Ponant Suspends Operations

[jonikal]

Le Bellot has finally left the dock at Vard Shipyard and is moored offshore.  A hopeful sign, perhaps?

[AussieBoyTX]

3 hours ago, jmalux said:

Plenty of new cancellations:

 

https://wordpress.ponant.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/REPROGRAMMATION_CROISIERES_PONANT_ETE2020_02062020-2.pdf

Some of the remaining seem sketchy to me. Kangerlussuaq - Nome, Alaska Is something like 23 days and $24K pp. leaving in August, there would be no Canadian stops. 

[jonikal]

26 minutes ago, AussieBoyTX said:

Some of the remaining seem sketchy to me. Kangerlussuaq - Nome, Alaska Is something like 23 days and $24K pp. leaving in August, there would be no Canadian stops. 

 

 

Having recently sailed almost this same route on Hurtigruten's new ship, the Roald Amundsen, you might want to check this out:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=668128

 

I believe Ponant is more experienced in these waters and will avoid some of the unnecessary disappointments we experienced.

[AussieBoyTX]

Each ship's first (and in some cases second cruise) cruise per the June 1 update:

 

August 28, 2020 AUSTRAL A280820 Kangerlussuaq - Nome, Alaska (with Canada's cruise ban, I don't see how this can operate)

 

[large gap due to cancelled Canadian cruises]

October 31, 2020 AUSTRAL A311020 Callao - Talcahuano

 

 

July 13, 2020 BELLOT E130720 Reykjavík - Reykjavík

 

 

July 11, 2020 BOREAL B110720 Longyearbyen - Longyearbyen

 

 

September 3, 2020 BOUGAINVILLE G030920 Venise - Athènes

 

 

August 5, 2020 CHAMPLAIN C050820 Reykjavík - Reykjavík

 

 

October 11, 2020 DUMONT D'URVILLE U111020 Lisbonne - Dakar

 

 

August 16, 2020 JACQUES CARTIER X160820 Reykjavík - Reykjavík

 

 

July 17, 2020 LAPEROUSE R170720 Broome - Darwin (IMO not possible with Australian cruise ban)

[large gap due to other Australian cruises]

 

September 23, 2020 LAPEROUSE R230920 Manila - Osaka

 

 

July 31, 2020 LYRIAL Y310720 Venise - Civitavecchia (Rome)

 

 

August 8, 2020 PAUL GAUGUIN N080820 Papeete, Tahiti - Papeete, Tahiti

 

 

October 22, 2020 SOLEAL S221020 Talcahuano - Ushuaia

[jland]

I truly do not believe this company. How can anybody have any trust in them when they make announcements like this.

How can they say a July Broome to Darwin cruise can still go ahead when the Australian government has banned all cruise ship until September 17th. 
The icing on the cake though was to say our cruise on the 28th August is still on. The only cruise in that area that’s still available. This cruise actual starts in Paris with an included charter flight to Kangerlussuaq, ends in Nome with included flight to Seattle. It cost AUD$28000pp including a 30% discount because we booked 2 years in advance. Not only were we looking forward to the cruise we were also looking forward to seeing Seattle. We love going to the States but Seattle was one place we have not been to.

How Ponant expect us to fly to Paris we cannot fathom out, no one knows when our borders will open but it is blindingly obvious that this company has no regard for its passengers and I think that is sad.

Ponant are silly to themselves. They have some wonderful itineraries and new, beautiful ships. If they had just done the correct thing by us they would have had our business for life. As it is all trust has gone.

 

[directionfinder]

On 6/3/2020 at 11:29 AM, jmalux said:

Plenty of new cancellations:

 

https://wordpress.ponant.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/REPROGRAMMATION_CROISIERES_PONANT_ETE2020_02062020-2.pdf

Where did you find the link to this new list?

[jmalux]

2 hours ago, directionfinder said:

Where did you find the link to this new list?

I received an email from Ponant informing us that our cruise was cancelled. 

 

The link was in the email.

[jonikal]

1 hour ago, jmalux said:

I received an email from Ponant informing us that our cruise was cancelled. 

 

The link was in the email.

 

Which cruise were you booked on?

[jmalux]

3 hours ago, jonikal said:

 

Which cruise were you booked on?

 Bougainville, Istanbul-Athens, 19 July

[jonikal]

Bummer.  Too bad.  Hope you get fully reimbursed.

[AussieBoyTX]

FWIW, Le Bougainville has almost made it to Bordeaux, France.

 

Le Laperouse is returning to New Caledonia after completing its repatriation mission to Wallis & Futuna. It is fully crewed and is supposedly waiting for Ponant to negotiate some sort of Australia-only cruise schedule. This information comes from French-language cruise forums, where members indicate they have heard Ponant is trying to get small-ship waivers in certain countries, such as Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, Seychelles and some others.

 

Although I haven't seen any discussion on Antarctica, but I wonder about the logistics of getting people to Ushuaia without a layover in Buenos Aires or some other potentially coronavirus risky place. Perhaps Ponant could offer a charter from France with a technical stop in Martinique or French Guiana and put the passengers directly on the ship with minimal exposure to locals.

 

I also saw that the land excursions Ponant is offering this Summer are designed to have limited exposure to locals to limit the possibility of contagion.

[schnapperin]

I can’t see them getting any sort of waiver for the US or Canada, Australia makes sense. Even as a French cruise line they are still waiting for the green light for the french cruises (and the protocol reads extremely safe). 
 

German authorities has issued an world wide travel warning - outside of the EU and the five close relationship countries- but also against a warning of cruises (apart of river cruises - Ponant fits the same category with passengers count). Anyone else with a cruise warning?

 

Antartica will be interesting, some ships are charter from A&K, some have less then 50 % french passengers on board.I guess it will be a case of testing before boarding (ships are usually at the port the evening before so they could set up a testing station and test on board)  

 

Edited June 11, 2020 by schnapperin

[AussieBoyTX]

1 hour ago, schnapperin said:

I can’t see them getting any sort of waiver for the US or Canada, Australia makes sense. Even as a French cruise line they are still waiting for the green light for the french cruises (and the protocol reads extremely safe). 

 

 

Unless there's an extension of the US order, that cruise ban expires on July 24 and Mexico has already reopened to land & air travel, along with some Caribbean islands. I expect Ponant will be able to operate some sort of Caribbean schedule this year, perhaps modified away from known coronavirus risks or weighted to French possessions.

 

As you might have seen, Carnival clams to be able to operate from the US to Cozumel, Costa Maya & Progreso, Mexico (as well as Roatan) starting in August.

Edited June 11, 2020 by AussieBoyTX

[schnapperin]

2 minutes ago, AussieBoyTX said:

 

Unless there's an extension of the US order, that cruise ban expires on July 24 and Mexico has already reopened, along with some Caribbean islands. I expect Ponant will be able to operate some sort of Caribbean schedule this year, perhaps modified away from known coronavirus risks or weighted to French possessions.

They could kick of the season earlier but if it makes sense during hurricane season? Also will there be a travel warning for french passengers (still usually at least 50 %) and flights available? Also provisions need to arrange and send beforehand after the first or two cruises.

 

They could of course use the french overseas department as base but still during hurricane season? 

[AussieBoyTX]

13 minutes ago, schnapperin said:

They could kick of the season earlier but if it makes sense during hurricane season? Also will there be a travel warning for french passengers (still usually at least 50 %) and flights available? Also provisions need to arrange and send beforehand after the first or two cruises.

 

They could of course use the french overseas department as base but still during hurricane season? 

 

Yes, I agree. No need to start the season early. We do expect this to be a difficult hurricane season.

Le Champlain has two itineraries starting in November that it runs wholly in Mexico as well as Mexico / Honduras / Guatemala / Belize. I think by then, there will be Paris / Cancun flights. If not, start in Martinique and adapt to the "Jewels of the Caribbean" cruises they offer later in the Spring. Most of those islands are already open, so if there are flights from Paris to Fort de France, those can be offered reasonably safely.

 

Le Dumont d'Urville is also in South America and the Caribbean this winter. I don't think many of us would want to be in Brazil this year, so maybe all of the Amazon cruises are cancelled and that frees up that ship for more Caribbean itineraries (if there is demand).

[schnapperin]

Could be an interesting move since a lot might reschedule their summer holiday plans and Caribbean from November on with some interesting itineraries could interest a few

[Host Jazzbeau]

If the Caribbean is the only place where cruises are sailing, it becomes interesting to a lot more people.  And since Ponant has never had the Florida focus of almost all other cruise lines in the Caribbean, they are well positioned.

[AussieBoyTX]

Air France is supposedly resuming Caribbean service on June 30:

 

French Overseas Departments and Caribbean
Cayenne, Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre, Saint-Denis de La Réunion, Saint-Martin (cargo only).

 

https://news.gtp.gr/2020/05/19/air-france-gradually-resume-flight-schedule-by-end-june/

[AussieBoyTX]

Le Lapérouse is off the coast of New Caledonia & Le Bougainville has docked in Bordeaux.

[directionfinder]

I just talked to Ponant Germany about the North West Passage cruise end of August. They still believe that it might be possible to do this trip! They think they will get an ok, if they do not visit any settlements and only do nature.

Interesting! But I did not make a booking 😉  I really wonder how this will end up ......

[AussieBoyTX]

1 hour ago, directionfinder said:

I just talked to Ponant Germany about the North West Passage cruise end of August. They still believe that it might be possible to do this trip! They think they will get an ok, if they do not visit any settlements and only do nature.

Interesting! But I did not make a booking 😉  I really wonder how this will end up ......

 

That's a long cruise. Twenty-two days without getting off the boat (or maybe Zodiacs)? I'm not sure I'd sign up for that.

[schnapperin]

1 hour ago, AussieBoyTX said:

 

That's a long cruise. Twenty-two days without getting off the boat (or maybe Zodiacs)? I'm not sure I'd sign up for that.

Just like the Antarctica cruise were its 100 % zodiac cruising and landings in nature. 
 

But then visiting an otherwise unvisit settlement is part of the northwestpassage - but on the other site there aren’t many trips like this a year and there is still the chance ice conditions won’t allow it. 
 

But they also need Alaska to allow a cruise ship docking and passangers to enter

[jonikal]

43 minutes ago, schnapperin said:

Just like the Antarctica cruise were its 100 % zodiac cruising and landings in nature. 
 

But then visiting an otherwise unvisit settlement is part of the northwestpassage - but on the other site there aren’t many trips like this a year and there is still the chance ice conditions won’t allow it. 
 

But they also need Alaska to allow a cruise ship docking and passangers to enter

 

Having experienced  the July 2018 failed transit of the Northwest Passage on Hurtigruten's Fram, I can attest that it is indeed a crap shoot as to whether the ice conditions will allow a transit.  In our case the passage was totally blocked by ice making the transit impossible and we were relegated to sailing the coast of West Greenland instead.  We later found out that the impassable condition of the passage was well known to the company who failed to inform the passengers until they had already flown to Canada to board the charter flights. To say that there was a very unhappy group of passengers is an understatement. Luckily several prominent UK lawyers were onboard and after several months of threatened litigation, satisfactory compensation was finally agreed to.  

[AussieBoyTX]

5 hours ago, schnapperin said:

Just like the Antarctica cruise were its 100 % zodiac cruising and landings in nature. 
 

But then visiting an otherwise unvisit settlement is part of the northwestpassage - but on the other site there aren’t many trips like this a year and there is still the chance ice conditions won’t allow it. 
 

But they also need Alaska to allow a cruise ship docking and passangers to enter

 

I suspect Alaska will not be a problem, as the US opens for cruises on July 24 and Alaska doesn't have any cruise prohibitions of its own.

 

The problem might be what to do with the ship after that cruise. With Canada closed, there's nothing for L'Austral to do until it goes down to Antarctica at the end of October.

[jland]

16 hours ago, directionfinder said:

I just talked to Ponant Germany about the North West Passage cruise end of August. They still believe that it might be possible to do this trip! They think they will get an ok, if they do not visit any settlements and only do nature.

Interesting! But I did not make a booking 😉  I really wonder how this will end up ......

directionfinder, as you may know we are booked on this cruise. I cannot believe what Ponant are trying to do. I have been in touch with my TA and Ponant today both of whom have passed the buck to each other, both state they know nothing.

Apart from the cruise two other things come to mind. Qantas has just stood down all their international crews until the end of October. We take that, although the government has not announced it, to mean our border will be closed at least until then.

The other thing is this cruise ends in Nome, Ponant then fly us to Seattle. We were really looking forward to visiting the city etc but with the current situation we do not want to go anywhere near the place. We have flights booked which allow for three days in Seattle.

directionfinder, if you obtain any other info about this cruise could I ask you to pass it on to me, I would be very grateful. Thank you.