In the world of brand partnerships, there have been some extraordinary – often unlikely – pairings. Balenciaga and Crocs raised a few eyebrows, certainly. D&G and Smeg resulted in some eye-catching kitchen appliances. And who can forget Van Gogh and Pokemon? Not so bizarre when you consider the response crashed the museum’s site when it launched. So, what about the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team and Regent Seven Seas? Fast cars and cruise ships? Racing and relaxing?
A curious partnership, you might think. Far from it. Consider Regent Seven Seas is one of the world’s most ultra-luxury cruise brands and Aston Martin is a name synonymous with high-end performance cars, and you can see that Venn diagram starting to join up. After all, who wouldn’t want to pull up quayside in their Vantage and walk up the gangway to their own yacht, eh? Well, the recent partnership launched earlier this year pretty much offers just that – and it just got a whole lot better.
It’s worth saying that in travelling to over 20 countries a year, Formula One is, arguably, as much a travel business as an entertaining sport, racking up China, Japan, Australia and Italy to date, as well as its most recent hop to Monaco. And many of its destinations are on the map when it comes to cruises.
And, of course, Regent is not your average cruise. “We are passionate about delivering an unrivalled experiences,” says Caroline Smith, MD of Regent Seven Seas, “We really are about ultra personalized service – if you look at the precision of Aston Martin in their engineering, we have that same precision and dedication to service. It’s all about personalization onboard our ultra-luxury ships.”
“So, as you’d expect,” Caroline contines, “when it comes to finding those experiences, not every brand partner is going to be the right fit for those discerning, high-end travellers. Cue Aston Martin.”
Since the launch, the first of their all-inclusive European cruises has set sail from Venice, on board the Seven Seas Grandeur, complete with a VIP race experience in Imola, for the Grand Prix, before continuing on a 10-night cruise exploring Montenegro, Greece, and Turkey. And as well as offering guests a VIP driving experience, the package includes a tour of the Formula One team’s state-of-the-art AMR Technology Campus in Silverstone.
This alone is worth the price of the ticket. Other than for selected ‘fans’, you can’t do this any other way – and needless to say there’s a great deal of secrecy in what goes on in these workshops. If you didn’t realise what goes into the car, the driver customisation, the attention to detail race-by-race – on my visit (ahem) the team were adjusting parts between Imola and Monaco to ensure the tiniest of marginal gains – this will be eye-opening and make you appreciate it all the more, fan or not.
As for the cruise, well, you wouldn’t want to travel any other way. Seven Seas Grandeur, Regent’s sixth and newest addition to The World’s Most Luxurious Fleet™, is home to a 1,600-piece art collection, the pièce de résistance of which is a custom designed masterpiece – ‘Journey in Jewels’– the first Fabergé egg to permanently reside at sea. Among the lavishness onboard, eight restaurants provide exquisite dining experiences, as well as entertainment in the two-tiered Constellation Theatre which showcases the talents of Grammy Award winners and world-renowned choreographers in stellar shows.
All this, however, is like a qualifying lap to the latest offering.
The partnership has just announced their first ‘spotlight’ voyage for Summer 2025 aboard Seven Seas Splendour which takes the experience to a whole new level. If the Grandeur tour was enough to float your boat (sorry), Splendour will have you positively wheel-spinning with excitement.
For a start, your host onboard is former F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa, who will lead a programme of onboard events alongside fellow team members, offering anecdotes and giving behind the scenes insights into how they prepare for races. The hosting team will also include members of the Lagonda crew behind the road cars, who will be sharing details around innovation, design and what goes into those majestic vehicles. And there’ll be a Formula 1 simulator as well as a replica Aston Martin F1 car onboard.
It’s not just about having an Aston Martin driver as your host, however. It’s a cruise, after all, and it’s as much about the destinations as it is the experiences. The route goes from Barcelona to Rome, and given the theme of the partnership, will be visiting ports steeped in motor racing history, including Monaco.
And, of course, there are the shore excursions. If you happened to catch the Monaco grand prix this Bank Holiday weekend, imagine driving a classic car round that famous circuit. Well, you can – that’s part of the package. Other excursions include visits to see prestigious car collections and helicopter tours. And if your F1 cup is still not quite spilling over, there’s a chance to add on a visit to the Hungary Grand Prix as part of the guest experience.
“The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team,” says Andrea DeMarco, President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, “is the epitome of high performance – which aligns perfectly with Regent’s world-renowned reputation for delivering unrivalled experiences. Together with Aston Martin Aramco team, we hope to deliver once-in-a- lifetime memories to all our guests.”
If only all brand partnerships could promise that.
To sign up for exclusive Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team news and offers, visit www.rssc.com, call 023 8082 1390 or contact your travel professional.
Photos courtesy of Regent Seven Seas Cruises®
