Jill Whelan on Where She 'Always Dreamed' HerLove BoatCharacter Vicki Stubing Would Be Today (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Jill Whelan on ‘The Love Boat’ in 1981 and in 2023.Photo:ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; JC Olivera/Getty

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; JC Olivera/Getty

Jill Whelan knows a thing or two about traveling!

TheLove Boatactress, 58, recently spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about her role as Celebrations Ambassador forPrincess Cruises, and where her character, Vicki Stubing, would be today.

Jill Whelan on the Royal Princess cruise ship on February 05, 2024 in Sydney, Australia.Rocket Weijers/Getty

Rocket Weijers/Getty

MacLeod, whodied in 2021 at age 90, played the captain on board the Pacific Princess, a real Princess Cruises ship at the time ofThe 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 originalLove 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!”

JILL WHELAN — THE LOVE BOAT — Airdate: February 5, 1983.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Last August, around 3,600 passengers joined Whelan and her castmates on the Enchanted Princess in Brooklyn, N.Y., for Princess Cruises’The Love BoatCelebration 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.

Duringthe seven-night sail, fans were treated to Q&A sessions fromThe Love BoatstarsFred Grandy,Ted Lange,Bernie Kopelland Whelan.

They also tested their sitcom knowledge while playingThe Love Boattrivia, had specialtyLove Boatcocktails and occasionally got to meet the actors when they ran into them on the ship.

THE LOVE BOAT — Season Three cast photo in 1979.Dennis Plehn/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Dennis Plehn/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

“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 thirdLove 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 theLove 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 herLove Boatcostars Lange, 77, and Grandy, 76.

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“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 Boatis streaming now on Paramount+.

source: people.com