He’s everyone’s favourite captain – and Princess Cruises has dedicated a day to the much-loved Captain Merrill Stubing.
The city of Santa Clarita in California, the home of the Princess Cruises headquarters honoured Gavin MacLeod, the actor who plays the Captain on the TV show Love Boat, by proclaiming July 6 “Gavin MacLeod Princess Cruises Ambassador Day”.
Mr MacLeod has served as the cruise line’s celebrity ambassador for three decades and has done thousands of public appearances and conferences onboard the Princess Cruises fleet.
A special ceremony was hosted by Captain Stubing’s TV daughter Jill Whelan, aka Vicki Stubing which was attended by hundreds of Princess employees and fans.
Princess Cruise vice president of Australia & New Zealand Stuart Allison said Gavin is a much-loved identity throughout the world including in Australia.
In this role, Gavin has truly touched millions of people and we were thrilled to have him here celebrating with our guests during some very special wedding renewal ceremonies in Sydney and Auckland on his Love Tour during Valentine’s Week.”
From 1977-1986, Mr MacLeod won the hearts of millions of viewers playing everyone’s favourite cruise ship captain on “The Love Boat,” as Princess Cruises served as the backdrop for what became one of the highest-rated primetime television shows in history. The show has been widely credited with introducing millions of viewers to contemporary cruise holidays sparking a dramatic expansion of the industry.
“I am deeply humbled by this occasion marking my 30th year serving as global ambassador for Princess Cruises,” Mr MacLeod said. “Promoting Princess has truly been one of the highlights of my life. People still come up to me and tell me that ‘The Love Boat’ gave them something to dream about and now all these years later, cruising is a reality for millions and the growth of the industry just proves that dreams really do come true.”
