This month, ITV confirmed that the popular documentary series ‘The Cruise’ is returning for a third series - due to air in early 2018. The documentary series, which follows the lives of the crew members on board selected Princess Cruises vessels, offers an unparalleled insight into the day-to-day operation on board a cruise ship.
The previous two series were based onboard Regal Princess, as she sailed the Baltic, and Royal Princess, while she was based in the Mediterranean. The third series is due to be filmed this week and will focus on not one – but two Princess Cruises ships. As well as returning to Royal Princess, the series will also follow life on board Star Princess – delivering a new insight into the fleet operation.
It will also offer an insight into cruising into regions that are based further afield. The new series will follow Royal Princess as she cruises the Mediterranean throughout the summer – which will form the basis of the new series. However, there will also be two 30-minute specials focussing on the Star Princess in Alaska and returning to the Royal Princess during her Caribbean season.
ITV will, once again, be handing the responsibility of the series to Wild Pictures – which is one of the UK’s most popular documentary makers. In the previous two series, crew members including Hotel Director, Dirk brand, and Engineer, Scott Grayson, were shown in a positive light and have become stars in their own right.
Amidst this news, Channel 5 has also confirmed that Jane McDonald is in the process of recording a ten-part follow up to her own popular cruising documentary. The first series of ‘Cruising with Jane McDonald’ provided insights into ocean and river-based vessels from a range of lines including MSC Cruises, Holland America Line and Uniworld. Each of these lines has seen a huge surge in the number of bookings as a result of the TV exposure.
Princess Cruises has also seen a significant boost in bookings following the success of the first and second series. Vice President of UK and Europe for Princess Cruises, Tony Roberts, said: “The first series attracted 3.5 million viewers, which is considerably more than the 2 million cruisers in the UK.”
It goes without saying that cruising is fast becoming one of the most popular methods of holiday travel. Technological advances and incredible onboard enhancements across the entire industry has resulted in a wider appeal to the general public. The only problem is that enough people are aware of just how appealing the cruise product really is. TV programmes go a long way to not only giving exposure to a specific line, but to the whole cruise industry.
If you love cruising and possess strong business acumen, you may be interested to find out more about the business opportunity available with GoCruise. For more information about owning your own GoCruise Franchise, contact us via the freephone number above or complete the online application form.
