The Cruise is back on TV

The third series of ITV’s ‘The Cruise’ will bring some prime-time escapism to our screens this week. The new ‘fly on the wall’ docusoap will follow on from the success of the previous two series that were filmed on Regal Princess and Royal Princess and which attracted 3.5 million viewers. The first episode in the new six weekly programmes which reveal what life at sea is like for both crew and guests on a Princess cruise will be shown on 11 January – and it’s no fluke that this happens to coincide with the peak cruise booking season, nor is the timely Princess Cruises’ advertising campaign.

The new six-part series of ‘The Cruise’ is set on the acclaimed 3,560-guest Royal Princess and will follow life on board as the ship sails across the Mediterranean from Greece to Spain and a variety of ports in between. There will also be two special programmes featuring Star Princess in Alaska as well as back aboard Royal Princess in the Caribbean at the start of the winter season. These special documentaries will take viewers to breath-taking and exotic locations, which present a host of new challenges for the staff.

Back in 2013 when the Big Kahunas at Princess Cruises were considering their choice of Godmother for the new Royal Princess surely it could only be Kate, Duchess of Cambridge - who is also Princess William of Wales. Under a cloak of secrecy permission was sought and granted, and then the highest profile ship’s christening that year was put in motion. When Kensington Palace announced the Duchess’s pregnancy, panic set in, but a quick calculation indicated that Kate’s attendance in Southampton would be viable. So it was that her last solo public engagement before giving birth to Prince George turned into a triumph with images of the Duchess in front of the massive white hull beamed across the world.

Each episode from the new series of ‘The Cruise’ will give viewers insight into the day-to-day roles of the 1,400-strong crew, who hail from many countries across the world. Viewers will see how the team works together to keep the complex operations running smoothly including navigating the 141,000-tonne, 19-deck ship; preparing over 20,000 meals a day; and servicing 1,800 cabins. In this new series the cameras will once again make stars of shore excursions agent Timothy Gallant and Executive Chef David McDonald Greves, viewers will also get to meet new crew members.

In 2016 the ratings-busting programme was nominated for a National Television Award in the factual entertainment category. With the recent appointment of TV personality Phillip Schofield as a Princess Cruises’ brand ambassador, this could well up the ante for the NTAs in 2018. If this series whets your appetite to climb aboard a Princess cruises, call our cruise experts on 0808 256 6742.