PBfromDC

14 hours ago, tnm6217 said:

 

I love hearing this! We are booked on the 9 day ocean voyage from Massachusetts to Martinique in November, and I'm already eyeing some of the longer ocean voyages next spring. I am curious to see firsthand why Captain Moatti recommended it so highly!

 

Two questions for you if you have time:

- What is the internet connectivity like? (@PBfromDC I'll especially want your input on this when you're on your crossing later this month!)

- What kinds of English games and books do they have down in the little lounge area?

Will let you know. We've done three ocean voyages on Ponant - two trans-Atlantics and one Boston to Cozumel and found the internet connection to be ok - to be honest, I really only went on once a day to check emails and get the doggie reports from our dog sitter. Did not try to stream anything or visit websites. Will try on our upcoming crossing and report back. 

Thanks AussieBoyTX. I was hoping it was Regis. We had him on our first Ponant cruise a crossing from Fort de France to Lisbon and found him quite engaging. I keep checking the Ponant app and it says the crew is not yet known. Your post are great and we are looking forward to joining the ship on the 14th. 

Great reports! We're joining the ship in 13 days for the Bergen to Toronto crossing - who is the Captain? 

Hi all. we are booked on the Aug 14 Bergen to Toronto ocean voyage. Not too many open Covid testing sites are open on the weekends- making gettin an antigen test within 24 hours before difficult. The cruise leaves on a Sunday  Most labs in Norway don’t work over the weekend making a 72 hour pcr test problematic. Does anyone know if Ponant will accept the proctored emed BinaxNow test results for boarding? If so, anything in writing from Ponant to that effect? Thanks for any advice or help.

Perry

Hi Gary - my husband and I were also on the Boston-Puerto Morelos (Cozumel) Ocean Voyage and I agree with your assessment that Ponant did a great job getting us off the ship in Cozumel and to our destination on the mainland. It was remarkable what they were able to pull off with such short notice. We were not inconvenienced at all and sort of enjoyed the extra "drama" of it all. You had the German telling the older gentleman from DC to STFU, I had an English chap doing the same!

This was our third Ocean Voyage (first was Fort de France to Lisbon on Le Boreal and second was last April on Le Champlain Cayenne to Lisbon) and we also thought that things were a bit off. On our other Ocean Voyages, service and food were top notch. Now, on our the first one we had 83 passengers and on our second there were only 43 of us, so that might have played into the better service. You are spot on regarding the food - some hits, some misses and some WTFs, but it didn't make our voyage any less enjoyable. Like you we enjoy the lazy sea days. Give that we had two referrals ($600 each) and $500 ship board credit, it almost seemed cheaper than staying at home! You get free laundry with your second cruise, so book soon!

We're booked on Ponant again in March 2020 - Montevideo to Praia, Cape Verde. Should be an interesting voyage.

Perry

Just got off the Le Champlain transatlantic. The open bar covers a lot. Champagne - Henri Able, quite nice, a choice of white and red wines, spirits, cordials, etc., all of which are name brands you would recognize. There are special cocktails and top shelf brands of spirits that they charge for, but I didn't see anyone ordering those. Unless you are very brand specific on something, you should find the open bar offering sufficient for a nice time. 

Cool Cruise is correct. Alcohol - spirits, wine, champagne are included and the brands offered were quite nice. There are up brands available for purchase. On our Le Boreal trans-Atlantic last year I would estimate the average age to be in the mid-50's, perhaps a little older. It was an active and lively mix of passengers 2/3 French, 1/3 Americans, Germans and other nationalities mixed in. We had three sets of musicians - a woman who played classical piano (most often in the Observation Lounge before and after dinner), two young couples that would alternate in the main lounge (a singer and keyboard or piano player). They helped to create festive evenings. Very enjoyable.

We're doing a trans-Atlantic on Le Champlain in April. We are in a basic cabin. Will post a review when we get back.

Just made final payment for Le Champlain April 2019 Trans-Atlantic from Cayenne, French Guiana to Lisbon. Looking forward to the new ships! Anyone else joining us?

Perry

Thank you all for your replies. Love the smaller ships which is one of the reasons the Braemar appeals to us. The cruise we are looking at is from Barbados to Southampton.

How welcome would a male couple be on a Fred Olsen Cruise - thinking about fellow passengers, not crew. My husband and I are American, in our early 60’s, well traveled, and not wild partiers. Looking at a March 2020 trans-Atlantic cruise on the Braemar. Thank you for your comments.

When you booked on board I am assuming you received a 5% discount. Is that correct? Also, what was the deposit requirement?

Yes we did get the 5% discount for booking on board. The deposit was 25% of the total cruise amount including taxes and port fees minus the discount.

Hi there! So to answer my own questions that I had about Ponant:

House Champagne is Henri Abele. VERY drinkable and LOTS was consumed over the 11 night trans-Atlantic ocean voyage.

Entertainment: So we were told that there would be NO entertainment during this cruise and that "gastronomy" would be reduced from their normal high standards. WRONG on both accounts! There were 88 guests on board, which we were told was a fairly high number for Ponant's Ocean Voyages. Because of this, the cruise director Bruno decided to up the ante on the entertainment front. We had live music every evening in the main lounge - two couples (a singer and piano player/singer) who would do two sets before and after dinner. In addition there was a classic pianist that played in the observation lounge before and after dinner every night. Most evenings their dance troupe - four women and one man - would put on a dance show in the main lounge. During the day there were lectures, films (both in French), dance lessons, stretching with the dancers, trivia, and afternoon tea. It was really very nice and quite enjoyable. I know this was different than most Ocean Voyages.

The "gastrononmie" was reduced only in the number of eating places. For breakfast and lunch, we were served in the casual restaurant on the pool level. Buffets and the food in our opinion was quite good. Many choices. Dinner was in the main dining room. We found the service and food to be exceptional.

All in all a very nice cruise - so much so that we booked a Spring 2019 trans-Atlantic from Cayenne to Lisbon on board.

Perry

We just got off the Le Boreal's trans-Atlantic from Martinique to Lisbon. On the Captain's Gala night, guests were pretty smartly dressed. Most women were wearing very nice cocktail dresses/pants suits and almost every man had on a suit or sports jacket and the majority had on ties. No tuxes. I wouldn't say it was a "formal" night, but it was more glitzy than other nights.

Hi all. We will be doing a Ponant Ocean Voyage in a little over two weeks - Le Boreal, Martinique to Lisbon. In their literature Ponant states there is no on-board entertainment or speakers on their ocean voyages. Curious as to what they really mean about no on-board entertainment. No shows? Probably. No live music (or recorded) in cocktail lounges pre-or-post dinners? Hope not. Won't change our minds as we're looking forward to the trip - just wanting to know what to expect. Any experiences you've had would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Enjoying your trip report! So sad the weather isn’t cooperating. Quick question- is there a House Champagne that is included? We do like our bubbles!

Have a great voyage! We're doing a Ponant trans-Atlantic in April - Le Boreal from Martinique to Lisbon. Never been on Ponant - we're Silversea & Seabourn regulars so we're all ears to learn about your experiences. Hope you have smooth seas!

Something of a silly question, but does anyone know what the house champagne (the one included in their open bar) is on Ponant?

Barbados-Lisbon, Silversea's Silver Cloud, April 22. Love the Trans-Atlantics!