MS Regatta

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Regatta in Stockholm, Sweden, August 2007
Career
Name: 1998—2002: R Two
2002—2003: Insignia
2003—present: Regatta[1][2]
Owner: 1998—2001: Renaissance Cruises
2001—present: Cruiseinvest[1]
Operator: 1998—2001: Renaissance Cruises
2001—2002: laid up
2002—2003: Oceania Cruises
2003: TMR
2003—present: Oceania Cruises[1][2]
Port of Registry: 1998—2001: Monrovia, Flag of Liberia Liberia
2001—present: Unknown, Flag of the Marshall Islands Marshall Islands[1]
Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France
Cost: £150 million[3]
Yard number: I31[1]
Acquired: November 1998[1]
In service: 1998[1]
Identification: IMO 9156474[1]
Status: In service
General characteristics [1]
Class and type: R class cruise ship
Tonnage: 30,277 GRT
Displacement: 2,700 DWT
Length: 181.00 m (593 ft 10 in)
Beam: 25.46 m (83 ft 6 in)
Draught: 5.80 m (19 ft)
Decks: 9 (passenger accessible)[3]
Installed power: 4 × Wärtsilä 12V32 diesels
combined 13500 kW
Propulsion: 2 propellers[3]
Speed: 18 kn (33.34 km/h)
Capacity: 684 passengers (lower berths)
824 passengers (all berths)[3]
Crew: 386[3]

MS Regatta is an R class cruise ship, owned by Cruiseinvest under charter to Oceania Cruises.[3] She was built in 1998 by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France for Renaissance Cruises as MS R Two. Between 2002 and 2003 she sailed as MS Insignia before receiving her current name.[1]

Contents

[edit] Concept and construction

Renaissance Cruises had begun operations in 1989, with a series of eight small luxury cruise ships constructed during the course of the next three years.[2] In the mid-90s the company placed an order for eight identical 30,277 gross ton vessels with Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in France. The first ship in the series, MS R One, was delivered in June 1998,[4] followed by the R Two in November of the same year.[1]

[edit] Service history

Following her delivery to Renaissance Cruises in November 1998, the R Two was placed on cruise traffic in the Mediterranean. Renaissance Cruises went bankrupt on 25 September 2001, following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, and on 7 October 2001 the R Two was arrested in Gibraltar and subsequently laid up. Six of her sisters were also laid up in Gibraltar,[1][2] with only MS R Three and MS R Four absent as they were in the Pacific Ocean at the time of the collapse of Renaissance.[2][5][6] In December 2001 the R Two and the other former Renaissance ships laid up in Gibraltar were sold to Cruiseinvest, and subsequently moved to Marseille, France for further layup.[1][2][4][7][8][9][10]

In October 2002 the R Two was renamed Insignia, given a $10 million refit and chartered to Oceania Cruises, a new company founded by Frank Del Rio (the former vice president of Renaissance Cruises) and Joe Watters (the former CEO of Crystal Cruises).[1][2][11] Between 19 April and 14 June 2003 the Insignia was chartered to the French travel agency TMR, who marketed the ship under the name Vaisseau Renaissance (her registered name remained unchanged).[1] On 15 June 2003 the ship returned to Oceania Cruises service, but was renamed Regatta, as the name Insignia had been passed to her sister R One that had also been chartered by Oceania.[1][2][4]

[edit] Design

[edit] Exterior design

The R Two was built to a somewhat boxy, functional exterior appearance with a large square funnel. In Renaissance Cruises service her hull was painted dark blue, but in Oceania service this was changed to white with a thin blue stripe separating the hull from the superstructure.[3]

[edit] Interior design

The interiors of the Regatta are decorated in art deco style similar to the ocean liners of the 1920s and 30s with polished dark wood and warm colours,[3][12] described by Douglas Ward, author of the Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships, as being "stunning and elegant".[3] The ship retains most of her interior decorations from her days with Renaissance Cruises, although the lido area on deck 9 was entirely refurbished before she entered service for Oceania Cruises, while smaller changes were carried out in the cabins and restaurants.[12]

[edit] Decks

The decks plans provided by Oceania Cruises only include the lay-outs of passenger accessible decks.

  1. Unknown
  2. Unknown
  3. Outside cabins[13]
  4. Reception, outside and inside cabins[14]
  5. Boutique, casino, bars, main dining room, lounge[15]
  6. Suites, outside and inside cabins[16]
  7. Suites, outside and inside cabins[17]
  8. Bridge, suites, outside and inside cabins[18]
  9. Card room, gym, spa, internet center, swimming pool, beauty salon, cafeteria, bar, sundeck[19]
  10. Bar/lounge, library, grill restaurant, Italian restaurant, sundeck[20]
  11. Sundeck[21]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Asklander, Micke. M/S R Two (1998) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Boyle, Ian. Renaissance. Simplon Postcards. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ward, Douglas (2006). Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz, pp. 514-515. ISBN 981-246-739-4. 
  4. ^ a b c Asklander, Micke. M/S R One (1998) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  5. ^ Asklander, Micke. M/S R Three (1999) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  6. ^ Asklander, Micke. M/S R Four (1999) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  7. ^ Asklander, Micke. M/S R Five (2000) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  8. ^ Asklander, Micke. M/S R Six (2000) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  9. ^ Asklander, Micke. M/S R Seven (2000) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  10. ^ Asklander, Micke. M/S R Eight (2001) (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  11. ^ Oceania Cruises Reviews. Cruise Critic. The Independent Traveler (2007-06-12). Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  12. ^ a b Regatta Cruise Reviews. Cruise Critic. The Independent Traveler (2008-03-19). Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  13. ^ Deck Plans - Deck 3. Oceania Cruises. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  14. ^ Deck Plans - Deck 4. Oceania Cruises. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  15. ^ Deck Plans - Deck 5. Oceania Cruises. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  16. ^ Deck Plans - Deck 6. Oceania Cruises. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  17. ^ Deck Plans - Deck 7. Oceania Cruises. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  18. ^ Deck Plans - Deck 8. Oceania Cruises. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  19. ^ Deck Plans - Deck 9. Oceania Cruises. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  20. ^ Deck Plans - Deck 10. Oceania Cruises. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  21. ^ Deck Plans - Deck 11. Oceania Cruises. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.

[edit] External links

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R class cruise ships
Insignia · Regatta · Pacific Princess · Tahitian Princess · Nautica · Azamara Journey · Azamara Quest · Royal Princess
Oceania Cruises · Princess Cruises · Azamara Cruises