ITV’s hit documentary series The Cruise Ship came to a wildly successful close with Princess Cruises reporting that the final episode clocked up a huge 3.8 million viewers. The figure was the highest recorded across all four of the 30 minute episodes.
The documentary captivated viewers with its fly-on-the-wall insight into the life of senior crew members during the debut season of Princess Cruises’ brand new luxury vessel, Royal Princess. Playing out in the enticing surrounds of the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Atlantic, the cameras offered viewers an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at life on one of the industry’s most prestigious liners.
Get to know the quirky characters
Featured crew members included professional British hairdresser Kelly Woods, Australian born sous chef Brent Waterson, Canadian entertainer George Evans and guest hospitality manager Dirk Brand. From tackling mountains of dirty laundry and whipping up thousands of formal night canapés to delivering passenger luggage and transferring guests to a private island resort, the show covered anything and everything!
According to Paul Ludlow, UK/Europe managing director of Princess Cruises, the aim of The Cruise Ship was to offer viewers “a real sense of the behind-the-scenes activity that makes the ship tick.”
Millions of viewers tuned in to the ITV show!
Thanks to the outstanding number of viewers for the final instalment, the documentary enjoyed average episode viewing numbers of over 3 million. ITV confirmed its huge success, revealing that it was second in popularity only to its long running soaps.
While cruise getaways may seem to run like clockwork, the mouth-watering breakfast spreads, fast moving pool bar queues, freshly made beds and spotlessly clean interiors are all down to the tireless efforts of the huge staff base. As the 10th largest cruise ship in the world, the Royal Princess not only houses 3,560-passengers but is also tended to by 1,346 dedicated staff.
You can watch all four episodes of ITV’s hit documentary here.
