New Culinary Studio On 2 World Cruise Ships In 2026

Published on Dec 8, 2025, 6:44 pm CST

7 min read

Key points

Epicurean Enrichment Studio debuts on Seven Seas Mariner in January 2026 and on Seven Seas Voyager from May 2026 as a dedicated culinary theater concept
Five experience pillars cover destination themed lectures cooking classes chef hosted dining and small group chef led shore excursions
Studio spaces replace existing lounges internet rooms and boutique space as part of multi million dollar refits on both ships
Guests can reserve many classes and chef led tours online from 120 days before sailing with supplemental pricing and limited capacity
Food focused travelers on Regent world cruise segments and longer Voyager itineraries gain more structured culinary content on sea days and select port calls

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the richest Epicurean Enrichment Studio programming on Seven Seas Mariner 2026 World Cruise segments and longer Seven Seas Voyager sailings that visit strong culinary regions
Best Times To Travel: Travelers who prioritize the studio should target 2026 and later voyages that clearly list Epicurean Enrichment Studio and Epicurean Explorer Tours in the cruise details
Onboard Experience And Sea Days: Plan for some sea days and late departures so there is time for classes lectures tastings and post tour recaps without overloading port intensive itineraries
Onward Travel And Changes: Because most offerings are supplemental and capacity controlled you can adjust or cancel individual classes or tours without changing the core cruise booking
What Travelers Should Do Now: Review 2026 Regent itineraries for Mariner and Voyager check the enrichment and shore excursions tabs for Epicurean labels and set a reminder to book from 120 days out

Regent Seven Seas Cruises is rolling out a Regent culinary studio Mariner Voyager concept on Seven Seas Mariner in January 2026 and Seven Seas Voyager from May 2026, converting existing public spaces into dedicated Epicurean Enrichment Studios. The new culinary theaters are aimed at food focused guests on world cruise segments and longer itineraries who want structured classes, tastings, and chef guided shore time instead of one off galley tours. Travelers who care about culinary content will need to budget for supplemental fees and set booking reminders if they want a seat in the small studio classes.

In practical terms, the new Regent culinary studio Mariner Voyager program turns lounge, internet room, and boutique square footage into a bookable culinary classroom and lecture venue that anchors a broader set of chef led shore excursions and dining events, all layered on top of standard cruise inclusions.

How The Epicurean Enrichment Studio Works

The Epicurean Enrichment Studio is described by Regent as a state of the art culinary theater where lectures, tastings, and storytelling connect guests with the flavors and food traditions of the regions they visit. Sessions are led by dedicated chef instructors rather than general entertainment staff, and each class is positioned as a way to understand destinations through technique, ingredients, and history rather than just a recipe demo.

Regent has organized the new offering around five pillars. The Epicurean Passport Series focuses on destination themed lectures that walk through culinary history, signature ingredients, and classic preparations from more than twenty regions, with printed recipes and a passport style stamp for each area covered. Chef Circle adds lighter touch programming during the voyage, such as food focused trivia, film screenings, and book signings that can fill sea day afternoons or early evenings.

Chef Table tightens the format into small group lectures plus live cooking demonstrations tailored to the itinerary, with guests invited to a hosted dinner with members of the culinary team in a specialty restaurant once the session concludes. The final two pillars push off the ship. Chef led tours, branded in Regent materials as Epicurean Explorer Tours, move guests into markets, vineyards, farms, and restaurants alongside a shipboard chef, while chef hosted dining covers curated meals in port or on board where the menu is explicitly tied to what has been taught in the studio.

Where And When The Studios Will Be Installed

On Seven Seas Mariner, the Epicurean Enrichment Studio will replace the existing Stars Lounge when the ship sails its 2026 World Cruise, effectively shifting entertainment into a more food centric space on a voyage that already leans heavily on long sea days and repeat ports. On Seven Seas Voyager, Regent plans to convert the Club dot com internet area and an adjacent boutique into the studio, reflecting the way onboard internet usage has moved toward personal devices and shipwide Wi Fi. Both projects sit inside broader multi million dollar refurbishment plans that Regent is marketing as a freshening of its classic tonnage to match the newer ships in its fleet.

The rollout is staggered. Mariner is set to introduce the new venue with the start of its 2026 World Cruise in January, while Voyager is scheduled to come online in May 2026 after its own yard time and interior reconfiguration. Guests already booked on those sailings should eventually see Epicurean Enrichment Studio references appear in their online pre cruise planners, even if current documentation still reflects the older lounge or internet room names.

Background: From Culinary Arts Kitchen To Fleetwide Culinary Focus

Regent is not starting from scratch with this program. The line already runs a successful Culinary Arts Kitchen on newer ships like Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Grandeur, and Seven Seas Splendor, where hands on classes and chef led demos have become a core part of the onboard identity. The Epicurean Enrichment Studio is essentially a way to bring similar depth of programming to Mariner and Voyager without completely rebuilding their deck plans.

At the same time, the line has been expanding its Epicurean Explorer Tours, a collection of more than seventy chef led shore excursions that move guests through markets, countryside restaurants, and working farms in regions such as Asia, Europe, and Canada and New England. Those tours already include post tour recaps and classes in the Culinary Arts Kitchen on the newer ships, so the new studios will simply give Mariner and Voyager a matching space for that land sea handoff.

Booking Windows, Pricing, And Capacity

For travelers, the operational detail that matters most is timing. Regent has confirmed that classes in the Epicurean Enrichment Studio will typically become available to book online 120 days before the cruise departure date, aligning with the wider enrichment and shore excursion booking window on many itineraries. That means guests who want first pick of times and topics should treat the 120 day point as a soft deadline to log in and reserve space.

Pricing will vary by class and tour, but official language around Epicurean Explorer Tours makes clear that these chef accompanied shore experiences carry a discounted supplementary charge on top of the base cruise fare, rather than being fully inclusive. It is reasonable to expect that small group studio classes with higher ingredient costs or wines may also be priced as optional add ons, even if some lighter lectures or trivia style events are folded into the existing entertainment budget. Either way, capacity will be limited simply because the room is physically small, so late bookers should expect waitlists on sea day sessions or marquee tours in food strong destinations.

Who Will Benefit Most

The new studios will matter most to travelers for whom food is already a central reason to book a cruise. Mariner world cruise guests who spend months on board will gain a rotating slate of classes and lectures tied to where the ship is sailing that week, which can help break up long ocean stretches and give structure to sea days. Voyager guests on longer Europe, Asia, or grand voyage style itineraries will see the biggest menu of options, because those routes lend themselves to strong shore excursion tie ins and repeatable themes like Mediterranean olive oil, Asian street food, or New World wine regions.

For travel advisors, the Epicurean Enrichment Studio becomes another selling hook on top of Regent inclusions. Advisors can position specific world cruise segments or Voyager departures as particularly attractive to culinary travelers, pairing the cruise itself with pre or post land stays in marquee food cities where clients can extend the theme. They can also use the 120 day booking window to schedule check in calls or emails, framing the studio as something that might sell out and encouraging clients to commit early to avoid disappointment.

How To Plan Around The New Program

Travelers who are already booked on Mariner or Voyager for 2026 should keep an eye on the enrichment and excursions sections of their booking portals and on Regent emails announcing the studio rollout. Once Epicurean branded offerings appear, the safest play is to prioritize one or two studio classes plus one chef led tour that align with personal interests, then leave some flexibility for onboard sign ups if space allows. That reduces the risk of over scheduling sea days while still securing high demand sessions.

Those still shopping for a voyage can now add the Epicurean Enrichment Studio to their comparison list. If food is a primary decision factor, a 2026 or later Mariner or Voyager itinerary that advertises the studio and Epicurean Explorer Tours may now rank ahead of an otherwise similar route on a ship without the dedicated venue. If culinary activities are more of a nice to have, the program is still a meaningful bonus, but should sit behind fundamentals such as itinerary, cabin category, air lift, and overall budget in the decision tree.