Princess Cruises to appear in fly-on-the-wall documentary

By Robin Searle 

Princess Cruises is to appear in a primetime four-part fly-on-the-wall documentary on ITV.

The cruise line has revealed that camera crews were given behind-the-scenes access to Royal Princess after it was launched last year by the Duchess of Cambridge.

The results will appear in four episodes of The Cruise Ship, though broadcast dates have yet to be announced.

Paul Ludlow, Princess Cruises managing director for the UK & Europe, said the line was given no editorial control over the series.

But he believes the results will provide a boost for the cruise industry in general, and Princess sales in particular.

“This is the single biggest thing happening for cruise this year as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

“This idea has been in the pipeline for a while now and it quickly became something very exciting.”

He added: “It will show the cruise industry in a really positive light and demonstrate the incredible experiences our guests have on board. Our crew are the stars of the show and it reflects how hard they work.”

The programme allows Princess to once again capitalise on the excitement generated when the duchess helped christen the ship, according to Ludlow.

“There was a great feeling in the industry when the Duchess of Cambridge launched Royal Princess and this will bring back a lot of that feeling,” he said.

“This will only have a positive effect for us as a brand and for bookings.”

Last year, BBC2 broadcast The Cruise: A Life at Sea, a series focusing on the chaplain on Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Balmoral. It drew criticism that it reinforced perceptions that cruises were for older people, but the line’s Nathan Philpot reported “over £1 million in sales” in the three days after the first show.