Actress Jill Whelan, famous with The Love Boat television show, becomes the “Celebrations Ambassador” of Princess Cruises. Whelan will help to spread the message that special occasions become extraordinary when celebrated on one of the company’s cruise ships or in a spectacular destination.
Whelan’s appointment is being announced to coincide with Mother’s Day and, being a mother herself, she has some insights for those celebrating their moms this coming weekend.
Whelan is well-qualified to represent Princess Cruises’ celebrations experiences. Not only has she been godmother to three of the company’s cruise ships – Dawn Princess, Caribbean Princess and, most recently, Regal Princess – she got married onboard Caribbean Princess and, along with the rest of the Love Boat cast, rode aboard the line’s float in the iconic Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. on New Year’s Day.
In a national survey about Mother’s Day conducted for Princess Cruises by Wakefield Research, the line discovered a disappointing finding – that more than one in three Americans (34%) didn’t do anything for their mom last year on Mother’s Day, not even sent a card. This year, the survey found that 79% of Americans have procrastinated to purchase their mom a gift for Mother’s Day.
“As a mom myself I know that what many moms appreciate is a thoughtful recognition of the day. There shouldn’t be pressure to find the perfect gift; the greatest gift is to tell your mom how much you appreciate her and all she’s done for you,” said Whelan. The actress should know as she has two sons, ages 10 and 20.
She shared other survey insights including if money were not an object, the number one gift for Mother’s Day would be a luxury cruise (35%), followed by a premium spa experience (22%) and a new wardrobe (21%). And in a nod to her work in television, the survey revealed that the TV mom most Americans would want as their mom is Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch (33%), followed by Claire Huxtable from The Cosby Show (28%) and Claire Dunphy from Modern Family (17%).
As Celebrations Ambassador her role will include representing Princess at various trade and consumer travel and lifestyle shows, authoring a series of celebration guides for an array of special occasions, staring in a celebrations video series, and she will occasionally cruise aboard Princess ships to surprise guests who are celebrating a special occasion.
