Jill Whelan on Where She 'Always Dreamed' Her “Love Boat” Character Vicki Stubing Would Be Today (Exclusive)
"I’ve always dreamed she would turn out to become a ship’s captain like her father,” Whelan tells PEOPLE
"I’ve always dreamed she would turn out to become a ship’s captain like her father,” Whelan tells PEOPLE ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; JC Olivera/Getty Jill Whelan on 'The Love Boat' in 1981 and in 2023:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Jill-Whelan-love-boat-012025-79e08f89da8f4092b42144b7c6d763ce.jpg "LOVE BOAT -")
Jill Whelan knows a thing or two about traveling!
The Love Boat actress, 58, recently spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about her role as Celebrations Ambassador for Princess Cruises, and where her character, Vicki Stubing, would be today.
“In the last episode we shot for The Love Boat, Vicki was a travel agent. I’ve always dreamed she would turn out to become a ship’s captain like her father,” Whelan said of her late TV dad, Captain Merrill Stubing, played by Gavin MacLeod. Rocket Weijers/Getty Jill Whelan on the Royal Princess cruise ship on February 05, 2024 in Sydney, Australia
MacLeod, who died in 2021 at age 90, played the captain on board the Pacific Princess, a real Princess Cruises ship at the time of The Love Boat's airing.
The sitcom’s setting played an integral part in Whelan’s passion for seeing the world.
“The first cruise I ever took was on Princess when we were shooting the original Love Boat,” she tells PEOPLE. “It was a cruise to Mexico and my love affair with cruising began.”
According to the actress, she’s now sailed approximately “60-70 cruises!” ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty JILL WHELAN — THE LOVE BOAT — Airdate: February 5, 1983
Last August, around 3,600 passengers joined Whelan and her castmates on the Enchanted Princess in Brooklyn, N.Y., for Princess Cruises’ The Love Boat Celebration at Sea. The actress recalled having “such a blast” during the event.
“When we get together as a cast, we always have so much fun together, and pick up right where we left off — no matter how much time passes,” Whelan tells PEOPLE.
During the seven-night sail, fans were treated to Q&A sessions from The Love Boat stars Fred Grandy, Ted Lange, Bernie Kopell and Whelan.
They also tested their sitcom knowledge while playing The Love Boat trivia, had specialty Love Boat cocktails and occasionally got to meet the actors when they ran into them on the ship. Dennis Plehn/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty THE LOVE BOAT — Season Three cast photo in 1979
“It’s always so nice to see the fans come back and embrace the show even after all of these years, so much so, we’ve already planned our next one,” Whelan says, hinting at what’s to come.
“For those who want to join us in 2025, the third Love Boat-themed cruise will be setting sail from Galveston, Texas, on Nov. 16,” she tells PEOPLE. “I can’t wait to see what we have up our sleeves this time around!”
In addition to the Love Boat-themed cruise, Whelan says she has more big things planned for 2025, but is “most excited” about a play she’ll be doing with her Love Boat costars Lange, 77, and Grandy, 76.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It’s a true story about the life of Mary Bowers, who was an educated Black woman from the north during the Civil War. She infiltrated herself into the Confederacy to bring secrets back to help the Union win the war,” Whelan says.
The Love Boat is streaming now on Paramount+.
