After her launch in May earlier this year and a spectacular summer of sailings across the Mediterranean, Regal Princess recently arrived in Fort Lauderdale for her christening and official naming ceremony.
This impressive ship is the latest to join the Princess fleet, so it was only right that she should enjoy a glamorous christening. This landmark event saw the entire cast of the much-loved TV series The Love Boat reunite and play their part in the festivities, as well as the launch of the line’s 50th anniversary celebrations, due to take place throughout next year.
The Love Boat was famously set aboard a Princess cruise ship and helped the cruise line gain notoriety throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. In a nostalgic tribute to the show and the significant part it played in Princess Cruises’ past and present success, all six original cast member were in attendance, including Gavin MacLeod who played Captain Stubing, Fred Grandy who portrayed Gopher the chief purser, Ted Lange known on-screen as Isaac the bartender, Bernie Kopell who played the ship’s doctor, Lauren Tewes who was the Love Boat’s cruise director and Jill Whelan aka Vicki the captain’s daughter.
The Love Boat cast – from the left Ted Lange (Isaac Washington), Lauren Tewes (Julie McCoy), Bernie Kopell (Adam Bricker), and Fred Grandy (Gopher)
Together they all pulled the lever which released a record-breaking 50 Champagne bottles to smash against the hull of the ship, as well as another larger 51st bottle which was smashed on deck to symbolise the line’s success in the future, followed by streamers and fireworks.
President of Princess Cruises Jan Swartz commented: “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. So it was fitting that the cast were selected as godparents for Regal Princess as we begin our 50th anniversary celebrations.”
The Love Boat cast, however, were not the only famous faces in attendance at this glittering event. Other stars to grace ceremony’s 50th anniversary gold carpet included Joyce DeWitt, Pam Grier, Rich Little, Joan Van Ark and Frank Sinatra Jr. – to name just a few.
Movies Under the Stars – just one of Regal Princess’ many amazing features
Regal Princess – which boasts such innovative and exciting features as the glass-bottomed SeaWalk and its own on-board TV studio, alongside a host of excellent dining venues and lounges – will now sail from Fort Lauderdale, calling on sun-soaked destinations across the Caribbean archipelago, before heading to Europe in mid-2015 to operate sailings throughout Northern Europe, Scandinavia and the Baltics. She will then return to the USA in November 2015 to offer further cruises around North America and the Caribbean.
cruise118.com
