Curious about Ponant…

[VirgilB]

Luckily our holiday cruise last December on Crystal was without any major incidents, but as most now know, they have ceased operations. My wife and I plus a few family members and friends have enjoyed Crystal and the atmosphere they provided for over 15 years. We have sailed a few times each with Silverseas, Seabourn and once with Paul Gauguin. We were always pleased with each. Personally, I preferred Seabourn first followed by Silverseas and then Crystal. I enjoy more active excursions; hikes, bike rides, fishing, etc. Clearly, my opinion was not as popular as those of my family and friends. Most preferred relaxing and being pampered in equal proportions. Nonetheless, we feel having more options affords us the opportunity to more and better experiences. That is why we are wanting to hear more personal experiences about Ponant.
 

The ships look lovely. The ports of call are intriguing. And the thought of having champagne and French cuisine served to us in the far reaches of the globe is enticing. So my question is, understanding a bit of our cruise experience, how would non-French speaking, experienced and quit active 60-something’s fare on a typical Ponant cruise…?  Cheers!

 

 

[AussieBoyTX]

First off language isn't a problem. Most of the officers & managers speak English reasonably well. Most of service & housekeeping staff speak English better than French. Depending on the itinerary, it seems that perhaps a quarter of the passengers speak something other than French. On our Seychelles itinerary in December, there were six native English speakers and the other non-French speakers spoke German, Russian & a couple other languages. In any event, announcements & the ship's programs are all in French & English.

 

Note there are some itineraries marketed solely to English speakers (the Smithsonian partnership) and I would expect almost all passengers to speak English since the cruise isn't even listed on the French-language sites.

 

Excursions are varied and Ponant is pretty good about describing the activity level needed to complete them. 

We're obviously fans of the Ponant experience and love the atmosphere, crews, dining and destinations.

[VirgilB]

7 minutes ago, AussieBoyTX said:

We're obviously fans of the Ponant experience and love the atmosphere, crews, dining and destinations.

Great to read a positive review. On the Crystal section, there were few positives and many fears, concerns and misunderstandings. 
 

Are the ships as amazing as they seem from the photos?
BTW, I enjoyed the posts from your recent Seychelles trip. 👍

[AussieBoyTX]

35 minutes ago, VirgilB said:

Great to read a positive review. On the Crystal section, there were few positives and many fears, concerns and misunderstandings. 
 

Are the ships as amazing as they seem from the photos?
BTW, I enjoyed the posts from your recent Seychelles trip. 👍

 

Thanks!

 

I can see how some might be concerned -- Crystal Endeavor is the only comparable ship and has six dining venues, compared to Ponant's two plus room service (with the selections on offer between the three having a large overlap). If one doesn't like what's on offer, either in style or substance, that does lead to limited choices from the always available menu. In all the meals I've had on Ponant ships, there was only one dinner where I didn't think any of the mains offered were appealing. And there were a couple where I thought the chef was trying too hard to wow us. 

 

Otherwise, the ship designs are very nice and even on a full ship, it never feels crowded. The public spaces are very well designed and we love the multi-function marine deck on the Explorer class ships. With the half-full ships we've had recently, much of the entertainment was moved to the main lounge (which comfortably holds half the passengers) and that was really enjoyable because it was much more casual & interactive than when held in the theater.

[Host Jazzbeau]

From your description, I think you (Virgil) will love Ponant.  The rest of your group, maybe not – because 'pampering' is not a word I would associate with Ponant...

[Catlover54]

We recently reluctantly canceled our spring Ponant "Carmen" opera cruise in Europe , booked several months ago, after the Omicron surge led to expansion of Ponant mask requirements to include even when walking outdoors, in the countries we were headed for (on top of the booster requirement, detailed doctor note requirements, confusing QR code requirements, etc).  Given our recent experience on the Silver Moon (where even English speaking pax who got quarantined had a less than optimal experience), I do not have confidence that when times get tough and short notice cancellations occur, a French ship will do a good job with English speaking pax from other continents (e.g., regarding quarantine, getting us home, etc.) , and even on SS it was not very good.  I have the same mistrust of the German line Hapag Lloyd and how they would treat Americans during crises or semi-crises, based on poor Covid-era phone customer service.

 

I have read nothing suggesting that Ponant is worse than any other 'luxury' line when it comes to how they handle cancellations including embarkation and disembarkation port changes, other than that we were informed that our deposit (on an expensive Owner's Suite) is not refundable even when many months before the cruise, so we have a sizeable credit to apply to a future cruise up through 2023.  I did read that many people had a terrible time getting their money back from Ponant after March 2020 and beyond cancellations (not as bad as on Crystal, which still had not paid people even before their funder Genting HK went belly up, but worse than on SS and SB).

 

I have my fingers crossed that Omicron (and its potential progeny) will either be gone or accepted as endemic by then, and the outdoor masking requirements of some European countries will be gone,  so we can use it. I would like to try the ambience and the French food on-board (though it has had mixed reviews), and experience a new take on luxury cruising, but I would prefer to do it in good times. 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Catlover54
Typo

[VirgilB]

14 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

I have my fingers crossed that Omicron (and its potential progeny) will either be gone or accepted as endemic by then, and the outdoor masking requirements of some European countries will be gone,  so we can use it. I would like to try the ambience and the French food on-board (though it has had mixed reviews), and experience a new take on luxury cruising, but I would prefer to do it in good times.

After reflecting on the issue these last few days, it’s getting hard for me to be so judgemental towards each cruise line by how they handled the effects of the pandemic. It has been a Crisis Management workshop on a global scale. People and companies are fighting for their lives. These are truly trying times and something has to give. Some countries, like Sweden, are starting to reset by dropping mask mandates, etc. That may be a start to get us back on a course closer to our norm.
 

Looking at financial reports on the cruise industry, Crystal may not be the only line to crater. NCL doesn’t look like their pre-pandemic financials were all that solvent. I would guess that is why Ponant is holding off on receiving the two new Paul Gauguin ships; too much to take on now. I’m guessing…

 

Like other industries for varied reasons, maybe the cruise industry will be forced into a consolidation mode. If so, it may realize it needs a re-set of its own. Nonetheless, as said before, I look forward to sitting on the deck of a ship having champagne and French cuisine in some remote corner of this beautiful world of ours… cheers!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Many cruise lines have deferred their new build schedules, and also taken the opportunity to dump their oldest and least efficient vessels.  The cruise industry coming out of Covid will be newer, leaner and ready to recover quickly – but don't expect 'fire sale' prices again soon as they learned their lesson after the 2008 financial crisis.  IMHO it's the bottom (Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has already thrown in the towel and sold out to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, which will surely raise prices for the 'experience') and expedition (because of serious overbuilding) parts of the market that will suffer the most.  I think NCL is well positioned for the recovery in each of their three market niches.

[VirgilB]

6 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I think NCL is well positioned for the recovery in each of their three market niches.

On what do you base that opinion?
I saw weak pre-Covid financials.

What am I missing?

[Host Jazzbeau]

15 minutes ago, VirgilB said:

On what do you base that opinion?
I saw weak pre-Covid financials.

What am I missing?

Every cruise line now has weak financials.  I think NCL is well positioned in each of its three markets for a rebound.  RCG and CCL have too many ships and too many are still old even after dumping the worst.  The big money is not at the low end, and that's what I like about NCL [many of their mass market ships have the Haven, which Royal and Carnival haven't matched, while Oceania and Regent are upscale with loyal clientele].  And they have avoided the over-built expedition market.  Ponant is only solid if their 'sugar daddy' keeps paying their debts; Crystal shows what happens when that music stops...

[VirgilB]

9 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Crystal shows what happens when that music stops...

In this unique bear-ish market, all details are important.

Thanks for your input…👍

[gogo65]

Virgil, we have done one Ponant cruise to Antarctica and one Silversea cruise to the Arctic.

From an expedition point of view we preferred Ponant, we felt they went out of the way to ensure the expedition experience was the best it could be, where as SS was a little more relaxed and didn’t seem to go out of their way to enhance the experience.

We certainly didn’t have any issue with language and as previously mentioned most of the staff probably speak better English than french.

As Aussies we didn’t feel the whole butler experience on SS provided anything to our holiday, maybe because we are more relaxed and easy going.

We preferred the less Americanized food on Ponant (smaller servings and less fried food), that’s not to say we didn’t enjoy the SS food.

We much preferred the Ponant ship much more fresh and modern in comparison to the much older silver cloud.

In regards to cancellations in Covid we have had two cancellations with Ponant since Covid (and one prior) and the option to return deposits was upfront and quick (our friends had their money back in less than a week), we decided to carry over our deposit each time.

To be honest we would cruise either again based on itinerary and price but if they were similar we would choose Ponant but not because of the pampering more we just liked that it was lay back and relaxed compared to SS which seemed much more stuffy.

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by gogo65

[VirgilB]

9 hours ago, gogo65 said:

To be honest we would cruise either again based on itinerary and price but if they were similar we would choose Ponant but not because of the pampering more we just liked that it was lay back and relaxed compared to SS which seemed much more stuffy.

It’s nice to have choices! Before Crystal cratered, it was the choice when we wanted a varied experience. We could “dress up or dress down” depending on our mood. Pre-Covid, never an issue. It always met our expectations. It was usually our choice for the Christmas cruise because we usually spent our days in port at our favorite beach soaking up the sun… and a wee bit of rum. 😉 When we wanted a more formal setting, we chose Silversea. Again, Pre-Covid, never an issue. It always met our expectations. Wonderful dining, quiet, elegant atmosphere. Sometimes we wanted to spoil ourselves and enjoy that facet of life; spa visits, champagne and for me, seeing all the lovely ladies in elegant gowns. When we wanted to be more active, we chose Seabourn. Pre-Covid, never an issue. It always met our expectations. We could put on our hiking boots and head out for a day of adventure knowing we would return to an easy-going and interesting evening exchanging stories with others while dining and having drinks in a more casual atmosphere. I believe we met more people on Seabourn than the others.

 

So, one can probably understand why Ponant is attractive to me. It seems to be an appropriate substitute for Crystal, but with a bit more emphasis on adventure.👍 The only concerns I’ve heard about Ponant are either related to the pandemic; no cruise line has avoided it, the language issue; that seems to be overstated, and the premium drink package. If I can drink Charles Heidsieck champagne for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and all points in between, what’s the downside here…?

 

But the best way to understand the differences with Ponant and the other cruise lines is to book a cruise and see for ourselves. So, our TA is working on a cruise in April that departs France and heads to Iceland on the Polar Explorer, Le Commandant Charcot. We spent 10 days in Iceland this last summer and loved it. We are hoping we can view the northern lights while onboard the ship.

 

Sorry for the long dissertation, but I’m stuck inside due to our recent ice and snow storm. It’s 21F (-6C) here in Texas. Good training for an Arctic or Antarctic cruise…

 

Cheers…
 

[schnapperin]

Language isn‘t that big of a deal on board - the crew spoke English during an Antartica cruise and all the French officers and captain also spoke English of course. 
 

it’s a bit more difficult to get in touch with the French speaking guests (at least for Antartica with separate zodiac groups & lectures so no mixing), but these days French also don’t mind speaking English. But there were also Pre Covid enough English speakers on board so it wasn’t an issue at all

 

There is a bit of a typical French attitude on board which can be a bit different specially for anyone from the US - but if you did a bit of traveling around Europe it shouldn’t be unexpected or a surprise 

 

Personal I would re think the Iceland cruise as it’s a bit late for Northern lights and I do think Iceland is best to explore on a land based cruises. 
Also I do think the one in April is simply a 6 day sea cruise 

 

[VirgilB]

9 minutes ago, schnapperin said:

Personal I would re think the Iceland cruise as it’s a bit late for Northern lights and I do think Iceland is best to explore on a land based cruises. 
Also I do think the one in April is simply a 6 day sea cruise 

As for the northern lights, I thought the timing might be questionable. We had time to experience Iceland this last summer so the cruise would mostly be to experience Ponant…

[schnapperin]

It could be mainly French speaking passengers as pre cruise for the next trip to  Greenland. Also this is the newest ship with a focus on Antartica & Artic expeditions- is this something you might be interest in? Then yes if not I would recommend one of the other cruises in April 

 

 

[AussieBoyTX]

I think we'll be on that sailing and there are always a few Germans.

[VirgilB]

7 minutes ago, AussieBoyTX said:

I think we'll be on that sailing and there are always a few Germans.

Sehr gut…!

[ethan1171]

I have not sailed with Ponant yet - our first trip with them to Antartica (hopefully) will be in a few weeks.

In addition to what was mentioned above already and to give you a little insight into the customer service and experience pre-cruise so far: Due to all the cancellations, I have been in regular contact with them. They have been available and responded to my calls almost instantly when i call (from their US office).

Yesterday I noticed they canceled the Lyrial sailing before ours - so there maybe a likelihood that ours might be canceled too. So I asked to have spaced reserved at L'Austral leaving for the same itinerary, a day after. No problem at all. They actually reserved the exact same two cabins we have on Le Lyrial. They reserved space and we had our confirmation within minutes, as a contingency to our booked cruise.   

 

I can update this thread once we sail with my observations and continued experience, but so far I have been very impressed with their availability, customer service and flexibility they have demonstrated as we are navigating planning for our travel during the pandemic.

[VirgilB]

1 hour ago, ethan1171 said:

I can update this thread once we sail with my observations and continued experience…

Please do! And thanks for the comments…

[AdrienH]

I totally understand that in these uncertain times, it isn't easy for anyone, neither the passengers nor the crew and cruise line. I have done 8 Ponant cruises so far and as a Belgian, the language isn't an issue for me but I don't believe that you would get a different level of service then the French guests?
I agree that there is not much mingling but that is mainly due to the fact that the actual "Ponant generation", 60-80yo still don't speak much English.  

 

Now when I am reading the comparaisons you are making, I fear you are missing, in my view, the most important element: Ponant is still a yachting experience, they still run small ships, rarely full, so we are talking on average 100-150pax ... so impossible to compare with Chrystal, Silversea or Seabourn who are no longer "small" with 600, 800 to 900 passengers ... they are just "smaller" than those Carnival, RCCL or NCL monsters.

 

That being said, this means that the choice for a Ponant cruise should be based on itinerary, expedition style or not, meaning more laid back (one or two Captains evenings where you dress up a bit), great food but not the extended choice (on Captain's evenings it is a set menu ... but always delicious) as on other larger ships.  So what I want to say is that Ponant is different in many ways ... and that makes them rather unique.

P.S. And if your budget allows it, and if you can book one of their expedition cruises on board their newest jewel, Le Commandant Charcot ... then you are up for the most amazing experience. I was invited for a 2-night introduction cruise last October and the ship is a dream!  Unfortunately not for my budget but highly recommend!

[jpalbny]

We are frequent Silversea cruisers (classic and expedition) but we did a Ponant cruise last September. We enjoyed the experience very much. If you've got time on your hands, I did a detailed day-by-day trip report here on these boards which should give you an idea of food, excursions, and daily activities on board - even though the itinerary is somewhat different from what you're considering.

 

We would certainly go again. Le Commandant Charcot looks like a beautiful ship.