Paul Gauguin Luxury Cruise Ship For Sale Once Again?

Rumors have floated for months now that Vantage Travel, owner of luxury cruise ship Paul Gauguin, had put up the beautiful ship for sale. Every so often, the whispers would get louder only to die down again. This time, however, may be different.

You may recall that Regent Seven Seas Cruises has managed this ship in French Polynesia for many years. However, they are turning over the reins to Paul Gauguin Cruises in January 2010.

Yesterday, Seatrade Insider published an article citing sources that a sale of the cruise ship was "imminent". The buyer is reportedly Richard Bailey, owner of Tahiti Beachcomber SA.

Mr. Bailey owns four InterContinental properties in French Polynesian: InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa, InterContinental Tahiti Resort, InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort, and InterContinental Moorea Resort. He is also the primary player in The Brando eco-resort that's currently being developed on the late Marlon Brando's private island, Tetiaroa, in French Polynesia.

If the details are correct, Tahiti Beachcomber SA will own m/s Paul Gauguin while Paul Gauguin Cruises, headed up by President David Giersdorf, will manage and market the vessel. The names David Morris and Marilyn Conroy (both formerly of Silversea) have also been bandied about as possible industry insiders who may be characters in this new chapter of Paul Gauguin's book.

It will be interested to see how all of these rumors and reports pan out. Stay tuned for more details.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com