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Le Ponant

This legendary yacht offers a uniquely exclusive voyage experience. An invitation to sail, revitalise oneself, share, contemplate and respect the world around us. An ode to freedom and the treasures of nature.

With its common areas open extensively to the horizon, you will have never felt such communion with the elements. With one crew member per passenger and just thirty-two guests on board, you will have never enjoyed so much attention. With navigation under sail the moment conditions allow, you will have never savoured each second that passes to such an extent. 

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Accomodation Types

16 high-class staterooms and suites

Distributed across three decks, the staterooms and suites of Le Ponant are wonderfully spacious. Each benefits from a soft luminosity afforded by wide picture windows and portholes. Tastefully decorated, they offer luxurious surroundings conducive to peace and relaxation.

Owner's Suite with balcony

Alizé Privilège Suite with balcony

Mistral Junior Suite

Grand Privilège Alizé Suite with balcony

Mistral Prestige Suite

Alizés Prestige Stateroom with balcony

Mistral Prestige Stateroom

Mistral Stateroom

Alizé Stateroom with balcony

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Deck Plans

16 high-class staterooms and suites

Distributed across three decks, the staterooms and suites of Le Ponant are wonderfully spacious. Each benefits from a soft luminosity afforded by wide picture windows and portholes. Tastefully decorated, they offer luxurious surroundings conducive to peace and relaxation.

Deck 5

Deck 4

Deck 3

Deck 2

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Dining

The gastronomic symphony on board Le Ponant celebrates the enjoyment of food and the riches of nature, and sublimely showcases products from the lands visited. The restaurant, extensively turned towards the exterior with its large openings and its terrace offering 34 seated places, welcomes you morning, noon and evening for exceptional moments of gastronomic delight.

Le Diamant Panoramic Restaurant

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Entertainment

The striking lines, the quality of the materials, the sophistication of the way they’re combined: the common areas, designed by French design studio Jean-Philippe Nuel, exude a sense of timelessness and offer a genuine connection with the exterior scenery and landscapes. Their design offers a blend of purity, excellence and a sense of easy living through the prominent use of stylish plain tones: off-white, taupe and caviar grey. No flourishes or embellishments here, but instead a unity between the common areas and the staterooms.

Emeraude Lounge and Bar - Alizés Deck

Sun Deck

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Enrichment

Both onboard and at ports of call, Le Ponant offers a veritable invitation to enjoy authentic experiences and moments of rare privilege. Art, culture, gastronomy, nature, terroir, wellness, sport: take the time to taste, feel, listen and contemplate! Allow your senses to fully awaken and let yourself be guided by the crew and staff of Le Ponant, who will be able to provide you with all the help, advice and recommendations you require.

Excursions & land itineraries

Each itinerary has been thoughtfully created by our teams to offer you a complete excursion experience. You can discover the hidden gems of the regions you visit in line with your interests.

The Marina - Alizés Deck

• Two glass-bottomed kayaks
• Two stand up paddleboards
• Snorkelling equipment
• Fishing equipment
• Scuba diving equipment (for a group of four people)
• Saltwater swimming pool
• Small equipment for children (noodles, rings, armbands and safety equipment)

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Health & Fitness

The Wellness Space

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Kids & Teens

Please note: Le Ponant does not feature any dedicated facilities for children.

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Useful Information

Laundry

Your stateroom Officer will be able to take care of your laundry**. The washing and ironing of your clothes will take between 24 and 48 hours. Only ironing** can be delivered on the same day. As dry-cleaning is not possible on the ship, please only give us clothes that can be washed in water.

** These services are not free of charge and are billed directly to your stateroom account.

Smoking Policy

Closed spaces such as the lounges, the dining room, the staterooms and the reception are non-smoking areas. We invite you to smoke in designated outdoor parts of the ship.

Power Adapters

Adapters are provided on board, they are available at the reception office of our ships.

European Standard Sockets

The 220 volt 50 hertz alternating current is distributed by sockets meeting European standards. Onboard power is 200 volt AC (European standard) and 110 volt AC (North American standard). For safety reasons, hair irons and clothes irons cannot be used in staterooms. Please note that on Le Ponant, 110 volt AC is only available in stateroom bathrooms.

Age Restrictions

Children under one year of age shall not be authorised to embark on the ships.

For children aged between 1 and 8 years old, an authorisation to board the ship must be made in writing to PONANT. Subject to agreement, a liability waiver must be completed and returned to the company to validate the registration.

On classic cruises ("yachting"), children are accepted from the age of one, with a maximum of 5 children between 1 and 6 years old on board.

On "expedition" cruises children are accepted from 6 years old (except cruises aboard Le Commandant Charcot) and must be fully independent during all the outside activities organised and during disembarkation in rubber boats, be sufficiently tall to sit on the inflatable sides of the boats, and old enough to understand, and immediately respond to the orders given by the persons in charge. As a result, children's participation in any activity in an inflatable boat shall be subject to the agreement of the Captain and of the Expedition Head, depending on the sea conditions, and the difficulty of disembarking at each location visited. The ships do not carry Parka’s in children’s sizes. Parents must arrange to bring a suitable Parka for children. In all cases, children and young people under the age of 18 are at all times on board or on land under the full and total responsibility of their parents or carers.

Children aged 4 years or more can be welcomed in the Kid's Club when the service is offered on board

Languages

The crew are bilingual in French and English. All signage and announcements made are in French and English. On certain cruises, crew members also speak other languages.

Telephone

A satellite telephone system is at your disposal for contacting anyone, anywhere in the world. The cost of the call is added to the stateroom account (€6/minute). Calls that you receive can be transferred directly to your stateroom or to any other communal area on the ship. To receive or send faxes, please see Reception.

Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi internet access is available on all of our ships, in both the staterooms and the communal areas. One or several computers are at your disposal in the recreation centres. Please note that the Wi-Fi connection may be discontinued depending on the navigation area and landscapes that may block the vessel from satellite coverage, especially at high latitudes (no connection possible beyond 80° North or South), or for technical reasons beyond our control.

Medical Facilities

There is a doctor on board available to the passengers on all our ships:

• The schedules of consultation are listed each day in the log book (emergency consultation 24/7).
• The Sisterships, PONANT Explorers and Le Commandant Charcot also have a hospital for any small surgery.
• During the excursions, the passengers are accompanied by a doctor or a nurse.
• There is a fee for consultations on board . The price may vary according to the time and place of the consultation (hospital or staterooms). You must also pay for medications.
• The doctor on board is not authorised to distribute sick leaves and prescriptions. Only accounts and invoices are provided which may be used by the passenger to obtain a refund from his/her health insurance if his/her contract allows.

Medical Consultations

There is a charge for medical consultations undertaken by the doctor or nurse on board. The price can vary according to the time and place of the consultation (hospital or stateroom). Any medication must also be paid for by the passenger. If using medications on a regular basis make sure to bring adequate supplies for the duration of your cruise.

Special Medical Treatment

If you have any special treatment, we ask you to inform the reservation service when you register for the cruise, to note it on the information sheet before departure, then inform the on-board crew at the moment of departure and always keep your medication with you for the duration of the cruise.

Seasickness

Our ships (except Le Ponant) have stabilisers equipped with dynamic fins which adapt to the movements of the ship. This system allows the ship to anticipate and compensate for the pitching and tossing of the sea to achieve greater stability. Passengers suffering from seasickness will see their symptoms alleviated and are pleasantly surprised to not feel uncomfortable during their journey. However it is wise to bring travel motion medication with you for peace of mind.

Guests with reduced mobility

Our Sisterships, PONANT EXPLORERS and Le Commandant Charcot were designed for people with reduced mobility in mind:

• Specially designed staterooms;
• Access ramps allowing easy movement in communal areas;
• Posters, signage and stateroom numbers are translated into Braille.

Despite these arrangements, each passenger should be able to be independent or travel with a close family member or friend who can give them whatever assistance they require during their trip.

If a person has not been judged suitably fit for travel in complete safety, the company reserves the right to refuse their embarkation. Disembarkation in difficult places or in a Zodiac® is subject to the approval of the Captain, who will always have the safety and wellbeing of the passenger in mind.

Packing Tips

Technical Accessories

We advise you to equip yourself with a ski mask, sunglasses, walking poles (available to purchase in the shop), a waterproof rucksack, binoculars, a technical watch, a mosquito head net (for the Arctic) and a waterproof pouch.

Dress Code

We recommend wearing elegant, casual clothes at your discretion, and for the gala evenings, a cocktail dress for ladies and a shirt and tie for gentlemen, and a white or black-and-white outfit for the Officers' evening. Shorts/Bermudas are not permitted in the evening in the gastronomic restaurants.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is enshrined in the company's articles of association and has been at the heart of the PONANT project since its inception. Founded over thirty years ago by committed sailors, the company was born out of a desire to share a passion for the oceans and the treasures of the Earth. This responsibility commits us to a respectful dialogue with the environment and the populations we meet and to investing in many fields related to the preservation and development of the natural and cultural heritage of the polar and oceanic regions.

Clean Ships

We were among the first cruise operators in the world to abandon the use of heavy fuels, and our ships are equipped with electric diesel engines and SCR catalytic converters, which enable a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions. Our polar exploration ship, Le Commandant Charcot, is a hybrid-electric vessel, propelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG enables a 25% reduction in carbon emissions, an 85% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions and a 95% reduction in fine particle emissions. Each time we design a new ship, we equip it with the latest available eco-technologies, enabling us to maintain our position as the cruise industry's environmental leader, ahead of international regulations in some areas. A commitment recognised by many independent organisations:

• Our entire fleet is Clean Ship certified by the Bureau Veritas. This certification guarantees that our ships fulfil very precise criteria: emissions levels, waste processing, waste water etc.
• In 2020, PONANT was recognised as “the cruise operator with the greenest fleet in the world in terms of airborne emissions” by the German NGO, NABU.
• PONANT was awarded the Prix des Palmes du Tourisme Durable 2020 (Prize for Sustainable Tourism) in the “Voyage” category for the elimination of heavy fuel oil in favour of LS MGO.
• In 2019, PONANT became the first European cruise company to obtain the North American Green Alliance certificate. This certifies that its members have adopted practices and technologies that are respectful towards the environment.
• PONANT is also a signatory of the Charte Bleue from Armateurs de France, which commits the maritime sector to act to protect the marine environment.

Wastewater

All of the wastewater is treated by means of processes that exclude the use of chemical products. The recycled water is used to clean the exterior of the ship. The water that is discharged into the sea is treated, drinkable water.

Waste

We have optimised our organisation in order to reduce waste at the source. Waste is nonetheless still produced on board. As of 2020, 60% of this is sorted and recycled, with an objective of 85% set for 2023. We ensure the complete traceability of this waste.

Single-use plastics

We have eliminated the use of single-use plastics (straws, cups, food serving trays, laundry bags etc.). A metallic flask is issued to each passenger on expedition cruises and water fountains are available in the common areas of the ships. We are also developing the bottling of our water in glass bottles.