Articles About Ponant
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Snapshot
Cruising for some 25 years, this chic French line is a Francophile’s dream. Ponant’s crew is discreet, the décor is subtle and the food is tantalizing. French desserts, French cheeses and French 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 to 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. Ponant is in the midst of building frenzy, with four 184-passenger expedition vessels in the pipeline — two to be delivered in 2018 and two a year later.
Ponant’s fleet hits the poles and lots in between. * Photo: Ponant
Ship, Year Delivered & Passengers
LE BOREAL (built 2010, 132 passengers), L’AUSTRAL (b. 2011, 132 p), LE SOLEAL (b. 2013, 132 p), LE LYRIAL (b. 2014, 122 p), LE PONANT (b. 1991, 64 p), LE LAPEROUSE (b. 2018, 184 p), LE CHAMPLAIN (b. 2018, 184 p), LE BOUGAINVILLE (b. 2019, 184 p) and LE DUMON-D’URVILLE (b. 2019, 184 p).
Ponant’s mini cruise ships are dwarfed by the giants. * Photo: Heidi Sarna
Passenger Profile
Mostly Europeans, heavy on French, Swiss and Germans, with a sprinkling of Francophiles from everywhere else — North America, Brazil, you name it. Children are welcome, but are expected to be well behaved; there is a children’s menu, Wii gaming console and when there are a number of kids on board, a few activities are 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+.
Passenger Decks
6 with elevators to all decks (4 on LE PONANT, no elevator)
Price
$ – $$ Moderate to Expensive
Included Features
Open bar throughout ship, stocked cabin mini-bar, and all soft drinks.
Itineraries
The ships roam all over the world on one- to two-week cruises, from the Caribbean and Med, to Alaska, French Polynesia, Indonesia, South America, Antarctica and more. The poles are the limit. Highlights include:
- 10- and 16-night Antarctica cruises November – February
- Iceland & Arctic Circle cruises in summer
- 6- and 7-night cruises out of Martinique to the Grenadine Islands in the winter
- 7-night Croatia cruises round-trip out of Venice between May and September
- 9-night New Zealand cruises in January and February
- 7- to 13-night Alaska cruises in June and July
- 13-night Chile cruises in November and February
Why Go?
The French flare, the amazing food, the gorgeous interiors — tres chic.
When to Go?
The fleet cruises in different regions of the world at the best time to visit.
Cabins
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.
A lovely standard cabin aboard Le Lyrial. * Photo: Francois Lefebvre
The new 184-passenger sisters LE LAPEROUSE, LE CHAMPLAIN, LE BOUGAINVILLE and LE DUMON-D’URVILLE are set to debut between mid 2018 and 2019. More details coming soon.
Public Rooms
LE BOREAL/L’AUSTRAL/LE SOLEAL/LE LYRIAL have two restaurants, one main entertainment 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 Wii console nearby) and a boutique round out the public areas, unless you also count the medical clinic. The smaller LE PONANT has two restaurants, two indoor lounges and lots of deck space for sunbathing. All five of the vessels have a platform for watersports when anchored in favorable conditions.
Desserts to die for. * Photo: Ponant
Dining
Cuisine is a big part of the Ponant experience and 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 of the five ships 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. 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, Croatia, to rainbow trout from Nunavut, in the Artic. 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 of 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
Activities & Entertainment
The ships are in port every day, or nearly so, 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 on board 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 of the four sister ships.
The new 184-passenger sisters LE LAPEROUSE, LE CHAMPLAIN, LE BOUGAINVILLE and LE DUMON-D’URVILLE are set to debut between mid 2018 and 2019. More details coming soon.
Ponant passengers love to be outside on deck. * Photo: Heidi Sarna
Along the Same Lines
SeaDream is close.
Contact
Ponant Yacht Cruises & Expeditions, 132 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021; en.ponant.com, 1-888-400-1082.
— HMS
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