Alex Carson
In the 1970s, the hit show The Love Boat helped make cruise boats a popular thing among show’s television demographic. The show utilized a real cruise boat as a backdrop for it’s a comedy. With that cruise boat named the Pacific Princess. Several other boats also used on the show, with one of the other boats named the Island Princess. Sadly, neither of these boats is still around, though they certainly led exciting lives before becoming scrap metal! Join Facts Verse as we take a look at the unbelievable story of what happened to the Love Boat cruise ships.
The Love Boat was an incredibly successful show that hit the airwaves during the 1970s. In addition to popularizing cruise ships. The show also offered plenty of Golden Age Hollywood stars the chance to catch one last break in the form of a guest spot on the series. The show loved featuring new guest stars every episode, and many of these stars were big names from Hollywood’s past. However, the biggest star of The Love Boat arguably the Pacific Princess; which the name of the main boat used as a backdrop in the series.
Although the Pacific Princess main boat that used as a backdrop on the hit 1970s show The Love Boat;, it wasn’t the only boat. According to the series’ history; there a total of seven different vessels that officially used in some capacity as a backdrop over the course of the show’s initial run. Though many of these used far less than others. The vessel that used the most besides the Pacific Princess named the Island Princess.
The reason that multiple vessels required over the course of The Love Boat’s production that the film often took place in a variety of locations around the world. When the show needed to film a scene in an exotic location; one of the other vessels used so that the Pacific Princess didn’t need to be sailed halfway across the world.
After The Love Boat came to an end; Princess Cruises put the Pacific Princess to use full-time as a cruise vessel. Princess Cruises had in charge of the vessel since 1975. And the ship had also utilized for cruises during The Love Boat‘s production run. In the late 1990s, the ship notoriously seized after a few of it’s crew members caught in a drug bust. Heroin found on the vessel, and the entire ship had to searched by authorities.
When the incident occurred, authorities evacuated all of the passengers that had been vacationing aboard the vessel. The passengers given the choice to either head home or wait for however long it would take for the investigation of the ship to occur. According to officials, the investigation took several weeks, though many passengers still chose to wait it out.
25 kilograms of heroin had found aboard the Pacific Princess while it was sailing from Greece to Turkey. Two crew members arrested in the bust, as well as two passengers. These four people caught outside of the ship making a drug deal while the ship stopped. They subsequently arrested outside of the ship before the aforementioned 25 kilograms of heroin found on board.
The four parties eventually charged; and the Pacific Princess resumed it’s tenure as a cruise ship for Princess Cruises for a number of years before sold to a rival company by the name of Quail Cruises in 2002. The Pacific Princess subsequently renamed simply as the Pacific.
When Princess Cruises handed over the original Love Boat to Quail Cruises. It wasn’t because they had lost interest in the brand. Instead, the original ship had simply become no longer feasible to use in the wake of many improvements that had made in the years since it’s construction. Princess Cruises brought in another cruise vessel and slapped The Love Boat’s branding on it. Meanwhile, the original boat that had used as the main backdrop on the show; continued to put to use by Quail Cruises for many years before eventually sold for scrap in 2012.
For many, it’s a notable event when the original vessel that had used as the main backdrop on The Love Boat officially retired. The vessel made it’s very last voyage in 2012, sailing to a scrapyard in Turkey. There, it turned into scrap metal. At the time of it’s retirement; the original Pacific Princess had been in service for over four decades in various capacities. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support. As well, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Although the original Pacific Princess certainly an impressive vessel at the time that it produced. The ship no longer quite as impressive by the time of it’s retirement. Bigger vessels had begun to dwarf ship over the years, and it also equipped with outdated machinery. Before sold for scrap metal; the ship had sitting at an Italian dock out of service for a period of time.
Though the Pacific Princess became most famous as the Love Boat after it’s 1975 acquisition by Princess Cruises; the ship had originally gone by a different name. The Pacific Princess had built in 1971, when it named the Sea Venture. The vessel had built for Flagship Cruises, though later sold to Princess Cruises. It was soon after this that the ship began it’s tenure as the titular Love Boat.
The Love Boat was an hour-long comedy that featured an ensemble cast. In addition to a rotating cast of guest stars that added flavor to the show over the years. The main cast consisted of the titular boat’s crew, while the guest stars were mostly passengers of the luxury vessel. Some of the show’s main cast members included Gavin MacLeod, who played Captain Stubing. As his name suggests, he was the titular ship’s captain. Another main character on the show Gopher, who played by actor Fred Granby.
In addition to being an incredibly popular show; The Love Boat also said to have increased the popularity of cruise ships in general. Cruise ships still retain their popularity to this day. Though the recent COVID-19 pandemic certainly had a negative effect on the industry.
The Pacific Princess was the ship that appeared the most over the course of The Love Boat’s original run, but the Island Princess also made many appearances. The Princess fleet the name of the seven vessels featured on the show over the course of it’s production. And the Pacific Princess isn’t the only of these vessels to have retired. In 2015, the Island Princess met the same fate as it’s sibling when it was sold and dismantled for scrap metal and parts.
While shots of the various ships in the Princess fleet provided the backdrop for The Love Boat. The series’ interior scenes were filmed in a completely different location. Most of the interior scenes for the series filmed at Sunset Bronson Studios; which is now the home of Judge Judy.
While the titular Love Boat lived on for a period of time after the original show’s run in the form of the real-life vessels that served as it’s backdrop. The series itself has also lived on over the years in a variety of forms. One such form was a 1998 revival, though the revival wasn’t very successful.
The 1998 revival of The Love Boat only lasted for one season on the UPN network. Perhaps the reason that the show wasn’t quite as successful as the original was that it didn’t feature the real Pacific Princess. Instead, the vessel that used as the backdrop for the revival series a ship by the name of the Sun Princess; a Japanese boat.
Recently, the ship that purchased by Princess Cruises and rebranded as the Love Boat after the original Pacific Princess was sold to Quail Cruises in 2002 has passed hands yet again. The sale comes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the cruise ship industry. And many media outlets misleadingly claimed that the vessel being sold the original ship featured on The Love Boat. However, true fans know that the real Pacific Princess, later renamed to just the Pacific, dismantled in 2012.
Although the ship that was used by Princess Cruises and rebranded as the Love Boat in 2002 wasn’t the original vessel that had been used as the main backdrop on the show, it still served it’s function over the years! Fans of the show got to experience what it was like to be aboard the titular ship while they were on it, and the vessel even served host to many celebrity guests from The Love Boat!
Besides appearing on the new Pacific Princess, stars from the original show have also appeared on other modern ships in the Princess fleet. In 2014, the main cast of The Love Boat brought to an event to collectively christen a new Princess ship by the name of the Regal Princess. Many decades after coming to an end, The Love Boat still holds a place in the heart of the cruise industry.
The vessel that renamed as the Pacific Princess in 2002 after the original Pacific Princess sold to Quail Cruises has recently sold to yet another cruise brand, this time by the name of Azamara. The ship is scheduled to begin sailing for it’s new cruise company in 2022.
Although the original Pacific Princess that served as the main backdrop for the titular ship on The Love Boat is no longer with us, it still lives on in our memories! Comment down below to share if you surprised to learn about the fate of the original Pacific Princess. Or if you surprised to learn that multiple Princess vessels had utilized over the course of The Love Boat’s production. As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
