Cruising in the Fast Lane: Formula One Meets Regent Seven Seas

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

Luxury cruising has always been about access — to far-flung destinations, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and indulgences you can’t replicate on land. But this past July, Regent Seven Seas Cruises took that idea to another level with its first-ever Spotlight on Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team Voyage, a ten-night Mediterranean sailing aboard Seven Seas Splendor.

From the moment guests stepped aboard in Barcelona, there was a sense that this was no ordinary sailing. The ship, already known as “luxury perfected,” had been infused with the pulse of Formula One. The energy was unmistakable — part adrenaline, part elegance — as guests arrived to find a full-size Aston Martin Aramco race car replica gleaming under the sun on deck. Nearby, a professional-grade Aston Martin simulator buzzed with activity, letting guests test their reflexes against virtual circuits. Even the cocktail menus had been reimagined for the occasion, with racing-inspired drinks poured tableside in the Grand Lobby, where the hum of anticipation set the tone for the voyage.

On board, the program was as much about access as it was about atmosphere. Pedro de la Rosa, Aston Martin Aramco team ambassador and veteran of more than 100 Grands Prix, was not just a figurehead but a host. Guests encountered him everywhere — during intimate meet-and-greets, while answering questions in packed Q&A sessions, or leaning casually on a podium as he unpacked the art of reading a race (or in the gym — one of his favorite spots on-board). His passion was infectious, and his candor pulled back the curtain on the sport’s intricacies.

Photo Credit: Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team

De la Rosa wasn’t alone. Engineers, executives, and design experts from the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team joined him, leading masterclasses and workshops that revealed the unseen world of F1: how cars are built to shave milliseconds, how strategies are developed in the heat of competition, and how design innovation shapes both racetrack performance and road cars. Even Aston Martin’s luxury automotive side made its presence felt, with workshops that connected the dots between motorsport heritage and the design DNA of its road cars.

The ship itself became a living extension of the partnership. Days at sea were filled with panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and screenings of F1 documentaries. Evenings often began with champagne toasts on deck before shifting into themed parties and live music in the Grand Lobby. Guests shopped for co-branded merchandise in the boutique — from sleek jackets to race caps — and exchanged stories with fellow travelers who shared a passion for speed, design, and luxury.

And then there were the ports. The itinerary was deliberately plotted with racing heritage in mind, beginning with de la Rosa’s hometown of Barcelona, where guests traced the city’s ties to the sport. In Valencia, they soaked up culture and cuisine with the knowledge that the city’s streets had once hosted roaring F1 engines. But the crown jewel was Monte Carlo — an experience that turned the Riviera into a playground for racing royalty. Guests could choose packages inclusive of touring the Classic Car Collection, stepped onto the iconic Monaco Circuit, peek inside Prince Rainier’s personal garage, sip aperitivos overlooking Port Hercule, surrounded by the yachts and skyline that have long defined Formula One, choose a panoramic helicopter flight, the ultimate race-day arrival and departure, offering sweeping views of the Mediterranean glittering below, or — the piece de resistance of the cruise — a trackside experience.

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

For travelers who wanted even more, Regent crafted pre- and post-cruise land programs to stretch the adventure. Before boarding, some guests took the wheel themselves, driving the historic Montjuïc circuit in Barcelona, complemented by wine-soaked Catalan lunches and scenic helicopter rides. After disembarking in Rome, others headed north to Bologna and Modena to dive into Italy’s automotive heartland — Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, and the legendary Imola circuit. And for true die-hards, the ultimate encore awaited: a flight to Budapest for an Aston Martin Aramco race weekend during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

What made this sailing extraordinary was not just the itinerary or the programming, but the seamless way Regent wove together two worlds that thrive on precision and spectacle. From the martini cart rolling through Splendor’s marble-clad lobby to the roar of F1 engines echoing through workshops and simulators, it was a voyage where every moment felt curated, cinematic, and rare.

It wasn’t just a cruise. It was a celebration — of travel, of innovation, and of the enduring glamour of Formula One.

The Seven Seas Splendour Onboard Experience

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

Stepping onto Seven Seas Splendor feels less like boarding a ship and more like entering a palace at sea. Regent designed her to embody “luxury perfected,” and it shows in every gleaming marble surface, every chandelier that catches the light just so, every thoughtful touch that makes the difference between a nice voyage and an unforgettable one.

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

The Regent Suite

For those who want the utmost in luxurious cruising, book the Regent Suite — which, at the very top of the ship, perched high on Deck 14, is a destination in its own right. At more than 4,000 square feet, it’s larger than most homes, with wraparound glass giving way to 270-degree views of the sea that feel endless. There’s a private in-suite spa with a sauna, steam room, and Jacuzzi — the kind of retreat that means you never need to leave your suite to indulge. The living room centers around a custom Steinway grand piano, the dining room is fit for a chef’s table, and the bedroom houses a Hästens Vividus bed — hand-made in Sweden and considered the most luxurious mattress in the world. Guests of the Regent Suite are whisked into a lifestyle few ever experience: a personal butler, guaranteed reservations at every specialty restaurant, unlimited in-suite spa treatments, and chauffeured cars in every port. It’s not just the best suite on the ship — it’s one of the most extravagant accommodations at sea.

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

Dining Destinations 

One of the great joys of Seven Seas Splendor is that dining feels like a journey within the journey. Each restaurant has its own personality, its own sense of theater:

• Chartreuse brings the elegance of Paris to sea, reinterpreting French classics with modern flair in a jewel-box dining room that feels straight out of Saint-Germain. Think duck confit reimagined, delicate soufflés, and wines curated to surprise and delight.

• Compass Rose, the flagship restaurant, is one of the most unique dining concepts afloat. Guests build their own menu each night, mixing and matching fresh seafood, prime cuts of meat, sauces, and accompaniments to create a dining experience that’s entirely their own.

• Pacific Rim transports guests across Asia with bold flavors and dramatic design — from sushi and sashimi to Thai curries and Korean barbecue, served beneath a golden dragon installation that practically demands to be photographed.

• Prime 7 is the ship’s American steakhouse fantasy: leather banquettes, rich wood, and perfectly charred cuts of beef that arrive sizzling, alongside lobster tails and indulgent side dishes.

• Sette Mari at La Veranda offers rustic Italian charm — house-made pasta, hearty Tuscan fare, and seaside seating that makes every meal feel like a long Italian summer evening.

• Coffee Connection is the ship’s social hub, where guests linger over cappuccinos and pastries by day and light bites by evening. It’s casual, elegant, and always buzzing with conversation.

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

Bars & Lounges: The Art of the Cocktail at Sea

Luxury is often best experienced through the smallest rituals — an aperitif before dinner, a nightcap after a day ashore, a glass of champagne that somehow tastes better when sipped at sea. On Seven Seas Splendor, the bars and lounges aren’t just places to drink — they’re destinations unto themselves, each with a distinct personality.

• Meridian Lounge: The ship’s central social hub, where guests gather before dinner or after shows. The vibe is sophisticated but approachable — live music sets the tone, and bartenders mix inventive cocktails alongside timeless classics. It’s the place to see and be seen.

• Splendor Lounge: Relaxed, chic, and versatile, Splendor Lounge feels like the living room of the ship. By day, it’s quiet and comfortable; by night, it transforms into a lively space with dancing and entertainment. It’s where evenings have a way of stretching later than expected.

• Observation Lounge: Perched high on the ship with sweeping views, this is the crown jewel for pre-dinner cocktails. Plush armchairs, live piano music, and floor-to-ceiling windows make it the perfect perch for watching the sun sink into the sea. It feels cinematic.

• Horizon Lounge: The most energetic venue on board. By day, it’s airy and casual with ocean views; at night, it becomes the heart of late-night fun — cocktails, music, dancing, and an energy that pulses long after dinner ends.

• Pool Bar: Casual, sun-drenched, and effortless. Perfect for sipping frozen daiquiris or crisp rosé while stretched across a lounger, with the sea as your backdrop.

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

Opulence in the Details

What sets Seven Seas Splendor apart is not just the marble (though there are acres of it) or the chandeliers (more than 500 throughout the ship). It’s the artistry behind every choice. Italian stone gleams underfoot, exotic woods warm the interiors, and curated art — including original Picassos — lines the walls. Every corridor, every lounge, every suite feels like a space meant to be admired, not just passed through.

The ship doesn’t overwhelm with grandeur; instead, it seduces with intimacy. The lighting is soft, the fabrics lush, the colors rich without being ostentatious. It feels like stepping into an art collector’s private world — elegant, refined, and quietly breathtaking.

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

The Service Factor: Nearly One-to-One Attention

On Splendor, the true luxury isn’t marble or chandeliers — it’s service. With fewer than 750 guests and more than 540 crew, the ratio comes close to one-to-one. That means you’re not just a name on a manifest; you’re a person with preferences remembered. The bartender recalls your cocktail after one night. The waiter knows how you take your coffee. Your butler anticipates what you’ll need before you even think to ask.

It’s a style of hospitality that feels invisible when you want privacy, yet suddenly appears exactly when you want to be indulged. The rhythm of the service becomes part of the experience — a seamless dance that makes every guest feel singular, special, and cared for.

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

Entertainment and Enrichment at Sea

Evenings on Splendor are no afterthought. The Constellation Theater hosts lavish productions with Broadway-quality staging, while lounges hum with live jazz, piano sets, and dancing under glittering lights. The casino beckons with old-world glamour, while Horizon Lounge turns into a lively late-night venue for cocktails and conversation.

But the enrichment is just as compelling. The Culinary Arts Kitchen lets guests roll up their sleeves in hands-on cooking classes inspired by regional cuisine. The spa offers holistic wellness programming that extends from sea to shore. And Regent’s shore excursions are curated to complement the enrichment on board — so that a cooking class in the morning might pair with a vineyard visit in the afternoon, bringing the journey full circle.

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

The Splendor Standard

What makes Seven Seas Splendor extraordinary is not one single thing but the way it all comes together: the art, the design, the dining, the entertainment, the service. It’s a ship that delivers opulence without excess, intimacy without compromise, and indulgence without apology.

At sea, surrounded by marble and chandeliers, sipping a perfectly balanced martini that the bartender remembered from the night before, you realize Splendor isn’t just a ship. It’s a state of being — polished, elevated, and unforgettable. 

Off the Boat: How to Explore the Mediterranean in Style

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

On board Seven Seas Splendor, the ten-night Mediterranean voyage didn’t just traverse water — it carved a curated path through the most cinematic and racetrack-infused destinations Europe has to offer. From departure to disembarkation, here’s every port the ship called on:

• Barcelona, Spain

• Valencia, Spain

• Ibiza, Spain

• Palma de Mallorca, Spain

• Marseille (Provence), France

• Saint-Tropez, France

• Monte Carlo (Monaco)

• Portofino, Italy

• Tuscany (Livorno), Italy

• Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

While the cruise packages can be wild — helicopters, Monaco race excursions, private wine tastings in Bordeaux and more — there are always those that prefer a solo adventure. Below, we break down a few recommended things to do if you’re venturing out on your own.

Valencia

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

VISIT: LLISA NEGRA

Llisa Negra is a standout restaurant in Valencia by chef Quique Dacosta that opened around 2018. It’s all about celebrating top-tier ingredients — think fresh shrimp, premium meats, and seasonal produce — prepared simply but with serious flair. What makes it unique is the open-fire cooking: paellas — which Valencia is famously known for — twirl away over orange wood and vine embers, and you can actually watch everything happen from your table.

Their menu sticks to what matters: clean, bold flavors, a bit of showmanship, but no overwrought fuss. There are killer rice dishes, grilled seafood and meats, a spider-crab salpicon, and even a dreamy molten cheesecake that people rave about. It’s also a Krug Embassy, so you’ve got top-notch champagnes to go with the meal.

It’s casual yet artful, familiar yet elevated—and a must-try if you’re into food that’s honest, a bit theatrical, but always delicious — and serves up the rarest prawns in the world,  carabineros – or scarlet – prawns, which, at 45 euros each, are certainly a delicacy worth indulging in.

ST. TROPEZ

Photo Credit: Zuma/Hotel Byblos

VISIT: NIKKI BEACH, BAGATELLE + ZUMA 

Nikki Beach: This is your never-fuss, always-chic kind of day — where you’re lounging poolside, signature cocktails in hand, the faint beat of a great DJ filling the air, and all your cares washed away by sun and sea. It’s that iconic Riviera moment you’ve seen in films — and immersed in it, you feel like the star.

Zuma: Fast-forward to evening, and picture something completely different — elegant, unforgettable, totally elevated. You’re under soft lights in a garden tucked away at Hôtel Byblos, sharing exquisitely crafted plates (think sushi, sashimi, robata grilled perfection), sipping a sake cocktail, all while the world slows just enough to taste its details. It’s refinement with heart, modernity with soul.

Bagatelle: Or maybe, you want dinner that turns right into party mode. Bagatelle serves up French-Mediterranean fare with a side of flamboyance — a mix of hearty plates, laughter that off-sets the music, and that unspoken energy of the Riviera’s wild side. It’s dinner with a wink, brunch with a pulse, an afternoon that glides into the night.

IBIZA

Photo Credit: Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay

VISIT: NOBU 

You arrive as dusk unfolds — sea-breezed and barefoot chic — knowing that you have to get back to the ship for an early departure. You want the vibes, want the party, but is there a point? Nobu gives you that dreamy, chilled out Ibiza vibe, a vastly different experience from Ushuaïa, where you’ll have to rush from, in danger of missing the boat, or Pacha, which doesn’t open until after you’re back on the open sea. So for that luxe, in-between, glamorous moment, dine at Nobu. The terrace is warmed by golden light and the faint crash of waves. You begin with something playful —a  spicy edamame or truffle-drizzled baby corn — then your palate nods as slices of yellowtail in yuzu-soy with jalapeño and coriander arrive: bright, delicate, poised.

Every dish arrives with care: Black Cod Miso, glossy and indulgent; Dover sole shimmering with shiso-ponzu; cubed tuna in dry-miso, each bite a note in a soft symphony of flavor. And the pairings? The sommelier is like a wizard, turning wine into conversation—flavors aligning like constellations on your tongue. You glide into nigiri, new-style sashimi, and maybe a wagyu ribeye kissed by Peruvian-inspired sauces.

MONTE-CARLO

Photo Credit: Studio Phenix

VISIT: ZIA AT HOTEL METROPOLE MONTE-CARLO

At Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo, Zia is a VIBE, especially at night. Sitting by the only Karl Lagerfeld-designed pool in the world (Odyssey), Negroni in hand, whiling away hours under the starry Monaco skyline. Here, you’ll share dishes that balance comfort and luxury — truffle-crowned pizzas, quirky pizzettes for dessert, and small plates that feel like vividly told stories. It’s luxury that doesn’t lean on formality: it’s indulgence, lightly worn and effortlessly cool — just the right place to let Monaco slow down around you.

PORTOFINO

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

VISIT: CAFFE EXCELSIOR BY DOLCE & GABBANA 

Caffè Excelsior by Dolce & Gabbana is Portofino at its most cinematic. Set right on the harbor in Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta, it’s not just a café — it’s a stage for la dolce vita. Think bold D&G prints splashed across umbrellas and cushions, Aperol spritzes catching the sun like jewelry, and that perfect Portofino backdrop of yachts bobbing in the bay. Order a cappuccino or a cocktail (the Negroni feels particularly right here), maybe indulge in a Paciugo — the historic ice cream sundae born at this very spot — and just let the piazza unfold around you.

Other Spotlight Voyages to Come

Photo Credit: Regent Seven Seas

If the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One voyage embodied adrenaline chic, Regent’s wider Spotlight Voyages program proves just how expansive the cruise line’s imagination really is. Each sailing is designed as a bespoke immersion into a world defined by taste, heritage, or artistry — and always with that Regent blend of luxury and access.

Take the Epicurean Spotlight sailings, for example. One voyage through Northern Europe featured James Beard Award winner chef Christopher Gross, who led guests through intimate dining events, cooking demonstrations, and wine pairings that celebrated the art of flavor. Another highlighted Napa’s Honig Vineyard & Winery, bringing sustainable winemaking to life on the Mediterranean through curated tastings and conversations with the family behind the label. And then there was the Montreal-to-New York sailing with Chef Tommaso Barletta and actor John O’Hurley, which paired Michelin-level cuisine with live performance — the perfect intersection of fine dining and entertainment.

For spirits enthusiasts, Regent introduced a whisky-focused journey across Norway, Scotland, and Ireland, guided by industry experts who curated tastings of everything from Highland single malts to contemporary craft blends.

Then there are voyages rooted not in flavor, but in legacy. On a Northern Europe sailing, guests partnered with genealogists from AncestryProGenealogists to explore DNA, trace family histories, and even walk in the footsteps of their ancestors in ports like Paris, Cork, and Antwerp.

And for those drawn to beauty’s deeper craftsmanship, the Spotlight on Fabergé sailing turned the Mediterranean into a backdrop for storytelling. Sarah Fabergé, great-granddaughter of the legendary jeweler, shared the history and artistry behind the house’s most iconic creations, giving guests a rare glimpse into the world of haute craftsmanship.

Each of these voyages captures Regent’s ethos: pick a passion — whether wine, cuisine, history, or heritage — and let world-class experts guide you. At sea, it’s about intimate access through talks, classes, or performances. Ashore, it’s about curated excursions that make those passions tangible. Together, it transforms travel into something more: a curated feast for the palate, the mind, and the soul.