Pride of the Pacific/The Viking's Son/Separate Vacations/The Experiment/Getting to Know You: Part 1 

A competition pits Merrill, his rival Gunner, and their crews against each other and reignites a rivalry. Divorcing Harry and Dot take separate vacations. Dr. Skip and Megan need a guinea pig to try out an aphrodisiac.

Director:

Roger Duchowny

Writers:

Wilford Lloyd Baumes (developed by) (as W.L. Baumes), Harvey Bullock

Stars:

Gavin MacLeod, Bernie Kopell, Fred Grandy

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Gavin MacLeod	...	Captain Merrill Stubing
Bernie Kopell	...	Doctor Adam Bricker
Fred Grandy	...	Ship's Purser 'Gopher' Smith
Ted Lange	...	Bartender Isaac Washington
Jill Whelan	...	Vicki Stubing
Lauren Tewes	...	Cruise Director Julie McCoy
Priscilla Barnes	...	Britta Sorenson
Douglas Barr	...	Dave Pursinger
Sonny Bono	...	Steve Bloom
Tom Bosley	...	Harry Meacham
Woody Brown	...	Trig Norquist
Mary Crosby	...	Megan Lewis
John James	...	Dr. Skip Van Damme
Ted Knight	...	Captain Gunner Norquist
Michele Lee	...	Dorothy Meacham

Storyline

The Klondike Carnival Cruise Competition serves as the backdrop for this cruise, pitting Captain Merrill Stubing (Gavin MacLeod) and his Pacific Princess crew against his stern humorless arch-rival, Captain Gunner Norquist (Ted Knight), and his Sun Princess crew in a series of competitive events beginning in Vancouver, British Columbia and ending in Ketchikan, Alaska. Gunner's son Trig (Woody Brown) has just graduated from navigation school and been assigned to Merrill Stubing, which enrages Gunner Norquist and intensifies a longtime rivalry between the two captains. Gunner spent 25 years in Merrill's shadow and is now both jealous of Merrill and determined to best him in the competition at any cost. Trig doubts his own navigation abilities and would much rather be a cruise director but is afraid to tell his father. Meanwhile, Harry and Dorothy Meacham (Tom Bosley and Michele Lee) are divorcing after 15 years of marriage and taking separate vacations, with her on the Pacific Princess ...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1982 (USA)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aaron Spelling Productions, Douglas S. Cramer Company, The Love Boat Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All but one of the five subplots in this two-hour special were co-written by Fred Grandy, who played Gopher on the show.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Alan King/Charles Nelson Reilly (1982)

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Soundtracks

The Love Boat
Written by Paul Williams and Charles Fox
Performed by Jack Jones

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