By Cathy Carroll
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Renaissance Cruises said it will spend
$300 million to build two ships that will become the largest to
sail French Polynesia, according to the line.
The 690-passenger ships, to be called R3 and R4, will enable the
line to tap a broader market for the South Pacific because it will
be competitively priced, Frank Del Rio, the line's executive vice
president, said.
The ships will enter the market in 1999.
"Our 10-day cruise tour product will include air out of the West
Coast and a price competitive to 10-day Carib-bean cruises. Given
the choice, I think Americans will choose the South Pacific. It is
undercruised and a heck of a destination." he said.
Tahiti, where the ships will have their home port, is not as far
away as most Americans think, he added.
It is seven hours and 30 minutes from Los Angeles, which is
about the same amount of time it takes to travel from the West
Coast to the Caribbean, via Miami or San Juan, Puerto Rico, he
noted.
The vessels will be built at Chantiers de L'Atlantique shipyard
in St. Nazaire, France, for delivery in April and October 1999, Del
Rio said.
They will be identical to R1 and R2, which are under
construction at the same shipyard, according to the line.