Le Commandant Charcot , In the Ice of the Arctic, from Greenland to Svalbard, 6/22-7/10

[vjt]

I am hoping to provide further impressions as our cruise, leaving from Reykjavik, gets underway. I see very few comments on the Arctic expeditions here, perhaps due to the lack of internet service.  However, here is some pre-cruise information:  Today we received (three weeks early) a very nice fed-ex package to our house containing all embarkation, boarding and transfer passes as well as chartered air "ticket's. We have been told in this information packet that we will receive a text three days before boarding as to the specific port at which the ship will be docked (although I already found that out on the Port's website!).  All was contained in a very nice faux-leather case with CC embossed on it.  There were also luggage tags and a complete description of what will happen on board including dress codes.  A nice presentation. In the meantime, our travel agent notified us that she had received the same in an electronic version, and sent that to us as well.

 

Just for information's sake, we will arrive one day early to avoid mishaps, and have chosen to leave the US from Kennedy where Delta has a non-stop to Reykjavik.  It will be a couple of hops for us, with longish layovers for that is how we do things.

 

People have enquired about the air transfer accommodations back from Svalbard to Paris.  Our agent  had additional information with the times for the takeoff and landings (quite late at Orly), but it also happily indicated that the plane (s) would be operated by La Compagnie which has an all business class plane, in the way that one aisle planes have...if you are at the window seats, you will sort of have to step over your neighbor. Food should be good, but of course we might be a little bit satiated by then!

 

I am not a frequent contributor to this forum, but always enjoy others' comments.  Since we seem to have to explain our bona fides on this site...we are well travelled and have lived in several countries.  As far as cruises go, we went early to Antarctica with Hapag Lloyd's Hanseatic (twenty years ago?) and like cruises that are information intensive or go to wild places which are a pain to reach and arrange. We have travelled several times on Silversea and we like their smaller vessels and have taken several tours with the Noble Caledonia ships over a number of years.  I hope any information I can give you will be helpful, will answer questions when I can....and sure will try to make the narrative amusing!

 

[AussieBoyTX]

I look forward to hearing about your trip!

[jpalbny]

I second that! Thanks for whetting our appetites, and anything you can share about this trip will be very much appreciated.

[Jim_Iain]

Really looking forward to your posts.   It is getting me excited about my first Ponant Cruise in September.

[highplanesdrifters]

Looking forward to your posts also!

[vjt]

Well, today was D-Day. That is, the day when we found out whether our many precautions would allow our luggage, together with Us, arrive in Reykjavik at about the same time. The first precaution was, of course, to arrive Wednesday am for our Thursday evening cruise. The second was to have only carry on bags (a feat, if I do say so for an 18 day cruise with a bit of time before and after!) The third was to have 3-4 hours between flights as it takes three hops to get from Tallahassee to Iceland. Things were looking rosy as we used a grape press to close our luggage, and we felt Organized. Just as we were sipping our last St Germain martini at home last night, we got a red warning via e-mail and text from Delta warning of storms and disruptions for the next day. Not only was that a bit late, but with the prior and post options totally full, there was nothing to do about it, except, of course, not sleep a wink.  

The forecasters were wrong about the morning, so we arrived in Atlanta on time. The Skyclubs in Atlanta have reached a new low…crowded and noisy. Why we or anybody pays for membership is a mystery. However, the new versions of the clubs, as in O’Hare are really nice. Hope for the future. About midway into our self-congratulations on our planning, another red letter notice appeared by text and email. Even though our inbound flight for the JFK segment was on time…the pilots were presently in Baltimore. So, in the end that flight was an hour and a half into late into JFK. But we were cool and collected with our luggage surrounding us, and we still had three hours to the late evening departure of the Reykjavik flight. Most reading this will know how important it is not to take the obvious flight connections as listed first in the airline’s flight schedule. But, if I can save one person a ruined vacation, I hope you all don’t mind this cautionary tale. Triply important on an expedition cruise where there is no hope of you and/ or your luggage catching up with you at a later date!

 

On a funnier note, Ponant faithfully promised in their pre-cruise brochure that we would have our pier and berth listed by now. Mais, non! Of course this is not a real-world problem in such a small city.

 

SInce we will have Wi-Fi tomorrow for sure, I will give you our impressions of the Rekyavik Edition where we will stay overnight before boarding.

[AussieBoyTX]

I’m really looking forward to hearing about your voyage on Le Commandant Charcot!

[Host Jazzbeau]

38 minutes ago, vjt said:

On a funnier note, Ponant faithfully promised in their pre-cruise brochure that we would have our pier and berth listed by now. Mais, non! Of course this is not a real-world problem in such a small city.

Don't be complacent about this one.  When we took Ponant Laperouse on an Iceland circumnavigation in 2019 the ship never went to Reykjavik at all – both embarkation and debarkation were in Hafnarfjörður, 13 km south of Reykjavik [but closer to KEF airport than Reykjavik]

[AussieBoyTX]

6 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Don't be complacent about this one.  When we took Ponant Laperouse on an Iceland circumnavigation in 2019 the ship never went to Reykjavik at all – both embarkation and debarkation were in Hafnarfjörður, 13 km south of Reykjavik [but closer to KEF airport than Reykjavik]

 

Yeah, it would have to be at Hafnarfjörður. That's where we disembarked last year -- Charcot's draft is apparently too deep for Reykjavik.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 minutes ago, AussieBoyTX said:

 

Yeah, it would have to be at Hafnarfjörður. That's where we disembarked last year -- Charcot's draft is apparently too deep for Reykjavik.

Then I don't think there's any need to know pier and berth – it's a very small harbor and even a small Ponant ship is very visible!

[vjt]

It’s Skarfabakki 312 (ISREY)

[AussieBoyTX]

4 minutes ago, vjt said:

It’s Skarfabakki 312 (ISREY)

 

That's good. Not too far at all.

[HappyInVan]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Then I don't think there's any need to know pier and berth – it's a very small harbor and even a small Ponant ship is very visible!

 

The problem is that the taxi driver needs to know which gate to access the ship. In 2022, the travel document provided by Ponant was incorrect. The proper street in Hafnarfjörður was Fornubudir not Óseyrarbraut. Fornubudir is a side street of Óseyrarbraut.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by HappyInVan

[vjt]

Despite the best efforts of the NWS, our pilots skirted storms, and we landed only a few minutes late in Rekyavik. The Delta One seats turned out to be super comfy flat beds, even in the 757, so Walter and I slept our way across the ocean. We had a car pick us up to go to the Edition Hotel on the old Harbor. I think this a new Marriott concept. It tries very hard to be stylish, cool…but also silly expensive. Service was wonderful, food awfully good. We did the tourist hike up and down hills, and spent lots of time at the shipyards where you can roam around at will. I guess the insurance companies in Iceland are not In Charge. Since we have spent some time around Iceland, it was a relaxed day.

 

The harbor  “Skarfabakki” is only about seven minutes from the old harbor. We could even see the ship from town, and the taxi took us right there. I’m glad I looked at the Port’s website because Ponant certainly wasn’t about to reveal its whereabouts! The security/ immigration officials looked like clean cut high school dropouts, and were play-punching around while we waited to board. Which took about two seconds, because guess what? There are only 62 passengers aboard ( with 200 crew!!). As Captain Garcia said, it is like a gigantic yacht just for us. Some weirdo fluke as before and after the ship sails full. About 35 French speakers, and 25 English ones…a few from the US, Australia, New Zealand and quite a number of Germans.

 

All I will say about the ship for now is it’s “OTT” in a very tasteful way. Sort of like when you expect a luxury safari tent, with colonial charm, and you wind up in a place like Mombo. Look it up and you will understand. I have read descriptions of Ponant’s other cruises, and this is not really what we expected: we were culled out of the very short line during the boarding process, whisked away into a well furnished private office, fed champagne and signed in, just because we have a suite. Parkas in our size were brought to our cabin by our Butler…who only has three cabins to tend to this trip. But all the passengers are catered to by fine, very friendly staff. I will stop this now, but just wanted you to get the general flavor. To me, this is way beyond Silversea.

 

Tomorrow as we cross the Denmark Straits, there are mandatory briefings for all activities of which one is Ski and Tea. Hmmm.  We will be safe onboard as there are survival suits under our bed. That sort of puts you on the alert.

 

That’s all for now.

[vjt]

…..Our first full day onboard was very interesting to me. After a very good, if not quite hot,  breakfast buffet with all services available also by waiters, the briefings started. The first set concerned activities and they were mandatory if you wanted to participate in them. Yes, the Ski and Tea was first. They provide small ski’s, compatible with the ships’s boots, poles, and a sort of drag sled on which you can place your backpack if you like. It looks like you pretty much shuffle your way. Of course you put on your excellent, snazzy parka and snow pants as well.  It’s flat terrain, and slow so as to admire the scenery. Tea is served.

 

     Next were the hikes/walks. The polar hikes, as they call them, sound like the Bhutan Death March to me. They include cliffs, rocks, possible bears, and elevation changes up to 500 meters. Clearly they do not want folks like me to try. Walter will. Next down is the nature walk, a leisurely stroll, not more than about 1.5 hours with commentary. That one is for me. Otherwise you can remain in a fenced area they put up so you can wander. Or have a facial.

 

     Kayaking was next. They reassured us that if we turn over, the rescue zodiac would pull us to safety. I guess they think you would just pop up like a cork because it’s seawater. They outfit you in a survivor suit lite so you could stay alive for 30 minutes. Not sure why, but we signed up for that.  You had to demonstrate your ability to get into and out of a kayak. Then the zodiac briefing.  Finally we listened to the AECO briefing so we would be respectful of the environment and the people we visit. Then of course the Bear Briefing.

 

   Time out for a delicious lunch with many choices, and waiters carrying plates for us. I had a good Rhine white as well. Walter had two desserts instead.

 

     The Captain personally discussed the itinerary with us and the Expedition Leader, who is Canadian, participated. It was very interesting and we learned a lot. It’s all about navigating around various types of floating sea ice, ice packs and stuff in between. The wind plays a major factor in this and he showed us maps of various types of imaging they use in an effort to optimize our experiences. We are now headed in a more northerly direction, and will join Greenville at a large fjord further up the Blosseville coast. I think this will be a more technically oriented trip than most which makes sense on a French ship. I believe we are already in waters not currently visited by other ships, at least this early in summer.

     All the briefings were carried out by the bilingual staff, first in English, then later in French.

 

    In front of the Nordic looking fireplace, the pastry chef set up a large, beautiful Pavlova which we had for tea.

 

     And tonight, first Gala cocktails and dinner. The Captain seems very revved up about that, too. Dancing afterward.

 

    If I had to describe the aura of this ship, I would say very European. It’s quiet and relaxed, but all are alert and interested. Nobody is on this ship to gamble or play chess.  It is a very companionable and friendly atmosphere.

 

   And the ice is here! Floating by in patches, with the ship gliding along, with a small shudder when running over a Big One.

 

   A promised Zodiac ride tomorrow as we head to still, mostly ice free waters in part of the Fjord.

 

[AussieBoyTX]

We really enjoyed having Captain Garcia on Charcot. There were only five non-French on board our cruise and he joined us for a private dinner away from the masses. We also enjoyed his "history of navigation & ship's systems" presentation, which was a couple of hours long and could have been much longer.

 

Charcot represents the best Ponant has to offer, so glad to hear that things are going well so far. 🤞

[2SailingNomads]

Look forward to hearing much more about the ship as we will be doing the North Pole voyage end of August.

[Cruisegroover]

I have often looked at Ponant so thanks for doing a thread on your trip. It's a great itinerary for sure.

 

What are the demographics onboard? I travel solo so wonder if it would be easy to fit in when I would want company so to speak.

[vjt]

I have to apologize…last night I created quite the missive, but the satellite pretended to transmit, but it did not! So, I will try once again.

 

   I will start today. Last night Le Commandant Charcot heaved itself into the ice in a bay adjacent to the village of Ittoqqortoormiit on the Eastern Coast of Greenland. This ship is the only one it’s seen so far this year, although the ship itself has visited twice before. We have been told that the people here, largely Inuit, are very happy to have the fresh fruits and vegetables we bring to them, and in fact, we saw several people eating green grapes as we toured around. The village has buildings painted in lively colors, as you might see in a Danish fishing village. There are two places to buy handicrafts and souvenirs, a lovely small church from 1928, a gigantic school, a hospital and monuments to two explorers, one being Capitaine Charcot. There are only about 300 people in residence here. Young people are moving to western Greenland, encouraged by the government, as there is more economic activity there. It was an interesting place to visit, with packs of sled dogs still in use and ancient kayaks and sleds in the tiny museum. However, it has never been a cultural center, as the Inuits were more or less placed here by the Danes, so there is no real economy: they can shoot 30 polar bears a year, and there are other animals to provide furs and meat. So the Danish government is the mainstay. Greenland, an autonomous part of Denmark, is trying to find a path forward to independence, but it looks pretty tricky to me.

 

   For the first time, we were a bit disappointed in the walking guides, naturalists from the ship. They are all highly specialized, and it wasn’t clear that any of them had insights to the culture of the village. There will be a performance tonight, so we might learn more. The only other thing I would point out is that the trek from the ice to the village was pretty sporty. only about 500 meters..but pits of melting snow, slippery ice and irregular surfaces were not easy.  Everyone who tried it managed it. I fell on a sort of rocky shore just before we were in the town. Nothing serious. But I would say that Ponant’s idea of a routine trek is not mine.

   

   So, backing up in time. After our first day onboard tootling across the Straits of Denmark, we were headed up the east coast of Greenland as planned. We ducked into Nansen fjord and spent the afternoon in zodiacs admiring the scenery, cliffs, waterfalls and birds. There was a recap in the evening and beautiful soft jazz violin in the stunning Observation Lounge before dinner. There is also a nice bar in the living area on the same deck as reception. Although there is a nice open feeling to the entire fifth deck, it also manages to give the impression of “cozyness” with room dividers and art.

 

     Then the Weather Came. A major low pressure area descended and our journey needed to be rethought. We actually headed southward slowly until the Captain found a sheltering fjord. Ice was packing in, the winds were gusting to 50 knots, and there was no point fighting it. Excellent lectures were provided on the geographic and magnetic poles, on the formation of glaciers…and the whole ship turned out for an introduction to the outside scientific staff and their work. Of course there were yoga classes, spa treatments, games to play and so forth. Music venues are all over the ship generally starting late afternoon.

 

     We made a run for it the next day, crossing miles and miles of sea ice and skirting around larger pieces and the odd iceberg. The bridge, with Captain Garcia at the helm, were making minute by minute decisions for a smooth, safe journey.  Of course the Sunday Brunch happened anyway. It included a veritable mountain of elegant shellfish, along the lines of a revered French brasserie. But there were also so many other things, I couldn’t list them. Fois gras, cold cuts, cheeses, and many hot dishes and carved meats. The salads are always excellent as are the vegetables. Champagne always flows on this ship. There are two choices of red, white and a rose at every meal. I have liked the wines I have picked, but for a price, you can have just what you want. They keep a huge selection.

 

   Just so we wouldn’t get too “housebound” late that afternoon we found a very small fjord with our first Polar Bear. It was a joy to watch, and stayed with us as the Captain nudged us closer and closer until we could see the bear with our bare eyes. There was also a zodiac tour. So far all the serious Polar Hikes have been cancelled. Even with armed Bear Guards, they are reluctant for hikers to walk when there is poor visibility due to the fog and rain we are having.

 

     In response to Cruisegroover, there are almost half anglophones and half francophones aboard. But we English speakers are mostly Germans, with a few Australians and New Zealanders thrown in. There was a special cocktail hour for Americans, which includes us and about four other people, about half of whom were not born in the US. Of course there are many French people who are happy to speak English as well. The demographics of this ship are pretty uniform. Virtually all have been to Antarctica at least once, they are all very well travelled and well mannered and friendly. If it’s relevant, there are a number of single ladies aboard. Most everyone is reasonably fit, but there are two well-travelled couples who really cannot join the outdoor activities. They are on their verandas or on deck, one writes a detailed blog with gorgeous photos, and all participate otherwise.

 

  A bit of gloom over the weather, but we all understand the Realities.

 

  Yes, AussieBoyTX, Captain Garcia is Master of this ship, but also The Star. He is very communicative and open, very highly experienced in the polar regions. He visits with all the groups of people and keeps an open bridge. In fact, if I ever saw a closed bridge, I’d rush to our cabin, put on the survivor suit and wait for further orders!

 

   A short note on the entertainment. The musicians onboard are clearly well trained and expert. They are presented in a nice way, too. For example, at brunch, the saxophonist was placed in a prominent spot and played soft jazz renditions of tunes from the forties until now. Quite Romantique! The violinist equally plays classical music, jazz or popular tunes, generally dressed for the evening, in the observation lounge. There will be a classical pianist tonight. There have been shows we have not attended, with these musicians and the four onboard dancers, the music is live and I imagine these are sort of cabaret styled events. One was a Hollywood Classics, and the other so far was History of Jazz.

 

   I hope this has provided some of the information you requested.  Will try to write again soon. So far, the internet has been way too slow to upload photos, sorry.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for persevering despite the satellite glitch!  I take it from the typeface that you have switched to composing offline, so future glitches won't destroy your saved copy.

[vjt]

Jazzbeau! You are quite the detective!

[vjt]

   Before we left Ittoqqoormitt last night, a small group of Inuits came onboard. There were two adults/teachers and about eight children paired off. They performed dances at first. Although they were folk dances, they were clearly of European steps and music, possibly Danish. The children were having a ball (no pun intended) and so were we! Then the man played and sang a very moving traditional piece with their style of  drum, made of seal stomach, and hit only on the rim with a wooden handle. The song, he explained, was about a Raven who had unwisely married a migratory Snow Goose. In the process of the song, the Raven drowns. Apparently this song is popular in many Inuit communities across the Pole, and some even end it happily. Two girls presented the ladies version of drumming, and it was quite different, and really, a bit sexy. The show ended with a vigorous rendition of the Lindy Hop to Tuxedo Junction…probably adopted from the Americans during WWII.

 

   The Captain joined the stage to thank them and to also say goodbye to the two local sailors and hunters who had been guests onboard for the last month. These two gentleman, based on a huge misunderstanding, showed up with their kit to board our vessel at Ittoqqoormitt four weeks ago. Not wanting a diplomatic disaster, there were rapid consults among Captain, head of housekeeping, corporate and governments. The men turned out  to be brilliant at spotting polar bears and other wildlife.  Ponant has already signed a three month contract with them for next years’ cruises! The Captain got very emotional and gave them the French bise and a gift. The bigger gift was to ice break a channel for the town as they are sick of winter and want to do real fishing instead of the ice kind.

 

   Some of the Germans onboard are quite upset about the weather (!).

 

   We stopped in our room and to our horror there was an invitation to appear at 7:45 the next morning in bathing suit and a parka. This was to honor our anniversary. It turns out that Ponant honors every fifth anniversary with a small reduction in the cruise fare, and now this. The last thing on a cruise day I wanted was to appear in public in a swimming suit, the second last thing I wanted was to be thrown into the snow room and the sauna. And the third last thing I wanted was to be ready to go at 7:30. But the organizer was crushed that we might not do it, so we relented. We set the alarm, suited up and met her In the reception area. Well, very nice surprise. They took us to a duplex suit at the stern. Our butler had laid the dining table with French bread, pastries, orange juice…and a magnum of champagne…We could order any hot dishes we wanted and then we were left with the food and the inscription  “felicitations” on our plates.  Walter did spend an inordinate amount of time how they could make the fire seem so real in the fireplace, even with fake steam.  But we soon started our celebration. Three quarters of a magnum later, we jumped into the outdoor hot tub on the veranda of the suite, watching the ice going by. We stayed as long as we could remain conscious, drank a bit more champagne and returned to our room for a good nap.

 

   We then visited the bridge. Fantastic. They were maneuvering the ship to the current destination of Isle de France, on Greenland’s northeast coast. But the ice was very heavy and we were really headed north in deeper water…with less ice. We tried not to be a nuisance, but as things settled in, they showed us the ice radar and all the sophisticated calculating maps to select a route. Which constantly changes, a bit here and a bit there. You can imagine the changes in the navigation capabilities since our last polar cruise, to Antarctica, 23 years ago, aboard the then very sophisticated, Hanseatic.

 

   Walter then spent a few hours carousing with his fellow scientists with whom we ate dinner later following the recap and cocktails with saxophone.

 

   As Hope springs eternal, tomorrow there might be a patch of open water. I’m not sure it matters, because they intend to ram the ice to smithereens again so we can mush about in it.

 

[Cruisegroover]

Thanks for the great update.

[vjt]

     Today is catch-up day. We just said goodbye to Greenland and its ice, having reached the northernmost point on our journey, a bit over 76.5 deg no. Tomorrow we have to stop in Longyearbyen as the Norwegian government is trying to get some control over the myriad ships, large and small, traveling up and down Spitsbergen’s western shores. It wasn’t completely understandable to me, or perhaps to anyone at all, but we may have to have guns examined or exchanged. This is recent, and so far a real expense for Ponant, as they have had to surrender theirs and buy new ones in Longyearbyen. These guns are for protection from polar bears, if we are stupid enough not to see them in time.

 

   Until the day before yesterday, the visibility was quite poor. They did find the pool of open water as promised and we had a very nice zodiac tour and the kayaks could even go out. Ice and mountains. We navigated to another site near Sabine Island in the Greenland National Park.  It was like being in a salt water cirque, almost surrounded by magnificent mountains. We saw seals, and were encouraged to go to the bridge to enjoy the view. Which we did. Shortly after, someone, no idea how, spotted a polar bear on the ice, about 1km away. To our chagrin, annoyance, or even anger, we were promptly run over by a gaggle of the ship’s naturalists who seemed to have no idea at all that paying cruisers should have a go at seeing the bear. Of course they had as much trouble as we would have had, had we had the chance. After a while, things settled down, we got a teeny bit closer and two of the naturalists who had pretty consistently helped people with wildlife spotting, turned their attention to their guests. I think everyone who wanted got to see the bear. The bear shortly hid itself between two large rocks. It is very special to me to see where they are, and to be reassured that polar bears are still leading a normal life up here. The photographs we see from most cruises of the bears are taken with enormous lenses with professionals on board and it’s not realistic…or safe even, to get good pictures even with standard long telephotos. Even those who brought magnificent cameras could only achieve tiny views.

 

   It’s very calm on this ice free passage, so I thought I would talk a bit about the experience. Overall, this ship is designed and utilized to allow us to see these waters too early or late in the season for other ships to sail. It’s quite a different impression to get even a small glimpse of what it would be like in the winter. The ship is also designed to get further north/south than other ships. For example, just prior to this cruise, other Arctic cruise ships touching the eastern side of Greenland could not get as far north as they intended because of wind driven sea ice and pack ice.  The Greg Mortimer contacted us a few days ago because they had been surrounded by ice that they could not break through safely. Although we offered to help, which is the usual and proper thing, they chose to wait it out a bit, and in fact, they eventually could continue their route. For another International “reason” they were required to comply with the fine print of the Schengen Agreement to go through immigration in Greenland. They picked Ittoqqoormitt. So, after waiting out the ice, they dutifully went there, only to find it was too iced out for the ship to get there or their governmental people to get to the ship, it seems. They then went through a “remote process” to be admitted to Greenlandic waters. I mean, really? Our purser reported that folks really do sign up to visit the North Pole (wherever they say it is at the moment) and to cross the Northwest passage, and of course to visit way south in Antarctica. I’m glad that Ponant has the interest from travelers because this ship cost a bundle. But, I don’t think doing a cruise just for that would be for me,

 

   On the other hand, the onboard experience could lure anybody anywhere. I know many of you love photos of food. For me, cuisine is flavor, smell, presentation, quality of ingredients and whether it is satisfying of whatever your need is at the moment. Rest assured, the food is beautiful on Board. Presentation in the fifth deck restaurant, Nina, is absolutely gourmet. So are the ingredients. For my bourgeois taste, it is a little “too” “too”. So we go for the galas and if we see something special to us.

 

   Sila, adjacent to the gorgeous Observatory Lounge, is our usual stop. It is buffet style. Lots of important French bourgeois specialties every day, two selections of of hot fish, a specialty carved meat, salad and other cold starters and about twenty more things. Here I’m sure we benefit from the few aboard. The waiters serve, carry plates bring choices of wine. Not the sort of tuxedo-style wait staff downstairs, but certainly dark suits and white shirts.

 

    The pastry chef is world class. Period. The bread, varied and excellent.

 

    But the ingredients are always the best. The best hand churned French butter, thick cream, eggs with true yellow yolks, fresh mint, fresh vegetables and delicious frozen ones, such as artichokes. They seem to be able to keep romaine lettuce twice as long as I can at home.  All the meats are excellent, with perhaps an error of excessive leanness. It’s clear that no expense is spared.

 

   I know my father always told me “comparisons are odious”, but I could list details a mile long how Ponant, at least on this ship, simply dances around the luxury American line on which I have sailed five or six times. All that talk about post-Covid is an excuse. If Ponant can do this in the most remote locations in the world, starting in Iceland or Longyearbyen, certainly other ships can manage from London, Miami or Copenhagen.

 

     I always enjoy the cruises I have been on, and the people I meet. So, please don’t jump all over me with declarations of loyalty. I am just trying to be factual to the best of my ability. I can compare side by side…but choose not to do that!

 

   On the negative side….are the naturalists as a group. This is not just a Ponant issue. We experienced this on National Geographic expeditions as well. I think it’s a supply problem, really. When we went to Antarctic 23 years ago, few ships did. Although a German ship, the expedition leader was a British man who had spent 18 winters managing a major research station in Antarctica. He understood the logistics, science, biology and absolutely everything first hand. His naturalists, French and German mostly, were professional, well trained, and it was all about the passengers, satisfying their curiosity and giving them a safe, fun experience. Just imagine trying to find anything like that experience for the dozens of ships setting sail to polar regions throughout the year! We certainly have some fine naturalists on board. But, similar to National Geographic, a general qualification for being a naturalist these days is to be “ passionate” about polar regions. This is not knowledge, not experience, and rather self-referential. I described the naturalists’ stampede on the bridge. On a beautiful zodiac tour, after being encouraged to enjoy the silence, the crackling ice and the sound of the gentle water…our actual zodiac driver boomed out about his personal life, including his wilderness habitation and his decor…after two quiet protests on our part, he said he had quit the engine (but continued his monologue), then said we had to get back to lunch. When he finally realized we were serious, we had three minutes, out of an hour, to enjoy nature. He’s an interesting personality, certainly, and a good companion for cocktails, perhaps. But it really was all about him, time for a performance. Perhaps a positive aspect of this class of naturalists is they can give really excellent lectures about their particular interests, and they do.

 

   I am aware that I might sound like I am a bit cranky. But I have spent much of my life managing highly trained technical people, many with a healthy share of ego and tons of personality. Most people simply need a bit of guidance in these matters to bring out their best. So, again, it’s a management and recruitment issue, and not just Ponant’s.   

 

     Ponant is housing and supporting real science on board Le Charcot. The projects are independently selected and the scientists seem to bring aboard some sophisticated tools with them, provided by their institutions. The company wishes to add more instrumentation for them and makes mid ocean stops where necessary for them to collect data. Today, they were taking readings about 1 km under the surface. I think the passengers enjoy this role the ship plays.

 

     Ponant makes an effort to get our opinions. We had a mid cruise questionnaire, so we had the opportunity to voice any concerns to them directly.

 

     I hope you find these vignettes about the ship interesting. We are so glad to be on this trip!

[vjt]

   We had a quiet night as we left Greenland on our way to Longyearbyen. Not a bump due to weather or ice. It was a little bit like Alice in Wonderland…we must have fallen down a rabbit hole or something, but it was eye- watering brilliant skies when we woke up. After a week of fog!  Things are looking very fine at this point. We stopped briefly in Longyearbyen for several of the guides and expedition leader to trade firearms, and then prove they could use the new, improved, Norwegian Approved ones by going to a shooting range with the Norwegian Army, or it’s equivalent.  We also picked up about fifteen additional crew who each came aboard with one large suitcase and a carry bag, each. If you peered over the side, you could see friends reuniting, which was nice.

 

   While our leaders were showing off their marksmanship, we went into stunning Tempelfjorden about an hour’s steam from the port and part of the same fjord. We had a two hour zodiac cruise to enjoy the glaciers and the occasional seal. The new Scenic Eclipse was patiently waiting for us to exit the fjord, but there were also a couple of sailboats and what was clearly a day cruiser from Longyearbyen. By the way, there was also a small Hurtigruten ship in the harbor, and an MSC ship. I do think the West coast of Spitsbergen is going to get awfully busy over the next few years and understand the Norwegians’s problem. The port is lined with the vestiges of the Russian and American coal mining and shipping businesses, all abandoned. One of our guides is helping to restore the vast Russian complex at Pyramiden, which used to house well over 1000 people. It is sort of turning into a tourist destination.

 

     Back to our amazing day. In the morning during the gun exchange, we sailed to Tempelfyirden as I said, and disembarked in Julibukta by zodiac. Some went on a three hour hike, some kayaked, and the rest of us had a nature walk. There were many caribou, guillemots, puffins, scuba, fulmar, geese and many tiny wildflowers along the shore. The whole area was ringed by mountains and glaciers.  After we boarded, we saw beluga whales. A lot of them. We spotted seven, but videos from the other returning zodiacs show many more. They are harder to spot from above as they don’t really make a lot of fuss breaching for air.

 

   At the stern of the ship on deck 9, there is a high tech outdoor lounge. Many of the seats are heated by waste heat, there is a fire pit, and a hot and cold pool which meet at the stern itself. The saxophone player was playing as we had champagne (I know, Champagne again!). They also served an excellent mushroom risotto in small dishes. The outdoor grill also had a selection food. There was time for a short nap, then back into the zodiacs for the highlight of the day, Lillienhookbreen, a glacier complex.

 

    Our zodiac was crewed by an ornithologist, and he took us to a rookery filled with Arctic terns. Also other birds. The myriad of glaciers were calving, so it was ice soup. There were large-ish icebergs, and you could hear the oxygen popping out of them like popcorn. There were almost melted ones in all kinds of shapes and blues. And lots of smaller bits and pieces to dodge through and around. We saw many seals as well, one particular big fat one lolling on an iceberg of just the right size. Every now and then he would roll off his back, look at us balefully for a short while, then roll back over. But the highlight was a glacial calving, and the ensuing tsunami of waves. We were at a proper distance, and it was “small” but the waves got larger as they approached us, and the whole bay was affected. It was very impressive and you can see the danger of being close to a glacier in this condition: you could be sucked in at its base as the tsunami begins!

 

     At this point, we were further North than we had been, 79 degrees. As we glided out of the area, the Captain spotted a group of Polar bears, but again, they were so far away, we were getting so blasé that we just stuck with our dinner. Again we saw the Scenic ship waiting its turn at the sights. As we head to the East, it will be interesting to see if we still have company.

 

   I am alarmed by tomorrow’s food events. Something about another brunch, a caviar tasting, and dinner on the helideck. Gosh. We will be sailing along the strait that separates the two islands of Spitsbergen, then zodiac rides along a Norwegian- named place meaning “bird cliff”…I will discuss that after we see it.

    I know I forgot to mention the last crashing into a glacier, where the Captain showed us why the bow of the ship is so special, then offered Caviar and Champagne while we slushed around. I also can’t begin to tell you about all the fabulous lectures we have had, the Captain’s and Engineer’s talk about the wonders of the ship….or the tear-jerking, wonderful performances of Edith Piaf’s chansons.  Alors, je ne regrette rien, either!