' ("The Dream Ship") is a German television drama series by

ZDF ZDF (), short for (; ), is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all federal states of Germany ( ...

. The series, about a

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

that travels to places around the world, debuted in 1981 and became one of the most-watched television shows in Germany. As of 2024, more than 100 episodes have been produced. It was primarily filmed and set aboard the MS ''Deutschland'' cruise ship as it sailed to tourist destinations around the world. The destinations depicted are usually the result of

product placement Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of t ...

. In 2015, the depicted ship was switched to the . The television producer is Wolfgang Rademann. MS Deutschland as seen from Stadersand on 13 May 2012

In 2007, a ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine article described the series as a Love Boat"-like cruise liner skein.'Meza, Ed.
ARD, ZDF dominate German ratings
" ''

''. October 5, 2007.

Forerunner

The series repeated some clichés that had already successfully been used in

Heinz Rühmann Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (; 7 March 1902 – 3 October 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a Ge ...

's feature film '' The Captain'', which had been based on Richard Gordon's novel ''The Captain's Table''. Romances excluded, the films are reminiscent of the times when sea voyages were more affordable and safer than air travel, at the turn of the 19th century.

Premise

The premise of the series resembled the American TV series ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

''. It presented a place where all kinds of people appeared as guests and could hereby show a variety of extraordinary characters, fates, schemes and relationships. Guests either brought their problems with them or just got into trouble by encountering folks they would not have met under normal circumstances. Still, everything would lead to a happy-end in each episode.

Actors

Captain Heinz Hansen was played by Heinz Weiss who in younger years had been successful on the silver screen as Jerry Cotton's best friend and colleague Phil Decker. When Weiss left the character of Hansen in 1999, he was replaced by Captain Jakob Paulsen, played by

Siegfried Rauch Siegfried Rauch (2 April 1932 – 11 March 2018) was a German film and television actor. In a career spanning over 60 years, he appeared in several international film productions and had leading roles in numerous German television productions. ...

. Rauch left the series in 2014 and was followed by Sascha Hehn as Captain Victor Burger with the 2014-screening.

In other media

The series is referenced by several episodes of the drama series '' Deutschland 86'' and '' Deutschland 89''.

References

External links

''Das Traumschiff'' at ZDF
* German drama television series Television series set on cruise ships 1981 German television series debuts 1990s German television series 2000s German television series 2010s German television series German-language television shows ZDF original programming {{germany-tv-prog-stub