With 12 ships operating under the French flag, PONANT has a spirited flair for luxury sailing, mixing ingenuity with true grit. The first French cruise ship, the three-masted yacht Le Ponant, launched in 1991. Since then, the cruise line has grown by leaps and bounds, all the way to the 2021 launch of Le Commandant Charcot, the world's only luxury icebreaker and the first ship to feature a Polar Class 2 icebreaking hull – second only to research and military vessels.
With a similar design to ships in the PONANT Explorer series, Le Commandant Charcot is larger and more powerful, equipped with a hybrid propulsion system that uses electricity and liquefied natural gas. And she is eager to see you sailing to the top or bottom of the world – and back, of course.
Check the geographic North Pole off your list.
According to a recent article published in Robb Report, the Le Commandant Charcot is a "six-star hotel mated to a massive, 492-foot ice-breaking hull, making it the only passenger ship capable of reaching 90 degrees North latitude, otherwise known as the geographic North Pole."
We agree wholeheartedly. Six unique PONANT cruises head to the North Pole, from 15 to 20 days, leaving from Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, or Nome, Alaska. This is a silent, frozen world of breathtaking beauty, displaying many different forms of ice and an endless show of light and landscape. Le Commandant Charcot is your luxury home base, complete with 123 luxury suites, a spa and indoor pool, a 279-seat theater, a cigar and cognac room, and Nuna restaurant, headed up by a Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse.
Sail well across the legendary Antarctic Circle.
It’s a distinction very few people can claim – Le Commandant Charcot dips below the Antarctic Circle on four voyages. Le Commandant Charcot is the only passenger ship that is able to cruise along the coast below the Antarctic peninsula due to its PC-2 icebreaker hull. Antartica is a dream world unto its own, a glistening, otherworldly realm of icebergs and glaciers, penguins and whales. PONANT's Unexplored Antarctica – Between Two Continents itinerary in particular is especially exciting, following in the footsteps of the great explorers with an unrivaled half-circumnavigation of Antarctica all the way to New Zealand. Cross the world’s southernmost seas, explore remote islands, witness extraordinary wildlife and be part of the history of the conquest of the South Pole.
Take a polar ski-trek across northern Greenland.
Complete immersion in the far north can be yours when you explore the Land of the People in full Midnight Sun on a two-day, one-night Nordic skiing polar trek across the icy expanse of northeast Greenland. Offered on four PONANT cruises in the company of an Inuit guide, scouted in cooperation with the local populations, this adventure is mind-blowingly unique, a taste of true exploration – just like the early peoples and the visiting explorers. Guests leave the ship and explore the destination fully, connecting with the local people and their culture.
Dive deep with new Smithsonian Journeys.
PONANT has partnered with Smithsonian Journeys, the travel arm of the Smithsonian Institution, to create themed sailing itineraries anchored to local cultures.
These 36 different voyages – onboard ten different PONANT ships – reveal the history, cuisine, language, environment and wildlife of destinations throughout the globe, with world-class experts lending a real understanding of each location. This is why each Smithsonian Journeys departure has two Smithsonian Journeys experts onboard to offer lectures and engage with guests.
Your Tully Luxury Travel Designer can help you select the perfect PONANT cruise. Get in touch today to find out how easy it is to sink into the storied rarity of French luxury cruising – et bon voyage.