Ngaire got a good portion of the new ship info in spite of missing the meeting. The guest size was actually listed as 750 to 850 using 350 to 430 suites of 400 sq ft and up. Some suites would be multiple room for families and some would be designed for the single traveler.
They discussed having a CR that could seat 600, a La Veranda, 3 specialty restaurants and a full time snack bar that would take care of those returning late from excursions. All would be at the stern and the CR may have a high ceiling and large windows (applause from Diamond & PG lovers.)
There are also plans for a dedicated crafts room and possibly a dedicated cooking school room. There will be more open space throughout. The spa & gym will be larger; bathrooms will have both a full size tub and a separate shower and 7 ft high ceilings.
They are considering a retractable roof for the pool deck and enough deck space for everyone to have a lounge chair.
Although they have to charge more because of the cost (which is considerably more due to the $ to Euro exchange rate) there will still be value deals for early booking. As Ngaire said, it will make the other ships more attractive. The new ship will also lead to more interesting itineraries.
The new ownership of Regent & Oceania is too new to allow SSS type benefits to be interchanged between cruise lines, but that will be considered in the future. Even though R & O compete in some sense, Frank Del Rio said that they plan to keep O in the 3rd tier category and not compete directly with R, Silver Seas or Seabourne.
After the meeting there was a lunch for Tits, Plats & Golds in Signatures. Seating was assigned and each table had an exec hosting it. The menu was caviar, double consume, ceasar salad, a choice of halibut or filet and a delicious desert. French wine was served.
Ngaire boarded in time for trivia and joined our team which won for the second day. I was in town and missed trivia so it was good to have Ngaire there to lead us on.