CDreamers on L'Austral after SD1

[CDreamer]

(Disclaimer: Once you read this review you'll know why I leave SD reviews to pros like Vandrefalk, whatnot, etc! :eek:).

 

This is basically a pro/con review of our recent June 2011 Venice-Dubrovnik-Venice cruise on Le Ponant's newest ship, L'Austral.

 

We took this cruise right after SD's maiden May 28, 2011 Hamburg-Bergen voyage in Norway, so while it's hard not to make comparisons between the 2 ships (and sometimes I did), I've tried to give L'Austral a fair and unbiased review....

 

L'Austral is a beautiful, new, clean, contemporary ship and our particular cruise had 210 passengers on board.

 

Here is a rundown of some of the pros and cons (as we saw them):

 

Check in:

 

Pros: We were first in line so check in went very quickly, just like on SD. Went through security at the port then walked up the plank and met our Captain, crew, and spa gals on the way into the ship. We surrendered our passports then had our pictures taken and received our cards. From there we were shown to our cabin on deck 4, and our luggage was waiting right in front of our cabin door. The whole check in procedure took about 15 minutes.

 

Chilled, refreshing, (non alcoholic) apricot drinks were served in champagne glasses, and assorted sandwiches, tea, and coffee were available to everyone in their large, indoor lounge area..... unfortunately, it didn't appear many passengers knew about this since there were only a handful of people in the lounge while we were there.

 

Cons: Champagne and all alcohol needed to be purchased separately (of course we knew this going in). Wine is included with meals, but otherwise all alcohol-based drinks, spa treatments, and excursions are add ons. Tipping is optional at the end of the cruise.

 

Cabin:

 

Pros: Very contemporary, attractive cabin w/ separate toilet and shower areas (nice!), wonderful rain head shower with good water pressure.

 

Balcony had 2 chairs, a small table, and high side privacy walls so you never saw your neighbor. Only con about the balcony was that the front of it was solid, not glass, so it was hard to see over it if you weren't standing up or under 5'6" and sitting. Still, we really liked the 'open' feel that the balcony gave us. Would no balcony deter us from going on SD again? No... SD has plenty of open spaces so we never feel claustrophobic in our cabin.

 

Movie selections were always available on our TV (as opposed to having to use DVDs) - small thing, except that it saved trips to the Concierge in our bathrobes when we decided we had tired of watching repeated segments of CNN Int'l! :rolleyes:

 

WiFi could be purchased in blocks of time versus a flat fee for all day usage. :D

 

Cons: Bed was a bit harder than SD's and pillows and comforters were synthetic not feather/down (which I prefer), so the housekeeper placed a comforter under the fitted sheet and that did help some. Again, the staff tried hard to please.

 

Staff/Capt:

 

Pros: Staff was friendly, competent, and responsive. Capt has an open bridge policy at all times.

 

Cons: One crew member went on my report because he had a real attitude and wasn't afraid to show it. :mad: That said, he was the only one.... the rest of the crew were pleasant and helpful.

 

Capt meets and greets, but we did not see him dine with passengers. Not really a con, per se, but SD staff and Captain try to go the extra mile and really get to know you. We missed that personal connection.

 

Food:

 

Pros: 2 separate restaurants: one with a buffet setup (which required reservations); one with a sit down menu. Dress was dressy/casual, like SD. 24 hour room service w/ a limited menu was also available.

 

Cons: While some of the dinners were good, SD beats L'Austral hands down re: the creative flair, flavor, and presentation that goes into all their meals. I REALLY missed the variety of fresh fruits and veggies that you get on SD even though L'Austral has a small assortment of fresh (and canned :rolleyes:) fruit and some salad mix offerings. Just nothing on the scale of SD, and we really love fresh fruits and veggies.

 

Excursions:

 

Pros: Their two large tenders were brand new and, because of their bigger size, quite stable - even in rough waters. Speaking of stable, we rarely felt any movement on L'Austral. It was extremely stable though maybe there just wasn't much motion in the sea during our cruise?

 

L'Austral had fantastic local guides who were all knowledgable, interesting and fun. The walking tours we went on only consisted of 7-12 people (thankfully Taulk Tours made their own arrangements).

 

Cons: None. This is one area where L'Austral shined....

 

One thing I would recommend to SD re: their excursions: During tours L'Austral gave passengers an earbud plus a receptor device to wear around your neck, so you could always hear your guide speaking regardless of where they (or you) were. Even in small groups this was helpful because there was never any question about where/when to meet up or about anything the guide was saying (even if people were talking around you). It also had an emergency button you could press if you somehow got separated from the group or needed help. I know this sounds like a 'herding device' - and in a way it is - but it was lightweight and actually made the excursions a bit more enjoyable because you could listen to the guide even if he/she was at the back of a bus or way ahead of the group. They also had top notch local guides who were interesting and very organized, which made the excursions a lot of fun.

 

Entertainment:

 

Pros: L'Austral has a nice big theatre for nighttime performances and big gatherings (like for the initial welcoming talk or review of fire drill or disembarkment procedures, etc). Thankfully, any other announcements on board were made in the hallways and public rooms; not in the cabins.

 

Cons: Unlike SD, we were in a theatre, not a lounge, so no drinks were served during these (sometimes dry and long) announcements.

 

Other entertainment... L'Austral had a piano player and singer perform during cocktail hour and sail aways, and also provided nightly entertainment in their main theatre after dinner (we didn't go to these shows so can't comment if they were good or bad).

 

Passenger mix:

 

Cons: on this particular cruise we had a much older demographic than our Athens-Dubrovnik SD1 cruise last year. Nearly 1/2 were Tauck Tour passengers; the other 1/2 mainly French couples (this is, after all, a French owned ship!). People didn't seem as active or engaged as SD passengers (regardless of age) and were cordial but not overly friendly. Fortunately, we weren't there to make friends - we had, after all, just come off SD where we had met up with some long time SD friends as well as making some new friends. This leg of our trip was more about the destination(s) than the journey.

 

Summary: While we did enjoy this cruise and MIGHT consider another Le Ponant cruise if they went somewhere that SD didn't, I kept telling my DH that "something" was missing.... that the ship was indeed beautiful, the scenery gorgeous, the day trips fun... but it just lacked - something.

 

Then I figured it out.... This ship lacked SOUL!

 

What do I mean by 'Soul'? To me, it's the perfect blend of a relaxed, friendly, personable crew with relaxed, friendly, and personable passengers. It is that perfect blend that gives SD its true heart and soul and sets it apart. And though the crew on L'Austral smiled and did their best to be friendly and do their jobs well, you just didn't feel that same wonderful spark and connection that you do on a SD cruise.

 

So while nothing is perfect I would say that SD is doing a fantastic job of keeping their passengers happy and relaxed....and that's why passengers come back time and time again - to reclaim that SOUL.

 

CDreamer

[vandrefalk]

Excellent review, CDreamer! I think you've achieved "pro" status :D

 

There is nothing quite like the way SD makes you feel -- when you spend your first half hour on board hugging the crew -- that says something! Thanks for the pros/cons!

Vandrefalk

[DisneyJen]

Thanks so much for the review CDreamer!

 

I have wondered about Le Ponant as it looks "interesting" (DJ's DH's word). I totally know what you mean about the "soul" on SD! One of the many reasons we keep coming back again ... and again:p:p

[fpebbles]

It gives a real feel for the ship--

[CDreamer]

It gives a real feel for the ship--

 

Thanks, I hope I did it fair justice. L'Austral IS a beautiful ship and we loved its clean, contemporary lines and feel - and the staff was friendly (overall) and did try hard.

 

Just a bit cool on the passenger list, and while the dinners were good we felt the rest of the meals were just so-so and not nearly on par with SD. Funny, considering it's a French ship with many French passengers aboard. :confused:

 

But the ship itself was comfortable with little to no motion while sailing, and we did enjoy their spa and their excursions.

 

I think our particular passenger mix and the divorce between them and us is what kind of killed some of the thrill for us.

 

That said, after reading some reviews on other ships and based upon our preferences for smaller ships, it still seems to beat out some of the more well known cruise line alternatives. For this reason we'd still consider using Le Ponant again if they went to some part of the world where SD didn't go. We'd just take some friends along! :p LOL.

[vandrefalk]

Quote.

. We'd just take some friends along! LOL.

 

OK CDreamer, when do we leave? :D

 

VandrefLk

[fpebbles]

We're ready to go!

[CDreamer]

We're ready to go!

 

LOL Vandrefalk and fpebbles!! I think we need to focus on Jan '12 for now, don't you?! ;)

 

Happy 4th to you both and your families, everyone on SD 1 and 2, and to our fellow CC Sea Dreamers as well!!! :D

[Jim Avery]

CDreamer, very interesting post. Just so happens I received my copy of Cruise Travel magazine which featured this ship. The pictures show it just as you describe. An interesting option if SD does not work in some areas.:D

[nomoss]

Hi CDreamer,

 

Sorry to barge in on your conversation. But I wanted to get your comments/thoughts/projections. I am taking my wife and 2 kids on an Antarctica expedition this December. Right now, L'Austral is the only one with availability - our first choice is/was the National Geographic. My wife and I are vegetarians while my kids are ok with some poultry and bacon - none of us is a fan of French cuisine. Also, we were wondering about the infamous French "hospitality" :rolleyes:..

 

Thanks in anticipation.

[CDreamer]

Hi CDreamer,

 

Sorry to barge in on your conversation. But I wanted to get your comments/thoughts/projections. I am taking my wife and 2 kids on an Antarctica expedition this December. Right now, L'Austral is the only one with availability - our first choice is/was the National Geographic. My wife and I are vegetarians while my kids are ok with some poultry and bacon - none of us is a fan of French cuisine. Also, we were wondering about the infamous French "hospitality" :rolleyes:..

 

nomoss, no barging in at all! Be glad to comment...

 

Antarctica sounds like an interesting trip - my brother in law and his wife took the Nat'l Geo cruise and loved it.

 

As for L'Austral.... as I mentioned in my review there was really only one crew member who was rude, and he may not even be there any more. Otherwise we found the (mainly French) staff friendly and accommodating -- maybe not quite as personable as SD's crew members (after all, they're in a league all their own! ;)), but they did try hard to keep everyone happy.

 

As for food choices: they do have the 2 dining rooms: one offers a daily sit down menu with a couple of soup/salad choices and some fairly "mainstream" dishes - fish, chicken, beef; the other more casual dining room (which you oddly need to reserve in advance) offers a buffet only option.

 

I love that SD always has lots of fresh fruits and veggies available... and while L'Austral also has some salad and fruit options we felt those choices were much more limited.

 

Nomoss, one thing I would suggest is to find out the passenger mix for that particular cruise. There were no kids on our cruise in Croatia - in mid June - and we were about the youngest people on the ship (we're in our late 50s). About 1/2 of the passengers were French couples and almost half were older couples traveling with Tauck Tours - which is not a bad thing, just something you might want to check out, depending on the age of your kids.

 

That said, each cruise is different so probably best to contact Le Ponant directly (or through your travel agent) and talk to them about your concerns.

 

Hope this helps!

[rickandpat]

I saw a perfect Greek Isle itinerary for L'Austral, but shied away when I saw it was a French line, since I don't speak french and I assume that's the primary language onboard. Were announcements and written materials in both french and english?

[CDreamer]

I saw a perfect Greek Isle itinerary for L'Austral, but shied away when I saw it was a French line, since I don't speak french and I assume that's the primary language onboard. Were announcements and written materials in both french and english?

 

Yes, no problem with the language at all, other than the fact that dual language announcements sometimes take a little longer! :p

 

The crew speaks fluent English and all announcements are given in both French and English.

 

Just a personal preference on my part, but since I've been on both ships recently (SD in Greece in 2010 & Norway in 2011, and L'Austral in Croatia in 2011) I'd choose SD HANDS DOWN for its personable crew, (much better) food, and friendly passenger mix.

 

That said, L'Austral is a nice ship and we did enjoy some of the excursions that they offered.

[rickandpat]

Thanks for sharing your opinions. This Dec. will be our first SD cruise (we're not cruisers by nature), and we may well say to heck with the itinerary, it'll be SD for the Greek islands anyway.

[frequent traveler]

SD and the Greek islands is a not to be missed experience - we did a BtB on SD in Greece last year from Athens to Istanbul and back. Absolutely wonderful. Hopefully will make a Venice to Athens btb in summer of 2012.

 

FT