Last week, a real-life guest on board The Real Love Boat Australia 2022 slammed production after her holiday was “ruined”; however, she was actually talking about the US version of the show.

ICYMI: For its maiden voyage, filming took place on the Regal Princess, with host Darren McMullen steering the contestants on the romantic waters of the Mediterranean, the same ship used to film The Real Love Boat US.

As reported in episode 223 of the So Dramatic! podcast, passengers on board the ship have now claimed that filming of the Aussie version did NOT impact their vacay.

the real love boat
There were real-life passengers on board the Regal Princess while filming The Real Love Boat Australia, and it turns out they weren’t mad at the Aussie version Source: Ten.

In an interview with Yahoo! Lifestyle, a woman — known as Ms Johnson — said she wouldn’t have joined the ship if they had known the “potential disruptions”, including “step ladders” across the bottom of her sun lounger “ready for filming”.

Ms Johnson also added that the cast would often be overheard making remarks about “free drinks”.

Another passenger, Casey Plessel, also took to social media to say that her accommodation on the ship had been “downgraded as they prioritised the crew”.

A photograph was shared on Facebook of the production crew filming onboard the vessel. Source: Facebook.

An Australian Contestant Revealed they Didn’t Have Any “Free Drinks”

Now, an Australian contestant has come forward, pointing out to So Dramatic! that they may have been referring to the US version starring 90s heartthrob Jerry O’Connell and his wife and Ugly Betty actor Rebecca Romjin.

In the passenger’s defence, Captain Paolo Arrigo was the same for both versions, but we digress…

the real love boat us
An Australian contestant pointed out that the guests may have referred to the US version starring Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romjin. Source: CBS.

“I’m thinking maybe this person was travelling during the US filming?” the cast member told So Dramatic!.

“We didn’t have any free drinks,” they added. “Haha, our medallions didn’t include drink packages!”

According to our insider, the US version had a “far bigger budget” and was filmed straight after their series.

“Their format was different to ours,” the insider dished. “[They had] a lot more contestants, and they had challenges where we didn’t have challenges at all.

“Cointreau sponsored us, so production controlled our drinks, not the ship bar.”

the real love boat kissing
The cast would often be overheard making remarks about “free drinks”. Source: Ten.

Passengers Received a Letter from Princess Cruises When They Embarked on the Regal Princess

Upon embarking on the ship, passengers were given a letter by the US and Aussie production teams.

“We’re excited to share that during this voyage, we will be filming a new television series titled The Real Love Boat, a reality-based program inspired by the iconic TV show,” it read.

“The production team will be filming at various locations and times around the ship. We hope you’ll enjoy getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse of some television magic during your vacation.”

the regal princess
Guests received a letter from Regal Princess upon embarking on the ship. Source: Facebook.

Furthermore, a well-placed So Dramatic! source revealed that other guests were “thrilled” by seeing television in the making.

“Heaps of guests asked the contestants for photos and loved watching,” they said.

“The cast was learning the guest names and would wave and say ‘hi’ when they saw them!”

Want even more goss? Listen to episode 223 of the So Dramatic! podcast with Megan Pustetto below!

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