Joie de Vivre Ponant small-ship cruising with a generous slice of French style Furthermore, life onboard a Ponant yacht embraces that unique “Joie de vivre” that symbolises the French enjoyment of gourmet cuisine and fine wines. The French touch is also a subtle blend of relaxed elegance and conviviality, a refined, discreet and welcoming service on board, the “je ne sais quoi” acclaimed by passengers – whatever their nationality. Certainly, the atmosphere created imbues a sense amongst fellow travellers of being invited onto a private yacht rather than feeling like a bystander in a Las Vegas casino as is sometimes the case on the “big” ships. Ponant are champions of expedition cruising with 23 years experience of sailing in the Polar regions. Comprising between just 122 and 132 staterooms, each of Ponant’s four very modern, luxury mega-yachts, L’Austral, Le Boréal, Le Soléal and Le Lyrial are designed to navigate in such extreme regions and small enough to land passengers in the most exceptional sites. In Antarctica there is a maximum allowance of 100 passengers to disembark on shore at any one time, and only if the vessel carries less than 500 passengers. Most recently, their state-of-the-art luxury icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, has been extending the possibilities of polar expeditions. To many readers, the name Ponant may be unfamiliar, but in the world of luxury, small capacity cruising, France’s only cruise company is luring a growing international clientele with innovative itineraries to exceptional destinations, accessing shallow anchorages in sometimes remote locations that the all too familiar giant cruise liners just are not able to gain access. 68
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