Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC) is expected to announce this week that it will no longer operate the Paul Gauguin in Tahiti after the 2009 schedule.
The 330-passenger luxury ship, which RSSC has operated since its launch in 1998, was sold in 2004 to Grand Circle Corp. Boston-based Grand Circle markets directly to consumers and does not pay travel agent commissions. Since Grand Circle acquired the vessel, consumers have been able to book it both through Grand Circle or RSSC.
Paul Gauguin Shipping Ltd., the Grand Circle subsidiary that owns the luxury ship, announced on Oct. 9 that it hired former RSSC Vice President Roy Grimsland as executive vice president of sales.


Grimsland has for years worked closely with travel agents at RSSC, West Paces Hotel Group, Royal Cruise Line, Costa and Norwegian Cruise Line. When Grand Circle acquired the Paul Gauguin, it announced that it would market, operate and staff the ship as it started operating in South America, the Mediterranean, the Baltic and Antarctica. Those plans obviously did not come to pass, and Grand Circle extended its management agreement with RSSC several times, the latest in October 2007 to continue through January 2010. For more information, visit Luxury Cruise Vacations from Regent Seven Seas Cruises or www.gct.com.

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