PONANT: Luxury Yacht Cruise Review

PONANT: Luxury Yacht Cruise Review

Ponant

This chic French line was founded in 1988 and is a Francophile’s dream. Ponant’s crew is discreet, the décor is subtle and the food is tantalizing. French desserts, cheeses and wines accompany passengers on cruises around the world, from French Polynesia and the Caribbean to the North and South Poles, and lots in between.

Passengers are a well-traveled, well-dressed international lot and the handsome captains stroll around the ship in short sleeves chatting with guests as if they are one of the passengers. Ponant is a bit of Europe no matter where the ships are sailing.

In late 2014, the company’s name was simplified from the French Compagnie du Ponant, to just Ponant, a simpler name for the company’s growing international audience, though Ponant still remains the only French-flagged, French-flavored cruise line out there.

Some sailings are directly operated by Ponant and others are under charter to well-known firms for individual sales as well as for special interest groups.

Ponant also owns Paul Gauguin Cruises, operating the ship M/S Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia and that will continue to operate under its current name.

The newest ships in the fleets are the 184-passenger sisters Le Laperouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont-D’Urville, Le Bellot and Le Jacques Cartier, which started to debut in mid-2018; the 245-passenger Le Commandant Charcot debuted in 2021 and specializes in polar expeditions.

 

 

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Ponant's fleet hits the poles and lots in between. * Photo: Ponant

Ponant’s fleet hits the poles and lots in between. * Photo: Ponant

Fleet

Le Ponant (built 1991 & 64 passengers)

Le Boreal (b. 2010 & 264 p)

L’Austral (b. 2011 & 264 p)

Le Soleal (b. 2013 & 264 p)

Le Lyrial (b. 2015 & 264 p)

Le Laperouse (b. 2017 & 264 p)

Le Champlain (b. 2018 & 184 p)

Le Bougainville (b. 2019 & 184 p)

Le Dumont-d’Urville (b. 2019 & 184 p)

Le Jacques-Cartier (b. 2021 & 184 p)

Le Bellot (b. 2020 & 184 p)

Le Commandant Charcot (b. 2021 & 245 p)

Passenger Profile

Mostly Europeans, heavy on French, Swiss and Germans, with a growing number of Francophiles from everywhere else — including North America, Australia and Brazil. Children are welcome and expected to be well behaved; there is a children’s menu, video game consoles, and when there are a number of kids on board, a few activities will be organized by a staff member.

On a handful of special family-friendly sailings per year (often a Med itinerary in the summer), a Kids Club is offered with kids’ counselors supervising games and activities for ages 4+.

Several firms charter Ponant ships (either full or partial charters), so they will determine the languages, and a number of them are in the English-speaking markets.

Price

$$  Moderate to Expensive

Voyages are offered all over the world, from Alaska to the polar regions to Africa, New Zealand, Australia, the Caribbean, Mediterranean and everywhere in between.

Fares range from $500 per person per night to about $1,000 per person per day.

Included Features

  • All onboard meals
  • Open bar throughout ship
  • Stocked cabin mini-bar & all soft drinks.
  • WiFi
  • 24/7 room service

PONANT                                                     LE BOUGAINVILLE delivered in 2019 as the third ship in the explorer class. * Photo: Ponant

Ponant Itineraries

The ships roam all over the world on one- to two-week cruises (some longer) — Mediterranean and Northern Europe, Alaska and Canada, Caribbean, Central America, both coasts of South America, West Africa and Southern Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, French Polynesia and Oceania, Hawaii, Indonesia, East Asia and focus on Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Antarctica, the Arctic including the Northwest Passage, trans-ocean positioning voyages.

A few highlights include:

The Treasures of India and Sri Lanka voyages sails for 13 days around the Indian peninsula from Mumbai to Chennai. You stop at UNESCO World Heritage sites while visiting Kerala and Goa, as well as Galle and Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.

A two-week Alaska cruise travels from Nome to Vancouver, exploring the route of fur traders. The ship sails the Bering Strait amid lakes, glaciers and pretty mountains.

Weeklong Best of Croatia voyages travel roundtrip from Venice and visit all the gems of Croatia, stopping in Korcula, Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split, as well as a stop in Kotor, Montenegro.

An eight-day Pearls of the Caribbean cruise is a roundtrip voyage from Fort-de-France, Martinique, to lesser-visited gems of the Caribbean, Your ship makes port stops at Bequia Island, Mayreau Island, Grenada, Barbados and Tobago Cays.

The Australia’s Iconic Kimberley cruise is a thrilling expedition into the Outback. Covering 10 days traveling from Broome to Darwin.

New for 2025 are four 12-night winter cruises along the St. Lawrence River between Quebec City and the French island chain of Iles de Saint Pierre et Miquelon. Activities are camping in an Inuit community, ice fishing, dog sledding, snowshoeing, and riding a fat bike. Calls are made at Saguenay, Sept Isles, Gaspe, Magdalen Island, Saint Pierre, and Sydney

 

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RELATED: John Roberts reviews Le Lyrial in Antarctica, while also enjoying cycling … with Backroads.

Why Go?

The French flare, the amazing food and gorgeous interiors — tres chic.

Ponant features incredible itineraries and well-curated voyages with a fantastic range of enrichment and learning opportunities with its expedition team.

When to Go?

The fleet cruises in different regions of the world during the best times to visit.

Ponant Activities & Entertainment

The ships are in port nearly every day, but if there’s a sea day, most people enjoy simply sunbathing by the pool and soaking up the scenery.

In the French way of doing things, there isn’t an abundance of scheduled activities or group events. There are theme cruises from time to time focused on gourmet food and wine, film and topics like oceanography, with experts giving talks and demonstrations.

Evenings, a singing duo moves around the ship before and after dinner to serenade passengers as they sip cocktails and chat about the day’s adventures and the ones that lay ahead.

At the top of the tiered decks at the stern on Le Boreal/L’Austral/Le Soleal/Le Lyrial is a wonderful al-fresco bar, an ideal place to plant yourself as the ship sails off into the sunset — likewise on Le Ponant’s sun deck.

After dinner from time to time, a dance performance or film screening may be scheduled in the show lounge.

A lovely standard cabin aboard Le Lyrial. * Photo: Francois Lefebvre

A lovely standard cabin aboard Le Lyrial. * Photo: Francois Lefebvre

Ponant Dining

The delicious French and continental cuisine is a big part of the Ponant experience. I still sometimes dream about the dark chocolate mousses we devoured on a L’Austral cruise to Croatia (I gained several solid pounds on that cruise).

Each ship has two restaurants, one a more formal fine-dining multi-course French gourmet venue for dinner and the other a casual buffet restaurant with outdoor and indoor seating and themed offerings.

Some of the chefs are French (the pastry chef was on my last cruise) and no matter where they are from, they’ve been schooled in the French culinary tradition.

Desserts to die for. * Photo: Ponant

Desserts to die for. * Photo: Ponant

Meals incorporate fish and grilled seafood, and plenty of delicious soups and salads of all kinds. When possible, local ingredients are used, from cherries in Kotor, Montenegro, to rainbow trout from Nunavut, in the Arctic. Amazing desserts on offer might comprise a hazelnut mousse cake, lemon meringue tarts and that to die-to-for chocolate mousse already mentioned; easily the best desserts I’ve ever had on a cruise ship.

A selection of cheeses from France and Italy are a staple in the buffet and go well with the complimentary wines generously poured, I remember an especially refreshing French rose at lunch on route to our next Croatian port of call. You can always order a bottle off the extensive menu if you want something extra special.

The more formal of two restaurants aboard Le Soleal. * Photo: Ponant

The more formal of two restaurants aboard Le Soleal. * Photo: Ponant

Ships

Le Ponant is an 88-meter, three-masted sailing ship with lots of wood and nautical touches such as navy blue and white bedding and fabrics in the rooms. Most cabins are on the lowest of the four passenger decks and have twin beds — two rooms have king beds — and there are a few triples. Five larger cabins are higher up on the Antigua Deck.

Le Boreal/L’Austral/Le Soleal/Le Lyrial are nearly identical sister ships with the majority of cabins measuring between 200 and 236 square feet, not including the balconies (which all but eight cabins have). Cabins are designed in stylish neutrals of champagne, smoky greys or blues, and crisp whites with pops of color, like a red border on a bed throw or pillow.

All cabins are stocked with L’Occitane toiletries, bathrobes, mini bars and iPods, and a have a great split bathroom set-up — toilet in one little room and a large shower (and/or tub) and sink in another. They also have a desk and great adjustable reading lights on either side of the bed. Many standard cabins can accommodate three people with one on a sofa bed; ideal for families are the Prestige suites, which are ostensibly two connecting standard cabins. There are four large suites on the Deck 6 near the top of the ship.

The 184-passenger sisters Le Laperouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont-D’Urville, Le Bellot, and Le Jacques Cartier feature the Blue Eye, an underwater sightseeing lounge. They make up what is termed the Ponant Explorer Class with enhanced ice-breaking capabilities.

The 245-passenger Le Commandant Charcot is the largest ship in Ponant’s fleet. It offers 123 cabins with private balconies. Four 1,011 square-foot split-level suites sit at the back of Decks 6 and 7 and offer private terraces and whirlpools.

Ponant deck shot

Ponant passengers love to be outside on deck. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

Public Rooms

All ships have two restaurants (except the Le Ponant sailing yacht), one main lounge, one combination lounge/bar, and a lovely outdoor bar with sea views.

There is no casino.

Each has a spa with a Turkish steam room, hair salon and an excellent ocean-view gym with a row of treadmills and recumbent bikes, plus a Kinesis wall with weights, pulls and grips for weight training.

A small library area (with a gaming console nearby) and a boutique round out the public areas, unless you also count the medical clinic.  There are two indoor lounges and lots of deck space for sunbathing. All vessels have a platform for watersports when anchored in favorable conditions.

The polar-class Le Commandant Charcot features a 270-person theater, two restaurants, main lounge and heated indoor pool in a large sun room, with a pool bar and fire pit. This vessel also offers an Observation Lounge with a library, as well as a well-equipped gym and a Wellness Lounge with massage rooms, hair salon and sauna.

Meanwhile, the intimate yacht Le Ponant has one restaurant, an outdoor bar, Bar Emeraude, an indoor bar/lounge and a small spa offering massages. The ship also has a gym and yoga sessions are offered on the sun deck.

Along the Same Lines

SeaDream is close.

Contact

Ponant Yacht Cruises & Expeditions, 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 2838, New York, NY 10170; us.ponant.com, 1-888-400-1082.

 

 

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About The Author

QuirkyCruise

Ted & Heidi are long-time travel writers with a penchant for small ship cruising. Between them they've traveled all over the world aboard hundreds and hundreds of small cruise ships of all kinds, from river boats to expedition vessels and sailing ships.

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