Tag Archives: Regent Seven Seas

Norwegian in talks to buy Oceania and Regent parent

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Norwegian in talks to buy Oceania and Regent parentNorwegian Cruise Line was last night reported to be in “advanced talks” to take over the parent company of luxury lines Oceania and Regent Seven Seas Cruises for around $3 billion.

Reuters cited “people familiar with the matter” and said a deal could be announced as early as this week.

A deal would give Norwegian, a company with a market value of $6.8 billion, access to Prestige Cruise Holdings’ luxury ships and affluent clientele as it competes with larger rivals Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises.

But sources cautioned that the talks could still fall apart. The owner of Prestige Cruises, private equity firm Apollo Global Management, also owns a 20% stake in Norwegian.

Miami-based Norwegian Cruise operates 13 cruise ships in North America, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, Central America and the Caribbean. It had revenues of $2.57 billion in 2013, up 13% from 2012.

Oceania and Regent together have eight cruise ships operating worldwide. Prestige posted revenues of $1.2 billion in 2013, up 6% from the year earlier.

Prestige registered with US regulators for an initial public offering in January. Apollo has been the company’s majority shareholder following an $850 million deal in 2007.

Apollo made a $1 billion investment in Norwegian in 2008 and the company went public in January 2013.

Carnival, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian together account for 82% of the North American cruise passenger berth capacity, according to Prestige Cruises’ initial public offering registration document.

Norwegian and Prestige representatives did not respond to requests for comment, while an Apollo spokesman declined to comment, according to Reuters.

Construction begins on Seven Seas Explorer®: The Most Luxurious Ship in the World™

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July 15, 2014 by 

Construction began this morning for Seven Seas Explorer at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa, Italy. The crisp pop of a cork being freed from a Krug Grande Cuvée magnum initiated a laser, which cut the ceremonial first piece of steel for the new ship.  Incorporating a bottle of the world’s finest champagne to start the building process is symbolic of the high level of sophistication and design being developed for Seven Seas Explorer, which is scheduled to debut in summer 2016.

The ceremonial first piece of steel cut this morning will serve as the foundation for an opulent, one-of-a-kind suite unlike any other at sea. The owner’s suite resplendent with exquisite stonework and luscious fabrics will serve as a hallmark for the superior level of elegance found throughout the ship.

During the ceremony, Kunal S. Kamlani, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises®, and Gabriele Cocco, senior executive vice president of merchant ships for Fincantieri, began a countdown that culminated with Maison Krug Italy’s master sommelier, Michela Cimatoribus, releasing the cork from a magnum of Krug Grande Cuvée.  As the cork soared and the champagne flowed, confetti cascaded down and the laser cut the first piece of steel for the 750-passenger ship.

 

“We’re one step closer to fulfilling our dream of building the most luxurious ship in the world and giving our guests another exciting option to explore inspired global destinations with our special brand of all-inclusive luxury,” noted Kamlani.  “Seven Seas Explorer will surpass the current standard in luxury cruising, offering a new level of grandeur throughout the ship from its lavish suites to its elegant public spaces and gourmet restaurants.”

When she debuts in the summer 2016, Seven Seas Explorer will establish a new benchmark for style and service. At 54,000 gross-registered tons and carrying only 750-guests, Seven Seas Explorer will boast the highest space ratios and staff-to-guest ratios in the cruise industry, as well as an opulent one-of-a-kind suite unlike any other at sea.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises will begin taking reservations for her maiden voyage and inaugural season in early 2015.  Will you be among the first to sail aboard ‘The Most Luxurious Ship Ever Built™?

Cruise lines and tour ops cancel visits to Ukraine, Crimea

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By Michelle Baran

Sevastopol's Monument to Scuttled ShipsAs Russia annexed Crimea and the Ukraine government began to withdraw its military personnel from the peninsula this week, travel suppliers began cancelling visits to Ukraine and Russia, as well as to Crimean destinations.

Cruise lines have begun altering some of their Black Sea sailings to bypass previously scheduled port stops in Odessa, Sevastopol and Yalta.

Windstar, Oceania, MSC, Regent Seven Seas and Azamara have substituted port calls in alternative countries, including Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.

Silversea canceled calls to the Crimean peninsula for the April 25 Black Sea sailing of the Silver Wind and for the July 21 departure of the Silver Spirit. However, should the situation in Crimea improve, the line said it would consider returning to its original itineraries.

Viking Cruises has a 12-day Footsteps of the Cossacks river cruise on the 196-passenger Viking Sineus, which sails from Kiev into the heart of the Crimean peninsula, with port stops in Sevastopol and Yalta. But its Ukraine departures begin in May, and the company has yet to decide if it will cancel any sailings.

“Though we know our passengers are paying attention to the developments on the ground, we have not yet seen significant cancellations,” Richard Marnell, Viking’s senior vice president of marketing, wrote in an email.

During a speech earlier this month at a dinner event to celebrate the christening of its latest generation of river cruise ships, Viking Cruises Chairman Torstein Hagen said that while nearly all of Viking’s river cruise capacity through the end of October was sold out, space was still available on its Ukraine sailings.

Many tour operators have already canceled either part or all of their 2014 tour itineraries that include stops in Crimea, offering affected passengers refunds or the option to rebook travel elsewhere.

Globus canceled all 2014 departures of its Ukraine and Crimea tour; Insight Vacations is no longer offering its 12-day Ukraine, Moldova and Crimea tour; and Intrepid Travel has canceled three Ukraine departures through mid-June.