Gavin MacLeod…aka Captain Stubing

Part 2: The Love Boat Years On the way to being captain of The Love Boat (in real life, the Pacific Princess), Gavin MacLeod was flown to Mexico for his first rendezvous with the ship. "They said we'd take my bags to the elevator," he remembers. "I  said: 'Elevator?' I didn't even know there was… Continue reading Gavin MacLeod…aka Captain Stubing

Gavin MacLeod: His Remarkable Story

Part 1: Before The Love Boat At birth, he was named Allan See. In later years he would be called Happy Haines and Murray Slaughter and Merrill Stubing and Jonathan Sperry, among other public personas. More than any of them, he is Gavin MacLeod. Changing his given name to his current name was one of… Continue reading Gavin MacLeod: His Remarkable Story

Reflecting on the Solstice Class

  Cruising's nostalgia buffs will be tracking the path of the Celebrity Reflection over the next few weeks. It's ship No. 5 in the Solstice Class, which many consider the finest class of ships in the business. Joining the Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse and Silhouette — in that order — the Reflection was delivered to Celebrity… Continue reading Reflecting on the Solstice Class

Travel Awards in Homestretch

The World Travel Awards — the self-proclaimed "Oscars of the travel industry" — are given out every year….yes, just like the Oscars. They make for interesting reading, nodding or head-shaking and good advertising for the winners. Since cruising is travel, a few categories are devoted to this popular and expanding niche of the travel business.… Continue reading Travel Awards in Homestretch

Friday: The Love Boat's Captain

For people who remember the start of the cruise boom, there's really only one ship captain whose name will stand forever. Merrill Stubing is his name and he wasn't really a captain at all…just a man who played the role on The Love Boat, the 30-minute TV show that did something special for cruising. So… Continue reading Friday: The Love Boat's Captain