Le Ponant

The 1991-built MS Le Ponant yacht is a tall-sailing cruise ship owned and managed by Ponant Cruises and advertised as a "luxury sail yacht". The 3-masted sailship has a total of 1212 m2 (13050 ft2) of sails and was constructed in France (at SFCN Shipyard in Villeneuve-la-Garenne).

The vessel (IMO number 8914219) is currently France-flagged (MMSI 227186000).

With MV Le Ponant, the French travel brand targets predominantly the French-speaking source market. The boat is also often chartered by North American tour operators for mainly expedition-style and family-friendly voyages.

Le Ponant's cruise charters are usually with custom-made itineraries focused on specific interests. Weather depending, the yacht may cruise most of the time under sail. In such a case, all tourists receive a fuel rebate in their onboard accounts. Dining onboard is a gourmet experience as food is prepared by a Michelin-star chef heading the galley/kitchen team. There is a also dedicated pastry chef.

History - construction and ownership

Compagnie du Ponant (CDP) is a French cruise shipping company founded in April 1988 by former French Merchant Navy officers. All Ponant ships are France-flagged. The company specializes in premium adventure cruise travel targeting the French-speaking source market with all-inclusive deals. Most of CDP's fleet is based in Antarctica (December through March). All these mega-yachts offer modern amenities, premium service by highly-trained staff and crew, 5-star hotel amenities onboard. Exotic, offbeat itineraries visit popular travel destinations worldwide, including the Caribbean, Europe (Baltic, Mediterranean), Southeast Asia, South America, Australia-New Zealand.

Le Ponant was drydock refitted and completely refurbished, restarting operations on August 14, 2022, following the ~2,5 years of hiatus due to the COVID crisis.

PONANT's yacht became world-famous in 2008 when (on April 4th) was attacked and captured by Somali pirates in the Aden Gulf/Arabian Sea (CruiseMinus). Despite being seized, the vessel was under constant surveillance by the French military forces and a Canadian Navy helicopter. Hopefully, the pirates decided to release the hostages 8 days later after a paid ransom.

Decks and Cabins

The ship has 5 decks (4 passenger-accessible), including a Sundeck, with total 16 staterooms (all outside, spread over 3 decks) including 5x with private step-out balconies and 11x with windows. Before refurbishment 2020-2021, all staterooms were with windows but without balconies, and in 2 main types - Triple (3x cabins) and Double (29x cabins, with King-size beds).

MV Le Ponant now has 8 cabin categories and types Balcony Suite, Balcony Cabin, Oceanview Cabin (with windows), as well as double and triple (by occupancy). Stateroom sizes vary from 10 m2 (Alize Balcony Stateroom) to 49 m2 (Grand Privilege Alize Suite). The Grand Privilege Suite and the Owners Suite accommodate up to 5 people and can be booked as family cabins. Adjoining rooms (with connecting doors) are also designed for families and small group travel.

Regardless of category, all cabins offer as standard/complimentary amenities air-conditioning (individually controlled), a double bed (180x200 cm) or two single beds (90x200 cm), mini-bar/fridge, LCDTV (with satellite channels), premium sound system (Bluetooth Speaker by Bose), writing desk with chair, dressing table (hairdryer), direct-dial phone (intercom and satellite calls), electronic safe box and lifejackets (in the closet), premium brand bath products (by Dyptique Paris), power outlets (110/220 V), 24-hour room service, free unlimited Wi-Fi.

The boat is served by 32 crew (French) and staff (Filipino).

Shipboard facilities and amenities

The ship currently has only one restaurant - Le Diamant (Diamond Dining Room) and one bar lounge - Emeraude Lounge & Bar (main entertainment venue/theater). During drydock 2020-2021 refurbishment were removed Saphir Lounge (lecture hall fitted with internet computers) and the Karukera Restaurant.

• Karukera Restaurant (fore-located on Deck 2) was the ship's Main Dining Room (sized 925 ft2 / 86 m2) with capacity 64 seats.
• Adjacent to Emeraude (midship on Deck 2), the Saphir Lounge (sized 260 ft2 / 24 m2) doubled as Lecture Hall and served Ponant's enrichment program with daily lectures and video presentations related to the yacht's current cruise itinerary (destinations, call ports, shore excursions). The Lounge was equipped with a large HDTV and Internet-connected computers.

Mistral Deck

Mistral Deck houses passenger staterooms (all oceanview) and crew cabins (forward), as well as the yacht's Sickbay/Infirmary (medical facility) and the machinery rooms (aft).

Alizes Deck

Forward is the yacht's wellness complex consisting of a Spa (19 m2 / 205 ft2 sized room for massages and Biologique Recherche treatments) and a Fitness facility (gym room sized 16 m2 / 170 ft2) supervised by a dedicated licensed fitness instructor. Outdoor wellness activities (Aerobics, Yoga sessions, meditation classes) are held outdoor on Sun Deck (top deck).

Midship is the Lobby/Welcome Lounge (sized 280 ft2 / 26 m2) with the Reception Desk (24-hour guest relations, shore excursions/tours, purser services). The Reception area (sized 260 ft2 / 24 m2) occupies the space of the former Saphir Lounge.

Emeraude Lounge & Bar (sized 1260 ft2 / 117 m2) has combined seating capacity of 59, including indoor space (990 ft2 / 92 m2, with 35 seats) and outdoor space (915 ft2 / 85 m2, with 24 seats). This is the yacht's main lounge with a dance floor, stage, grand piano, separate bar area (sized 260 ft2 / 24 m2), alfresco terrace. Before refurbishment 2021, Emeraude Lounge was smaller sized (795 ft2 / 74 m2 indoor space) and with a bigger capacity (64 seats).

The aft/stern-positioned Marina Platform serves watersports activities (snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, sports fishing, 2x glass-bottomed kayaks, 4x stand-up paddleboards, bicycles, saltwater swimming pool). The Marina provides direct access to the Zodiacs (large-capacity rigged inflatable boats/RIBs) used for landings, close-to-shore cruising and tendering in destinations without wharves (piers or quays). The Marina has a small sundeck area with loungers and deckchairs. The watersports equipment is provided complimentary, and also includes toys for children (noodles, rings, armbands).

Zephyr Deck

On Deck 3 are the forward Navigation Bridge/Wheelhouse (with the adjacent Captain's Suite and officers' quarters) and the aft Le Diamant Restaurant (sized 660 ft2 / 61 m2, capacity 34 seats). Le Diamant is an indoor/outdoor panoramic dining venue (with an open-air alfresco terrace) serving buffet-style Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

The cuisine is traditional French and international. Veuve Clicquot champagne (by the glass) as well as artisan wines from French producers and from local producers (depending on the regions visited). Wines by the glass are complimentary and served during lunches and dinners.

Note: Before refurbishment 2021, Le Diamant Restaurant was larger sized and with a bigger capacity (1250 ft2 / 116 m2, 64 seats).

Sun Deck

The Sundeck is served by Sun Lounge & Bar and features a large sunbathing area with loungers and deckchairs. On the Sundeck are also organized outdoor sports activities and group exercises (including Aerobics, Yoga, meditation classes) and open-deck parties.

Observatoire/Observatory (indoor observation lounge positioned forward on top deck) was removed during drydock 2020-21.

Itineraries

MS Le Ponant itinerary program is based on top-luxury Mediterranean voyages visiting islands and (mainly) smaller ports on the French Riviera, the Italian Riviera, Dalmatian Coast, Greece and the Greek Isles.

Due to scheduled drydocking followed by the Coronavirus crisis, the yacht was paused for ~3 years (November 2019 through August 2022).

In mid-December 2021, PONANT announced that from June 2022, Le Ponant will be deployed in the Aegean-Eastern Mediterranean Sea visiting ports in Greece and Croatia. Eastern Mediterranean 2022 schedule initially had 3x new itineraries and a total of 20x departures, later reduced to 10x (as the boat was relaunched in August instead of June 2022) visiting destinations in the Ionian and Aegean seas.

For winter 2022-2023 (November 22 thru February 20), the yacht was deployed in Seychelles and scheduled for a total of 11x roundtrips leaving from homeport Victoria (Mahe Island). Rates started from EUR 10200 per person with double occupancy. The 9-night "The Seychelles under the Trade Winds Cruise" itinerary visited African Banks, Alphonse Islands, Poivre Islands, Therese Island, Curieuse Island, Aride Island, Grande Soeur Island (Big Sister Island), Praslin Island and La Digue Island.

In July 2022, PONANT opened bookings for Le Ponant's/company's inaugural Kimberley Coast Western Australia program (April 6 to September 30, 2023). The Australian schedule included a total of 24x itineraries (Kimberley Sailing Expeditions) visiting the Rowley Shoals (coral reefs approx 260 km west of Broome), Northern and Southern Kimberley. The unique program featured private charter flights (between Kuri Bay and Kununurra or Broome) via an exclusive partnership with Pearl Aviation (part of the Australian company part of the Paspaley Group) that operates amphibious aircraft (Grumman G-73 Mallard seaplanes/flying boats). Prices started from EUR 9490 pp.

The fully-renovated sailing yacht was "inaugurated" on August 14, 2022, with a 7-night Adriatic itinerary (roundtrip from Dubrovnik Croatia) visiting the Croatian islands Mljet, Korcula, Vis (Komiza), Hvar (Stari Grad), Brac (Pucisca), Elaphiti Islands (Sipan and Lopud). Prices started at US$10890 pp with double occupancy.