\n<\/p>\n
Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations<\/a><\/span> has one of the simpler fleets.<\/p>\nAll but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships.<\/p>\nBoth of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same basic design. If you know one member of the group, you know them all.<\/p>\nAdditionally, Ponant operates two small sailing ships that together make up a third set of vessels, as well as a luxury icebreaker that is in a class all its own \u2014 the latter specifically built for the most adventurous trips to the world’s polar regions.<\/p>\nHere, we explain the distinctive features of these four types of Ponant ships so you can plan the Ponant cruise that’s right for you.<\/p>\nAn introduction to Ponant ships<\/h2>\nPonant operates one of the largest fleets of small ships in the cruise world, with 13 vessels that mostly are designed to carry 184 to 264 passengers. But it wasn’t always so big.<\/p>\nFounded in France in 1988, the company spent most of its first decade operating with just one tiny vessel, the 32-passenger sailing ship Le Ponant. For another decade after that, it only added a handful of additional small vessels. It wasn’t until 2010 that Ponant began growing quickly, with a rapid expansion that initially saw it add four larger, nearly identical vessels known as the Sisterships in five years.<\/p>\nStarting just three years later, Ponant began rolling out a second big class of six ships, Ponant Explorers, over a three-year period.<\/p>\nThe introduction of these two new classes of ships \u2014 10 ships in all \u2014 turned Ponant into one of the biggest brands in the world focused on upscale, small-ship sailings, including expedition-style cruises to some of the most remote and hard-to-reach places.<\/p>\n<\/picture>\n\nReward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\nJoin over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\n\n\n\nBy signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy<\/a>. You may unsubscribe at any time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>The Maldives is among the warm-weather destinations visited regularly by Ponant ships. OLIVIER ANRIGO\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLike other brands focused on upscale cruises, Ponant operates ships that are far smaller and more intimate than the giant floating megaresorts operated by the likes of Royal Caribbean<\/a><\/span>, Norwegian Cruise Line<\/a><\/span> and Carnival Cruise Line<\/a><\/span>. At around 10,944 gross tons, even its biggest Ponant Sisterships are more than 20 times smaller than the biggest Royal Caribbean ships, for instance.<\/p>\nStill, while Ponant’s ships are smaller than what you’ll find at a mass-market line, they’re not cramped. Indeed, the line’s newest vessels are notably spacious when measured by their space-per-passenger ratio, which is significantly higher than what you’ll find on many mass-market ships. They also operate at a higher ratio of staff to passengers than mass-market ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nClass or type<\/th>\nShips in class<\/th>\nYears built<\/th>\nPassenger capacity<\/th>\nGross tonnage<\/th>\nPrimary destinations<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\nLe Commandant Charcot<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2021<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n245<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n31,757<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nExtreme polar regions (North Pole, remote Antarctica)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Laperouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont-d’Urville, Le Bellot, Le Jacques-Cartier<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2018-2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n184<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nAround 9,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nTropical and subtropical destinations (Maldives, Papua New Guinea, warm-weather regions)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Boreal, L’Austral, Le Soleal, Le Lyrial<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2010-2015<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n264<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nAround 10,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nPolar regions (Antarctica, Arctic) as well as warm-water\/expedition routes (Kimberley coast, Northern Europe, eastern Canada)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Ponant, Spirit of Ponant<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n1991 (revamped 2021), 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n32 (Le Ponant), 12 (Spirit of Ponant)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nn\/a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nClassic sailing destinations (Caribbean, Mediterranean)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nBoth space-per-passenger ratios and staff-to-passenger ratios are measurements used as shorthand for the luxury level of a vessel.<\/p>\nRelated: The 10 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn general, Ponant ships are elegant and refined, often with French touches that reflect the line’s French roots. The company remains based in France and operates bilingual sailings where both French and English are spoken on board.<\/p>\nPolar Exploration Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Commandant Charcot (2021)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Le Commandant Charcot is capable of sailing through solid ice. OLIVIER BLAUD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships.<\/p>\n
Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same basic design. If you know one member of the group, you know them all.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Ponant operates two small sailing ships that together make up a third set of vessels, as well as a luxury icebreaker that is in a class all its own \u2014 the latter specifically built for the most adventurous trips to the world’s polar regions.<\/p>\n
Here, we explain the distinctive features of these four types of Ponant ships so you can plan the Ponant cruise that’s right for you.<\/p>\n
Ponant operates one of the largest fleets of small ships in the cruise world, with 13 vessels that mostly are designed to carry 184 to 264 passengers. But it wasn’t always so big.<\/p>\n
Founded in France in 1988, the company spent most of its first decade operating with just one tiny vessel, the 32-passenger sailing ship Le Ponant. For another decade after that, it only added a handful of additional small vessels. It wasn’t until 2010 that Ponant began growing quickly, with a rapid expansion that initially saw it add four larger, nearly identical vessels known as the Sisterships in five years.<\/p>\n
Starting just three years later, Ponant began rolling out a second big class of six ships, Ponant Explorers, over a three-year period.<\/p>\n
The introduction of these two new classes of ships \u2014 10 ships in all \u2014 turned Ponant into one of the biggest brands in the world focused on upscale, small-ship sailings, including expedition-style cruises to some of the most remote and hard-to-reach places.<\/p>\n
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\n
By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy<\/a>. You may unsubscribe at any time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>The Maldives is among the warm-weather destinations visited regularly by Ponant ships. OLIVIER ANRIGO\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLike other brands focused on upscale cruises, Ponant operates ships that are far smaller and more intimate than the giant floating megaresorts operated by the likes of Royal Caribbean<\/a><\/span>, Norwegian Cruise Line<\/a><\/span> and Carnival Cruise Line<\/a><\/span>. At around 10,944 gross tons, even its biggest Ponant Sisterships are more than 20 times smaller than the biggest Royal Caribbean ships, for instance.<\/p>\nStill, while Ponant’s ships are smaller than what you’ll find at a mass-market line, they’re not cramped. Indeed, the line’s newest vessels are notably spacious when measured by their space-per-passenger ratio, which is significantly higher than what you’ll find on many mass-market ships. They also operate at a higher ratio of staff to passengers than mass-market ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nClass or type<\/th>\nShips in class<\/th>\nYears built<\/th>\nPassenger capacity<\/th>\nGross tonnage<\/th>\nPrimary destinations<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\nLe Commandant Charcot<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2021<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n245<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n31,757<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nExtreme polar regions (North Pole, remote Antarctica)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Laperouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont-d’Urville, Le Bellot, Le Jacques-Cartier<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2018-2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n184<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nAround 9,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nTropical and subtropical destinations (Maldives, Papua New Guinea, warm-weather regions)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Boreal, L’Austral, Le Soleal, Le Lyrial<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2010-2015<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n264<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nAround 10,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nPolar regions (Antarctica, Arctic) as well as warm-water\/expedition routes (Kimberley coast, Northern Europe, eastern Canada)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Ponant, Spirit of Ponant<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n1991 (revamped 2021), 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n32 (Le Ponant), 12 (Spirit of Ponant)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nn\/a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nClassic sailing destinations (Caribbean, Mediterranean)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nBoth space-per-passenger ratios and staff-to-passenger ratios are measurements used as shorthand for the luxury level of a vessel.<\/p>\nRelated: The 10 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn general, Ponant ships are elegant and refined, often with French touches that reflect the line’s French roots. The company remains based in France and operates bilingual sailings where both French and English are spoken on board.<\/p>\nPolar Exploration Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Commandant Charcot (2021)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Le Commandant Charcot is capable of sailing through solid ice. OLIVIER BLAUD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Like other brands focused on upscale cruises, Ponant operates ships that are far smaller and more intimate than the giant floating megaresorts operated by the likes of Royal Caribbean<\/a><\/span>, Norwegian Cruise Line<\/a><\/span> and Carnival Cruise Line<\/a><\/span>. At around 10,944 gross tons, even its biggest Ponant Sisterships are more than 20 times smaller than the biggest Royal Caribbean ships, for instance.<\/p>\nStill, while Ponant’s ships are smaller than what you’ll find at a mass-market line, they’re not cramped. Indeed, the line’s newest vessels are notably spacious when measured by their space-per-passenger ratio, which is significantly higher than what you’ll find on many mass-market ships. They also operate at a higher ratio of staff to passengers than mass-market ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nClass or type<\/th>\nShips in class<\/th>\nYears built<\/th>\nPassenger capacity<\/th>\nGross tonnage<\/th>\nPrimary destinations<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\nLe Commandant Charcot<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2021<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n245<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n31,757<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nExtreme polar regions (North Pole, remote Antarctica)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Laperouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont-d’Urville, Le Bellot, Le Jacques-Cartier<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2018-2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n184<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nAround 9,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nTropical and subtropical destinations (Maldives, Papua New Guinea, warm-weather regions)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Boreal, L’Austral, Le Soleal, Le Lyrial<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2010-2015<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n264<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nAround 10,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nPolar regions (Antarctica, Arctic) as well as warm-water\/expedition routes (Kimberley coast, Northern Europe, eastern Canada)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Ponant, Spirit of Ponant<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n1991 (revamped 2021), 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n32 (Le Ponant), 12 (Spirit of Ponant)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nn\/a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nClassic sailing destinations (Caribbean, Mediterranean)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nBoth space-per-passenger ratios and staff-to-passenger ratios are measurements used as shorthand for the luxury level of a vessel.<\/p>\nRelated: The 10 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn general, Ponant ships are elegant and refined, often with French touches that reflect the line’s French roots. The company remains based in France and operates bilingual sailings where both French and English are spoken on board.<\/p>\nPolar Exploration Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Commandant Charcot (2021)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Le Commandant Charcot is capable of sailing through solid ice. OLIVIER BLAUD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Still, while Ponant’s ships are smaller than what you’ll find at a mass-market line, they’re not cramped. Indeed, the line’s newest vessels are notably spacious when measured by their space-per-passenger ratio, which is significantly higher than what you’ll find on many mass-market ships. They also operate at a higher ratio of staff to passengers than mass-market ships.<\/p>\n
Le Commandant Charcot<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
2021<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
245<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
31,757<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Extreme polar regions (North Pole, remote Antarctica)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Laperouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont-d’Urville, Le Bellot, Le Jacques-Cartier<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2018-2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n184<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nAround 9,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nTropical and subtropical destinations (Maldives, Papua New Guinea, warm-weather regions)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Boreal, L’Austral, Le Soleal, Le Lyrial<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2010-2015<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n264<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nAround 10,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nPolar regions (Antarctica, Arctic) as well as warm-water\/expedition routes (Kimberley coast, Northern Europe, eastern Canada)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Ponant, Spirit of Ponant<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n1991 (revamped 2021), 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n32 (Le Ponant), 12 (Spirit of Ponant)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nn\/a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nClassic sailing destinations (Caribbean, Mediterranean)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nBoth space-per-passenger ratios and staff-to-passenger ratios are measurements used as shorthand for the luxury level of a vessel.<\/p>\nRelated: The 10 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn general, Ponant ships are elegant and refined, often with French touches that reflect the line’s French roots. The company remains based in France and operates bilingual sailings where both French and English are spoken on board.<\/p>\nPolar Exploration Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Commandant Charcot (2021)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Le Commandant Charcot is capable of sailing through solid ice. OLIVIER BLAUD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Le Laperouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont-d’Urville, Le Bellot, Le Jacques-Cartier<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
2018-2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
184<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Around 9,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Tropical and subtropical destinations (Maldives, Papua New Guinea, warm-weather regions)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Boreal, L’Austral, Le Soleal, Le Lyrial<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n2010-2015<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n264<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nAround 10,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nPolar regions (Antarctica, Arctic) as well as warm-water\/expedition routes (Kimberley coast, Northern Europe, eastern Canada)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Ponant, Spirit of Ponant<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n1991 (revamped 2021), 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n32 (Le Ponant), 12 (Spirit of Ponant)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nn\/a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nClassic sailing destinations (Caribbean, Mediterranean)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nBoth space-per-passenger ratios and staff-to-passenger ratios are measurements used as shorthand for the luxury level of a vessel.<\/p>\nRelated: The 10 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn general, Ponant ships are elegant and refined, often with French touches that reflect the line’s French roots. The company remains based in France and operates bilingual sailings where both French and English are spoken on board.<\/p>\nPolar Exploration Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Commandant Charcot (2021)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Le Commandant Charcot is capable of sailing through solid ice. OLIVIER BLAUD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Le Boreal, L’Austral, Le Soleal, Le Lyrial<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
2010-2015<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
264<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Around 10,900<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Polar regions (Antarctica, Arctic) as well as warm-water\/expedition routes (Kimberley coast, Northern Europe, eastern Canada)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\nLe Ponant, Spirit of Ponant<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n1991 (revamped 2021), 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\n32 (Le Ponant), 12 (Spirit of Ponant)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nn\/a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n\nClassic sailing destinations (Caribbean, Mediterranean)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nBoth space-per-passenger ratios and staff-to-passenger ratios are measurements used as shorthand for the luxury level of a vessel.<\/p>\nRelated: The 10 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn general, Ponant ships are elegant and refined, often with French touches that reflect the line’s French roots. The company remains based in France and operates bilingual sailings where both French and English are spoken on board.<\/p>\nPolar Exploration Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Commandant Charcot (2021)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Le Commandant Charcot is capable of sailing through solid ice. OLIVIER BLAUD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Le Ponant, Spirit of Ponant<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
1991 (revamped 2021), 2024<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
32 (Le Ponant), 12 (Spirit of Ponant)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
n\/a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n
Classic sailing destinations (Caribbean, Mediterranean)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nBoth space-per-passenger ratios and staff-to-passenger ratios are measurements used as shorthand for the luxury level of a vessel.<\/p>\nRelated: The 10 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn general, Ponant ships are elegant and refined, often with French touches that reflect the line’s French roots. The company remains based in France and operates bilingual sailings where both French and English are spoken on board.<\/p>\nPolar Exploration Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Commandant Charcot (2021)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Le Commandant Charcot is capable of sailing through solid ice. OLIVIER BLAUD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Both space-per-passenger ratios and staff-to-passenger ratios are measurements used as shorthand for the luxury level of a vessel.<\/p>\n
Related: The 10 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn general, Ponant ships are elegant and refined, often with French touches that reflect the line’s French roots. The company remains based in France and operates bilingual sailings where both French and English are spoken on board.<\/p>\nPolar Exploration Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Commandant Charcot (2021)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Le Commandant Charcot is capable of sailing through solid ice. OLIVIER BLAUD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In general, Ponant ships are elegant and refined, often with French touches that reflect the line’s French roots. The company remains based in France and operates bilingual sailings where both French and English are spoken on board.<\/p>\n
Ships in class<\/strong>: Le Commandant Charcot (2021)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Le Commandant Charcot is capable of sailing through solid ice. OLIVIER BLAUD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Le Commandant Charcot is, quite simply, the toughest passenger ship ever built for expedition cruising<\/a><\/span> \u2014 the type of cruising that involves traveling to the most remote and hard-to-reach places in the world.<\/p>\nA full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\nWhat’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\nBuilt specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
A full-blown icebreaker of the sort that until recently only governments operated, it’s a 245-passenger expedition vessel capable of doing things that no other expedition ship currently afloat can do.<\/p>\n
What’s more, that’ll probably be the case for years to come. No other company will likely spend the enormous amount of money it took to build Le Commandant Charcot \u2014 reportedly $430 million for a ship with just 123 staterooms.<\/p>\n
Built specifically to cut through the thick multiyear ice that is found across parts of the polar ice cap, Le Commandant Charcot was notably designed with never-before-seen-in-a-passenger-ship redundancies in operating systems, emergency equipment, food storage and fuel storage that would allow it to survive long periods away from resupply and rescue.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The spa area on Le Commandant Charcot has an indoor pool and lounge area overlooking the sea. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\nBut it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\nThe cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
As a result, Le Commandant Charcot can operate some of the most ambitious and adventurous expedition cruises on the planet, including the only commercial voyages to the North Pole and epic sailings to remote parts of Antarctica that other ships can’t reach.<\/p>\n
But it’s not just a tough ship. Ponant also wanted Le Commandant Charcot to offer passengers a level of comfort rarely seen in the expedition cruise space.<\/p>\n
The cabins and suites on Le Commandant Charcot are among the most stylish and spacious in expedition cruising, with a sleek, contemporary feel. Among luxury touches, every cabin comes with a balcony \u2014 a rarity for expedition ships.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Cabins on Le Commandant Charcot are luxurious and spacious. GILLES TRILLARD\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Among other standout features on Le Commandant Charcot is the main restaurant (Nuna), which features a menu designed by Alain Ducasse, the famed French chef. As I personally experienced during a sailing to the North Pole, it’s one of the best eateries at sea<\/a><\/span>. Meals at Nuna are included in the cruise fare, and you can dine there as many nights as you like.<\/p>\nThe ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\nAdditionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\nAt 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\nThe Ponant Explorers Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The ship’s spa and wellness area also offers high-end elegance. It includes an indoor saltwater pool with plush lounge chairs facing the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a sauna, a snow room and a salon. An onboard fitness room offers cardio machines facing the sea. A super-heated outdoor wading pool beckons at the back of the vessel.<\/p>\n
Additionally, service on board Le Commandant Charcot is high-level. On many polar sailings, there will be the same number of crew members on the vessel as passengers \u2014 an unusually high ratio that will translate into very attentive service.<\/p>\n
At 31,757 gross tons, Le Commandant Charcot is also unusually large for an expedition ship that often sails in polar regions with just 200 or so passengers, resulting in an enormous space-to-passenger ratio.<\/p>\n
Ships in class<\/strong>: Le Jacques-Cartier (2020), Le Bellot (2020), Le Dumont-d’Urville (2019), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Champlain (2018) and Le Laperouse (2018)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Explorer Class ship Le Bellot. DORIANE LETEXIER\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThese six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\nLoaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\nThe Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\nNamed after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\nAs is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
These six yacht-like ships were specifically designed to travel to tropical and subtropical destinations, from the Maldives to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\n
Loaded with outdoor space, they each feature an innovative hydraulic marina at the back, allowing for watery playtime in warm locales (kayaks and paddleboards are available), and one of the most unusual lounges ever found at sea. Dubbed Blue Eye, the latter attraction is a curvy space below the waterline with two oversize viewing portals shaped like whale eyes that let you gaze into the deep blue sea. The idea is that you feel like you’re inside the head of a whale, looking out.<\/p>\n
The Blue Eye, notably, is a fully immersive experience, with hull-mounted hydrophones bringing in the sound of the surrounding ocean.<\/p>\n
Named after French explorers, the Ponant Explorers were designed both for adventurous expedition cruising in remote areas and more traditional cruising. When expedition cruising, they sail with a team made up of experts in the places they are visiting and offer landings by Zodiac boats for exploring. More traditional cruises bring a choice of shore tours, some included and others for an additional cost.<\/p>\n
As is typical for small vessels, the ships have just a handful of lounges and restaurants where passengers spend most of their time when on board.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A cabin on Ponant’s Le Champlain. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\nFor dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\nThe cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\nOther onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\nAt around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\nThe Sisterships Class<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Indoor lounges found on each of the ships include an airy space next to the pool deck with a grand piano, a dance floor and a bar, and a smaller panoramic lounge at the top front of the vessel with a library and a bar.<\/p>\n
For dining, passengers split their time between the main Le Nautilus restaurant, which serves French and European cuisine, and the more casual Le Nemo, a poolside eatery. Both offer casual dining by day and a more formal ambience at night.<\/p>\n
The cabins on the ships \u2014 and there are only 92 per vessel \u2014 offer a chic, French-modern design. Each of the rooms, which start at 205 square feet and can go much bigger, has its own balcony.<\/p>\n
Other onboard amenities include a small infinity pool with a counter-current system, a solarium, a spa with a salon and a sauna, and a small fitness center (note that it’s small size only allows for cardio machines, and it lacks weight machines). For entertainment, you’ll often find live music in the main lounge or dance shows in the ship’s theater. The latter venue also hosts lectures by local experts and film screenings.<\/p>\n
At around 9,900 gross tons apiece, the Ponant Explorers are notably smaller than Le Commandant Charcot and a tad smaller than the line’s four Sisterships (more details on those below). But with a maximum of just 184 passengers on board on any sailing, they feel spacious inside.<\/p>\n
Ships in class<\/strong>: Le Lyrial (2015), Le Soleal (2012), L’Austral (2011) and Le Boreal (2010)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>Ponant’s Le Soleal. NATHALIE MICHEL\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLaunched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\nBuilt extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\nOne of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\nRelated: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Launched between 2010 and 2015, these four versatile sister ships were at the core of the Ponant fleet until the arrival of the Ponant Explorers, and they remain the vessels that Ponant uses for some of its most ambitious itineraries.<\/p>\n
Built extra tough to sail into the world’s polar regions, they are the ships you’ll likely be on if you pick a Ponant voyage to Antarctica or the Arctic (unless your sailing involves a trip on Le Commandant Charcot, the line’s even hardier icebreaker). But while they often spend large portions of the year sailing in polar regions, they can sometimes be found in warmer waters, too.<\/p>\n
One of the vessels, Le Soleal, has in recent years been spending a considerable amount of time sailing along the remote Kimberley coast of Australia, for instance, and the ships pop up everywhere from Northern Europe to eastern Canada.<\/p>\n
Related: Crocodiles and caviar: My 10-night cruise adventure on the most luxurious cruise ship to call the Kimberley home<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nAt nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\nAs noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
At nearly 11,000 gross tons, these vessels are larger than the Ponant Explorers, though not by enough to be really noticeable. They hold 264 passengers at maximum occupancy, fewer than is typical at other upscale lines.<\/p>\n
As noted above, they are built to be tough, with extra-strong hulls and other upgrades that allow them to bump through ice in polar regions (they all boast a 1C ice class rating from Lloyd’s Register). But they also are elegant vessels, with stylish, contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Think of them as upscale boutique hotels that float.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>A library area on Ponant’s Le Soleal. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nCabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\nAs with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\nLounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\nOther public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\nNote that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\nThe Sailing Ships<\/h2>\nShips in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Cabins on the ships have a soothing minimalist feel, with furniture and fabrics in taupe and cream and such luxury touches as silk cushions and leather-fronted white drawers. They range in size from about 200 square feet to 484 square feet (for the Owner’s Suite, which has separate living and dining areas in addition to a bedroom). Most, but not all, have balconies.<\/p>\n
As with the Ponant Explorers, there are two main dining venues: an elegant main dining room that can seat every passenger on the ship at once, if need be, and a more casual buffet eatery that offers both indoor and outdoor seating around the pool.<\/p>\n
Lounging and entertainment venues include a main lounge at the back of the ship that often features live piano music and a singer and a clubby observation lounge with live piano music overlooking the bow. A small theater occasionally hosts shows and lectures.<\/p>\n
Other public areas include a small spa with treatment rooms, a hair salon and a fitness area.<\/p>\n
Note that the Sisterships are sometimes chartered in full or in part by high-end, U.S.-based tour companies such as Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, which use them for all sorts of itineraries, including trips to the polar regions. If you book an ocean cruise with one of these brands, it may be that you’ll be on one of these vessels.<\/p>\n
Ships in class<\/strong>: Spirit of Ponant (2024) and Le Ponant (1991)<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The Ponant sailing ship Le Ponant. FRANCOIS LEFEBVRE\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\nMuch smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\nLe Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\nCompletely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Le Ponant and Spirit of Ponant are the Ponant ships you book when you’re looking for a sailing adventure.<\/p>\n
Much smaller than the other vessels in the Ponant fleet, with room for 32 passengers and 12 passengers, respectively, they’re both sailing ships that will let you explore classic sailing destinations from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n
Le Ponant, dating back to 1991, is the brand’s original vessel. It offers the same sort of intimate sailing adventures that originally put the brand on the cruise world map.<\/p>\n
Completely revamped in 2021, the three-masted, 16-cabin vessel has the feel of a large private yacht, with expansive common areas on its top deck that offer views to the horizon.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>The restaurant on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDown below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\nPublic areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Down below, spread across three decks, the 16 cabins and suites on Le Ponant are spacious and luxurious, with either wide picture windows or portholes. Dining takes place in the stylish Le Diamant restaurant, which offers fine cuisine made with local products served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne and wines from artisanal producers in the regions the vessel visits.<\/p>\n
Public areas include an interior lounge and bar, an exterior bar and sundeck, a small wellness area and a retractable marina for swimming and other watery fun. Related to the latter, Le Ponant sails with all sorts of toys for passenger use, from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to scuba diving equipment and even fishing poles.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>An outdoor lounge area on Le Ponant. TAMAR SARKISSIAN\/PONANT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nLe Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\nRelated: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Le Ponant also sails with one crew member per passenger \u2014 an extraordinarily high crew-to-passenger ratio that results in top-notch service.<\/p>\n
Related: From helicopters to submarines: 7 luxury adventure cruise ships you have to see to believe<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWith just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\nBottom line<\/h2>\nPonant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\nThe line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\nPlanning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
With just six cabins, the relatively new Spirit of Ponant (which debuted in 2024) is an even more intimate offering. Only available for booking as a private charter, the double-hulled catamaran offers bespoke sailings that Ponant will customize to your tastes.<\/p>\n
Ponant offers a large fleet of small vessels built for adventure around the world. Most of its ships are part of two large series of ships that are similar in their elegant, upscale feel but differ in the sort of destinations that they visit.<\/p>\n
The line’s four Sisterships are the vessels you’ll likely be aboard if you’re traveling to a polar region, while its six more recently built Polar Explorers Class vessels often focus more on tropical and subtropical itineraries. In addition to these ships, Ponant operates three unique vessels \u2014 two small sailing vessels and the only luxury icebreaker in the world \u2014 that are highlights of the brand’s fleet.<\/p>\n
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nSource link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Among cruise lines that focus on upscale trips, Ponant Explorations has one of the simpler fleets. All but three of the line’s 13 vessels fall into one of just two groups: The Sisterships and the Ponant Explorer ships. Both of these groups are made up of vessels constructed around the same time to the same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-266984","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}