Part 3: The post-Love Boat Years
The TV series The Love Boat ran from 1977 to 1986. For the quarter century that has followed, both characters have continued to entertain television aficionados and cruise ship passengers alike.
While there's so much more to Gavin MacLeod than Captain Stubing, they share one majorcharacteristic. If the Captain seemed to be just about the nicest person you'd ever want to meet, well, so is Gavin MacLeod.
"I'm just a blessed person," he says modestly.
Blessed, he will say, to have married the same women TWICE. To have been making films for more than half a century. To have been a part of bringing smiles to the faces of people 
on cruise ships. To have been the lead (right) in his latest movie, The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry.
"I call it the 'little movie that could'," he says, during a one-hour lunch that became three-and-a-half. "It was less than a million dollars to make it, all in. I'm more proud of this than anything I've ever done. There's going to be one more [movie], with Fred Thompson. I think that'll be my swan song. But there's a reason I was given the role of captain, a position of authority. God had something else in mind for me."
The short version of MacLeod's spiritual journey is that prayer brought him and Patti, the woman he'd divorced three years earlier, back together. Their partnership ranged from playing night-club shows called Love Letters With My Wife to hosting a show on the Trinity Broadcast Network for 27 years.
They'd divorced because he put his career ahead of his marriage and, today, of all the 
parts he has played if there could only be one more, guess what it would be?
"It would be Love Letters With My Wife," he says. "That would be a dream of mine."
They used to do the show on Princess ships, too. Captain Stubing still boards ships — The Love Boat was the Pacific Princess — a couple of times every year. He continues to work as a spokesperson, emcee and public face for the cruise line. After The Love Boat's last episode in 1986, he signed a commercial contract and a PR contract.
"We won commercial awards for best international travel commercial and best cruise commercial," he remembers. "Business was booming for cruising and I was selling cruises, and making appearances. It was the birth of commercial cruising that was accessible to everyone. Just the affluent people knew about cruising. When you analyze the cruise industry, there should be a lot of kudos go to Aaron Spelling and Doug Cramer for that show. What I like most about it is that the people who work on the ships are from far all over the world, and they come and tell me they're working on the ship because of the series."
Two weeks ago, he returned from spending 17 days on the Grand Princess:
"I brought the Grand Princess across from Barcelona, to New York City. Olivia de Havilland [now 96] named it. She was the Godmother. I remember when we came into New York City and all the crew members were out there when we went by the Statue of Liberty, and they were all applauding. It was the largest cruise ship around at the time. Now it's been completely overhauled, and this year I'm on it again."
Also on the Grand Princess was Gavin Macleod II. No relation.
Believe it or not, Princess had in its ranks a young officer with the same name. He was on 
his way to becoming a captain when the two met.
"I said: 'It's nice that your parents named you after me' and he said: 'They didn't,'" chuckles Gavin I.
On another ship, The Golden Princess, the cruise line threw an 80th birthday party for Captain Stubing. That was almost two years ago.
"Like The Red Carpet at the Oscars," he says. "I knew I could give a speech but I didn't know what to say. I really wanted to say something meaningful, so I said: 'I salute you. What you're doing while you make your living is helping people to realize their dreams. You should feel very happy. This isn't just another job. You're effective. You're selling happiness, and memories, and love."
Just like Gavin MacLeod does.
"I've seen barriers broken on ships," he adds. "People having dinner with somebody from another race and finding out that we're all alike. So cruising isn't just what you experience, it's an awakening for people, too."
If all this — what you've been reading at cruisingdoneright.com for the past few days — sounds like the makings of an autobiography, go to the head of the class.
And if you can guess what the title will be when it comes out in about a year, that makes you especially astute, because it will be…
This Is Your Captain Speaking!
Norwegian Sky
4 nights
November 26, 2012
Miami (return): Grand Bahama Island, Nassau, Great Stirrup Cay
Inside: $139
Cost per day: $34
www.ncl.com