New residential ship emerges for the cruise market

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 21 March 2025 21 March 2025

Crescent Heights, one of the country’s largest and most prestigious real estate developers, today announced the launch of Crescent Seas, an exclusive new residential model offering luxury residences at sea. Designed for discerning travelers accustomed to the private oasis of the yachting lifestyle, Crescent Seas now brings Crescent Heights vision of creating magical communities in the sky to the high seas.

Crescent Seas will launch with the Navigator – in agreement with the ship’s owners, which are affiliates of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH). It will undergo an extensive and top-grade refurbishment of more than $50 million. Three elite design firms are working with Crescent Seas to complete the redevelopment, Lissoni & Partners, Journey and MAWD, each responsible for respective features across the ships. The Navigator will feature 210 residences, ranging from $750,000 to $8 million. Amenities will include white-glove butler service for all units and Starlink internet connection to allow for remote work or schooling. Residence sales will open to the public on April 9th, with a sales gallery in Miami available for prospective buyers. The Navigator will embark on its maiden voyage in December 2026. Crescent Seas also plans to announce four more luxury residence ships over the next five years.

Russell W. Galbut, a founding partner of Crescent Heights and a leader in the cruise industry, is spearheading the growth of Crescent Seas, “After spending so much time on the seas, we noticed that travelers yearned for more. People on the ships kept telling us they wanted to live this luxurious lifestyle. So, we decided to select ships with the right configurations to convert to the most magnificent cruising yachts,” Galbut said. “With most of the earth’s surface covered by water, it only felt right to use our 50 years of development expertise on land, to create the most magical residences at sea. Why vacation to just one gateway city when you can be at home and live in all the greatest gateway cities around the globe? After hand-selecting this ship, we hired the same experienced management teams to operate the ship for the first 10 years of operations. We are delighted to be able to provide luxury homes to people that will carry them to places they’ve only dreamed of.”

Unlike traditional commercial cruises, owners of these best-in-class residences will journey on extended voyages around the world staying in each destination for 2 to 3 days. The adventurous itineraries will span across all seven continents, reaching some of the most far stretched destinations on the planet. Marisa Galbut, President of Crescent Seas stated, “Residents will venture to exotic parts of the world to explore places like French Polynesia, the Faroe Islands and Madagascar.”

Ensuring a first-class level of service, each ship will be continuously operated and maintained by their existing crews; and the day-to-day on-board hospitality services will continue to be handled by the existing service provider, The Apollo Group. With more than 50 years of experience in the cruising industry, The Apollo Group will provide the highest level of service and dining for every resident as they have in the past.

"We are delighted to announce that Navigator will continue to sail the ocean with Crescent Seas. While we know Navigator is a favorite to many guests, with our two new Prestige Class ships on order, this agreement allows us to optimize our fleet while ensuring Navigator continues creating unforgettable memories at sea." said Jason Montague, Chief Luxury Officer of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Crescent Seas is being launched through GFO Investments, Galbut’s global family office and a major investor in Crescent Heights. As Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Crescent Heights, Galbut has an exemplary track record of developing urban projects in gateway cities across the country including Ten Thousand Santa Monica Blvd and The Remington in Los Angeles, Forma Miami, and the redevelopment of 25 Broad Street in New York City into the most desired homes and residences. Galbut’s development expertise coupled with his over 23-year tenure in the cruise industry gives Galbut a unique vantage point to meet the current market demands and drive the success of Crescent Seas.

Fincantieri delivers first Prima Plus Class ship

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 13 March 2025 13 March 2025

Today Fincantieri and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) celebrated the delivery at the Marghera (Venice) shipyard of Norwegian Aqua, the first ship of the expanded Prima Plus Class that Fincantieri is building for the cruise line.

The ceremony was attended by Biagio Mazzotta and Pierroberto Folgiero, respectively Chairman, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri, and by Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager of the Fincantieri Merchant Ships Division. Present for the shipowner were Harry Sommer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, and David J. Herrera, Brand President of Norwegian Cruise Line.

At 156,300 gross tons and a length that spans 1,056 feet, Norwegian Aqua is 10% larger than the first two Prima Class vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, which also feature the craftmanship of Fincantieri, providing guests with wide open space, thoughtful art and design and more unmatched experiences, including the Aqua Slidecoaster, the world’s first-ever hybrid rollercoaster and waterslide; the Glow Court, a new high-tech digital sports complex with an interactive LED floor; as well as the Aqua Game Zone, a multi-faceted entertainment space filled with immersive and virtual reality games. Moreover, Norwegian Aqua features the most expansive 360-degree outdoor promenade to date, Ocean Boulevard.

Over the past few months, more than 4,000 people, including Fincantieri staff and partner companies, have worked tirelessly onboard this new ship. In addition to the delivery of Norwegian Aqua, the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera will experience another milestone tomorrow, with the launching ceremony of Norwegian Luna, the sister ship to Norwegian Aqua, scheduled for delivery in spring 2026. A double event which further strengthens the close relationship between Fincantieri and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, coming just weeks after the announcement of a landmark order for four approximately 226,000 tons cruise ships - the largest ever built for NCL by the Group.