Regent floats out Seven Seas Prestige, first cruise ship in new class for operator

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has floated out its first of a new class of cruise ship in Italy, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera.

The Miami-headquartered, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)-owned brand is still targeting late 2026 for the ship’s debut and said its newbuild, Seven Seas Prestige, has now moved into an "outfitting pier for its final construction stages".

According to Regent, the vessel’s debut sailing is set for December 2026. The vessel will be the company’s seventh cruise ship and the first of a planned three Prestige-class ships to enter service. 

"This central moment marks the beginning of an ambitious new chapter for Regent, with a second Prestige-class ship confirmed for 2030 and a third vessel announced for 2033," the line said.

In early November, Regent confirmed that its parent company NCL had confirmed an order with Fincantieri shipyards for a third vessel in the Prestige class. 

With a gross tonnage of 76,550 tonnes and a length of 257 m, the new vessels will carry 822 passengers and 630 crew and are some 40% larger than Regent’s existing vessels. 

Fincantieri’s Brunetta Casara served as Madrina, the traditional godmother during a ship’s floatout, shattering a champagne bottle against the hull, and cutting the ceremonial ribbon following a prayer by the shipyard chaplain and before the flooding of the vessel drydock. Regent senior director of projects Marco Spiga addressed attendees and expressed gratitude to Fincantieri for its continued partnership and collaboration in building Seven Seas Prestige.

Fincantieri has delivered 10 ships across NCLH’s various brands, and the current orderbook includes 13 additional vessels. These newbuilds include all of the company’s brands – Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises.