The Circle of Life – What Ever Happened To The Love Boat?

The Love Boat has ended her long career and has been retired to a breakers yard in Turkey. That show put me off cruises throughout my youth and through the years when I could actually afford to book a cruise package. Perhaps I never paid attention before but Pacific Princess was so small compared to today’s cruising behemoths. Under 20,000 tons and only 646 passengers, which is what now passes for “intimate”. She sailed for Princess Cruises until 2002 and, as reported by USA Today, has since had a sketchy history and remained at port in Genoa Italy for several years before the seemingly inevitable fall of the axe.

I’m not nostalgic for seventies and eighties TV. It’s sad to see a ship that once seemed so modern be scrapped but there are still a dwindling few of that era left in service.

Here’s a jaunty tune captured on YouTube to take you back in time or maybe it’ll just stick in your head. Be warned.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/tbO2hlNb6w8[/youtube]

Maritime Matters Blog reported last that Pacific Princess has now been delivered to the breakers in Allegra Turkey, where she has been listing to starboard. It’s been a while since then so she may now have been completely scrapped. On arrival in Turkey there was an unfortunate incident in which eleven workers were poisoned by toxic smoke. Two later died in hospital.