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Kate Gosselin will host a cruise in August aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.
Can’t get your fill of celebrity culture from your TV or Twitter feed? Not a problem.
Sign up for the just-announced Kate Gosselin cruise and you can sail away with the two-time reality-TV star ("Jon & Kate Plus 8," "Kate Plus 8"), former “Dancing with the Stars” competitor and celebrity blogger for CouponCabin.com.
B-list celebrities don’t die, it seems, they just find new ways to market themselves.
“Part of it is a realization that celebrities as we have traditionally thought of them were folks who weren’t accessible to us,” said Carla Santos, associate professor of tourism management at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“You’re never going to be on a cruise with Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie so the next best thing is someone who’s had a few minutes of fame,” she told msnbc.com.
Consider some of the other less-than-A-list cruises currently available:
- The Weezer Cruise: Almost two decades after hitting the charts, the popular ‘90s band will be sailing from Miami to Cozumel on the Carnival Destiny, Jan. 19–23. Everybody sing: Ooo-wee-oo, I look just like Captain Stubing, oh-oh, and you’re Julie McCoy ...
- The Star Trek Cruise: Quick, can you name the characters played by John Billingsley, Denise Crosby and Garrett Wang on the various iterations of "Star Trek?" Neither can we but, apparently, they’re the featured celebs on a Celebrity cruise that will boldly go, well, to the Western Caribbean. Alas, dates are not currently available, perhaps due to a fluctuation of the time-space continuum, the machinations of the Borg or a general lack of interest.
- Love Letter Cruise: You’ve heard him on land, says the website, you’ve heard him on the radio but you’ve never heard him at sea. Who’s him? That would be R. Kelly, who’ll be crooning his way from Miami to the Bahamas on the Carnival Destiny, Oct. 1–6. Think “Bump ‘N Grind” meets the motion of the ocean.
Live Poll
What themed cruise would you rather board?
Gosselin, of course, adds a new twist to the concept of celeb-hosted cruises as her accomplishments basically amount to achieving fame for being famous. Still, if you want to meet Kate in person, have your photo taken with Kate and receive a personalized gift from Kate, well, mark your calendar for Aug. 12–19 when the Allure of the Seas will set sail for the Western Caribbean.
In the meantime, consider the fact that the close quarters of a cruise ship can be both a blessing and a curse, especially when it comes to mingling with someone best known for controlling behavior, public meltdowns and terrible dancing.
“The cruise setting is interesting,” said Santos. “It works perfectly for what they’re trying to create, which is closeness and the ability to rub elbows with these folks.”
On the other hand, she added, “You can’t leave unless you decide to jump ship.”
For some reason, the vision of a Kim Kardashian cruise just popped into our heads.
More stories you might like:
- Cruise the Caribbean with ... Kate Gosselin?
- Cruise ships to set sail, commemorate Titanic's sinking
- New around-the-world cruises in 2012
- Best new cruise ships of 2012
- How safe is that cruise ship, anyway?
Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
We're all nerds in this house, and we do not like fake themed cruises, outside of the natural features ones, like whale-watching, bird-watching, volcano or glacier explorations. No surprise that the "Star Trek" cruise is still unscheduled.
I can only ask, "Why?"
Gosselin is "B" list? I'd move her further down...like "Z" list
My thoughts exactly!
Amen!
She is only "B" list because MSN has a PR deal with the cruise line. Plain and simple.
Why on earth would I want to meet any of these people? Now if they offered a cruise with someone who'd actually accomplished something, say a a major archaeologist, geologist or paleontologist. Even a well known historian...
Why?.......Why? I don't understand this societies need to idolize or flock to "celeberties" especially ones that suck. Why would anyone subject themselves and lock themselves away on the same vessel with a bunch of desperate celebs for more than 24hrs?
Because Americans are retarded. Crap like this is why I no longer get TV.
Another has-been trying to keep her name in the news. I wouldn't walk across the street to see this idiot.
Let me know when the Adult Film Industry Cruise starts up.
what kind of lame sea trip would this be?? I think I would rather have a root canal than be stuck at sea with kate g. they better have lots of FREE liquor, and just wait till she starts talking about her kids... friggin "BLAH,BLAH,BLAH
I would cross the street to avoid meeting Kate Gosslin
And just think - people will actually PAY to be on these cruises.
1. How did Kate G (and the others) get elevated to B-list?
2. I'd hate to book a cruise only to find myself on one of these themed cruises. At least most ships are big enough to avoid the "featured" celeb(s).
Who'd pay to be around the self-centered, pathetic, insecure woman that is Kate Gosselin??