Cruises: Regent Seven Seas Cruises, voted the "#1 Small-Ship Cruise Line" in Condé Nast Traveler's 2007 Readers' Choice Awards poll, has scheduled a pair of summer 2008 voyages featuring "Spotlight on Food and Wine" enrichment programs focusing on food and wine, and highlighted by two top culinary stars: Cathal Armstrong, owner of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA and profiled in Food and Wine magazine as one of America's top 10 young chefs, and Michel Richard, owner of Washington, D.C. hot spots Citronelle and Central Michel Richard, this year named one of 10 American "restaurants that count" by The New York Times.

Regent Seven Seas is offering these 2008 Spotlight on Food and Wine programs aboard the 700-guest, all-suite, all-balcony ships Seven Seas Voyager® and Seven Seas Mariner®. Cathal Armstong will host a 10-night European cruise from Monte Carlo to Dover departing June 9 on Seven Seas Voyager, while Michel Richard will be the featured chef on a seven-night Alaska journey from Seward to Vancouver, B.C. departing July 16 aboard Seven Seas Mariner.

The Spotlight on Food and Wine cruises provide guests with rare opportunities to explore the finest cuisine from a broad variety of international regions. World-class chefs share their insights into food selection and preparation, conduct cooking demonstrations and wine tastings, and also lead shore-side trips to local markets. Regent's 2008 Spotlight on Food and Wine cruises featuring Cathal Armstrong and Michel Richard are as follows:

Seven Seas Voyager, Monte Carlo to Dover, June 9-19, 2008 - This extended journey will highlight the "Cuisine of the Sun," traveling from the Mediterranean to the North Atlantic and featuring port calls in Malaga, Bilbao and Cadiz, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Le Verdon and Honfleur, France; and St. Peter Port, Guernsey. The culinary stars and celebrity winemakers will be highlighted by Cathal Armstrong, recently featured on the cover of Food and Wine as one America's top 10 young chefs. French-born Stephane Vivier, a leading Napa Valley winemaker, will explore differences between the wines of Bordeaux and California. Also, cheese expert Max McCalman will lead a salute to the great cuisines of France, Portugal and Spain. Guests will also have opportunities to sip sherry as they travel to Cadiz, where it is made, and even celebrate port wine in Portugal. Per-person fares start at $5,995.

Seven Seas Mariner, Seward to Vancouver, B.C., July 16-23, 2008 - This cruise through the awe-inspiring Alaskan landscape will be particularly rewarding for gastronomic guests as Michel Richard, the culinary genius behind Michel Richard Central, one of 10 American "restaurants that count" according to The New York Times, brings his innovative combination of classic French technique and New World ingredients to this outstanding Spotlight on Food and Wine program. The voyage will feature port calls in Sitka, Juneau and Skagway, Alaska, plus Campbell River, Canada and also include scenic cruising of past Hubbard Glacier and through Tracy Arm before ending in Vancouver. From Alaska's freshest fish to several Continental surprises, Chef Richard will share his love of cooking in demonstrations and a special tasting menu. Per-person fares for this sailing start at $4,195.


About Regent Seven Seas Cruises - Regent Seven Seas operates a fleet of medium-sized luxury cruise ships that visit over 300 ports on all seven continents, including Antarctica. RSSC is consistently rated among the world's top three cruise lines by readers of luxury travel magazines. Travel professionals worldwide voted RSSC the "World's Best Luxury Cruise Line" for the fourth consecutive year as part of the 2007 Travel Weekly Awards and readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine voted RSSC "World's Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" in 2007.