AussieBoyTX

@Charmar78, welcome! I have sailed on Ponant through this area, but this itinerary is new, as are most of the stops on it. I was on Le Champlain in 2019 on a Cozumel-Cozumel trip that covered Guatemala, Honduras & Belize -- the only overlapping stops are Belize City, Half Moon Caye & Water Caye. This is also an Expedition, which suggests that 1) there are Ponant naturalists on onboard 2) excursions are by Zodiac. In my experience, excursions led by Ponant's naturalists are generally included in the price on Expeditions. I don't think the excursions will necessarily be shorter. There are enough Zodiacs (and tenders) for everyone to be off the ship at the same time -- it really comes down to how much there is to do at each port-of-call. Perhaps there's an organized activity in the morning and free time in the afternoon? Just a guess based on experience. Our cruise was focused on ancient cultures and the major excursions were actually flights to some of the major ancient cities in the region. They were quite expensive, IMO, and I did not take them. This cruise seems focused on more coastal experiences and the Discover the Scouting section with José Sarica and Captain Simon suggests that Ponant has learned a lot about the region since I went. The scuba diving in the region is excellent and Ponant does a good job with their dive activities. Lighthouse Reef at Half Moon Caye is spectacular, as is Water Caye (Utila). Half Moon Caye is also the location of the Great Blue Hole -- a dive that is on many bucket lists, but is a pain to get to from Belize City. It was quite luxurious to have Le Champlain at anchor 15 minutes away instead of taking the beating of a three hour speedboat ride each way to get there! Do note that Ponant requires PADI Advanced Open Water certification to dive on this itinerary. Given the region, I would guess no more than half the guests to be French-speaking. The others will be likely be other Europeans, Australians and Americans. Ponant's languages are French and English and lectures are always offered in both languages. It is quite common for French-speakers to either officially or non-officially move themselves to the English-speaking group for reasons like yours. I have not stayed in Cabin 431. It is adjacent to the main guest stairs, not an outdoor access, but I would expect high traffic and any sort of noise only at the beginning of dinner service. Otherwise, the Deck 4 corridor doesn't lead anywhere, so there won't be any traffic other than other guests on your floor. The accessible cabins offer meaningful additional space that's especially noticeable between the foot of the bed and the wall and that is nice. The downside is the accessible shower means that water tends to get everywhere on the floor and that's not to my liking. My preference is for the regular stateroom with a glassed-in shower and separate WC cabin. If this leads to additional questions, feel free to follow-up!

Ah, I can answer this! Prevailing winds are West to East -- on the 747-8, KAL 081 is 14h 10m Seoul to JFK and KAL 082 is 15h 50m JFK to Seoul. On the 777-300ER, it's 13h 59m and 15h 32m respectively, according to flightaware.com. If anyone's still reading, Asiana operates the Airbus A350-900 on the same route and its times are 13h 49m / 15h 40m. I have wanted to try Singapore Airlines' Singapore - Newark non-stop on the A350-900ULR. 18h 30m / 18h 23m total time...

Darn the partners -- I understand the feeling. Waiting for fast internet on my favorite ships to mitigate some of that pain. I was expecting you to take Le Soleal. She passed through Singapore about two days later. It would have been your perfect introduction to the Sisterships! 😄 You were probably on a 747-8, giving you a rare opportunity to fly on the final version of the Queen of the Skies...

Really enjoyed your recounting and I'm wishing you planned a back-to-back for more tales! I'm looking forward to the chance to explore Asia on Le Laperouse and Le Soleal next year...

I definitely wouldn't choose steak over duck, but I notice that the Southern Fried Chicken Burger is offered on this ship -- it isn't always on the anytime list. If one can be a connoisseur of a fried chicken burger, this one beats Grandma's home cooked as well as Chik-fil-a and Popeye's.

There are still pockets of this. Masks are required on flights *to* Australia, but not on flights leaving Australia. Qantas enforced this rule strictly.

They’re really working you hard. Impressive!

I will be interested to hear how it is. When I’ve had it, it’s been hit-or-miss — sometimes thinly sliced and IMO more tough than I expected. Others, really quite good. When I’m in the mood for steak, I experiment at lunch. 😛

You’ll be disappointed to find that’s what the French call a rib eye steak. (Or a scotch filet if you’re from the antipodes.)

I’m looking forward to your assessment. I only know that it’s a “must do” itinerary and it’s a convenient B2B for us after PNG.

Ponant has published another Andrew Daddo travelogue. I'm sure it's promoted in Australia, but haven't seen anything in the US yet. I really enjoyed Beyond the Polar Circle on Le Boreal with Andrew Daddo and look forward to have a chance to sit down and watch this one before we visit the Kimberley ourselves in 2024.

I’m excited!

This sounds like something you could strategize with a TA. My understanding is that your wife can only get a referral for you if you're in a separate cabin. You'd certainly be eligible for the new cruiser discount regardless. Your discount for this cruise and all future cruises will be based on the number of sailings for each of you separately and you'll see this itemized on your invoice. Where are you sailing? We always like to hear about that!

I don't think they much care and if there is a policy, I've not seen it. Since they have an open bar, it might save them a few bucks. 😁

Our flights in November between Buenos Aires & Ushuaia were chartered and operated by Aerolineas Argentinas with only Ponant guests on board. We landed BA before 5pm.

I have stayed at Hilton Moorea and thought it was a good experience in the OWB. I would do it again. It's even better if you have Hilton HHonors status for included breakfast and chance for an upgrade. If you don't have status, it comes with some credit cards.

I don’t know. But, if I used a TA, I would start with them.

(I'm consolidating an answer to several excursion thoughts you had in different threads back to your initial comments here.) I wasn't sure if you saw this, but Ponant lists excursions and excursion pricing for each port on the "Itinerary" tab for the cruise. Other excursions may be offered, but we have found this list to be reasonably complete. You can book these excursions 60 days in advance by calling US Reservations. If it turns out there's something more interesting once you get on board, you'll have an opportunity to change an existing tour or book one of the new options at that time. HIKING THE CUP & SAUCER TRAIL © 3h30 The Cup and Saucer Trail, located 18 kilometres west of the port of Little Current, is one of Manitoulin Island's premier tourist destinations. This unique hiking trail offers a panoramic view from 250-foot high cliff lookouts. From the pier, board your coach for the scenic 30-minute drive to the foot of the trail. The hike takes about one hour to reach the summit and another hour to hike back down to the parking lot At 352 metres (1,160 feet), the Cup and Saucer is the highest point of Manitoulin island. The cliffs are at an altitude of 70 meters (230 feet) and the view on the forests and lakes are just incredible. Depending on the season, enjoy the fall colours at their best. Upon returning to the base of the trail, you will be treated to a selection of Canadian wines and cheeses and locally smoked rainbow trout. • Participants must be in reasonably good physical condition as some sections of the trail are steep and a good pair of hiking boots is recommended. The paths can be muddy and slippery when wet. The entire trail is approximately 9.5 km (5.9 miles) in length and takes about 2.5 hours to complete, with an elevation gain of 70 metres (230 feet), allowing for plenty of time for photos. There is one local guide for every 6 passengers taking part in the excursion. TOTAL: €200 According to availability, price per passenger.

We took a Smithsonian cruise in Augus and summarized our thoughts here:: The Smithsonian cruises do have a premium price and I expect you'll still pay a bit less on your cruise, even if you take all of the paid excursions. Otherwise, aside from all Americans on board, all announcements in English-only and an extra crew member on board serving as a "fixer", the experiences are similar.

I guess I don't understand the question. A laundry service is offered and items usually come back the following afternoon. As a bonus, if you're a member of Ponant Yacht Club and have booked (not sailed) a second cruise, then each of you get five complementary items laundered each day.

The Smithsonian menus were not modified at all for American tastes when I was on Le Dumont d'Urville in August. Others have reported menu modifications on ships exclusively chartered by Tauck.

Well, don't take it too seriously. The environment is reasonably relaxed.

Times are pretty much the same. Expect as early as 7 for the Deck 6 buffet and 7:30 on Deck 2. There are the two Gala Nights, but people don’t tend to dress as much. I think I wrote I didn’t take a jacket and felt slightly underdressed those evenings — but there were many dressed like me, so I wasn’t actually underdressed wearing a collared shirt and pants.

Ponant does have an air program. I haven't found the pricing to be great, but you do get protection if the flight is delayed. Your TA should be able to give the details to Ponant for a quote..

What link are you looking at? At this link, it indicates testing is not required as of September 22, 2022: https://fr.calameo.com/read/000132423a39f38f50497?authid=TqZVdP5hFUMG Over the summer, boarding was around 4-5 pm, but that could change, of course.