Having been on only 5 cruises in 16 years ( on 5 separate cruise lines), we don’t qualify as frequent cruisers, but we do regard ourselves as seasoned travellers. Our most recent trip was on the Pacific Dawn, which we picked up in Darwin on the way from Singapore to Brisbane. The cruise suited us as a 6-day relaxing way of returning home to Brisbane from a holiday in Darwin. We had read the range of reviews of the ship’s recent voyages, and weren’t expecting too much. Consequently, we were pleasantly surprised. Pacific Dawn is probably in its twilight years, but has many good features. Ours was an outside cabin on deck 6, so by no means upmarket. Compared with other cruise ships we’ve been on, both the cabin itself and the shower were larger and better appointed. The bed was comfortable. Everything functioned properly, and the cabin staff were attentive and efficient. Because the journey had commenced several days before we joined the ship, our social contact with other passengers was limited. Most seemed to be enjoying the cruise, but we did hear quite a few complaints. Happily, they weren’t issues that affected us. Of course, we weren’t on board to add any notches to our cruising record or to tick off any bucket list items, so that may help to account for our genuine enjoyment of the experience. Passing through the Torres Strait and around Cape York was fascinating, with helpful explanatory commentary from the Bridge. The ship’s route followed the North Queensland coast as far as Airlie Beach, and the scenery was spectacular. Our only stop and shore venture was at Airlie Beach. The process of getting ashore by tender was slow and a bit frustrating, but returning on board was quick and efficient. Every night the entertainment in the Marquee theatre was first-rate. We did find the cruise director’s regular verbal intrusions on the performances and other ship’s activities to be long-winded and unnecessary - she has verbal diarrhoea - but that was a minor irritation. There were plenty of the popular cruise activities like trivia quizzes, karaoke and bingo, but we didn't take part in them. The food, in both the Waterfront Restaurant and The Pantry bistro was quite good. We did book one specialty dinner, in the Shell and Bones Restaurant, and found both the meal and the service quality to be outstanding. The price was also reasonable, and excellent value. We understand that this may not be a ship for the jaded cruise palate, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Read Less

The Pacific Dawn slogan is ‘Like no place on Earth’ and for a cruise liner that is old, rusty and way past it’s use by date that covered it! I booked this cruise as it’s rare to board a cruise in Darwin stopping at Timor Leste, Komodo Island, Bali and Singapore. The first meal was in The Pantry & it was very average with long queues, food was cold & to find a spare seat was impossible. All other meals were in the Waterfront restaurant. The room needed an good clean and paint and the sink was so old it was peeling enamel, the balcony had rust on the railing so a warning not to lean on it. The nightly entertainment was not world class but it was enjoyable to watch. The best meal was High Tea which cost extra but was worth it. The shore excursions were way overpriced, in Dili I booked direct with Timor Adventures, a wonderful day and Carlos our guide was very informative. Pacific Dawn staff seemed to be lack lustre and not like on other cruises where they are so happy and couldn’t do enough for you. I won’t be booking on P&O again as compared with other cruise line cruises I have done I am rating this cruise a 2, being generous. Read Less

Fulfilled a long term ambition to visit Darwin and cruise the Kimberleys in WA. While there were quite a few issues on the vessel which were not the best, my overall rating is quite high just for the fact of my experiences within the Kimberleys. The L'Austral was quite good although I believe it mostly catered for French tastes which is understandable with a French ship & mostly french crew. I went to see the Kimberleys and get up close travelling the waterways in Zodiacs & was not disappointed. I thought the onboard laundry & ironing charges were very expensive. Cabin service was outstanding though. All staff friendly & helpful. I can recommend this cruise to anyone who wants to see the Kimberleys as the access to amazing scenery & onshore visits would generally not be accessible other then by water or air. Naturalists on board were first rate and very informative. Read Less

I had been to the Antarctic on L'Austral so when the opportunity came to visit the Kimberley I could not pass that opportunity to again travel in 5 star luxury. The ship is quiet, the staff helpful and friendly, they go out of their way to make sure you enjoy your experience. The organization of the zodiac excursions runs like clock work and the expedition leaders are very knowledgeable and ready to answer any questions. The food, wine and service first class whether dining in the main dining room or more casually by the pool. The Kimberley Expedition Cruise exceeded my expectation when everyday there was another experience to look forward to and to visit many otherwise inaccessible places.The visit to the Lacepede Islands was spectacular with the aqua color of the sea reflecting on the white feathers of the birds which were all as curious about the humans as the humans were about the birds.The visit to Paspaley Pearls in Darwin was another highlight. I highly recommend an expedition cruise with Ponant. Read Less

First time on Ponant but 16th cruise overall. We were totally spoilt like never before. The ship is beautiful and the staff were all so very nice and went the extra mile with everything they did. The rooms were bigger than other cruise lines we have travelled on and the finishing touches were lovely. Very comfortable beds and pillows. Plenty of closet space, an in room safe, good quality toiletries and a drinks fridge. The included mini bar was constantly restocked. It was great having an open bar and the French wines and champagne were very good. Some of the best red and Rose we have had for quite some time. Now the food, it couldn't be any better. Young Chef Tony deserves a medal along with his team for feeding us so well. It was all so delicious and we came home much heavier than when we boarded the ship. The French cuisine was superb. There were 3 formal nights on board, 2 of which we ate in the a la carte restaurant, all other meals were taken mostly outside by the pool at the buffet area. It was just so nice to sit outside at night and bookings were needed in advance due to the popularity. Morning and afternoon tea were always delicious little French cakes, pastries and savoury treats. This was an Expedition cruise Darwin to Darwin visiting the Kimberley's. Mick Fogg and the team were brilliant. Very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. We were awestruck day after day by what we saw in this very special part of the world. Just incredible scenery and Aboriginal rock art. Daily outing in the Zodiacs were well organised as were the couple of the optional tours we chose to do. There were daily evening recaps about what we had seen and what was in store the following day. Full credit to the team on a fantastic job.. There was nightly entertainment but we didn't see any of it as after dinner we were so tired that we went to bed ready for the following days big adventure. We are early 50's and we couldn't keep our eyes open after 10pm! If you are considering a Kimberley trip I would choose Ponant over every other option. We could not fault a thing. It was worth every cent and then some. . Read Less

We visited the Kimberley region 20 years ago on a small cruise boat with less than 20 passengers and always wished to return. The Ponant Expedition Cruise with very experienced Naturalists on board to explain and show you the fascinating features and Aboriginal art was a highlight tat is a must for visitors to the area. We are well past retirement age and found the accessability into the Zodiacs and places of interest easily managed with only one set of falls missed due to the 70 degree climb that was really only suitable for the really fit passengers. That was not an issue as the crew took us to other places of interest. The Le Austral is a 5 star vessel with all the features that go with that rating, the cabin and dining was excellent with the French touch. Two dining experience were available the al la carte and the Buffet the latter on the Pool deck which was really suited to travelling in the tropics Read Less

We undertook our first ever cruise this month. It was with Ponant and the ship was L'Austral. We chose this cruise as the expedition to the Kimberleys appealed to us also the small number of passengers of around 230 people was perfect. It was Darwin to Darwin. The cruise was 10 nights 11 days. Being our first ever cruise we had no idea of what to expect but we were more than pleased with every part of this experience. We were on deck 4, cabin 431, which was perfectly located to access all other decks easily by the stairs or lifts if needed. Our cabin had a queen bed and separate toilet to the bathroom. We also had a balcony which had plenty of room. Our cabin steward was lovely and very efficient. Our cabin was always cleaned and tidied morning and night. The restaurants were on Deck 2, table service and deck 6, buffet. Both served great food with a French influence. The service in the restaurants was high quality. The French wines were more than enjoyable. Room service was also available and was quick and beautifully presented. The on board entertainment was entertaining. In the main theatre, there was always a recap of the expedition of that day and a run down of the next day's expedition. The expeditions were great experiences. We went out in zodiacs most days to explore the breathtaking beauty of the Kimberley coast. There were always expedition team members on the zodiacs who were very knowledgeable and informative in their fields which ranged from geology, birds, sea animals and naturalists, to name a few. Overall this expedition cruise was amazing and would highly recommend this Kimberley expedition. Brilliant. Read Less

For me, Ponant is the perfect mix of intinerary, price and comfort. It is not for everyone - this was my third Ponant cruise, complaints about the food are common and based on the mis-understanding that the French eat souffle, foie gras and French onion soup every day. Simple, high quality fresh ingredients is the norm. Also expect the Captain, officers, receptionists, spa staff and some of the naturalists to be French by birth and speak English with French accents! It is a bi-lingual staff and crew. Some of the rudest Australians I've ever met have been on the Ponant ships, demanding that French not be spoken as they feel that they are missing out in some way. If you're that paranoid, there are many other 'English only cruise lines. Rant over. The Kimberley expedition was Darwin to Darwin, which might be the first and last time Ponant offer that variation. The sea conditions and weather were spectacular - the calmest seas I've ever seen, clear blue skies and emerald green seas. Getting up to the Wandjina art caves at Raft Bay takes some physical fitness, as does the climb to the top of King George Falls, as does some ability to cope with the heat (35 Celsius on average). L'Austral is a modern, comfortable, ship, showing some signs of exterior wear after the Antarctic season, but nothing that a coat of paint won't rectify. The cabins are in excellent condition and the cabin staff maintain the cleanliness of them very well. There were 231 passengers out of a possible 264 due to the number of single travellers, and it never seems like too many people - I saw people at disembarkation that I'd never seen in the preceding 10 days. Read Less

We had always wanted to experience the Kimberley from the Ocean and chose Ponant as we have cruised with them before. Their service is great - pleasant cabin and excellent food and dining facilities. The expedition staff were knowledgeable and helpful. The excursions were well organised from getting people into the zodiacs and out to the attractions to the effort put in to making sure that we had the best possible experience off ship. The presentations onboard that backed up the excursions were also particularly interesting. The food was excellent, and I was very well looked after with my special dietary requirements (vegetarian). The main dining room (with a la carte service) is particularly good and we used it for all meals. Our cabin was quite spacious, well maintained and pleasant. Staff are always courteous and cannot do enough to make sure that guests have a great experience. Both embarkation and disembarkation were handled professionally and expeditiously. Read Less

Always wanted to see the Kimberly coast by ship, to view the horizontal waterfalls. King George gorge scenery, and Rock Art proof of extra-terrestial visitors from long ago. The trip met expectations, but wine was not uniformly of expected standard for french wine and should have been at next level up for non-selected (types- champagne,rose were 0K) Service on back outside deck was exceptionally good ,as was upstairs bar. Food variety (except for fish) was interesting and well presented and prepared - especially the omelettes!! The visit to the bridge was particularly informative and interesting and we appreciated the time and operations detailed by the om-duty officer. The medical officer ,trained at Toulouse. was efficient and seemed to understand my partners' (attempted) French. The bottom rung of the in-pool ladder should be fitted with a non slip sleved surface (this caused deep lacerations to my partners shin)., Well put together and executed schedule of visitations. Read Less

I did back-to back cruises on L'Austral with the first being 10 days in Australia's Kimberly. It was excellent in every way -- itinerary, activities, cabin, food, and especially the expedition team. They worked together beautifully., gave wonderful presentations and were always available for questions. The passenger makeup was mostly Australians, though about 20 French-speaking. I continued on the next cruise - Darwin to Bali - and the atmosphere changed a bit - now it was half English-speaking and half French-speaking. This was more of a cultural cruise as we made several stops in a few little-visited eastern islands of Indonesia. The island tours were well-organized. It was still active as we had several snorkeling opportunities. It is important to know that these were expedition-style cruises, and agility and balance are needed to board the zodiacs. It is active, with snorkeling and hiking opportunities. Everything is described in advance and passengers can self-select if they want to participate in the excursion. Ponant thinks of everything. For those of us continuing on, they provided a very nice half-day tour of Darwin with a good guide and a comfortable bus. I chose L'Austral for its reputation. I like the atmosphere and size of the ship.The fact that it is a fairly new ship (only 6 years old), and has continental food and service is a plus also. The back-to-back cruises were an excellent combination - with the first being all nature with a few visits to Aboriginal rock art; and the second more cultural. With such long flights to this part of the world, it made sense to do a back-to-back. Read Less

We decide to cruise from Darwin to Broome with Ponant from July 24th 2017 to 2 August 2017 because we wanted to experience the Kimberley from the ocean side. We had travelled the region by car back in 2007 and love the colours and the landscape. We chose Ponant because it was a 5 star French ship, the price was reasonable and it was doing the areas we wanted to visit. $750 per day, per person (deck 4 verandah) which included all the zodiac tours, all meals and open bar. We were expecting French food and fine wine as per their brochure. Disappointingly, their fine wine and open bar was not as we expected and no French food. Their "house wine" was Jacobs Creek Classic Shiraz, Jacobs Creek Chardonay, and Gossips Rose. There were other wines which you could purchase by the glass or bottle. You could imagine the horror of 220 Australians on board to be served Jacobs Creek wine which retails at Dan Murphy's for about $7 and Gossips Rose for $3. The Hotel Managers excuse for the Jacobs Creek wine was because their shipment had not arrived. Not quite believable. Not a drop of Sav Blac to be found on the ship for those who preferred something other than Chardonay. They ran out of Sprite, Bailey, Dramburie, VB and had to share the Sambucca between the bars - if you wanted to have a Gin & Tonic with Blue Sapphire gin it is 9 euro, and any cocktails that were not on the "ordinary" list you had to pay for. As for the food, average but definitely not French Cabins are small with only 1 chair for sitting except on bed, couldn't have bathroom door and wardrobe door open at same time and you both could not walk past the end of the bed at the same time. Whilst you are not in your cabin a lot, sometimes it is nice to relax in your own space with room to move. Entertainment although not a lot was acceptable. Service - not enough Bar staff, they were always very busy and service was slow. Wait staff in dining room was good. The Buffet at night was crowded and difficult to get hot food with the number of people queueing. Definitely not what we expected of a 5 star cruise line. Silverseas wins over Ponant hands down. However on a positive note the expedition team and zodiac outings were exceptional, everything was well planned and organised. All of the team were very informative and knowledgeable. Great job. Would we go again?.... Only if we factored in $200 a day for drinkable wine. Read Less

We wanted to see the Kimberley and we decided that this was the way to do it without having to pack and unpack every day or so - do so with a degree of luxury. The trip started in Darwin and finished in Broome. When excursions are added such as Bungle Bungles, Mitchell Falls, Horizontal Falls, etc it makes the whole experience come alive and educational. The whole expedition crew were very knowledgeable - especially the Expedition Leader (Mick Fogg) and this added to our overall enjoyment. The ships crew were always attentive and made the "cruise" part of the trip an absolute pleasure. The 2 dining rooms were excellent and well serviced by stewards. The cruise was all inclusive except for additional excursions such as the plane and helicopter flights, but normal expedition excursions, eg zodiac expeditions up the King George River to the Falls, Montgomery Reef, Lacepede Islands, etc were included. Read Less

The ship is young enough and attractively styled and crewed! Maintenance of rust and cleaning of deck,glass,and balcony are not great. Cabin and storage was totally fine. Our cabin steward was never close to our heart and when we boarded one waste bin was not emptied, nor the bedside table cleaned. The toilet compartment seemed to need a deep clean /freshening. The Senior Housekeeper always looked in control but the staff were disappointing as stewards and waiters. Our cabin /balcony was blighted by the constant contact with Zodiac boats being lowered and raised to the top deck storage. Ponant made several blunders during the booking, confusing my details with someone on the other side of the world with a similar name. We were given an on board spend to our surprise just before the end of the cruise after being told earlier that there was none. I must say the Captain and French members of staff were excellent as was Camal the Cruise Director. Though with a 98% English speaking passenger group why French was usually the first language spoken I never understood. The very few French speakers on board were favoured and one day, next in line to board a zodiac ,we became invisible as a French couple were shown on ahead of us ! Even more outstanding were the large Nature Guide/Zodiac pilots team who gave excellent lectures/briefings and were entertaining stars. The trouble was the food and drink. The baking was also pathetic at times. Twice there were "fancy" set menu special/party nights in the very attractive main dining room. However the set menu food was even worse than regular cooking.Now I have been on many ships and make every allowance I can for the catering difficulty of a small ship in remote waters, but this was BAD. The extra pasta meal required due to the sea state delay in final docking was one of the better efforts!! To cap it Ponant served as house wine (to mainly Australian passengers) cheap Australian "Oxford Landing" wines, which irritated many. Cabin service food was simple but fast and well served. Eventually some poor French wines did materialized! Bar service could be slow with one bar man being the norm and many cocktails on offer! I will say I enjoyed the free flowing Champagne.... The "Grill" (deck) restaurant/buffet is too small when the ship is full and the weather hot. These Kimberly Coast cruises attracted mostly (noisy) elderly Australians so the fun of an international passenger mix was missing. Good ships photography/DVD service. Did not use internet, (100 minutes@ 30Euroes). I could never use Ponant again as my food and drink is important to me. Read Less

We recently returned from our second Ponant Cruise where we cruised from Darwin to Broome along the Kimberley Coast of Western Australia. We had previously travelled to Antarctica with Ponant and enjoyed the expedition style cruising so much we decided to travel with them again. We spent 5 nights exploring Darwin and were surprised by the activities available and found it was time well spent. Ponant arranged a private showing of pearls at the Pasarley Pearls showroom the afternoon prior to departure. Embarkation in Darwin was very smooth and we were soon on board L’Austral enjoying a glass of champagne and chatting with fellow cruisers. Our cabin on deck 5 was very comfortable with plenty of storage and kept very clean. It would be good to have a card introducing our steward so we could be on a first name basis. We dined most of the time in the more formal Level 2 restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. As the Level 6 Grill Restaurant flows out to the pool deck it has a more casual feel which made it very busy at times. We were disappointed there was no variety in the house wines on offer. Ponant have acknowledged our disappointment and stated they normally carry a larger selection of wine but it was not possible on this trip. Coffee and tea facilities could be improved with the use of self-serve machines in the main lounge area. As this was an expedition cruise we found that the expedition crew were very knowledgeable.They certainly did not disappoint us with daily zodiacs through waterways looking at wildlife, rock formations or just to the beach where we would walk to view Aboriginal paintings. The extra excursions taking in flights over the Bungle Bungles, a helicopter to the Mitchell Falls or a fast boat ride through the Horizontal Falls were very well organised. We looked forward to the daily talk on the activities we had done that day and what we were doing the next. Our days were kept very busy with some early morning starts. It became apparent to us that the crew on this ship were very happy. As Ponant ships are small they don’t have a lot of entertainment as the bigger cruise ships do but the singers, musicians and dancers were all very good and we thoroughly enjoyed their performances. Kamel the cruise director was very good and made a lot of people laugh with his antics. The morning we were to arrive in Broome we were informed that the port was closed because of strong winds. Disembarkation days are always busy on a ship but to Ponant’s credit they allowed us to stay in our cabin and served us lunch before the okay was given to dock. Disembarkation went very smoothly and there to wish us well were some of the expedition crew and of course the Captain himself. We also enjoyed four nights in Broome at the end of the cruise staying at the Mangrove Hotel which we found to be comfortable and walking distance to town. We found more than enough to do in the time there. We thoroughly enjoyed this trip and would recommend it. Read Less

We chose Ponant as it offered an in depth look at the area at a competitive price. This was our first Ponant cruise. We have cruised with Silversea and Seabourn previously, but not on expedition cruises. L'Austral is sleek and the décor is understated but elegant and contemporary. Our cabin ( a "prestige stateroom" on Deck 5) was very comfortable. It was a bit small in some respects but that's not surprising on a ship of this size. The French crew were attentive and pleasant. The expedition team was very impressive, particularly in organising and accompanying the groups departing on shore excursions by Zodiac. The shore excursions were a lot of fun and very interesting in terms of natural scenery and indigenous art, The wildlife was a highlight, particularly the unexpectedly large freshwater crocodiles on the Ord River and so many sea turtles near the Lacepede Islands, A couple of catering issues: There was a lack of choice in the included wines, apparently due to the non-delivery of ordered wines before departure in Darwin. A formal apology was issued by Ponant for this. Secondly, you couldn't get an espresso coffee in the Panoramic lounge during the day even though there is a coffee machine sitting there. There was no espresso coffee machine in the Deck 6 Grill restaurant, where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. The waitstaff there had to order it from the Main lounge on Deck 3, so it was going cold by the time it got to us. And the coffee machine at the Deck 7 bar didn't work properly. But overall it was a very enjoyable cruise! Read Less

We had previously sailed on L'Austral in Alaska and were so impressed that when we learnt that Ponant were to cruise the Kimberley we decided to join them again. FRom the moment we embarked, we were made very welcome by the captain and crew. As the cruise progressed it became clear that the expedition crew (naturalists and specialists on indigenous rock art etc) were really top class and excellent communicators. The cabin was comfortable and room service was excellent and unobtrusive. As second time travellers the addition of free laundry service was a remarkable additional comfort. The information sessions and entertainment were well managed and relevant. As a personal reflection, the fact that many of the crew were French nationals, made the cruise that more enjoyable to one who loves to try out his French language skills (or lack of) and it was good that their was a response that made us feel good for trying. The food was excellent and the choice of a la carte or buffet style was refreshing. The only slight problem was that the wine selection was a little lacking although we understand that this was due to circumstances beyond Ponant's control. once again, as we had been in Alaska, we came away refreshed and renewed and happy enough to book a cruise on the same ship to Antartica. Read Less

We chose a cruise because we wanted to visit the Kimberley but did not want to do a land trip. We chose this particular cruise because we did not want to use a small vessel and had seen good reviews of Ponant in general. All the staff we encountered were very friendly and helpful and the service and dining were excellent. The menus provided were varied and extensive. The ship was well maintained, clean and tidy. Our cruise was an 'expedition' cruise entailing the use of zodiacs. This part of the cruise was superbly organised and we were thrilled with the experiences offered (congratulations to Mick Fogg!!); information provided by the 'expedition' crew was interesting and informative. We did not experience much in the way of entertainment, ie we did not go to any shows, but we did sit in on the music offerings at afternoon tea. We are not 'cruisers' but we wanted a way to see the Kimberley and this cruise fitted the bill. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience from beginning to the end. Our one criticism concerns the finalisation of our account. We settled our bill for extra excursions with cash (euros) the night before disembarkation but on arriving home we found that the amount for these excursions was 'frozen' on the card account of our bank (we were asked to provide card details at the start of the cruise). We contacted Ponant regarding this last week but as of writing this review, the amount is still being held. Read Less

We always wanted to do a cruise of the Australian Kimberleys and when we realized that Ponant was including cruising in the region into their itinerary, we jumped at it straight away, having had a great previous experience with the ship and the cruise in Antarctica. We had undertaken Antarctica together with our friends who also joined us on this cruise. We were not disappointed! The individual destinations chosen by the ship and its diverse naturalists brought us close to the best the Kimberleys has to offer and we thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. In addition to that, my wife celebrated her 60th birthday the day before the start of the cruise and we delayed those celebration till the first dinner onboard which I had specifically arranged with Ponant. As usual, the food on offer in both the main dining room as well as the restaurant on the 6th floor was outstanding for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Given all these facts, there was nothing that disappointed. It must have been pretty hard for the dance crew to perform their routine in the theatre but they offered some terrific shows. Read Less