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Coco Warner Reporting The 70's tv show "The Love Boat" forever immortalized a cruise ship as the perfect place for romance. So a group of LDS singles decided to put that theory to the test.
So you begin with a cruise ship-- with an itinerary through Mexico and Central America-- add 400 plus singles who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the result? A week to remember.
Rob, Scott and Jarman are set to leave for warmer weather in just a matter of hours.
Scott Brady/29 years old: "I heard about the cruise from Rob Hanson, a friend of mine. Said there was a big LDS singles cruise going on. At first I thought it sounded pretty lame and didn't want to go at all. Then I heard a lot of people-- pretty much half of Salt Lake-- was going. I figured if I didn't go, I'd be stuck at home. I'd be doing nothing."
Rob Hanson/31 years old: "No expectations. Just I'm here to have a good time and scuba dive and get some sun and, you know, enjoy being out with some friends. But if something happens, great."
Jarman Lyle/30 years old: "Yeah, I'm just along for the ride. I don't know, I haven't done any planning."
Kari's been on a cruise with her single pals before, but nothing like on this scale.
Kari Eskelson/27 years old: "I'm expecting not really anything much, just to get to know people from all over. I know there are people coming in from all parts of the country and even outside of the country."
Maybe it's not the "Love Boat," but a big reason that a lot of these singles signed on is because they're, well, single. The guesstimate: 420 of them--that's almost one third of the ship, ranging from early 20's to early 40's. And according to our sources, there was a lot of socializing. Everything from making pyramids in the pool to hitting the dance floor. Some singles even tried dating while on board-- not a bad idea considering dinners are included in the price of the cruise.
But the big question-- did anyone find any real, lasting romance?
Rob Hanson/31 years old: "There are a couple of people that I think I would probably go out with or hang out with more, now that I'm here."
Scott Brady/29 years old: "Time will tell. There's a few numbers I came with."
Jarman Lyle/30 years old: "I brought back a few phone numbers, but no serious romance for the trip."
And even if the majority didn't make a love match, most people we talked to would go again.
Rob Hanson/31 years old: "Scott and I are planning on going on a cruise again next year. But hopefully, it will be a honeymoon-- not us, not us!"
Apparently word spreads of an LDS singles cruise every year through a chain of emails. The cruise line was Norwegian, and prices ranged from 550 to 700 dollars for the week-long cruise. Stops included Cozamel, Belize, and Rotan.
And now that we've talked about how people find love, tomorrow we'll look at how people fall in love.
