They were right! A new owner for Regent Seven Seas Cruises

It looks as if the reports yesterday were right.  Regent released the attached statement on their blog today:

"We have some exciting news to share.  The parent company of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Prestige Cruises International, has agreed to be acquired by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Ltd., parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line.

This is a significant milestone and an achievement only made possible with the hard work and dedication of the entire Prestige Cruises International family, from the officers and crew onboard our ships to the staff and management team here in Miami.

For our loyal guests, you can rest assured that the Regent Seven Seas Cruises experience you’ve come to love will remain unchanged.  At Regent, we pride ourselves on providing our guests with the most inclusive luxury experience at sea with included round-trip air, fine wine and spirits, unlimited shore excursions, specialty dining, ground transfers and gratuities. We continue to enhance our offerings for guests with our expanded free internet program that begins next year, and in summer 2016 we will introduce the most luxurious ship ever built with Seven Seas Explorer^®.

With Norwegian Cruise Line, we’ve found a partner that shares a similar passion for going above-and-beyond to deliver exceptional guest experiences and we’re excited about starting this new chapter for our company.

When the transaction is complete later this year, it will bring together three great brands as part of one family.  The combination will create a diversified cruise operator with a full spectrum of offerings that range from family cruising on Norwegian’s innovative Freestyle Cruising ships, to the country-club casual experience on Oceania’s fleet, to the all-inclusive, more intimate experience afforded by Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ luxury offering.

For the Regent Seven Seas Cruises brand, our mission will be to preserve the distinct offerings, guest experiences and unique onboard culture our guests cherish, while always exploring ways to further enhance our luxury experience."

It'll be interesting to see if this change in ownership has any effect on the Regent cruise experience, positively or negatively.  As someone that's sailed 175 or so days with them, I hope it'll be a positive development.  I for one will be watching as my next booking is likely to be next year after the acquisition.