AussieBoyTX

That’s a great itinerary! We’ll do it again If you haven’t read my Seychelles comments, please check them out: Some questions I know I didn’t answer there: - I would book spa sooner rather than later just to be safe. Availability appears to depend on how much ship board credit guests have. - Blue Eye will be open enough times for you to check it out. I wouldn’t worry. - Bummer about scuba, as it was fantastic. There was one DM and one equipped Zodiac — but only five divers, so we all got to dive as much as we wanted. - Aside from La Digue, there aren’t any excursions per se (unless you go to an island we didn’t). Instead, there are expeditions — which were either snorkeling or beach time or Zodiac cruises. None of them needed hiking gear. In any event, you won’t miss out — the excursions can hold all guests. BTW, I would do the La Digue excursion instead of SCUBA. Subjectively. We noticed no difference in Internet at any point of the cruise.

This is the Ponant video that we saw on our trip on the Great Austral Loop. It's entertaining and covers a lot of the things that we did on our trip. It's not even a year old and has over ten thousand views and I'm really surprised that Ponant US didn't send us a link to this in their marketing.

I was catching up on YouTube videos and found a brand new Sam Chui trip report on La Compagnie, the all business class airline, between Orly and Longyearbyen. I was surprised to see that it was a charter for Ponant! We flew on La Compagnie in 2019 on a 757 from Newark to Paris. We thought the service was good and the seat was okay. They've since upgraded to newer aircraft that make the seat better. Anyway, for those of you on Charcot flying to Longyearbyen, maybe this is what's in your future.

That looks like a nice cruse. I hope you'll report back on how it goes! This is a "Polar Expedition" and If you look under the "Baggage" tab on the cruise, you'll find this text, that I think confirms a parka: https://us.ponant.com/south-america-exploring-the-chilean-fjords-ly030323-12 A PONANT polar water-resistant parka is offered on board for all departures with an expedition programme (no children sizes, in case of consecutive cruises, only one complimentary parka).

The weather wasn't really stormy with rain per se. For us, what I estimated to be six hours / 90 nautical miles behind Polaris, we alternated between partly cloudy and high overcast with 7-8 meter seas and 50+ knot winds for most of the crossing. I took this first picture at 9PM on Tuesday the 29th and the cabin mess was overnight.

I always hire a car in advance for Buenos Aires if I can. I use https://tiendaleon.com If you use Manuel Tienda Leon or equivalent, their booth is after you get your bags and pass through customs, but before you enter the main terminal. Don't miss it. In a pinch, I have used the Ezeiza Taxi. It's a fixed price and you book and pay from the stand before you exit the terminal. IMO, unless you're fluent in Spanish, I wouldn't try an independent, or other way into town.

Forgot about this. It depends on the itinerary, but most excursions offered to us have been in the morning leaving at 8 or 9 and returning in time for late lunch. Sometimes, afternoon excursions were offered, or for very popular excursions, there were several sections, leaving every 15 minutes or so. I don't think this applies to this itinerary you're thinking of, but one of the advantages Ponant has at popular destinations is that they can get you there well before the large cruise lines -- At Krka falls in Croatia, Delos in Greece and Briksdal Glacier in Norway, we had theme all to ourselves for more than an hour or two before the larger ships got their passengers there -- but, to do that, in addition to docking at a much closer port, we had an early start -- but it was worth it.

Ponant self-describes their menus as "International," which I guess gives quite a bit of latitude in what's actually delivered. @jpalbny and @swyftal have both posted comprehensive trip reports with menus, so it's possible to have a good idea what to expect: And I post pictures of the plates I've particularly enjoyed as well.

All of the coffee drinks come from a commercial Nespresso machine and are included in the base price. Not all that useful for planning, but... @AussieGirlTX doesn't drink and I occasionally decid to spring for the Premium Pass. A brief chat with the bar manager about our situation has always worked out for us.

Seems like you've got a good handle on what to expect & welcome! Internet is included. Drinks are included, but there is a premium drinks package for spirits. Premium wines can be purchased by the bottle. There is some discussion of all of this here: We have not been in the situation where we've been stuck near someone we really couldn't stand, but yes, there have been people we don't mesh with and you do see them again and again -- but aren't really in such small places that you have to interact with them for long periods, unless you are on the same excursion. I confess we've asked to be placed on the other side of the dining room on occasion for such a reason. I imagine everyone has their own personal threshold on this. The only Ponant ship with anything approaching a viable walking space like you're talking about is Le Commandant Charcot, which has a true Promenade. In desperation on the other ships, I have walked each deck end to end, which is maybe 400 yards and I've done a lot of stair climbing as well. Given your itinerary, I'd plan to be ashore before / after excursions and get some extra walking in. Sometimes I've let the guide know that I was abandoning the tour early and walked back to the ship. There are treadmills with a nice sea view as you might expect, but I really don't call that walking either.

Ponant sent an email this week offering a 10% discount on most cruises sailing in 2023. The offer is combinable with other Ponant discounts such as onboard booking, back-to-back, and the PYC bonus. It's also valid for first time guests and those using referral / first time guest bonuses and those booking through Travel Agents. It reads to me that the excluded cruises are ones that aren't offering the "Ponant Bonus" discount -- the one you see when you're looking at the cruise online. (1) 10% savings valid on new bookings only, using code XMAS10, booked and deposited between 12/08/22 and 01/07/23. Cruise must have a Ponant Bonus of 5% or higher. The discount on your future bookings applies to port-to-port prices, and excludes taxes, discretionary expenses and transfers. It can be applied only by calling our cruises advisors. May be combined with other PONANT offers and advantages including Ponant Yacht Club, Join the Club, Welcome Offer, and contracted partner amenities. Cannot be combined with other offers, amenities, or promotions. Offer is subject to availability and may be modified and/or withdrawn without notice. (2) 10% savings on their future bookings applies to port-to-port prices, and excludes taxes, discretionary expenses and transfers. This discount can only be combined with the PONANT Bonus discount, the discount applied to onboard cruise sales, the Referral Program offer, the Privilege Single offer and with the consecutive cruises discount. This offer is also valid for use with your usual travel agency.

Lovely! We'll be in Moorea over New Year's and PG before that.

Of course. 😅 Will we see you there over Christmas? 😉

You are correct. FP does not require proof of vaccination or testing. Source: http://www.polynesie-francaise.pref.gouv.fr/Dossiers/Information-COVID-19/Conditions-de-voyage

The passenger's comment, "and there were no other ships close to us," is likely an interpretation of the actual situation. It's hard to be far away from other ships in this part of the Peninsula and there were several ships "nearby" crossing back to Argentina on Monday the 28th on schedule (at least Sea Spirit, Silver Endeavour & Ponant L'Austral & Le Lyrial). It's more likely that a transfer was deemed too risky given the passenger's condition. If the operation could be completed safely, I'd think that other vessels would be willing to provide Samaritan / mutual aid and bring this passenger back to Ushuaia.. I took this screenshot around 3pm on Sunday:

I saw that you were on the Weddell Sea side and thought that was cool! I thought that might be reserved for Commandant Charcot, which was only a bit further South than you were. 😎

Well... As you know, tips are included for tickets booked in the US and are shared among all hotel department staff. We were strongly advised that if we wanted to give something extra to put it in the Crew Welfare Fund to be shared among the crew. If there's something extra you'd like to give to a special crew member, give it to them directly -- how much? Don't know -- I would think even $5 or $10 a day would be meaningful to a housekeeper. For guests that do not have gratuities included, Ponant says the average is 13 euros per day.

Every Zodiac I've been on either has a rigid fuel tank or a fuel bladder in the five gallon +/- range in the back of the RHIB by the pilot and outboard motor -- pretty much like any outboard motorboat. There's not much flooring and no bilge per se. Aside from the unlikely location, the incident description reads like the Zodiac's hull and floor integrity was maintained, so I wonder if the "explosion" came from something underneath or outside the boat.

Additional information from passengers who were on the initial Zodiac, describing the "explosion" and subsequent return to Ushuaia: As she was holding onto a rope attached to the boat with one hand and taking cell phone video of penguins with the other, she said, a "pretty significant explosion" took place beneath the floor between the front two passengers. The woman sitting directly across from Trusdale took the brunt of the impact, suffering a badly broken leg. Another passenger on that side was thrown from the boat. Pam Trusdale managed to hold onto her phone. She and her husband crossed over to the other side and helped to stop the boat. Tom Trusdale, another male passenger and the Zodiac pilot pulled the man back into the Zodiac on his back, Pam Trusdale said. Full Article: https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2022/12/04/viking-polaris-cruise-accident-wave-antarctic-trip-topeka-passengers/69695346007/

Viking Polaris was about six hours ahead of us and four hours ahead of L’Austral when it was hit by a rogue wave resulting in a fatality. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/us-citizen-killed-when-rogue-wave-hit-viking-cruise-ship-in-antarctic/3981840/

We were about six hours behind Polaris on Ponant's Le Lyrial and experienced eight meter swells and 50+ kt winds. Some crew members reported it was among the most "vigorous" they had experienced.

Le Lyrial is returning to Ushuaia about eighteen hours into her subsequent cruise, Emblematic Antarctica:

Ponant has operated in Antarctica for years and now has five ships operating various itineraries throughout the season. With this much experience, one kind of needs to feel that anything less than perfection would be a disappointment. Fortunately, I don’t need to report that. From my perspective, everything important was executed very well. Our housekeeper was fantastic. The restaurant staff at both restaurants were way more experienced, and much better at anticipating our needs and remembering our preferences than in June. Same for the bar staff. @AussieGirlTX has the highest marks for the spa team. The hairstylist gave our teen a ton of tips that he’s still talking about. I usually get on well with the Restaurant Managers, but this one was exceptional — it felt like he was everywhere and did all the things you’d want a manager to do to support the team. He was also always available and it seemed like it wasn’t possible to even pass him in the hall without some sort of conversation. I usually only interact with the Hotel Manager when things aren’t going to plan. I’d just note that this one was the most visible I’ve seen on Ponant. He assisted the restaurant team at their busiest times (which included the gala dinner, which is often a trouble point) and was helping guests get geared up for their expeditions, among other things. This was our second time with this Cruise Director and she is lovely. She is what you’d want in a Cruise Director. Her dance performances were quite a surprise that we enjoyed. The Naturalists and Expedition Leader managed the trip competently and safely and they were always available during the expeditions and even at the Observatory Lounge on sea days to point out whales and identify birds and simply answer questions. We enjoyed this itinerary and really appreciate the Ponant crew on Le Bellot that talked us into switching to this itinerary from Emblematic Antarctica. South Georgia was extraordinary and we’re glad we got to experience it. Setting the reality of life aside (and the ship’s ability to provision fresh food), we could have enjoyed another four days (nineteen total) along the loop.

Lyrial Wednesday Our final sailing day was quite anticlimactic after the Drake Passage excitement. We had a beautiful cruise along the Beagle Channel under sunny, though windy skies. The scenery was gorgeous, with snowy mountains and green valleys. We even passed a final set of Magelenic penguins, allowing some guests an additional check mark on their penguin sighting list. Apparently, our crossing was among the most “vigorous” the Naturalists and some crew members had experienced. Our Captain did confirm we had eight meter swells for at least a period overnight We played a final quiz then a final Bingo and for me, the excitement of the day — we caught up with our Sistership L’Austral, completing Emblematic Antarctica, and our two ships sailed the final few hours in formation. We arrived at Ushuaia at six, but our berth was still occupied by Seaventure, a decrepit-looking ship placed into service in 1990, who needed more time to get underway. L’Austral, though was able to take her place and we watched her docking while having our last dinner upstairs with Egg 65 (which really shouldn’t be offered on a buffet) and a final Ponant burger. At 9:30 we finally docked and several guests and crew members went to explore Ushuaia. Fortunately 10 pm is just barely dinner time in Argentina, so I’m sure nobody missed out. We packed and were in bed by eleven. Disembarkation is almost always the same. Out of the cabin before eight, breakfast downstairs, and wait in the lounge for our color to be called. This did take longer, as we’d spent almost a month with some of the crew members between this cruise and our June/July cruises on Lyrial and there were a few we especially wanted to thank. At 8:50, we were called and said our final goodbyes and thank you’s to spa team, restaurant and hotel manager, travel ambassador, cruise director, the naturalists and of course, our Captain. The transfers, again, were very well managed. A bus met us at the bottom of the gangway and took us just outside the tiny port before parking and giving us almost three hours to explore downtown Ushuaia before finally taking us to the airport for an extremely efficient checkin and security process — though I was amused that Ponant’s contract handlers also commented on our Drake Passage crossing. Three hours later, back in Buenos Aires and we’re done.

The Drake Passage crossing began smoothly enough — certainly no worse than we had experienced at various points on our cruise so far. For me, the biggest impact was the motion was making me sleepy! Fortunately, I didn’t miss lunch, as my beloved reblochon was offered as a special of the day in a traditional Tartiflette. It was delicious! We had sunny skies for most of the day and although it was apparent that the seas were becoming more rough, still, nothing we hadn’t seen before and most guests were attending the functions — updates from the Naturalists, dance lessons, caviar tasting… Our Captain advised the weather would continue to deteriorate through the afternoon and we should expect 7-8 meter seas, along with 50 plus kt winds. Upstairs dining was closed, so no surprise that most of the guests arrived for dinner on Deck 2 between 7:30 & 8. Guests & crew were in a jovial mood and only a very small number appeared to be missing. The four cheese pasta was very good, as was the borscht. We finished after nine and went back to our cabin for the night. The storm was substantial overnight and it was difficult to sleep through it, though fortunately, none of us were injured or seasick. Everything was thrown to the floor, including things we thought were bolted down, like the coffee maker. It let up in the early morning as we passed north of Cape Horn and entered smooth waters as we approached the Beagle Channel.