The ship that shaped the modern cruise history and had profound influence on millions of people around the world, “The Love Boat” is up for sale once again. The Love Boat, or Pacific Princess as its known, was saved from being sold for scrap. Due to default on payments – $2.5 million to be exact – the Turkish company lost the right to dismantle the iconic ship.
The ship's history began in 1971 when the ship was built originally for Flagship Cruises as a Sea Venture. Back in 1975, Princess Cruises bought the ship and renamed it Pacific Princess. Two years after the takeover, Princess Cruises agreed to have the ship featured in the romantic TV serial “The Love Boat.” Most of the scenes of the serial was shot in a production studio. Although the Pacific Princess appears on the show as the main ship, some other ships appear as well such as her sister ship Island Princess. “The Love Boat” episodes gained its popularity due to the increasing number of passengers in the emerging cruise market in North America and vice versa.
Back in 1998, police authorities in Greece seized 25 kg of heroin from two crew members who were from Philippine nationality. According to BBC, the ship was used for drug smuggling in the Mediterranean due to lack of security in the past.
Last voyage of the Pacific Princess was in 2002 which sailed from New York to Rome. Shortly after, the ship was taken over by the Spanish tour operator Pullmantur Cruises. The last cruise operator of this iconic ship was the Spanish Quail Cruises.
