Grannys 2018 Adventure with Ponant!

[BrisbaneGran]

Ponant LÁustral

 

 

[BrisbaneGran]

The Bridge

 

 

 

 

[MMDown Under]

Thanks for the photos. Your son's normal size cabin looks very nice.

[BrisbaneGran]

Thanks for the photos. Your son's normal size cabin looks very nice.

 

the room was nice but very small....only ONE chair, so had to sit on the bed.....bathroom was really just a "shower room"......half the size we had.....and again the extremely narrow balcony. I couldn't survive in a room that size, so glad we spent the extra for a bigger suite.

[cruising kirby]

Thanks for the additional photos. The normal cabins look ok, but as you say, quite small. My husband loves those bridge visits!

[BrisbaneGran]

Just a word of Warning! IF you are on a Ponant cruise, and they have a Video of the cruise for sale, MAKE SURE you view it first before paying their exorbitant charges!

 

Last night I saw the video my son purchased while on board.......I am sure he paid something like 70 Euros for it! IT IS DISGUSTING! They should ashamed of charging for it at all! As an amateur photographer, I would certainly be too ashamed to let anyone see something so bad! There was so much out of focus filming, blurry filming, filming in places that were too dark to see anything, background music was dreadful, hardly anything shown of the ship, or life on the ship at all. It started with the sail out from Sydney, which was sort of reasonable, but too dark and frankly, boring. It then showed some of the Captains Welcome ..... there was NO Captains Farewell or Introduction to the Crew, which was all out on the crew deck, in perfect weather, and probably THE most important part of the on board happenings. There was NO filming of the final night, which was also on the Pool deck with singing and dancing.......

 

I just wish there was some way I could upload this video to show you what I am talking about. IF these were "Professional Photographers" on that ship....they should be made to walk the plank immediately!

[cruising kirby]

Just a word of Warning! IF you are on a Ponant cruise, and they have a Video of the cruise for sale, MAKE SURE you view it first before paying their exorbitant charges!

 

Last night I saw the video my son purchased while on board.......I am sure he paid something like 70 Euros for it! IT IS DISGUSTING! They should ashamed of charging for it at all! As an amateur photographer, I would certainly be too ashamed to let anyone see something so bad! There was so much out of focus filming, blurry filming, filming in places that were too dark to see anything, background music was dreadful, hardly anything shown of the ship, or life on the ship at all. It started with the sail out from Sydney, which was sort of reasonable, but too dark and frankly, boring. It then showed some of the Captains Welcome ..... there was NO Captains Farewell or Introduction to the Crew, which was all out on the crew deck, in perfect weather, and probably THE most important part of the on board happenings. There was NO filming of the final night, which was also on the Pool deck with singing and dancing.......

 

I just wish there was some way I could upload this video to show you what I am talking about. IF these were "Professional Photographers" on that ship....they should be made to walk the plank immediately!

 

Oh dear!!!!

[BrisbaneGran]

Another thing to be VERY wary of, are their charges for Transfers! From Trinity Port to Cairns Central OR the Airport, was 60 Euros....in the pic below, it shows pretty well Cairns Central....just a few block! You can also see Reef Casino, just across the road......a French couple taking the Transfer before us, were going to the Reef Casino......60 Euros!! WE used the transfer as we had OBC we couldn't spend, so was better than using our own "real money"....

 

 

[days@sea]

Just came across your review of this lovely little ship. Thank you for taking the time to give us your views!

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

Just came across this great review [thanks to Ponant now having its own forum!]. We are considering The Best of New Zealand cruise, but DW is worried that it starts with two days of scenic cruising followed by a sea day – and wonders what there will be to do on board. I see that you love sea days for their own sake [as do I], but do you remember what activities were offered on the sea days on your cruise?

 

And were they really accessible for English speakers?

 

Finally, you mentioned that there was a group on board with you. Tauck seems to part-charter a lot of Ponant sailings, and we were wondering if that leaves the other English-speakers like fifth wheels. Between the French-first service and the group having its own, did you have to fight for everything?

[BrisbaneGran]

There really wasn't a problem for non French speaking people, we just felt the information in French was a lot more detailed than it was in English, but then again, maybe the French language just has a lot more words than we use in English!

I think there were a couple of Groups onboard, but again not a problem at all. I think one was just a big family group,.

 

As far as things to do on sea days, there were things like bingo, quiz, French Lessons, and maybe a couple of other things. There is a small library....computers....(for a charge) but honestly we didn't really look for things.....we are happy with our kindles and peace and quiet. The pool deck is a lovely small area if you want to swim or sun bathe, and there is a very nice Bar just above the pool, looking over the back of the ship. This is where we spent most of our time.

 

Most of the staff were fine with English, a couple struggled but not really a problem.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for following up. We're booked!

[BrisbaneGran]

I am sure you will enjoy it. The ship is beautiful, the crew were very good, and the food was probably the best we have had on a ship! (dare I say, a lot better than Seabourn!) French cooking certainly stands out, and the breads, I ate far more than anyone should!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I am sure you will enjoy it. The ship is beautiful, the crew were very good, and the food was probably the best we have had on a ship! (dare I say, a lot better than Seabourn!) French cooking certainly stands out, and the breads, I ate far more than anyone should!

 

I'm a sucker for a really good Croissant [pronounced correctly with a 'w'] and café au lait. If every day starts like that, it will all be good! :D

[aussie_nsw]

Hi BrisbaneGran,

 

Thank you for your wonderful blog, easy to find now Ponant has their own page.

 

We are going to try Ponant for the first time next year and am wondering if you would like to refer us, I think that there maybe some benefits for you next time you cruise with them. Regards Caroline

 

 

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