Ponant Arctic Excursions

[shenanybritt123]

Hi all - I'm looking into a solo trip next summer to somewhere in the Arctic (I'm in my mid 30s). Most likely Svalbard but potentially Greenland. Ponant has some excellent deals with no single supplement on a couple trips, but I don't see anything anywhere about excursions except for the Zodiac boats. What other Arctic excursions do they offer? Any kayaking or hiking? I'm also looking at Silversea and Lindblad, both of which are almost twice as much as Ponant but definitely have the excursions I'm looking for. Any insights? TIA!

[gogo65]

We’ve done SS to the Arctic and Ponant to Antarctica.

SS do have kayaking which was great (you have to sign up and take turns, we kayaked twice over 15 days, no choice of what days etc).

both offered hiking, generally these aren’t published as an excursion as such but rather they are just daily activities. They both tend to offer different levels of hiking once you get off the zodiac.

I believe Le commandant Charcot offers kayaks, snow mobiles and all the activities but they are much more expensive (more inline with SS and Lindbald standard pricing).

I hope that Ponant will eventually offer kayaks on their normal expeditions as it’s a great activity (for minimal cost to them).

 

[shenanybritt123]

Thanks so much! The rotation of kayaking was also a concern I had. I’m not sure I want to pay double the price for only kayaking once or twice (though the location is of course once in a lifetime). It really would be nice if they just threw a few kayaks on! Anything else you can share about how Ponant and SS compare? Gearing towards solos and/or younger people, food, lectures, etc.?

[jpalbny]

We are a bit older than you (50s) and have enjoyed expedition cruises on both SS (six) and Ponant (once). We are signed up for one with each line next year, as we think that both offer a nice product.

 

Food is subjective so you'll find as many opinions on that as there are people posting. We like the offerings on both lines. From our one experience on Ponant I'd say that their menu is less extensive than what you'll find on SS but not bad at all. It's more French though that may vary a bit by location. Silversea has more depth. If you look in my signature I have links to my most recent trip reports for Ponant (Corsica, Sept 2021) and Silversea (Antarctica and South Georgia, Jan 2020). There should be some menus and food pictures in each review to give you an idea.

 

Both cruises offered an excellent team of naturalists who were accessible and helpful. The naturalists are the best part of any expedition cruise and both lines were great there. I will say that the hikes offered by Ponant in Corsica were faster-paced than what Silversea usually does. 

 

The Ponant Explorers are new ships which are very slick. There are some pictures in the Corsica review of Le Bellot. They have an excellent and easy setup for getting in and out of the zodiacs. Ponant's newest Polar ship Le Commandant Charcot looks incredible. I'd go on that in a heartbeat.

 

The Silversea ships are about 30 years old (Cloud and Wind) - not specifically built as expedition cruise ships, but retrofitted to serve as such. We love the ships, both before and after the retrofit, and will happily keep sailing on them but if you must have a "new" ship then you may wish to avoid them. The wild card is Silversea's recent acquisition of the Silver (formerly Crystal) Endeavor, a new purpose-built expeditions ship which will start with this winter's Antarctica cruising season.

 

Let me know if you have other specific questions about the two lines. Both will offer you a great experience but some of the above differences may or may not be important to you.

[shenanybritt123]

@jpalbnythank you so much for all the great info, and your reviews are really helpful! The new Ponant ship looks amazing and I hope to be able to go someday. They have some great itineraries, too. But, since I wanted to see all of Svalbard, Iceland, and at least part of Greenland, I ended up finding my perfect itinerary on a Lindblad expedition for next summer!