Regency Cruises
 | |
| Industry | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Anastasios Kyriakides and William Schanz |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Headquarters | New York, New York |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Cruises |
| Parent | Lelakis Group |
Regency Cruises was a Greek cruise company operating former ocean liners in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a fleet of former ocean liners, created by Anastasios Kyriakides and William Schanz.
History
The company began in 1984 with the MS Regent Sea, a former transatlantic ship built for Swedish American Line. In 1986, the company bought 3 container ships, the Axel Johnson, to be renamed Regent Sun, the Annie Johnson, to be renamed Regent Moon, and rebuilt and converted to cruise ships.[1] Regency Cruises would not proceed with the conversions and the ships would be sold to Costa Cruises. The third vessel Margaret Johnson, was to become Regent Sky, instead was sold to the breakers her steering gear and engines were rebuilt into the recently purchased Regent Star.[1]
In 1988, the cruise line would purchase the Royal Odyssey from Royal Cruise Line, and rename the ship the Regent Sun. In 1989 the line purchaes the unfinisihed hull of Stena Baltica of Stena Lines with the intent that the ship would become the lines first newbuild. Completion would be delayed many times, and the ship would only reach 60% completion by the time Regent want bankrupt.[2] By 1992, they had bought six ships adding Regent Spirit and Regent Rainbow to the fleet.[3]
In 1994 the line purchased the former car ferry M/S Canguro Verde, renaming her the Regent Jewel and invested a significant amount of money for the acquisition and refit.[4]
In 1995, Regency Cruises arranged to charter the Princess Cruises ship Fair Princess. Regency planned to operate the ship as the Regent Isle for the start of the 1996 cruise season.[2]
Bankruptcy
On Oct. 29, 1995 Regency Cruises announced its shutdown.[5] Warning sign were seen when several sailings were canceled primarily because the line did not receive financing for the purchase of Princess Cruises’ Fair Princess in mid-October. Travel agents were also seeing late commissions on books, the companies president Ron Santangelo, had resigned, and the Regent Rainbow had been arrested in Tampa.[4] A primary contribution to the bankruptcy was the acquisition and refit investment of $31.4 million in 1994 for the Regent Jewel.[4]
Following bankruptcy, half of ships would go on to sail for other cruise lines, while the Regent Sea, Regent Sun and Regent Star would never end up returning to service, and the under construction Regent Sky would never be completed, eventually being scrapped in 2012.[6]
Fleet
| Ship | Image | Built | In Service fo Regency | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regent Sea | 
|
1957 | 1984-1995 | Sank on way to Scrapyard in 2001 | Built as the Gripsholm for Swedish American Line |
| Regent Star | 
|
1956 | 1986-1995 | Scrapped in 2004 | Built as the Statendam for Holland America Line |
| Regent Sun | 
|
1964 | 1988–1995 | Sank on way to scrapyard in 2001 | Built as the Shalom for Zim Lines |
| Regent Rainbow | 
|
1958 | 1992–1995 | Scrapped in 2012 | Built as the Santa Rosa for Grace Line |
| Regent Spirit | 
|
1962 | 1992–1995 | Scrapped in 2009 | Built as the Anna Nery |
| Regent Jewel | 
|
1967 | 1993-1994 | Scrapped in 2013 | Built as the car ferry Canguro Verde |
| Never Entered Service | |||||
| Regent Sun | 
|
1969 | 1986 -1987 (Owned) | Scrapped 2014 | Purchased by Regency Cruises to be refitted into cruise ships, but sold before any work was carried out. |
| Regent Moon | 
|
1969 | 1986 -1988 (Owned) | Scrapped 2012 | Purchased by Regency Cruises to be refitted into cruise ships, but sold before any work was carried out. |
| Regent Isle | _ex_CARINTHIA._at_Overseas_Passenger_Terminal.jpg)
|
1956 | 1995 (Planned) | Scrapped in 2006 | Built as the RMS Carinthia for Cunard Line. Chartered for only one year prior to bankruptcy |
| Regent Sky | 
|
1989 | No Date Set | Scrapped in 2012 | Ship under construction that was 60% complete when Regency Cruises filed for bankruptcy |
References
- ^ a b "Costa Marina". www.castlesoftheseas.nl. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ a b Bailey, Jordan (2020-09-02). "Remembering Regency Cruises & The Abandoned Regent Sky". Cruise Capital.
- ^ "REGENCY DECLARES BANKRUPTCY". Deseret News. 2024-01-22.
- ^ a b c Industry News, Cruise. "Regency's Chapter 11 - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News".
- ^ "REGENCY DECLARES BANKRUPTCY". Washington Post. 2024-03-04. ISSN 0190-8286.
- ^ CruiseOctopus (2011-07-15). "The Rise and Fall of : Regency Cruises". CruiseOctopus.com.
- Bailey, Jordan (2020-09-02). "Remembering Regency Cruises & The Abandoned Regent Sky". Cruise Capital. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- Bailey, Jordan (September 3, 2020). "Remembering Regency Cruises & The Abandoned Regent Sky". Cruise Capital. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- Liam (July 15, 2011). "The Rise and Fall of : Regency Cruises". crociere.co.uk. Wesea. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- "Regency Cruises Ship Postcards". www.simplonpc.co.uk. Simplon postcards. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- Cudahy, Brian J. (2001). The Cruise Ship Phenomenon in North America. Cornell Maritime Press. ISBN 9780870335297.
- Plowman, Peter (2004). The SITMAR Liners: Past and Present. Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781877058257.
- Klein, Ross A. (2001). Death by Chocolate: What You Must Know Before Taking a Cruise. Breakwater Books. ISBN 9781550811728.