Ocean Voyage from Boston to Fort-de-France onboard le Dumont d’Urville, 5-13 November 2022

[tnm6217]

My apologies for just now getting around to a wrap up of our trip! I believe this may be the first detailed review of a Ponant Ocean Voyage on this forum. If you are a fan of sea days, small crowds, and find it easy to “go with the flow,” you’ll definitely enjoy an Ocean Voyage. We had a wonderful time and are booked on a similar sailing next November (Gloucester/Boston to Belize City). Overall we were very pleased, but there were two areas that were less than stellar. I'll leave those for the end, as I want to highlight what Ponant did well first.

 

On a boat capable of holding 184 passengers, we only had 28 passengers to a crew of 112. To me, this was what I enjoyed most—unless my life takes a dramatically different turn, this is the closest I will get to feeling like a yacht owner! Service was relaxed, definitely not overly attentive, as many of the crew were new and in training. My initial concern is that we wouldn’t get the full Ponant experience with so few on board, but that was absolutely not the case (at least until we got to Fort-de-France). There was good entertainment throughout the day, and it seemed as though they were preparing food at the buffets for a full ship (nothing ever ran out). I believe about half of the ship was from the U.S., all from the East Coast. There was one couple from Germany, one couple from Canada, and the rest were French with varying degrees of English proficiency. We found everyone to be pleasant.

 

Our documents said we could board from 3 to 4 pm. We arrived to the port early around 2:30 and we were onboard and in our cabins about 15 minutes later. That was a nice surprise! The cabin was truly heavenly. We booked three Prestige Staterooms on Deck 4, but were upgraded to Prestige Staterooms on Deck 5. This was fine for our group, but if you were intentional about the cabins you’d picked, this could be an inconvenience. From what we could tell, passengers were only on Decks 5 and 6 so they could work on the staterooms on Decks 3 and 4. I enjoyed walking the halls to see what work they were doing. Despite the work being done on those decks, there was no real impact on our enjoyment of the ship. The only thing I ever noticed was an unlatched balcony door on a lower deck that would open and shut as the ship rocked. I couldn’t hear it in my cabin, so I didn’t bother asking to have it addressed. Overall, the cabins were extremely quiet, and everyone in our group gushed about how well the cabins were attended to by the housekeeping staff. 

 

I absolutely loved the convenience of the built-in vanity in my stateroom. The wonderful lighted makeup mirror didn’t stay upright, but I solved that issue by rolling up a washcloth and placing it on the underside of the hinge that was causing it to “droop.” It seems others had this issue—a very odd design. Also, the shower door didn’t stay open or closed. Maybe that would be okay if you were cruising calm seas, but we were cruising the outskirts of Hurricane Nicole and things were rocky! But this was another easy fix—I wadded a towel up as a sort of door stop when the ship was moving. My room steward caught on and ensured I had a fresh “door stop” when my cabin was made up in the morning. I know others have commented that Ponant staterooms are smother than other luxury lines, but I found the amount of useful storage to be a major convenience. There is a huge drawer under the sink that you could throw all of your things in, and the closet worked wonderfully. I enjoyed having everything in its place throughout the trip.

 

Because the ship felt like a private yacht to all of us onboard, I spent little time in my cabin. The ship felt cozy and approachable and there were many places to just sit and relax. The main lounge on Deck 3 typically had ambient music on, while the observatory lounge on Deck 6 was much quieter. The Cruise Director had little games on the schedule and we participated in a few, though not many did. I love bingo on a cruise, and was very excited when the winners—which ended up being all of us—got some fun Ponant swag. The singer, guitarist, and pianist on board were a real treat and added to the ambiance. One afternoon the pianist played the score from Phantom for the handful of us there at the time. A person could get very accustomed to that kind of life!

 

The most surprising thing that we all raved about? The drinking water in the cabin! This ship had a Nordaq purification system (nordaq.com) and I truly cannot describe how incredible this water was…words I have never otherwise said! My room steward could see how much I loved it, and started leaving extra bottles (4-6 twice a day) on the credenza below the TV. It came in both still and sparkling. There were water dispensers at both bars, but it was not Nordaq water from what I could tell, though still very good. The sparkling water didn’t work in the dispenser, but the bartender always had a pitcher of it on hand or you could ask for Perrier.

 

Other passengers gushed about the Nespresso maker in the cabin, especially the fact that the room stewards kept you fully stocked with multiple coffee options. Folks would save their night time treats (cookies, madeleines, macarons, etc.) and have them with coffee in the morning. The coffee in the dining room is not from one of the bar Nespresso machines unless you specifically request it. I’d recommend doing so, because the one cappuccino I had in the dining room was nothing to write home about. However, the coffee from the bar was fabulous (Nespresso Luongo commercial pods). The bartender let me know that the machines can make “black coffee” too, which I’d definitely recommend over the coffee they have available to pour yourself from the bar top. Any coffee ordered at the bar came with an individually wrapped Valrhona chocolate “stirrer.” I like my coffee black, but I enjoyed having these delicious chocolates to nibble on throughout the voyage…not that there as ever any shortage of treats to be enjoyed!

 

Overall, the food was incredible. There were a few misses, but for all I ate—and you’ll see it was a lot—that was perfectly acceptable. The baker and pastry chef on the ship were très parfait! We all loved the “basic” dinner rolls, and the desserts were fabulous. The chocolate mousse and the “100% orange” are not to be missed. We were never offered the Ponant “signature dessert” with the chocolate sails. I ordered banana and pecan pancakes for breakfast every day and they were exceptionally delicious. The seafood lunch is also not to be missed—some of the best crab and ceviche I’ve ever had. Make sure you try the French dressing. I’m not sure if they make it in house, but it was very tasty. The pasta was a standout as well. The little cookies available at tea time and left in your cabin at night are like crack—heed my advice and hoard them in your cabin. The cheese dinner is what dreams are made of! Make sure you come hungry because there are so many good things to try. Finally, there was no indication of food being “repurposed” for later meals. The menu was always creative and non-repetitive.

 

Because there were so few of us onboard, there was only one venue open for dining at each meal—the main dining room for breakfast and dinner and the pool deck buffet for lunch. On our roughest sea day, dining outside wasn’t possible, so lunch was provided in the main dining room. There was a “light breakfast” available at the Main Lounge Bar and room service was always available. I never ordered room service, but I didn’t hear any fellow passengers mention anything not being available (which I’d heard from other sailings). 

 

The one negative as far as the food goes is it did not appear our ship was reprovisioned before our sailing. If it was, then it wasn’t a very good one. We were disappointed to not see any fresh spinach onboard, although the butter lettuce was very good and fresh. There were no fresh bananas (though they must’ve had old ones in the back because that’s what made the pancakes so good), and most of the fruit they served was fruit that stays good for a long time. Not much in the way of fresh vegetables either. Additionally, the wine selection was pretty limited, both the complimentary wine selections (very little were French) as well as the bottles on the wine list. I suspect we were left with the “dregs” from the Canada/New England sailings. 

 

I’m not going to gripe a ton about the internet, because the point of an Ocean Voyage is to escape. However, I ran speed tests every day at various times throughout the day, and the internet was never over 0.8 Mbps, but most often it was around 0.5 Mbps. Yes, it’s satellite internet in open sea, but passengers on other lines can expect to get 2+ Mbps on non-Starlink systems. The reason I think this limited capability is a Ponant thing and not an equipment thing is because when we were in the Caribbean and were picking up cell service from the nearby islands, the internet speeds never improved. I am of the opinion that Ponant limits the capacity. Sadly, this is to their disadvantage, because if the capability on their ships was even a hair better, I would be teleworking from every future Ocean Voyage!

 

I was prepared for the “Ponant” experience and fully embraced the “go with the flow” attitude. However, I can imagine being very frustrated by the lack of attention to detail if I were on a non-Ocean Voyage. Even though the boarding documents from Ponant showed a $300 onboard credit, I had to do some work to get them to honor it. Nothing was put out about the ship not observing daylight savings time, so most of us had no idea what time it was for most of that day. The information that went out at the disembarkation meeting on our last full day was inconsistent with what was in the daily bulletin. However, they were definitely laid back about disembarkation, and I’m fairly certain you could’ve hung around onboard until 9:30 or 10 am.

 

Now about Hurricane Nicole and my only real disappointment from this trip. It wasn’t the rough seas we went through at all. Although the ship was rocking and moving and creaking and cracking for the first few days, I had my Sea-Bands and ginger gum and was relatively unaffected. It wasn’t the handling of the ship or the dissemination of information. The Captain did a good job navigating us through the rough waters and kept us updated along the way. The maps available on the TV screens in the lounge and the cabin were very helpful, and at night when the sea was rocking, turning on the infrared bow camera helped my equilibrium normalize. The issue was that we went so fast to get through the storm that we arrived to Fort-de-France well before we were scheduled to. 

 

When I booked the trip in early August, we weren’t supposed to get to Martinique until early morning on our disembarkation day. Then the itinerary changed about a month before our sailing and we were expected to arrive “early afternoon” the day before. Unfortunately, we pulled into port around 9 am the day before disembarkation. For a group of folks who were seeking Caribbean sea days, this was a huge disappointment. Fort-de-France is no Saint Tropez and the dock was quite industrial, with all of the sights and noises that come along with it. 

 

The Captain waited to tell us about this early arrival until the afternoon before we arrived. Many complained and asked if we could slow down, but no change. It was presented to us as if it just sort of turned out that way. However, that didn’t jive with the fact that there were multiple containers and dockworkers waiting to provision the ship the moment we were docked. They started provisioning around 10 am and were still loading and discarding until after 5 pm—all of which we saw and heard. There were even window washers cleaning and scrubbing the windows on disembarkation day.

 

Additionally, it was very clear that once we pulled into dock, the crew considered the cruise over. The level of service dropped dramatically. They pulled restaurant staff to load and unload the boat all day. This meant that only a few servers were available and had to serve at all three meals. It was easy to see they were overloaded, and the food on the last night was poorly executed (my medium burger was practically bleeding). New crewmembers were coming onboard all throughout the day which felt chaotic. At one point I was at reception asking about transfers to the airport (which wasn’t at all helpful). I watched a new male crewmember come onboard, who I can only assume was the boyfriend of one of the dancers onboard. The cruise director was with them and quickly ushered the couple to the office space behind the reception desk so they could kiss. She laughed about it and told the other staff not to go back there. I felt like I was back at summer camp, not on a “luxury” line. The reception team was unhelpful when we asked for assistance with taxis/transfers to the airport. They were getting key cards ready for the next cruise (which was almost fully booked).

 

We didn’t at all mind the work that was being done on the ship during the sailing, which was always quiet and discrete. However, that last day—with what came across as a total disregard of the passengers still very much onboard and wanting a great experience—was just a terrible way to end the trip. While I can understand the early arrival, I didn’t feel it was appropriate to onboard new staff in the main lobby of the ship and to have the staff so distracted with the next voyage. If Ponant needs that much turnaround time, they should consider having a full day in between sailings. Otherwise, please don’t sell us a sea day you don’t intend to provide. While we are looking forward to another Ocean Voyage next year, I’m fully expecting this to happen again, and I’m bummed about it. If it does, I’m not sure I’ll book again.

 

Pictures from the trip are available here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yj5bBM2AESjzHq5a6

 

I tried to include pictures of things I hadn’t seen posted here before. I must give a huge shout out to all of you on this forum who’ve contributed in the past. Your photos, answers, and insight truly prepared me for this trip and made it much easier for this Type A lady to embrace the Ponant state of mind! 

[Host Jazzbeau]

I've always been confused about these Ponant 'Ocean Voyages.'  The prices can be very low, but the explanations are very limited as to what you get.  Your report makes me think they are like [what I imagine] repositioning cruises were like back in the day:  the focus is on getting the ship from A to B and doing whatever needs to be done for the next cruise from B; if you want to ride along, the fare is low but so is the service.  In that respect your experience is actually better than I was expecting, except for the last two days.  I'm glad you enjoyed it overall!  And thanks for posting!  

[AussieBoyTX]

Yeah, it reads like it’s a repositioning cruise where you’re promised nothing and can be surprised by what you do get. 
 

On another forum, I saw that guests were entertained by the crew’s amateur band, which they thought amazing — and other things you wouldn’t normally see on Ponant. 
 

The only Ocean Voyage I’ve been on was on Le Commandant Charcot, which you can read about here on CC. We had a change of embarkation port and left almost two days late due to operational issues. 

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for your wonderful review.     I think I've spent the last 1 1/2 hours enjoying your photo album.   You have a great eye and your photos tell a story.  

 

I've read a number posts about the food, but definitely say the meals are perfect sized for us and I can say I saw a meal that would have disappointed.     Presentation is excellent but I guess it all comes down to the flavor.   

 

You are definitely making us feel more comfortable with expectations.  

[jimdee3636]

@tnm6217

A belated thanks for an insightful and even-handed review. The good must really have outweighed the bad if you're going to do a similar itinerary again.

 

I was looking at one for this coming fall (Boston to Fort de France), but if I were to go it would be as a solo, and for that sailing there's a 100% single supplement---i.e., I'd have to pay the same rate as two people sharing a cabin. it seems odd that, with such low occupancy rates on these kinds of cruises, they wouldn't offer a "no solo supplement" deal (they do it for many other cruises). The single supplement, unfortunately, makes it unattractive for me.

 

In any event, though, I hope you'll post another detailed review after your Gloucester-to-Belize cruise. Thanks again.

[gogo65]

It’s been a while since Ive frequented CC, so was pleasantly surprised to see your review, it also bought up some feelings of disappointment from our North West Passage cruise, where we had 74 passengers and as a result they reduced services similar to yours.

Only one dining room open, no beauty or spa services, and minimal staff at times. Not what we had previously experienced and certainly not what was expected on a $35k/pp cruise. While we had some amazing staff that really made our trip enjoyable, the negatives did spoil our overall opinion.

It seems that services are cut back when they are not sailing full to the detriment of passengers and something that really needs to be looked at to ensure consistency across the fleet on every cruise.

We will still consider Ponant purely because our Antartica cruise was so good, but with a little more hesitation..

Im glad you enjoyed it, and appreciate the honest review.

[Host Jazzbeau]

28 minutes ago, gogo65 said:

It’s been a while since Ive frequented CC, so was pleasantly surprised to see your review, it also bought up some feelings of disappointment from our North West Passage cruise, where we had 74 passengers and as a result they reduced services similar to yours.

With only 74 passengers, the more likely result would have been to cancel the cruise.  What would you have posted then?  Even with the reduced services you experienced, they must have lost money on your sailing.  But you still got to experience the full itinerary, and the staff made your trip 'enjoyable.'  So step back, reflect, and tell us:  which would have you preferred:  reduced services, or cancelled trip?

 

[Full disclosure:  I am just back from an Odysseys-Unlimited adventure trip to Cape Horn and Patagonia.  We were lucky that they were able to get the Zodaics to Cape Horn and allow us to trek up to the monument – through high winds and horizontal rain and sleet.  Most cruise lines never manage this landing, but Australis has a 70% success rate.  Should I be grateful for the opportunity, or complaining about the sleet burns on my cheeks?  Me, I'm grateful!  You don't sign up for an adventure trip without accepting that it will be an adventure!]

[tnm6217]

Update!

 

I booked a 4 night Celebrity cruise in January on a whim and I loved everything about it. So much so that within a week of returning home, I cancelled the Ponant Boston to Belize sailing for November. They refunded some of my deposit, which I appreciated.

 

When I sailed with Ponant and wrote my earlier review, I didn't have any perspective from other cruise lines. The service on Celebrity -- from the bathroom attendants to the suite concierge -- blew me out of the water. They were kind, amiable, and so attentive to me on my very first solo trip.

 

I realize Celebrity is a very different product than Ponant, but the service, the food, the ship, and the overall experience were much better than what I experienced on the repositioning cruise. Just being able to walk around the upper deck of the ship while on the open sea was enough to win me over, but the blazing fast Starlink internet (at times up to 100Mbps!) didn't hurt!

 

Maybe I'll find my way back to Ponant in another season of life, but for now, I'm grateful to have found something that fits me really well...and I'm looking forward to the 5 Celebrity cruises I have booked for the rest of this year!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Sorry that you now see your Ponant cruise as lesser than Celebrity.  A few thoughts:  (1) 'ocean voyages' are not the full Ponant standard, so I was actually surprised at how many things you found to enjoy on your cruise; (2) your avatar picture implies youth, which is what Celebrity is now targeting; (3) Celebrity is definitely targeted at us Americans, while Ponant requires adjustment to a very French environment [not to apply stereotypes – much! – but 'kind, amiable, and attentive' are not terms one usually associates with French service...]; (4) Celebrity suite class has great food and service and the larger ships have much better entertainment opportunities – but IME Celebrity itineraries are not as interesting as small ship lines like Ponant, so maybe you will find your way back to Ponant some day.  In any case, bon voyage whatever you choose!

[Jim_Iain]

21 hours ago, tnm6217 said:

Update!

 

I booked a 4 night Celebrity cruise in January on a whim and I loved everything about it. So much so that within a week of returning home, I cancelled the Ponant Boston to Belize sailing for November. They refunded some of my deposit, which I appreciated.

 

When I sailed with Ponant and wrote my earlier review, I didn't have any perspective from other cruise lines. The service on Celebrity -- from the bathroom attendants to the suite concierge -- blew me out of the water. They were kind, amiable, and so attentive to me on my very first solo trip.

 

I realize Celebrity is a very different product than Ponant, but the service, the food, the ship, and the overall experience were much better than what I experienced on the repositioning cruise. Just being able to walk around the upper deck of the ship while on the open sea was enough to win me over, but the blazing fast Starlink internet (at times up to 100Mbps!) didn't hurt!

 

Maybe I'll find my way back to Ponant in another season of life, but for now, I'm grateful to have found something that fits me really well...and I'm looking forward to the 5 Celebrity cruises I have booked for the rest of this year!

 

Interesting to read your opinions.    We are long term Celebrity Cruiser and will be trying Ponant for the first time on a "teaser" cruise in September.    Many of the things @Host Jazzbeau brought up are the reason to test the waters and see if Ponant is for us.     I'm sure the Great Lakes cruise will not be the "full" experience of some of the expedition cruises but should help us determine if it is a fit.

 

We have really good friends who only sail Poanant and have been urging us to try them.

[tnm6217]

23 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Sorry that you now see your Ponant cruise as lesser than Celebrity.  A few thoughts:  (1) 'ocean voyages' are not the full Ponant standard, so I was actually surprised at how many things you found to enjoy on your cruise; (2) your avatar picture implies youth, which is what Celebrity is now targeting; (3) Celebrity is definitely targeted at us Americans, while Ponant requires adjustment to a very French environment [not to apply stereotypes – much! – but 'kind, amiable, and attentive' are not terms one usually associates with French service...]; (4) Celebrity suite class has great food and service and the larger ships have much better entertainment opportunities – but IME Celebrity itineraries are not as interesting as small ship lines like Ponant, so maybe you will find your way back to Ponant some day.  In any case, bon voyage whatever you choose!

 

You are absolutely right about the itineraries! I'm just one of those odd ducks who cares more about the ship and the water than the port. I didn't even get off the boat on my cruise last week! I'm under 40, but I'm definitely not attracted to "young people" things. I'd probably do well on one of Regent's larger boats, so maybe I'll try them out in the future. Regardless of whether Ponant is on par with French/European standards of service, being mostly ignored even when I was trying to speak French with them just isn't going to cut it for me.

 

I truly believe there is a cruise line and a ship that's perfect for anyone who wants to be at sea. What a rough life we all lead to have to "struggle" with these tough, tough choices about which cruise line to sail..

[Catlover54]

On 2/27/2023 at 6:21 PM, tnm6217 said:

Update!

 

I booked a 4 night Celebrity cruise in January on a whim and I loved everything about it. So much so that within a week of returning home, I cancelled the Ponant Boston to Belize sailing for November. They refunded some of my deposit, which I appreciated.

 

When I sailed with Ponant and wrote my earlier review, I didn't have any perspective from other cruise lines. The service on Celebrity -- from the bathroom attendants to the suite concierge -- blew me out of the water. They were kind, amiable, and so attentive to me on my very first solo trip.

 

I realize Celebrity is a very different product than Ponant, but the service, the food, the ship, and the overall experience were much better than what I experienced on the repositioning cruise. Just being able to walk around the upper deck of the ship while on the open sea was enough to win me over, but the blazing fast Starlink internet (at times up to 100Mbps!) didn't hurt!

 

Maybe I'll find my way back to Ponant in another season of life, but for now, I'm grateful to have found something that fits me really well...and I'm looking forward to the 5 Celebrity cruises I have booked for the rest of this year!

 

Like you, I also tried Celebrity solo (on Edge, in a Sky Suite) last year, to compare with my prior experience which was mostly misc. small ship luxury lines (Ponant is coming up soon, also to compare, but that will not be solo).  I loved the food and service, and there was no discrimination against me as a solo.  I also loved the physical layout of the ship -- but despised the incessant pounding music on the beautiful "upper deck" where the chairs face outward.  I want to hear the sea, not the latest pulsating or screeching random pop, so I had to flee to my suite to relax (with more limited sea view) to escape it. But I am a lot older than you, and generally less tolerant of piped in noise.

 I also loved the great internet (but it was in the Caribbean, where many ships now have good internet).

 

It look forward to my Ponant cruise and will write a report.  I have realistic expectations, though I thought the issue of French service haughtiness to those who speak either no French or imperfect French had been resolved in recent years when Ponant decided to try and get more of the English speaking cruiser. 

[philbob84]

thanks i am also under 40 and am intrigued by this line. What was the ships demographics? 

On 2/28/2023 at 6:44 PM, tnm6217 said:

 

You are absolutely right about the itineraries! I'm just one of those odd ducks who cares more about the ship and the water than the port. I didn't even get off the boat on my cruise last week! I'm under 40, but I'm definitely not attracted to "young people" things. I'd probably do well on one of Regent's larger boats, so maybe I'll try them out in the future. Regardless of whether Ponant is on par with French/European standards of service, being mostly ignored even when I was trying to speak French with them just isn't going to cut it for me.

 

I truly believe there is a cruise line and a ship that's perfect for anyone who wants to be at sea. What a rough life we all lead to have to "struggle" with these tough, tough choices about which cruise line to sail..

 

[tnm6217]

On 9/2/2023 at 11:56 AM, philbob84 said:

thanks i am also under 40 and am intrigued by this line. What was the ships demographics? 

 

 

I believe there were two of us under 40. There were a handful of folks over 70, and everyone else was likely in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

[Catlover54]

1 hour ago, tnm6217 said:

 

I believe there were two of us under 40. There were a handful of folks over 70, and everyone else was likely in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

 

Given modern knowledge about health, nutrition, sun, exercise, smoking, rejuvenation formulas that actually work, and leisure time -- not to mention availability of skilled plastic surgeons for reasonably affluent people --  I would venture to guess that many people were on average ten years older than you guessed, and there were thus more than a "handful" of pax over 70 on your Ponant cruise

(as there were on mine from Ireland to Scotland last spring).

And that of course doesn't count the pax who remain young at heart but won't ever have to show ID when there is a "senior discount" at a venue.

🙂

 

[edav.80]

On 3/9/2023 at 5:01 PM, Catlover54 said:

 

Like you, I also tried Celebrity solo (on Edge, in a Sky Suite) last year, to compare with my prior experience which was mostly misc. small ship luxury lines (Ponant is coming up soon, also to compare, but that will not be solo).  I loved the food and service, and there was no discrimination against me as a solo.  I also loved the physical layout of the ship -- but despised the incessant pounding music on the beautiful "upper deck" where the chairs face outward.  I want to hear the sea, not the latest pulsating or screeching random pop, so I had to flee to my suite to relax (with more limited sea view) to escape it. But I am a lot older than you, and generally less tolerant of piped in noise.

 I also loved the great internet (but it was in the Caribbean, where many ships now have good internet).

 

It look forward to my Ponant cruise and will write a report.  I have realistic expectations, though I thought the issue of French service haughtiness to those who speak either no French or imperfect French had been resolved in recent years when Ponant decided to try and get more of the English speaking cruiser. 

 

On 2/27/2023 at 9:21 PM, tnm6217 said:

Update!

 

I booked a 4 night Celebrity cruise in January on a whim and I loved everything about it. So much so that within a week of returning home, I cancelled the Ponant Boston to Belize sailing for November. They refunded some of my deposit, which I appreciated.

 

When I sailed with Ponant and wrote my earlier review, I didn't have any perspective from other cruise lines. The service on Celebrity -- from the bathroom attendants to the suite concierge -- blew me out of the water. They were kind, amiable, and so attentive to me on my very first solo trip.

 

I realize Celebrity is a very different product than Ponant, but the service, the food, the ship, and the overall experience were much better than what I experienced on the repositioning cruise. Just being able to walk around the upper deck of the ship while on the open sea was enough to win me over, but the blazing fast Starlink internet (at times up to 100Mbps!) didn't hurt!

 

Maybe I'll find my way back to Ponant in another season of life, but for now, I'm grateful to have found something that fits me really well...and I'm looking forward to the 5 Celebrity cruises I have booked for the rest of this year!

Hi - your review on the Ponant cruise was interesting even though some time has passed of course.  I thought it seemed that you are simply more of a Celebrity Cruise sort of person - to each his own is such a true saying.  I will say that I would advise people who expect a French line to speak primarily English is not what I would want to happen - the French in Ponant is exactly what makes it so charming - agree?