Ponant Antarctica Cruise Reviews

This report includes information on our February 15—March 12, 2022, “Ross Sea” expedition cruise on the Le Commandant Charcot with Ponant. Although we had taken a “drive by” cruise of the Antarctic Peninsula in 2007 on the Golden Princess and explored “Beyond the Polar Circle” in 2020 on the Le Soléal with Ponant, this expedition offered the opportunity to experience much more of the Antarctic ...

Ponant was our second choice because our first line rerouted the ship we originally wanted because of the pandemic. Ponant was highly recommended and it proved itself to us. Covid took our first choice with Ponant, the Le Lyrial out of the running because of covid, but they had several ships running the Antarctic route and fit us on the Austral for the next day. L'Austral was captained by an ...

We had a generally great trip to the Antarctic. The combination of the Captain and the Expedition leader enabled us to have freguent excursions and landings despite difficult weather. Breakfasts and lunches were good supplemented by great breads and pastries. Dinnners were a dissapointment with the fish and meats not well cooked and often arriving warm. Deserts were also ...

We are now one week into the cruise and I’m sorry to say that it doesn’t live up to its promotion. On the positive side, the ship and its equipment are outstanding. The same goes for the cabins, the restaurants, bars, and all the people working there. What’s bad is that expectations fostered by Ponant are not met: this maiden voyage was promoted as a uniquely adventurous expedition going ...

Le Commadant Charcot is a beautiful ship: conceived by a star designer, it is pure luxury both inside and outside. Moreover, it is uniquely capable. Powered by the latest hybrid technology, it achieves the highest icebreaking class except for the Russian nuclear-powered behemoths. In short, it is the ultimate icebreaker for luxury expedition cruises. Unfortunately, its potential has been ...

Trip of a lifetime at a suitable time to a magical place on a comfortable ship. Unfortunately the ship had been damaged and required repairs in dry dock. We were not informed that there were MAJOR changes until a few days before departure. Some passengers found out about changes on arrival for departure. Communication throughout the whole process was almost non existent and totally in ...

We planned the trip of a lifetime to Antarctica on Ponant, impressed with reviews, the small size of the ship and everything French about it. We had no idea that the trip would be memorable in more ways than one. We had an amazing 15 days at sea, with highlights including stops along the Peninsula and South Georgia Island with surprise stops at the international research station (because a ...

Since we did an Arctic cruise in 2017 wanted to also do Antarctica. We were lucky enough to be offered a deal of 2 for 1 so grabbed it and consider ourselves very lucky., It was actually a sailing with embarkation on 16 Feb from Ushuaia which was an APT charter. This sailing does not appear on the Cruise Critic list! Unlike some of the other reviews we found the staff to be very friendly, the ...

This report includes information on our February 3-19, 2020, “Beyond the Polar Circle” expedition cruise on the Le Soléal with Ponant. Although we had traveled on a “drive by” cruise of the Antarctic Peninsula in 2007 on the Golden Princess, this expedition offered the opportunity to experience the Antarctic region in more depth and the possibility of better wildlife sightings. Unfortunately, the ...

It is my second attempt to explore and visit the New Zealand subantarctic islands. 2 years ago, I was on the Spirit of Enderby which I am going to call "SoE". That trip was booked by a travel agent which I trusted. The result however was something I never do again. I can't handle SoE. Sharing a small room, small shower, toilet that isn't allowed to flush toilet paper etc etc.. well, you get the ...