Ponant and Regent

Looking at doing a Norway cruise next year and wondering if anyone has sailed on both Ponant and Regent. I’d appreciate any observations comparing the two lines.

Thanks in advance

HKA, our good Atlanta friends (forgap) Jennifer and Georges frequently cruise on Regent and have been on Ponant too. Will send her a note to give you their thoughts, but know they absolutely loved Ponant when in Antarctica.

Hi Wes, much appreciated.

Best

Alan

Yes, we did the Antarctica cruise with Ponant in 2016 on Le Lyrial. I loved a lot about Ponant, especially the design aesthetic. The ships are sleek, modern, and elegant. The cabins are small, however, with too much furniture for the space, in my opinion. The bathroom is well designed with a sliding wall so you can open it and see the sights while you shower. The toilet is separate.

Since the ships are small they can navigate to places Regent ships can’t. We were on an expedition cruise so they had well managed zodiac excursions twice a day. We had a very international passenger list with Americans in the minority - in fact English speakers were in the minority. Almost half the passengers were Japanese so they had their own bilingual naturalist on board. All lectures and announcements were in French, english, and Japanese.

Food was excellent (but, of course) with a casual buffet venue as well as a more formal dining room. The cheese tray at lunch was mesmerizing! All wine and booze was included on our cruise. The staff was primarily from the Philippines. Since Le Lyrial was a new build, they were still learning French. When they discovered that my husband was a retired French professor, he became their impromptu teacher. It was really endearing as they asked how to say something and scribbled it down in little notebooks they all had in their pockets.

Ponant also had an open bridge policy so you could wander onto the bridge and watch the action. I’m not sure if this was just for Antarctica or for every cruise.

Comparing Regent and Ponant is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Would I cruise Ponant again? Yes. And, I think I might choose Ponant over Regent for Norway as the small ship can get into the nooks and crannies.

Feel free to ask about anything I missed!

Jennifer

We have done Ponant le Boreal to Antarctica and Regents 5 times.

Yes the cabins are smaller. Meals on Ponant were very good. The evening meal could be either the buffet or a dining room. Both had a great selection, mostly food French style, lots of vegetables. For dinner in the dining room, there was a salad/first course buffet which was self serve with ordering off of the menu. My main issue with the ship, and this may be different on other Ponant ships, is that the theater faced the back of the ship. This only impacts people who are very susceptible to motion sickness.

Comparing Ponant to Regents for an itinerary, I would look at the ports for each ship. Either ship would be a great trip.

How difficult was it with English as a minority language on Ponant? Any issues?

No issues at all. Every staff member spoke English. Although my husband is a French native and I speak French, we communicated mostly in English.

I was on Le Boreal probably about 5 years ago going from Iceland to Greenland. Excellent experience overall. I agree with Forgap's observations. Cabins were small, but furnished with an upscale look. It was very tight to move around in the small cabins. Some larger cabins available so best to compare with cabin size on Regent to get an idea of size difference.

Primary language was French and most of the guests were French or from other European countries. There were probably only a dozen or so guests from North America. All announcements were in French and English as were lectures. The lectures were very good--aimed at history and nature for that itinerary. Lectures were sometimes a bit tedious because of the French/English translation that occurred. Speaker would offer a paragraph or two in French and then someone would translate into English. On some occasions lectures were offered separately on the same topic in French and English.

As for difficulty if one speaks only English, there isn't really a problem. The primary limitation is that most conversations in the common areas were in French so one could feel uncomfortable in trying to engage with others in English perhaps--though I think most of the guests also spoke English. Many guests soon learn what language one speaks and are likely to switch from their native language to English to greet you or to carry on a conversation. Speaking a bit of French is helpful, but not necessary.

Food was very good though not as much choice as on Regent. Crew was friendly. Guides were excellent.

I would compare Le Boreal experience favorably to Regent. It is much like a smaller version of Regent with of course less variety in terms of restaurants, bars, on-board shopping, etc. I would definitely choose Ponanat over Regent for an itinerary such as Iceland to Greenland. In Norway, I would assume that the smaller Ponant ships can go in areas that Regent might not be able to traverse in the fjords. I suspect that excursions might also be better on Ponant if one is looking mostly at nature, hiking, etc. If Ponant uses their Zodiacs for excursions there that would be a big plus. Would be important to try to compare the types of excursions available.

Over all Ponant is a very different experience from Regent because of the size of the vessel and a more expedition-like atmosphere. I would say it is more like a luxury boutique hotel compared to Regent being a large luxury hotel.

Yes, we did the Antarctica cruise with Ponant in 2016 on Le Lyrial. I loved a lot about Ponant, especially the design aesthetic. The ships are sleek, modern, and elegant. The cabins are small, however, with too much furniture for the space, in my opinion. The bathroom is well designed with a sliding wall so you can open it and see the sights while you shower. The toilet is separate.

 

Since the ships are small they can navigate to places Regent ships can’t. We were on an expedition cruise so they had well managed zodiac excursions twice a day. We had a very international passenger list with Americans in the minority - in fact English speakers were in the minority. Almost half the passengers were Japanese so they had their own bilingual naturalist on board. All lectures and announcements were in French, english, and Japanese.

 

Food was excellent (but, of course) with a casual buffet venue as well as a more formal dining room. The cheese tray at lunch was mesmerizing! All wine and booze was included on our cruise. The staff was primarily from the Philippines. Since Le Lyrial was a new build, they were still learning French. When they discovered that my husband was a retired French professor, he became their impromptu teacher. It was really endearing as they asked how to say something and scribbled it down in little notebooks they all had in their pockets.

 

Ponant also had an open bridge policy so you could wander onto the bridge and watch the action. I’m not sure if this was just for Antarctica or for every cruise.

 

Comparing Regent and Ponant is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Would I cruise Ponant again? Yes. And, I think I might choose Ponant over Regent for Norway as the small ship can get into the nooks and crannies.

 

Feel free to ask about anything I missed!

 

Jennifer

How are the beds on Ponant. My husband is very tall.

I think they were average beds, but we are average size. So, I’m not sure they would be OK for the uber tall.

No issues at all. Every staff member spoke English. Although my husband is a French native and I speak French, we communicated mostly in English.

Thanks for the info.

Ponant is great for an expedition cruise with the zodiacs. We did Antarctica and the Arctic. Also did the West coast of South America. Food was OK but not exceptional. Wine at meals included but not cocktails. We have sailed with Regent twice on the Explorer. Staterooms are much larger. entertainment is better and a wider choice of dining. I like both lines it would depend on the itinerary for me.

How did this relatively small ship handle the Drake Passage?

Our Antarctica cruise included wine, champagne, and cocktails. The drake passage was rough but not horrible and the ship did ok. I was seasick for a day until I got used to it and all my meds kicked in. For what it’s worth, I was MUCH more seasick on Navigator in the South Pacific last year.

No matter how you slice it, the Drake is akin to being in a washing machine. It’s best to try to sleep through it.

How did this relatively small ship handle the Drake Passage?

Will let you know this November. After much turmoil thinking about it, I decided "Just Do It". Scared and excited at the same time. I realized it must be done when still healthy and fit because we never know what the future brings.

I actually discussed with ENT Dr. and she said to take valium if you start spinning and getting nauseous. Somehow it helps and she gave me a prescription just in case.

And this is how French ships roll....ice landing with champagne!

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And this is how French ships roll....ice landing with champagne!

 

 

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Well, forget the valium the Dr. ordered in case of extreme sea sickness. Those drugs are not something I partake in. But...champagne on ice...a different story :)

I asked our French naturalist if ponant chose pink champagne because it was the color of krill. He replied (cue heavy French accent) “....I am not sure, but that would be poetic.”

Get Stugeron off the net. It works. The pink champagne will help too. LOL

Will let you know this November. After much turmoil thinking about it, I decided "Just Do It". Scared and excited at the same time. I realized it must be done when still healthy and fit because we never know what the future brings.

 

I actually discussed with ENT Dr. and she said to take valium if you start spinning and getting nauseous. Somehow it helps and she gave me a prescription just in case.

We have decided the same but for next year! The pink champagne on ice clinched the deal. Thanks to everyone for the feedback. HKA

We have decided the same but for next year! The pink champagne on ice clinched the deal. Thanks to everyone for the feedback. HKA

It will be a trip of a lifetime! Feel free to email me if you want stateroom or other pics....forgap at bellsouth dot net.

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It will be a trip of a lifetime! Feel free to email me if you want stateroom or other pics....forgap at bellsouth dot net.

 

 

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Forgap, there is now a Ponant area to post on that just was added this past week. I think some of your photos and experience would be wonderful to add to this CC section. Truly beautiful and you have made me even more excited about our trip. Thank you.