Onsite: Regent Head Intimates a New Build

FORT LAUDERDALE-Regent Seven Seas Cruises' president Mark Conroy said his cruise line "has a 700-guest ship in the box," but added that the cost to build it may be too high. "When we ordered Voyager in 2001 it cost $250 million," Conroy said at the line's press conference at CLIA's cruise3sixty conference. "That cost without interest would be closer to $320 million today. The cost becomes more." Regent's current fleet totals four ships. In contrast to Regent, other high-end cruise operators are opening up the coffers and building new ships to capitalize on growing upscale demand. Oceania Cruises announced in March at the Seatrade Shipping Conference in Miami that it had an agreement in place with Italy's Fincantieri shipyard to build two ships at a total cost of $1 billion to be delivered by 2010 and 2011. The agreement includes an option for a third. At the same time, Silversea Cruises announced it would build a new 540-guest ship, also with Fincantieri, for delivery in 2009. In October, Seabourn Cruise Line got the luxury-build ball rolling when it announced a deal for two $250 million vessels for delivery in 2009 and 2010.