Le Laperouse

The 2018-built MS Le Laperouse cruise ship is the first of six Ponant-owned polar expedition vessels. Marketed as "expedition yachts," the same "PONANT EXPLORERS-class" series also includes the sisterships Le Champlain (2018), Le Bougainville (2019), Le Dumont d’Urville (fka Le Kerguelen) (2019), Le Bellot (2020), and Le Jacques Cartier (fka Le Surville) (2020) — all named after famous French explorers.

The vessel (IMO number 9814026) is France-flagged (MMSI 578000900) and registered in Mata-Utu/Wallis and Futuna.

History – Construction and Ownership

Compagnie du Ponant (CDP) is a French cruise company founded in April 1988 by former French Merchant Navy officers. All Ponant ships sail under the French flag. The company specializes in premium adventure cruises, targeting primarily the French-speaking market with all-inclusive packages. Most of CDP’s fleet is based in Antarctica between December and March. These luxury yachts combine modern amenities, five-star service, and exotic itineraries worldwide, including the Caribbean, Baltic, Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, South America, and Australia.

On March 15, 2016, a shipbuilding agreement was signed with Vard Holdings Ltd (a Norwegian subsidiary of the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri) to build four 184-passenger Explorer-class ships, scheduled for delivery in 2018-2019. With this deal, VARD entered the cruise shipbuilding market.

On March 6, 2018, CDP signed two additional shipbuilding orders with VARD (scheduled deliveries in 2020), bringing the fleet to 12 ships by the end of 2021.

Each of Ponant’s 10,000 GT superyachts measures 131 m (430 ft) in length and 18 m (59 ft) in width, with capacity for 184 passengers and 110 crew. The ships have 7 decks, 92 staterooms (spread across 4 decks), an aft Sundeck with pool, a retractable Marina Platform (for water sports and Zodiac launches), and their own fleet of Zodiacs for landings in remote areas. The exterior design was created by Stirling Design International (SDI), and interiors by Jean-Philippe Nuel.

Decks and Cabins

Ponant Le Laperouse staterooms (92 total, in 9 categories) include 40 Balcony Cabins (205 ft² / 19 m² plus 45 ft² / 4 m² veranda). The largest is the 2-Room Owner’s Suite (485 ft² / 45 m² plus 320 ft² / 30 m² terrace). All staterooms feature private balconies with lounge furniture (table and two rattan chairs) and five-star amenities such as smart HDTV, DVD-CD player, minibar, King-size bed, and contemporary furnishings.

All suites have bathrooms with sliding panels in the shower, opening to reveal a glass wall with sea views. The largest (Owner’s and Grand Deluxe Suites, aft on Decks 5 and 6) are two-room accommodations with bedroom (King bed), master bathroom (Balneo bathtub, dual-sink vanity), guest bathroom, lounge with double sofa bed, dining area (4-seat table), and dual-access balcony. Prestige Suites are also two-room layouts, consisting of two connecting cabins, each with two bathrooms (one with shower, the master with bathtub), two dressing rooms, lounge with sofa bed, and a double-width veranda.

The ship has 7 decks, 6 of them accessible to passengers, 4 with cabins.

Shipboard Dining – Food and Drinks

Dining venues onboard include:

• Lido Grill (outdoor dining aft on Deck 3), seating 70, serving grilled meats, salads, and desserts.
• Main Restaurant (aft on Deck 4), a 260 m² (2,800 ft²) venue with floor-to-ceiling windows, single-seating capacity, and buffet stations for breakfast and lunch. Hot meals are served by waiters. In good weather, meals can be enjoyed on the aft terrace. Dinners are 4-course à la carte, waiter-served.
• Special diets are available upon request, arranged in advance.
• Afternoon Tea is served in the Panoramic Lounge (forward on Deck 6). Complimentary coffee and tea are available 24/7.

Entertainment and Recreation

Onboard venues and leisure facilities include:

• The Marina (watersports platform, used at anchor in calm seas)
• Le Laperouse Atrium (two-deck high open area with Swarovski crystal chandelier)
• Main Lounge (200 m² / 2,153 ft², with LED screen, panoramic windows, offering early breakfast, Afternoon Tea, evening entertainment with live music, art auctions, and access to the aft smoking terrace)
• Boutique Shop (40 m² / 430 ft², selling designer clothing, jewelry, Ponant merchandise, and gifts)
• Theatre (188-seat main show lounge for concerts and performances)
• Wellness Centre (Spa, Balneo Room, Hammam, massage, beauty salon, hairdresser, relaxation areas, terrace)
• Fitness Center (gym with panoramic views)
• Leisure Area (kids’ playroom, Photo Gallery, Internet stations)
• Image and Photo Desk
• Swimming pool with sundeck and loungers
• Panoramic Lounge & Bar (with Internet corner, library, grand piano, terrace, nightclub/disco)
• Blue Eye Lounge (below the waterline, with curved portholes shaped like cetacean eyes, live marine projections, and hydrophone-acoustic sound system)
• Sun Deck (open-air area with bar, loungers, deck games including shuffleboard, golf driving net, mini-golf)
• Zodiacs (inflatable landing boats)

Stairs and elevators connect all decks. The Navigation Bridge has an open-bridge policy (visits allowed depending on weather and security). A Doctor’s Office (Infirmary) provides 24-hour medical service. Laundry service is available (no dry cleaning). Wi-Fi is accessible throughout. Smoking is permitted only on designated outdoor decks.

"Blue Eye" Underwater Lounge

Ponant’s Explorer-class ships introduced the world’s first underwater cruise ship lounge, “Blue Eye,” with vibrating sofas and an acoustic system capturing ocean sounds.

• Located 2–3 m (6.5–10 ft) below sea level within the hull, with giant curved portholes shaped like cetacean eyes (1.6 x 3.4 m / 5 x 11 ft).
• Live marine footage is projected on digital screens around the lounge.
• Hydrophones capture sound within a 5 km (3 mi) radius, transmitted to “body listening sofas” that vibrate to ocean rhythms.
• Non-intrusive projectors allow passengers to observe marine life from decks and balconies.

The ships also feature an infinity swimming pool, spacious sundeck, and a three-position aft Marina Platform.

Itineraries

MS Le Laperouse offers unique expedition-style itineraries worldwide, including the Caribbean, Europe (Baltic, Mediterranean), East Asia, Australia, the Indian Ocean, Pacific islands (Oceania), Canadian Arctic, Amazon River (Brazil/Orinoco), South America, and Antarctica. Voyages feature expert lectures and multimedia presentations by onboard naturalists, focusing on regional wildlife and local cultures.

From December through March each year, most of the Ponant fleet is deployed in polar regions (Arctic and Antarctica).

On January 3, 2017, the vessel’s steel-cutting ceremony was held at the VARD Tulcea shipyard. On December 18, 2017, the ship was floated out in Romania and then towed to Norway. On January 25, 2018, she arrived at the VARD Soviknes shipyard in Alesund, Norway, for final outfitting. The vessel was scheduled for delivery on June 15, 2018, followed by Le Champlain (October 2018). She departed Alesund on June 16 and arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland on June 19 to begin her inaugural cruise. The christening ceremony was held on July 10 in Reykjavik, attended by Jean Emmanuel Sauvee (Ponant’s CEO) and featuring live performances by the Breton pipe band Bagad de Lann Bihoue (the French military’s only remaining professional music band). The ship’s godmother is Maryvonne Pinault, wife of the chairman of Artemis Group (Ponant Cruises’ parent company).

The shipbuilder VARD (a subsidiary of the Italian company Fincantieri) constructed the hull and superstructure at the Tulcea, Romania, shipyard before towing the vessel to VARD Soviknes for outfitting.

Ponant Le Laperouse’s hull number is 848.

Ponant’s new cruise ship series features an ice-strengthened hull and advanced expedition technologies. Among them is the long-range 3D sonar “FarSounder 1000,” installed in the bow and integrated into the bridge navigation system. This forward-looking sonar helps maneuver through icy waters by detecting and mapping hazards such as icebergs and shallow coral reefs.

A fun fact: this Ponant ship shares her name with the 2009-launched CMA CGM Laperouse, one of the world’s largest container ships (capacity 13,830 TEU), owned by CMA CGM Line.

Inaugural Cruise Itineraries 2018

The following tables show the ship’s inaugural voyages, with departure dates, itinerary ports, and prices per person (USD, based on double-occupancy Deluxe Cabin rates). The maiden voyage was a full-ship charter by Tauck (a US-based river cruise tour company).

7 nights / 8 days “Inaugural Cruise” (themed “Icelandic Mosaic”) – prices started from $17,150 pp

8 nights / 9 days Inaugural Norwegian Fjords cruise – prices started from $4,150 pp

Godspeed!