• by Tanya Gazdik , December 7, 2015

Princess Cruises joined with the original “Love Boat” cast to celebrate the cruise ship’s 50th anniversary.

The cast -- Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing), Fred Grandy (Gopher, the chief purser), Ted Lange (Isaac, the bartender), Bernie Kopell (Doc, the ship's doctor), Lauren Tewes (cruise director, Julie) and Jill Whelan (Vicki, the captain's daughter) -- celebrated the role the show played in Princess Cruises' five-decades-long history introducing the cruise line -- and cruise vacations -- to millions of people around the world.

The company’s inaugural cruise was a trip to Mexico on the company’s single cruise ship at the time. Now, Princess Cruises is the third-largest cruise line in the world with a fleet of 18 cruise ships and a recognized leader in taking 1.7 million travelers each year to some of the most fascinating cruise destinations around the globe.

The anniversary celebration included a throwback cruise, recreating the very first itinerary to the iconic Mexican Riviera.

The iconic “Love Boat” played a “key role” in the success of the company, says Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president.

The pilot episode of "The Love Boat" was shot aboard the 730-passenger Sun Princess, with Pacific Princess and Island Princess then becoming the primary floating stars of the show. Later episodes and specials were filmed aboard many other Princess cruise ships in destinations around the globe.

The show, which aired from 1977 to 1986, went on to become one of the highest-rated and longest-running and beloved shows on television, introducing viewers to modern day cruising and in the process, making Princess Cruises and its ships synonymous with vacations at sea.

"People always ask us why 'The Love Boat' was so popular and I always say it's because it gave people something to dream about," says actor Gavin MacLeod in a release. “I'm proud to have played a role in the growth of the cruise industry -- to see where these ships have come from the days we filmed aboard the original Pacific Princess to now experiencing the 18 magnificent ships in the fleet."