The Love Boat: Princess Cruises

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Most of us were first exposed to cruising with the classic television show, The Love Boat.

Each episode weaved together plots featuring couples rekindling romance, friends discovering they actually love each other, seniors reuniting with an old flame, and strangers meeting magic on the high seas.

Laugh tracks reminded us of when to find a scene humorous, though usually the reactions of our friends in the crew gave ample indications with their facial expressions.

It was not the place to go for somber reflection on problems of the day, but it did show us that we all share common humanity, which is just as valuable, if not more so.

In the final analysis, reruns of the show still make us smile, no matter how jaded we might be. 

"Set a course for adventure,
Your mind on a new romance.
Love won't hurt any more
It's an open smile on a friendly shore."

That's still true on Princess Cruises.

Every time you go on a cruise, you are creating an untelevised episode of The Love Boat, and you are the star of your own vignette.

Frankly, you can find laughter, love and adventure with any cruise line, but on Princess, you'll see occasional reminders, though references are more to the original show and to The Real Love Boat, which took The Bachelor-type format to the romantic Mediterranean recently.   

While the exact Love Boat touches vary over time, you can be sure that they will continue for the foreseeable future, because part of the Princess philosophy is that each new ship is "an evolution, not a revolution."

If you look at the tiny, rudimentary Pacific Princess in the original TV show and compare it to the glamorous Regal Princess on the recent reality series, you may not believe that, but it is true.  If you have been on the oldest ship currently in their fleet, then the newest will feel quite comfortable, just a bit more expanded.

While you can still find romance, most Princess guests tend to be what Princess calls "meaningful travelers," people who want to fully experience the regions being visited.  

We value local experts brought aboard to reveal interesting stories about the places we will visit, the environment and other fascinating topics.  On a cruise to Hawaii, you might learn to make leis, do the hula or play ukulele.   In Alaska, learn about the Iditarod race from a participant.

And of course, after that first cruise where we go primarily for the cruise experience, most of us become port collectors, checking new destinations off our bucket lists and savoring favorites we've visited previously.

Aren't you ready for "Love, exciting and new"?

"Come aboard.  We're expecting you."