Love Boat Captain Cruises to Auckland for Mass "Wedding "

Come Aboard! Love Boat Captain Cruises to Auckland for Mass Wedding Vow Renewal

Photography credit: James Morgan Photography One of the most famous Captains of Romance, The Love Boat’s Captain Merrill Stubing, has performed a mass wedding vow renewal ceremony on a modern day “Love Boat” in Auckland this morning.

In the lead up to Valentine’s Day, 14 lucky Kiwi couples renewed their vows in a romantic ceremony on Sun Princess, presided over by the actor Gavin MacLeod, a recognised marriage celebrant who played Captain Stubing in the cult 70s TV show The Love Boat.

With two “Love Boats”, Sun Princess and Sea Princess, visiting Auckland for the day, Gavin dusted off his famous captain’s hat to conduct the ceremony before joining the couples for a champagne celebration afterwards.

The couples, mostly from Auckland, won the chance to be part of The Love Boat vow renewal through a Princess Cruises promotion with The Breeze 93.4FM. The Breeze’s breakfast team Robert Rakete, Robert Scott and Anna Thomas dressed for the occasion as characters from the show with afternoon host Alison Leonard taking up the opportunity to renew her vows after 10 years of marriage to husband John.

Speaking at the service, Gavin said he was thrilled to be renewing the couples’ vows at this romantic time of the year.

“To be part of this shipboard celebration is very special and really does remind me of my role as the Captain of The Love Boat,” Gavin said.

Among those at today’s event were a couple marking 54 years of marriage after celebrating an anniversary on a Sun Princess cruise, another notching up their silver anniversary and an Auckland couple renewing their vows after 10 years and an incredible story of love and commitment.

Ahead of his arrival, Gavin released a cheeky YouTube video with some sage 21st century advice to help couples of all ages chart their way through the sea of love. (View it here)

The Love Boat first hit TV screens in 1977 with the final pilot shot on the original Sun Princess. Filmed onboard several Princess Cruises’ ships, the show went on to become one of the longest running TV shows in history, cruising through ten seasons from 1977 to 1986.

It is still in syndication in 92 countries worldwide.

Princess Cruises’ fleet now consists of 17 ships, including four which regularly sail New Zealand waters - Sun Princess, Sea Princess, Diamond Princess and Dawn Princess.

Sun Princess will sail for Tauranga and Sea Princess will set sail for Brisbane at 6pm.

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