I think the other reviewers pretty much covered all the problems with this movie, so I'm not going to waste your time with a lengthy review. I do think that because this movie got off to such a weak start, it became difficult to stay committed to it. The acting was not strong enough, and for the most part, it disappoints. Still, there was enough substance in it for me to watch it until the end, perhaps because it took part on a cruise ship, and not in the usual Hallmark venues, although I did truly fall asleep in the middle. I suspect a stronger cast along with a better script might have made a substantial difference.
49 Reviews
Flat, sad, boring.
rightisright13 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Okay, the leads are married in real life. And obviously bored with each other. As mentioned in other reviews, they have obviously no chemistry.
The only fun in this movie is the supporting characters. Look, that's Audrey Landers from Dallas as the mother! Look, the mother's boyfriend is the jerk married guy from Mystic Pizza!
Love at Sea
JoBloTheMovieCritic20 July 2019
Flat and stupid
Jackbv12319 August 2018
How can two people married in real life have no chemistry on the screen? It's probably bad acting as so many reviewers have said.
Did the writers know anything about how things work? 1- New aspiring Cruise Director must do everything right so what does he do, he changes up the event planner's schedule without asking. True he made a good recovery, but before that, he compounded his error with an arrogant attitude. 2- If you are counting on a celebrity for a guest spot as central to your whole event, then you have a contract with huge penalties. Since she is supposedly a rich heiress, she knows about lawyers and can get good ones. Better, and especially if you are a no-risk person, you don't bank on anyone as unstable as Preston. 3 - She has no self-confidence. She is hung up, compulsively, on her ex's opinion. She repeatedly gives up. This is not a self-starting lone business woman. In fact, she gives independent women a bad name. 4 - Neither of them should have time for anything but their jobs. And if they are the driven people they are supposed to be, nothing interferes with that. Combined, 3&4 mean these are not authentic driven people. 5- Cruise personal have NO free time. They work two or three jobs and 15-18 hour days, with no breaks They don't wonder the deck chit-chatting and talking about "getting back out there" or play mini-golf. (Despite what we saw on Love Boat.)
One thing I think was accurate is that Cruise Directors are very talented in their own right. Olivia is unlikable and partly because she is so uptight. Her insecurities got tiring. Tony is trying to hard (or is it the actor Carlos trying to hard.
Yes, the movie is a 2 hour commercial for Royal Caribbean. It is a beautiful and impressive ship. {Wow, Olivia's cabin was amazing.) So it didn't bother me.
Did the writers know anything about how things work? 1- New aspiring Cruise Director must do everything right so what does he do, he changes up the event planner's schedule without asking. True he made a good recovery, but before that, he compounded his error with an arrogant attitude. 2- If you are counting on a celebrity for a guest spot as central to your whole event, then you have a contract with huge penalties. Since she is supposedly a rich heiress, she knows about lawyers and can get good ones. Better, and especially if you are a no-risk person, you don't bank on anyone as unstable as Preston. 3 - She has no self-confidence. She is hung up, compulsively, on her ex's opinion. She repeatedly gives up. This is not a self-starting lone business woman. In fact, she gives independent women a bad name. 4 - Neither of them should have time for anything but their jobs. And if they are the driven people they are supposed to be, nothing interferes with that. Combined, 3&4 mean these are not authentic driven people. 5- Cruise personal have NO free time. They work two or three jobs and 15-18 hour days, with no breaks They don't wonder the deck chit-chatting and talking about "getting back out there" or play mini-golf. (Despite what we saw on Love Boat.)
One thing I think was accurate is that Cruise Directors are very talented in their own right. Olivia is unlikable and partly because she is so uptight. Her insecurities got tiring. Tony is trying to hard (or is it the actor Carlos trying to hard.
Yes, the movie is a 2 hour commercial for Royal Caribbean. It is a beautiful and impressive ship. {Wow, Olivia's cabin was amazing.) So it didn't bother me.
Worst movie
meglevmet13 October 2018
Don't know what the other reviewer's watched.....
breemoria10 March 2019
I'm a big fan of Carlos PenaVega & i thought he delivered very well. And he can sing. Alexa Vaga shone less but i saw the spark between them. It was a very introspective view for the two leads. The writing was good & ship life was well represented. You can see the end coming, though there was another possible scenario. I liked the problem solving the writers invented. They didn't introduce the cheesy interupted kiss but the usual misunderstanding was there as well as the couple unwilling to make the first approach to the other with their true feelings. My wife says there are in reality only about 5 basic storylines and i thought the actors made the most of this story. I thought William Moses played his part extremely well & Audrey Landers was very fine, as always.
2 hour commercial
acborgia12 August 2018
I would call this movie more of a 2 hour commercial for Royal Caribbean than an actual movie. The storyline was annoyingly choppy and felt over after the first hour. According to an interview I read the lead actors were asked their dream movie and said one on a cruise ship, meaning this whole movie was a workcation for the stars. Unless you are looking to sail Royal Caribbean or huge fans of the PenaVegas just pass.
Voice of dissent
whitney-m-sorensen2 September 2019
All these reviews are so negative and yeah, this wasn't the best Hallmark movie and was FULL of product placement (if you can call a cruise a product) but it wasn't a 1. If anything, the leads actors seemed too familiar with each other but I wouldn't say they had zero chemistry.
Didn't hold my interest
dowdnl18 August 2018
I have to agree with the other reviewers. This movie was dull and boring. I usually love Hallmark movies and watch them everyday but thia one did not do it for me! Sorry Hallmark you disappointed on this one bit I'll keep watching as even the best can make a mistake sometime
Loved the singing act
teresa_ramirez10 April 2022
This is a typical Hallmark movie & I do agree with others that this too-cute couple over does the corny bit & lacks the real onscreen chemistry, but a lot of Hallmark movies have these issues. I thought this was cute & liked the cruise ship background for a change of pace. I had no idea Carlos could sing, wow, that was nice! I enjoyed the movie 😊
Pass on this one
LtlHippo18 August 2018
Beautiful movie!!
sarabearxo-8258112 August 2018
Slow cruise to nowhere
tecbear22 August 2018
This was sad example of Hallmarks great past movies and excellent series. Poor story and plastic actors. Hope others might like this, but wouldn't bet a dime on that happening. I am firm follower of Hallmark this just doesn't make the grade.
Not Worth Your Time
smithduke16 August 2018
When "grandma" showed up and looked almost as young as Alex PenaVega, I was done. Nothing up to that point captured my attention. For the most part, I don't think husband and wife teams are good together in romantic movies. Probably a thing in the back of my head that is saying there is no anticipation for first love/romance. That's what I love in romantic movies. First romance/love. You can skip this one in my opinion.
Not the only one!
dianamicalson13 August 2018
Thought maybe I was just being a sourpuss, but I see others have the same opinions. Bad acting: relationships that are not believable, emotions that don't come through as authentic, botoxed faces and stiff-as-a-board bodies, lack of continuity among scenes in level of energy and character development... a long list of items needing improvement. Seems like a longer rehearsal period might have been helpful. No love and romance generated in this one!
Oh, yes. It might have been an ad for a certain cruise line, but, hey, reviewers - I didn't notice the brand of coffee or that Christmas tree in this movie! Did I miss them when I fast-forwarded? :-)
Don't Wast Your Time
YabbaDabbaDabba16 August 2018
This is probably the worst Hallmark movie ever. We made it through about 20 minutes or less and that time was painful. It just wasn't working. I was antagonized by the whole concept, plot, and the actors (and I use that term very loosely). The actors didn't gel; nobody was likeable. The lines and delivery were amateurish and offended me. Being gracious, it doesn't even rate as a "B" movie and probably not even a "C" if there is such a thing. I would have bleached my DVR drive if that is possible to ensure it could never be found.
dont waste your time
ronbokirk12 August 2018
It's hard to understand how one "actor"( I use the term loosely) can have such a bad effect on an entire movie, but that is what happens when the casting director puts a person with no acting ability in a lead role. Must be politics.
The story line would have been great,and the female lead could not have been better. The background was nice.
I was only able to watch about half of it and had to turn it off it was so bad. This is the second time Hallmark has made a dud using him. They should have learned their lesson. Like I said , must be politics.
So cute!
hollywoodstar-9333225 July 2022
Love at Sea Sinks
mjb194 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I have not seen every Hallmark movie, but if there is another one worse than this one, I'd hate to see it.
The leads are married in real life, yet are flat and boring onscreen. It may just be that since I know they're married, it's in the back of my head and there's no semblance of realism in that "first glance", "first bump", and especially that "first kiss."
The story seemed choppy and thrown together, and the ending looked like the writers realized, "OOPS! We're at the time limit - let's wrap this up!"
The Mom's boyfriend just taking it upon himself to show up on the ship uninvited would have been a HUGE red flag, and nobody I know would have thought it was OK to pull a stunt like that. And, the "mysterious woman" was poorly presented and revealed. If he had really been as head over heels about the Mom as he professed, he would have been eager to introduce her to the Mom and Alex. This, and the guy's whole part, seemed to make no sense at all.
Skip this one - you'll end up realizing that two hours of your life went by that you can never get back. This is the Titanic, and not the good one.
The leads are married in real life, yet are flat and boring onscreen. It may just be that since I know they're married, it's in the back of my head and there's no semblance of realism in that "first glance", "first bump", and especially that "first kiss."
The story seemed choppy and thrown together, and the ending looked like the writers realized, "OOPS! We're at the time limit - let's wrap this up!"
The Mom's boyfriend just taking it upon himself to show up on the ship uninvited would have been a HUGE red flag, and nobody I know would have thought it was OK to pull a stunt like that. And, the "mysterious woman" was poorly presented and revealed. If he had really been as head over heels about the Mom as he professed, he would have been eager to introduce her to the Mom and Alex. This, and the guy's whole part, seemed to make no sense at all.
Skip this one - you'll end up realizing that two hours of your life went by that you can never get back. This is the Titanic, and not the good one.
Sappy Bad Acting Movie
marthaa-2413313 August 2018
Please do not waste 2 hours of your time. I don't know where Hallmark gets these non-acting people. That angle with adding their son is over the top because he did not fit.
The only good thing about this movie was the views.
Gives seasickness a whole new meaning
wagdiddy7 October 2019
Get your kidney-shaped vomit basin ready! Love at Sea? More like Sick at Sea.
Hallmark, are Carlos and Alexa volunteering? --- because that would be the only semi-valid reason they keep getting acting gigs. I'm sure they're wonderful people but acting is not their strength. If they must be in a movie due to studio politics, then keep their dialogue to "Welcome aboard!", "Watch your step!" and "Hope you enjoy your cruise." Leads in a movie? I don't think so.
Looking at how low everyone rated this movie, how does it come up with 5.6 stars? From what I could determine, only one person gave it higher than a 2 and that was Alexa's mom, so it should be thrown overboard.
And I must mention how I did not enjoy Audrey Landers. That woman can't act either. And she's got to be way older than 63. Come on! She was old when I was a little kid and the original Dallas was on TV! Also, was she told to channel Marilyn Monroe in this role? Didn't work.
This movie should be shown to all prospective and current cruise directors, with the caveat that if this is how they perform their job, they will immediately be made to walk the plank. Which brings me to a gross error in this movie: cruise directors are never alone---they have a underling or three with them at all times, ready to carry out their orders, in addition to the fact that they have no time to socialize with anybody.
Did I enjoy anything about Love at Sea? Of course. The cruise ship setting was nice. I loved some of the ocean shots (probably stock footage). Carlos has a pretty decent voice so I enjoyed his song. I like that it was only 88 minutes. Wes' Mystery Companion did a nice job. Yes, I could have turned it off but I kept hoping that the real actors would come on and fix everything.
Hallmark, my family and I love most of your movies. My DVR is full of ones that we've yet to see. We will spend hours on snowy weekends this winter enjoying these, so please don't give up. Love at Sea, however, missed the boat. In fact, it was pretty shippy.
Hallmark, are Carlos and Alexa volunteering? --- because that would be the only semi-valid reason they keep getting acting gigs. I'm sure they're wonderful people but acting is not their strength. If they must be in a movie due to studio politics, then keep their dialogue to "Welcome aboard!", "Watch your step!" and "Hope you enjoy your cruise." Leads in a movie? I don't think so.
Looking at how low everyone rated this movie, how does it come up with 5.6 stars? From what I could determine, only one person gave it higher than a 2 and that was Alexa's mom, so it should be thrown overboard.
And I must mention how I did not enjoy Audrey Landers. That woman can't act either. And she's got to be way older than 63. Come on! She was old when I was a little kid and the original Dallas was on TV! Also, was she told to channel Marilyn Monroe in this role? Didn't work.
This movie should be shown to all prospective and current cruise directors, with the caveat that if this is how they perform their job, they will immediately be made to walk the plank. Which brings me to a gross error in this movie: cruise directors are never alone---they have a underling or three with them at all times, ready to carry out their orders, in addition to the fact that they have no time to socialize with anybody.
Did I enjoy anything about Love at Sea? Of course. The cruise ship setting was nice. I loved some of the ocean shots (probably stock footage). Carlos has a pretty decent voice so I enjoyed his song. I like that it was only 88 minutes. Wes' Mystery Companion did a nice job. Yes, I could have turned it off but I kept hoping that the real actors would come on and fix everything.
Hallmark, my family and I love most of your movies. My DVR is full of ones that we've yet to see. We will spend hours on snowy weekends this winter enjoying these, so please don't give up. Love at Sea, however, missed the boat. In fact, it was pretty shippy.
Stinker at Sea
patrickcullen-1495110 January 2019
Wow. A stinker on every level. The "acting" in particular is abysmal, the storyline is utter drivel and the dialogue is so corny it is physically painful to listen to. A particular low point is when the plot is suddenly contrived for the lead "actor" to sing "you're just too good to be true" to the equally dreadful lead "actress." I just wanted to die. Never have I prayed so hard for an iceberg.
No chemistry
stephaniehobbs5 February 2019
Family vacation cruise movie
arkemp-196306 August 2022
This was a great movie. The stars Alexa and Carlos with their son Ocean were wonderful. Ocean is a natural, just like his parents. It was also good to see Audrey Landers William Moses, It was was also good to see some fun things to do on board.
Didn't Keep My interest.
wolfamy-5973230 January 2019
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