Radisson Seven Seas Cruise Lines will not be servicing Bermuda in 2006 ? however Tourism Minister Ewart Brown is already actively pursuing other options to replace the Radisson ship .

The decision was made after Radisson sold one of their main ships, the , a move which resulted in the redeployment of the to Europe in 2006. For 2005, however, the ship will continue as an occasional weekend-caller to Bermuda.

The , though with only about a third the passenger capacity of other cruise ships visiting Bermuda, is a more upscale ship whose passengers, while few in number, have deep pockets and are more willing to spend.

Hamilton retailers told last summer of the notable impact made by passengers in their stores.

?(The ship) certainly reflects the highest quality visitor we get off of the cruise ships,? David Hamshere, managing director of Tess Ltd. (which owns Aston & Gunn, the English Sports Shop, the Crown Colony Shop, Marks & Spencer, Archie Brown, and Cecile?s, among others) said at the time.

?The rest of the cruise ship (passengers) are certainly spending but not to the same extent that the Seven Seas Navigator (passengers) do ... There certainly has been a boost in sales.?

?Radisson Seven Seas Cruises is a luxury cruise line and we were fortunate to have the sail to Bermuda for the past three years,? Radisson chief executive officer Mark Conroy said in a press release yesterday.

?Unfortunately, with the departure of the , we are one less ship in our fleet. As a result, a decision was made to redeploy the to Europe to fulfil our visitor commitments and obligations.

?We are very appreciative of the warm welcome that we received from the Ministry of Tourism and Transport and the people of Bermuda, and we hope to continue to foster this relationship in the future.

?It is hoped that when our fleet expands again, we will have a regular presence in Bermuda. In the meantime, we will seek to have occasional calls to Bermuda that do not conflict with the contracted ships.?

?Bermuda has enjoyed a very cooperative relationship with Radisson Seven Seas Cruises,? Dr. Brown said. ?I have been assured that this decision, although unfortunate, is not reflective of Bermuda or the cruise product that we offer.

?We will continue to work to provide a destination that is both high-quality and competitive with other ports, and I am confident that we will find a suitable replacement vessel in time for our 2006 cruise ship season.?

The visited Bermuda 15 times in 2004, staying in Hamilton and St. George?s.

The ship, each of whose cabins has a private balcony, carries 500 passengers.