Sea days

[Arlopop]

Hi,

We have never sailed Ponant, but have worked our way through Silversea, Regent, etc. Ponant’s itineraries, particularly the ones off the beaten (to a pulp) track have intrigued us and we find ourselves tempted by them. We love small ships and that is part of the appeal of Ponant.  
We are considering a test voyage and are looking at a TA or Oceanic to try out.  Since Ponant makes no port stops on those voyages it is essentially nothing but sea days.  We actually LOVE sea days, but are concerned that 10 or 11 in a row (or more) could wear even us out.  What kind of sea day activities are offered by Ponant?  We aren’t looking to be distracted constantly; just hoping there’s an occasional shipboard offering to break up the long string of ocean loveliness.

 

[jpalbny]

Hm. We have done more than 100 days on SS (mix of expedition and classic) and we did our first Ponant cruise last September. We found a fairly comparable product, very good excursions, and a beautiful ship. The food options were fewer but we enjoyed the dining very much. I did a trip review of our sailing here; see link in my signature.

 

Ponant does some great sailings. Why not do your test voyage on a Ponant itinerary with stops that interest you? In that case, if the shipboard experience isn't your cup of tea, at least the itinerary should make up for it, and you'll be off the ship for part of the day. OTOH, if you're stuck on a 10-day TA on a ship that you find out that you don't like, that might make for a rough crossing.

We have never done a TA so can't speak to what they do to pass the time, on any line.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I have only sailed Ponant on a port-intensive itinerary, and my next booking is the same.  When I have researched their website, I notice that many of their ocean crossings are offered as 'Ocean Voyages' at really low fares – leading me to believe that these are entertainment-light and mainly designed to get the ship from one seasonal location to another and pick up a little income along the way.  The exact opposite of a good 'test cruise' to see what Ponant is like.

[sk99]

We came back from port intensive 11 days cruise on Le Bougainville with only one sea day. The cruise was great, the ship is beautiful but small. During our cruise we had ONE pretty amateur show by 3 performers and 3-4 lectures. For 150 people there are couple of public areas, pool with just 12 lounges (6 in smocking area). There was almost nothing to do in the evening. Again, we enjoyed the cruise, but I can’t imagine spending many sea days on such ship.