SAN FRANCISCO -- Radisson Seven Seas Cruises took steps toward
building another ship that would operate in Tahiti, an executive of
the firm said.
"I think we will do well with a second ship," Mark Conroy,
president of the line, said during an event here showcasing
Radisson's newest vessel, the Paul Gauguin, to more than 1,000
travel agents on the West Coast.
The new ship would be constructed in France by the French
company Services et Transports and completed in the year 2000,
Conroy said. The ship would carry 400 passengers; the Gauguin
accommodates 320.
It has not yet been ordered, and design and costs have not been
determined. Following approval by French authorities, he said, the
order would be placed. If approved, Services et Transports, which
was the lead investor for the $200 million Gauguin, would receive
government subsidies under the same program that benefited the
construction of the Gauguin. In exchange for the subsidies, the
French government would require the second ship to remain based in
Tahiti for a minimum period. For the Gauguin, it is five years.
Conroy said the Gauguin has met its sales target with 65% of
capacity -- $34 million in reservations -- sold for 1998. "That's
what we had budgeted, so we're at our target," he said. "We expect
to end the year at 85% occupancy."
The biggest challenge in operating a ship year-round in Tahiti
on seven-night sailings is getting 320 passengers to Papeete for
the Saturday departures.
The carriers serving the U.S.-Tahiti route are Air France, Air
New Zealand and the French charter carriers Corsair and AOM.
The cruise line created a tiered pricing system for add-on air
fares, with Corsair and AOM the "value" choice and the other two
carriers the "tiare" choice.
Business class upgrades are available but limited.
In addition, all flights leave the U.S. West Coast in the
evening, arriving in Tahiti in the early morning hours, requiring a
"day room" at Papeete hotels before passengers board in the early
afternoon.