HOLLYWOOD – Princess Cruises and the original cast of the “The Love Boat” were presented a Hollywood Walk of Fame honorary star plaque Thursday in recognition of their contributions to the history of television and support for the preservation of the Walk of Fame.

Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing), Jill Whelan (Vicki), Ted Lange (Isaac), Bernie Kopell (Doc), Lauren Tewes (Julie) and Fred Grandy (Gopher) were joined by Leron Gubler, CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Donelle Dadigan, co-chair of the Hollywood Historic Trust, the superintendent of the world-famous walk and Jan Swartz, President of Princess Cruises. The honorary star plaque is located on Hollywood Boulevard in front of the main entrance to the Dolby Theater.

“The Love Boat” premiered just over 40 years ago (May 1977), set aboard a cruise ship, featuring stories of romance, hijinks and adventure on the high seas that involved characters portrayed by Hollywood’s biggest stars of the day. After the pilot show, “The Love Boat” show went on to enjoy phenomenal success, continuing for 10 seasons until 1987 as one of the highest-rated, prime-time television shows in the country. Princess Cruises soon became a household name as the primary setting and co-star of the popular series, and continues to be known as the “Love Boat” cruise line today. Pacific Princess and Island Princess were the two original ships but as the show grew in popularity “The Love Boat” was filmed aboard many Princess ships at exotic destinations around the globe.

“Today marks another extraordinary day in the history of Princess Cruises. We are honored to be recognized, along with the original cast of the ‘Love Boat,’ as Friends of the Walk of Fame in support of the preservation of this iconic attraction that draws nearly 10 million visitors each year,” remarked Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “The ‘Love Boat’ opened the hearts and minds of millions of television viewers to the adventures of cruise travel by way of the exotic destination our ships visited on the show. Today, our guests continue to create lasting memories and explore the world on our modern, fleet of 17 premium cruise ships.”

Princess Cruises becomes only the third brand to be recognized as a Friend of the Walk of Fame, joining L’Oréal Paris and ABSOLUT Vodka.

Princess Cruises and the original cast of “The Love Boat” receive an honorary star plaque at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in recognition of their contribution to the history of television and the support of the preservation of the Walk of Fame on Thursday, May 10, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Casey Rodgers/Invision for Princess Cruises/AP Images)

Jan Swartz, President of Princess Cruises, standing center, and xx from left, attends the ceremony honoring Princess Cruises and the original cast of “The Love Boat” with a honorary star plaque at the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, May 10, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Casey Rodgers/Invision for Princess Cruises/AP Images)