On Lyrial Feb 20 - Emblematic Antarctica

[laurelguy]

Ethan....HOW do I thank you for posting these AMAZING pix.....if anything has persuaded me to go.....this is it! I can't wait til next December! Happy travels!

[ethan1171]

Hard to believe our adventure is almost over. The last couple of days have been spectacular - Dorian Bay, Charcot island - scenic sailing in Gerlache strait. We had to adopt the itinerary many times due to the wind and ice conditions. We did manage two zodiac landings or cruises every day. And we are continuing to get spoiled by Ponant - caviar tastings and Champagne - food is continuing to be excellent and although we are at the end of the cruise still a lot of fresh veggies and fruits. Also lively entertainment after dinner with the singers and the dancers - and passengers joining. definitely the French culture is coming through in a much pleasant way than our previous experiences with US based cruise lines  
 

first Covid testing (antigen) this morning - per the requirements of Argentina to arrive in Ushuaia - hopefully we will all be Covid free. Earlier in the season they conducted multiple tests. Since this is the last cruise for Lyrial in Antarctica there may not be a need for more testing. 

[laurelguy]

Woah woah woah! Again these pictures are GREAT! You know I counted probably 15 different lines that sail here. Do you think Ponant is the best? I know Nat Geo does a great cruise too. I'm feeling Ponant goes all out on food and service. The other 2 cruises we did with them...Corsica and Mexico were fantastic.....thanks for posting! 

[ethan1171]

Ponant has done an excellent job on this cruise - these ships in Antarctica are a little larger than other operators so I can not really tell if the experience we had would be similar when they would be at full capacity - to give you an idea - we had 3 waiters for our table at the formal restaurant exclusively - and also all the landings we got to have multiple guides with us. And more or less double the time on shore compared to previous seasons

 

As much as we liked how great Ponant handled the Antarctica logistics and itinerary of this  trip - we have also been very impressed with how they handled Covid. The results of the test came back today and the captain just announced that the whole ship, passengers and crew are all Covid free- it’s a testament to how nicely Ponant has handled the health and safety protocol for everybody onboard - starting even before we took the charter flight in Buenos Aires 

 

due to our experience this time in Antarctica my spouse and I are already looking at our next Ponant cruise which we plan to book onboard so we can get the discount. 
 

I would not say that ponant would be the best for everyone because of various reasons - size of the ship, itinerary and also due to the French influence in language, food, activities etc - but again for us all these are great advantages.
 

I would say if we are lucky to be be able to do such a trip to Antarctica again - we would choose Ponant again. 

[laurelguy]

Great feedback! Yes go somewhere warm with them....great line. Again I'm curious how you got two cabins. Was it the same price as just paying for two? Our Dec. trip is much more full however (a group of some kind) so maybe we can't get two cabins. Sure would be nice. The suites are all taken... Love the food pix!

[laurelguy]

Sorry....one more question. Do they have wifi on the ship for texting/email etc?

 

[ethan1171]

43 minutes ago, laurelguy said:

Do they have wifi on the ship for texting/email etc?

 

Yes - this is how I have been able to post this review and pictures. It is not the fastest connection - but it works - and it is free for everyone 

[ethan1171]

14 hours ago, laurelguy said:

Great feedback! Yes go somewhere warm with them....great line. 

Yes - Papua New Guinea Odyssey is next 😀

 

14 hours ago, laurelguy said:

Again I'm curious how you got two cabins. Was it the same price as just paying for two? 

We took advantage of the no single supplement offered early on. So two separate reservations for the same cost as a single cabin with two people. (It’s almost the same - I believe there may be a little bit more cost for the two cabins … but negligible) Just go to Ponant site under offers and the have a list of where they offer no single supplement. Also we selected deck 5 where those cabins connect so we could convert to a suite. It really worth it to have extra space - we could have managed in one cabin for sure but the extra space makes it getting ready in the morning and also spending time in the cabin much more comfortable. Opening up the door though and converting to a suite is up to the crew’s discretion of course - but in our case it was not a problem. 

[laurelguy]

Thanks Ethan. Calling Ponant now! 

[PACruiser5]

Thank you Ethan for all the details, pictures, menus and so on! We were disappointed to have our Feb 4 Boreal sailing cancelled, but really happy now we rebooked for November. it will be our first Ponant trip as well so we are now really psyched!