AussieBoyTX

Ponant booked it and it was included with the cruise. We had two boats that were about half full, which was nice.

Some ships are now paperless -- the cruise documents come as a PDF relayed from the TA. This was the case on our cruises on Le Soléal Le Lapérouse and Le Ponant this past year -- it may be confined to the Pacific Ocean for now.

Welcome to Ponant! Almost always, boarding is only during the specified time and there's no pre-boarding available. At a port like Valletta, your taxi / driver will drop you off at the Cruise Port and Ponant will have staff to check you in and take your bags. It's a fast process and even if everyone shows up at once, it shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes. We like being on the ship first, but sometimes show up towards the end of the boarding hour since there are absolutely no lines. If there's a lounge, it's offered by the port. Ponant doesn't offer one. Early that evening, probably before the actual sail-away, there will be a "Life on Board" presentation in the theater, which ends with the drill.

First off, Le Soléal and her crew were flawless. It was our first time on this Sistership, and we have no complaints. The crew was familiar, with several staff members from previous cruises recognizing us, which was a pleasant surprise. Some of the highlights came from the captain’s willingness to change course or even stop the ship for a few hours as we were surrounded by humpback whales. The ship’s provisioning matched the best we’ve experienced with Ponant, equal to Europe and noticeably better than our recent Australia cruises. We enjoyed a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits throughout the voyage—even on the final days, everything remained fresh. There was a good selection of Bordier cheeses, though sadly, my beloved reblochon wasn’t on board. The only thing missing was Nescafe coffee pods, which didn’t arrive in time for departure. Thanks to the excellent food and late sunsets, we often dined at the Deck 6 restaurant, enjoying golden hour views with our meals. Aside from one miserable day that caused us to miss LeConte Glacier, the weather was extremely cooperative. Most mornings were cloudy but broke into warm, partly cloudy, or clear skies by lunchtime. The true showstopper, however, was witnessing the Northern Lights—twice! Being woken up in the middle of the night to see the aurora was absolutely worth it. The vibrant greens and purples dancing across the sky were breathtaking and an unexpected highlight. The itinerary was very sea-centric, with minimal time ashore. We spent five days at sea and only one full day on land in Skagway. While the scenery was spectacular, the shore excursions became some of our trip’s highlights: • Seward: Our bus driver took a detour, offering us the best salmon viewing of the trip. • Elfin Cove: A tiny seasonal village, where we independently met halibut fishermen. Over fresh coffee, they shared their challenges with orcas and the fishing season. • Skagway: The White Pass Summit train tour was scenic and informative. I’d gladly do it again and might consider the full-day Bennett Scenic Journey. • Sitka: We took an afternoon “Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest” where we saw whales, sea otters, sea lions, porpoises, harbor seals, brown bears, and bald eagles. The tour, run by indigenous Alaskans, was well done and a highlight of the trip. • Alert Bay: Just off Vancouver Island, we visited an indigenous community, where we learned about their history, saw performances in their tribal hall, and explored a fascinating museum. Ponant’s Photography Ambassador, Cindy Miller Hopkins, was on board, which allowed us to relax a bit when it came to taking photos. While we did capture a few shots here and there, her professional photos will definitely be a nice addition to our memories of the trip. While the ship’s entertainment was talented, it wasn’t really targeted to our demographic. There were two dancers, two singers doing track performances, a guitarist, and a concert pianist. I did enjoy the pianist’s afternoon sessions in the Observatory Lounge, where she performed modern classical pieces—a refreshing change from the usual classical fare. Regarding the itinerary, Ponant adjusted the tour because of US maritime law, removing the “Polar Expedition” designation and replacing Zodiac tours with local boat tours. This likely worked in our favor, as the Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest was far more enjoyable than a Zodiac tour could have been. We still got parkas, though… The American Exploration Team didn’t add much value overall, and at times they felt disorganized or understaffed. However, I do want to call out two exceptional team members—Alain and Petra—who were enthusiastic and genuinely committed to making sure we saw all the sights. Their presentations were lively, and they consistently went above and beyond to enhance our experience. That said, there were some missteps: • At Sitka, a short hike into the forest had only two cans of bear spray for the group, so we all had to stick together at a slow pace. • During whale sightings, the Exploration Leader repeatedly urged everyone over the PA to come on deck, but I was perfectly content on my balcony with an equally great view. • The shore experience at Kake involved too many people trying to glimpse brown bears by the river. Had I known how disorganized it would be, I would have opted to stay on the ship. • The evening briefings weren’t exceptional, but this did lead us to discover a TV channel showing everything happening in the theatre—allowing us to enjoy the presentations from the comfort of our cabin. In summary, it was a beautiful cruise with an exceptional crew, but ultimately too sedentary for our tastes.

Yep, Ponant confirmed announcements and lectures are English-only. Look forward to hearing about it!

Another sign of Ponant going after non-French markets. A series of English-only cruises have been added in 2025. First example: https://us.ponant.com/the-mediterranean-epicurean-delights-of-sicily-and-the-adriatic-coast-of-italy-eg100625-12?

Greetings from aboard Le Soléal, currently stationed at Harvard Glacier, College Fjord, Alaska! This adventure has been an interesting mix of familiar pleasures and unexpected changes. Here are the key highlights: • Return of Beurre Bordier and French Cheeses: This is our first Ponant cruise in over a year that wasn’t provisioned out of Australia. Free from Australian biosecurity restrictions, we’re delighted to have our beloved beurre Bordier and some French cheeses back on board. • Impact of US Maritime Law: Due to US maritime regulations requiring US crew and equipment, this cruise couldn’t offer a typical “Expedition Cruise” with Zodiac landings. We were informed of this format change only a couple of months ago and are still uncertain about all the substitutions. However, we did receive parkas as part of the expedition experience. • Anchorage to Seward: The cruise package included a night in Anchorage with a stay at the Hilton, which, like many hotels in Anchorage, is a bit rundown and not up to brand standard. The transfer to Seward was well-organized. It started with a city tour of Anchorage, which was complicated by the Anchorage Marathon, followed by an early lunch on the south side of town. The drive to Seward was scenic and included a detour towards Whittier to witness salmon spawning—a highlight of the journey. • Boarding Experience: Boarding was seamless with no lines, a refreshing change. We were pleased to recognize familiar faces, including the Hotel Manager from our Tasmania cruise and our housekeeper from Antarctica. The Hotel Manager remains one of the best we’ve encountered on Ponant. • Meeting the Commodore: Our favorite game of “guess who’s the Commodore” didn’t last long. He joined me for breakfast this morning and offered some excellent recommendations for future Ponant cruises. • Flights and Arrival: Our flights to Anchorage on Qantas were uneventful, though the 20-hour layover in Vancouver was slightly inconvenient. As we’re always cautious about missing embarkation, we arrived in Anchorage two days early. This extra time allowed us to visit the opening day of the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, where we thoroughly enjoyed the craft exhibitions. Unfortunately, we were two weeks early for the weighing of the giant vegetables. We always look forward to seeing the 2000+ pound pumpkins. • Starlink: This ship has been fitted with Starlink, which is welcome. Upload and download speeds are ~ 1.5Mbps.

This is exciting! We'll book the first cruise that includes the Marquesas.

It is a sliding panel that is locked open or closed. I don't think guest have the flexibility to change the panel's configuration during the cruise.

I would be surprised if any of the mentioned lines would have more than 200 passengers on Antarctic cruises. Only 100 passengers can be onshore at a time and ships carrying more than 200 passengers are restricted from visiting certain sensitive areas. I know when we were on Le Lyrial, we were told there were fewer than 200 passengers because of this.

A travel agent should be able to offer you something extra like shipboard credit. Otherwise, the pricing is generally the same.

They both have their advantages. My preference would be for the Explorer (Le Jacques Cartier): - It's slightly smaller & feels more intimate. - Has the marine platform allowing for more versatile egress to the Zodiacs (and allows for some interesting other functions for e.g. cocktail parties). - If you're booking into the best suites, their layout is more private, and I think better. - The Blue Eye Lounge (basically a gimmick, but in the most recent cruise we took, it was used for some interesting musical tributes). The Sisterships (Le Soléal) also have a couple of things: - The casual restaurant on Deck 6 is indoors and has what feels like a complete menu. On the Explorers, it's outside aft of the main lounge and generally requires reservations if the weather's fine. - Maybe a bit more space in the lounge if the ship is close to full. If you have other questions, please follow on...

Yes, they have product and you can just drop by the spa to see the selection.

Sorry, I haven’t seen anything at all about Starlink. It was a huge surprise to me to see it on this cruise — but I’d suppose the intent is to install on all of the ships.