AussieBoyTX

The eMed test is accepted for travel to the US. I’ve successfully used it on American, United, Delta and Qatar. AA, DL & UA allow you to upload in advance, which saves some stress at the airport. I assume Air Tahiti Nui does not have an upload function, so if you do go the eMed route, I’d print the results. Although I don’t see anything on PG’s site, Ponant removed the passenger mask requirement on their ships as of May 23, 2022.

In the regular cabins, there is one US plug at the desk, four or five European Type C plugs -- one on each side of the bed, one by the desk and one near the sofa. There is a fifth in the safe in the closet. There are also two USB type-A outlets -- one on each side of the bed. https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/c/

Reading other cruise lines' sites, it does seem that masks are required indoors on the ship while at Greek ports. I will be curious to see how Ponant interprets and enforces this. There's also a note that masks aren't required on Greek flights as of June 1, so perhaps we'll see additional changes next week.

The app is working for me again.

There was a long interview with Hervé Gastinel published in the Belgian newspaper, La Libre over the weekend. It's a long article, unfortunately behind a paywall & in French. Here are some highlights: COVID has permanently changed cruising (in come cases accelerating trends Ponant had already identified. There is a need to travel better instead of traveling more. This drives the Explore to inspire strategic plan, explore to inspire, understand, learn and share. First is the ecological footprint of the cruises -- make cruising a clean mode of travel, respectful of the environment. This includes emissions, recycling, wastewater treatment and more. Second is content -- increasing passenger enrichment eventually arriving at 1-1 passenger crew ratio and offering discovery & sharing through naturalists, expedition leaders, guides & culture speakers. Third is internationalization -- less French and more oriented towards other nationalities. Outside the Covid period, Ponant carries 70 to 80,000 passengers per year, first Americans (45%), followed by Europeans (40%) and Asia-Pacific (15%). The war in Ukraine has limited repercussions, aside from rerouting cruises in Black & Baltic Seas and Arctic. Ponant has a dozen Ukrainian staff members. Fuel prices are an issue. The company has decided not to raise rates this year, but anticipate a 5% increase next year. This emphasizes the benefits of e.g. Le Ponant. Ponant has about 2,500 sailors and nearly 600 people on land https://www.lalibre.be/economie/entreprises-startup/2022/05/21/la-guerre-en-ukraine-nous-a-obliges-a-repositionner-certaines-croisieres-qui-passaient-en-mer-noire-baltique-et-en-arctique-russe-S6K5AQF3SZBIFOA7G7FFOYS4HY/

The language in the English-language COVID protocol document has been updated to say masks are recommended for passengers. Dated May 20, 2022. https://fr.calameo.com/read/000132423a39f38f50497?authid=TqZVdP5hFUMG

As of May 23, 2022, masks are no longer required for passengers on Ponant ships, unless required by local authorities (such as Greece and Australia).

This may be a widespread issue. It's been reported in the French-language Ponant Facebook group and Ponant says they're working on it.

This would be fun, but I’m sure it’s $$$. Sales begin sometime this month. PONANT is set to take luxury expeditions at sea to another level announcing a partnership with the Paspaley Group and planned arrival to Australian waters of its iconic three-masted sailing yacht Le Ponant for the 2023 Kimberley season. https://karryon.com.au/industry-news/cruise/pearls-of-the-kimberley-ponant-partners-with-paspaley-for-luxury-sailing-down-under/

Hello from on board Le Commandant Charcot where we are currently in Cherbourg waiting until Tuesday for a late Diesel oil delivery. It is expected to arrive tomorrow morning (Tuesday, April 26) and fuel logistics are a small sign of the war in Ukraine, less than 1500 miles away. Anyway, the switch to Cherbourg from Le Havre was a late change necessary because the ship needed a hull inspection and Le Havre didn't have necessary facilities. To compensate, Ponant offered a complementary bus leaving from Paris and picking up other passengers in Honfleur on the way to Cherbourg. We had already planned to explore Normandy by car, so changed our plans to drop off the car in Cherbourg. On Saturday, we found out about an additional change -- to accommodate a larger ship, the AIDA Sol, our ship had been moved from the super convenient and famous Quai de France (former home of the S.S. France) to the less convenient Quai de Normandie (home of the Brittany Car Ferry) -- which caused additional logistical issues for us -- but we eventually made it on board with help from Ponant's local agent, who helped get us a ride from the car rental drop off to the embarkation point. Le Commandant Charcot is impressive and has that "new ship smell" probably more about the ship while we're en-route to Iceland. We learned about the fuel logistics issues from Captain Garcia at the Welcome on Board meeting. As I understand the briefing, the fuel needed is for the ship's generators and is needed in such quantity that it's not available in Iceland, so we can't leave without it. It is expected on Tuesday morning, so we have a bonus day in Cherbourg. Ponant has offered us complementary admission to the local museum La Cité a la Mer. Also, as soon as AIDA Sol left, we sailed back to the super-convenient Quai de France, making everything in Cherbourg city center only a ten minute walk (forty-five from Quai de Normandie). We had dinner at the Sila restaurant on Deck 9. it was lovely. Our cabin is the over-the-top Duplex Suite. I can't find words to describe it yet, so you'll have to do with pictures, once I find enough bandwidth to get them to you.

Okay, here are the highlights of the premium drinks package (known by Ponant as Pass Bar Premium). The cost is EUR 20 per person per day and both passengers in the cabin must subscribe to it. It may be paid for with cruise credit. If you receive onboard discounts as a Ponant Yacht Club member, that also applies. It must be purchased during your first two days aboard and must be purchased for the entire (the remainder of) cruise. All premium cocktails are included. Some premium spirits are included. In practice, that is all of the premium Rum, Vodka, Tequila, Gin and Beers they offer and some of the Whiskies and Champagnes. An example for single-malt Scotch: Four choices, up-to Glenfiddich 12 yr are included in the package. Glenfiddich 12 is EUR 12 if ordered a la carte. An additional four choices, from Lagavulin 16 to Glenmorangie Signet are not included and cost EUR 14 / EUR19. A premium red & white wine are included. The premium wines sold by the bottle in the restaurants are not included. The daily cruise wines are complementary at the bar. IMO, the house spirits are quite drinkable. There was very little promotion for the package. It was mentioned briefly during the cruise director's welcome. the bartender has the drink list at hand when I asked and invited me to follow up with any questions, but beyond that didn't push the package beyond that. It's also described in the Ponant app if you happen to be connected to the ship's wifi. It is worth your while to speak with the bar manager if you have any special requests / requirements.