometime soon to find out! Here's their press release in full:

13 April 2010 – In a bid to grow its business in the UK, Princess Cruises is re-launching the brand with the introduction of its new 2011/12 brochures. Based on extensive customer research, the brand will increase the emphasis on the high standards of its food and service and the relaxing and rejuvenating ambiance onboard. The new brochures, starting with the Mediterranean & Scandinavia 2011 edition, which is due out next week, will highlight the new positioning with a completely fresh look. The growing success of Princess in the UK has taken it to the number four position in the UK market, with a very loyal following. The research reveals that despite its positioning in the market, Princess is not as widely known as other UK brands. The new brand positioning for Princess will create more stand-out from other cruise lines, and increase its presence in the UK through a drive of marketing and sales initiatives.

Trustworthiness, excellent food and high standards onboard were the top priorities for British cruisers choosing a cruise line. Princess’s new look for the brand in the UK will highlight the exceptional dedication of its crew to maintaining the highest standards and the excellent quality of its cuisine, with all food freshly prepared from scratch every day. The new brochures have a calmer and more relaxed feel, illustrating the brand’s promise of providing a ‘rejuvenating and relaxing retreat,’ which research proved to be appealing to consumers.

“I am very excited about the beautiful new brand our marketing team has created. The new look illustrates Princess as the consummate host and the perfect retreat from which to explore the world,” said Pieter van der Schee, Princess Cruises’ head of brand marketing. “We have ambitious plans to grow the number of Princess passengers from the UK to our many destinations around the world and our increased activity and new identity for the brand are important in our quest.”

Princess Cruises’ new look in the UK can first be seen in the Mediterranean & Scandinavia 2011 brochure, out next week. The new design will then be rolled out to all other brochures and marketing literature and will be supported with increased direct marketing activity and more joint marketing with agent partners.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.