Julie (Lauren Tewes) prepares to marry her fiancé Tony Selkirk (Anthony Andrews) during a stopover in Sydney, Australia. She asks Vicki (Jill Whelan) to be her bridesmaid; Doc (Bernie Kopell), Gopher (Fred Grandy) and Isaac (Ted Lange) to be her ushers; and Captain Stubing (Gavin MacLeod) to give her away. Award-winning anthropologist Milo Endler (Harry Morgan) and Vivian (Katherine Helmond), his wife of fifteen years, are on their way to a dig in the South Pacific. Milo's disgraced colleague Deke Donner (José Ferrer) once embezzled a university's money to bet on the horses at the racetrack. In the South Pacific, Deke plans to present Milo with what could be the find of the century: a Mongala (Patrick Ward), a missing evolutionary link between animals and humans. But Milo is so busy with his work that he neglects frustrated Vivian, who takes a liking to Captain Stubing. New Zealand rancher Ralph Sutton (Patrick Duffy) has a secret that he won't share with English teacher and fellow passenger Barbara Carroll (Michelle Phillips), while young beauty Connie Wilker (Jenilee Harrison) has eyes for him. Gopher and Doc both compete for the affections of new cruise director Yvonne Petty (Delvene Delaney).
Vicki (Jill Whelan) models the bridesmaid's gown she plans to wear for Julie's (Lauren Tewes) wedding, while Isaac (Ted Lange) finds a flaw in the wedding gift that he bought on the crew's behalf. Barbara (Michelle Phillips) feels jealous of Connie (Jenilee Harrison) and Ralph's (Patrick Duffy) relationship and sends him a love letter, which Connie intercepts. Having been captured by Deke (José Ferrer) and Milo (Harry Morgan), the Mongala (Patrick Ward) is caged below in the hull of the ship. When Milo finds out some new information about the Mongala, Vivian (Katherine Helmond) issues an ultimatum. Gopher (Fred Grandy) and Doc (Bernie Kopell) continue their pursuit of Julie's replacement, Yvonne (Delvene Delaney). While the crew members are in Sydney for the wedding, Julie and Tony give them a tour of the Rossmore Animal Preserve, where Tony is on staff.
The Virgin Islands serve as a backdrop for the Grand Prix Wine-Tasting Competition, whose winner receives a $25,000 prize. Judge Alan Curtis (Robert Guillaume) starts a shipboard fling with Marion Blake (Leslie Uggams), without getting to know her well. Julie's Aunt Sylvia Duvall (Carol Channing) is on the cruise with her friend, Betsy Boucher (Betty White). Their scheme is for Betsy to meet the wine competition's sponsor Elliott Banning (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), marry him, and become a wealthy bride. But their efforts may be in jeopardy due to Sylvia's well-intentioned bumbling. Also among the judges is snobbish judge Vincent Van Durling (Lee Bergere), who seems like a front-runner for the grand prize. Annie and Kevin Butler (Tanya Tucker and Michael Goodwin) obtain a quickie divorce each year because filing their income tax as a married couple puts them in a higher tax bracket. This is their sixth planned divorce, and this time her impulsive high school classmate, Jeff Thatcher (Robert Walden), is on board as one of the judges in the wine competition. Vicki (Jill Whelan) impatiently waits to receive an autographed photo of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Pat Haden, after requesting it through the mail.
Top-rated
The crew is in Australia to work on one of the cruise line's ships based there. And a wealthy man named Farnsworth (Lloyd Bridges) has decided to invite his whole family for a reunion. But, in actuality, he wants to see who, among them, he should keep in his will. And among them is his niece, Marcia (Jessica Walters), who is not exactly fond of him, because she believes that, because of him, her father became penniless. And she brings along a friend, Jessica (Linda Evans), who has a knack of getting wealthy men to marry her, for the purpose of getting him to marry her, so that she could get what Marcia thinks she deserves. And he asks his niece, Jenny (Morgan Fairchild), and her husband, Bud (Grant Goodeve), to come but they're divorced so they have to pretend that they're still married. But after her fiancé (Alan Fletcher) calls, he comes aboard and refuses to leave and, when he's told there are no more cabins, he stays with them. And Farnsworth's secretary and niece, Eloise (Beth Howland), gets him a replacement valet, Wayne (Jim Nabors), who's not exactly what he's use to. And Wayne and Eloise get close. Gopher (Fred Grandy) thinks he might be related to Farnswoth and could be entitled to his fortune. Stubbing (Gavin MacLeod) meets an old flame's daughter, Melanie (Margaret Laurence). And when he has to go, she decides to join him and he keeps his distance because he can't seem to separate her from her late mother. And Julie (Lauren Tewes) can't help but think about Tony Selkirk (Anthony Andrews), the guy she nearly married but he chose not to get married because he was dying.
After having spent time with his family, William Farnsworth (Lloyd Bridges) has finally decided who will be kept in his will.