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International Shipping Partners has taken delivery of Clipper Pearl (ex Dream, ex Song of Norway)
International Shipping Partners has taken delivery of Clipper Pearl (ex Dream, ex Song of Norway) on behalf of Pearl Owner Ltd., a company in Torben Jensen’s growing Clipper Group.
ISP serves as administrative manager of Pearl Owner Ltd. and commercial and technical manager of the 1,258-passenger vessel, which is scheduled to undergo an upgrade in Turkey before being available for charter in the spring.

The ship was built in 1970 as the first in the fleet for Royal Caribbean Cruises and was later enlarged with the addition of a new midsection. The current tonnage is 22,945.

Cunard Line's Newest Ship, the Queen Victoria, Is Christened in Southampton
The Duchess of Cornwall officially named Cunard Line's newest ocean liner, Queen Victoria, on December 10 during a colorful and regal ceremony in front of a VIP audience of more than 2,000 guests, celebrities and dignitaries.

A milestone in Cunard and British maritime history, this historic occasion marks the continuation of a long tradition of senior Royals naming Cunard liners. Every one of the Cunard Queens has been named by a member of the Royal Family.

Queen Victoria is not only a classic Cunard ocean liner, offering the very best of Cunard heritage and traditions, but is also the second largest Cunarder the company has ever built. She departed on her Maiden Voyage on Tuesday December 11, 2007.

Apollo Management paid approximately $1 billion to acquire Regent Seven Seas Cruises from Carlson
Bloomberg and other financial journals report that Apollo Management paid approximately $1 billion to acquire Regent Seven Seas Cruises from Carlson. Within the past year, the New York investment firm has invested more than $2 billion in the cruise business.

 

No dollar figure was released in the statement to travel agents, but it was revealed that both Regent Seven Seas President Mark Conroy and Oceania President Bob Binder will report directly to Frank Del Rio, Chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

 
One of the sticking points has been the issue of possibly separating Regent cruises from the hotel side of the company. In his letter Conroy explains, "We will partner with Carlson to continue to grow the Regent brand at sea and on land. In addition to our plans to grow Regent at sea, Regent Hotels & Resorts will continue to operate and grow as part of Carlson Hotels Worldwide."

From the desk of Mark Conroy - President of RSSC
We have some exciting news to share with you about our company. Regent Seven Seas Cruises is being purchased by Apollo Management LP, a New York-based investment group, from Minneapolis-based Carlson.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises will be placed under the ownership of Prestige Cruise Holdings, Inc. (PCH), a corporation controlled by Apollo which will manage certain cruise portfolio assets of Apollo. NCL Corporation will remain a separate holding outside of PCH.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises will remain a wholly independent brand under my guidance as president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and will continue to operate from its Fort Lauderdale, Florida headquarters, and reservations will continue to operate from Omaha, Nebraska. Oceania Cruises will remain in its Miami headquarters, headed by Bob Binder, president of Oceania Cruises. Both Bob and I will report directly to Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

In addition to the strong brand recognition and award-winning products of both brands, there is something else we both share - our commitment to our travel partners. The success of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and our new sister brand has been driven by you and the agency community as a whole. Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises are both renowned for their relationship with the agency community and that is something that will only get stronger as we build new ships, chart new destinations and explore new opportunities with our travel partners.

For you, this change of ownership will not have any impact on your relationship with Regent Seven Seas Cruises or your clients' experience on our ships. So the key messages I wish to share with you are:

Regent Seven Seas Cruises will continue to operate as a stand-alone brand
We will continue to deliver the same great experiences that your clients have enjoyed and that have made us successful
There are no plans to make changes to our existing offerings or published schedules
Our core management team and key personnel on land and at sea will remain intact
We will partner with Carlson to continue to grow the Regent brand at sea and on land. In addition to our plans to grow Regent at sea, Regent Hotels & Resorts will continue to operate and grow as part of Carlson Hotels Worldwide, the world's ninth largest hotel company. The Regent brand will continue to offer to our guests the very best in luxury service and travel experiences, including the finest personalized service and warm and friendly hospitality worldwide.

We are excited about the future of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and we will keep working with you to provide the very best luxury cruise experience for your clients. Thank you for your continued support of Regent.

Kindest personal regards, 

Mark S. Conroy
President, Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Miami's newest party boat launched

The Launch Party welcoming the Venetian Lady to Miami Beach and the re-introduction of Biscayne Lady Yacht Charters to Miami Beach was a very successful and well attended event. Just in time to benefit from the coming holiday season the new ship will be a welcome addition to the company's fleet.  For availability and bookings contact our office.