December 13, 2019 Press release PONANT -Experience the ultimate expedition in the eternal ice: with the new one Le Commandant-Charcot for the cruise line PONANT, this dream is becoming a reality.
The polar expedition ship, unique in the world, will go into service in May 2021 and will initially start in the Arctic. In winter 2021/2022, the new fleet will go to the southern polar region. In the Antarctic, extraordinary and brand new routes await the guests on board the Le Commandant-Charcot. Thanks to an innovative routing program and a reinforced hull with ice class PC2, the luxury expedition ship reaches polar regions that are inaccessible to common expedition ships and thus also to distant parts of the Antarctic such as the Ross Sea or the islands of Charcot and Peter I. This revolutionary polar expedition ship comes with a Hybrid drive, which combines liquefied petroleum gas (LNG) and electric batteries, and thus has the latest technologies in the field of environmental protection. This significant innovation expresses PONANT's commitment to sustainable and responsible tourism. All cruises to Antarctica in winter 2021/2022 can now be booked here.
PONANT Le Commandant Charcot © Stirling Design International
Every moment an adventure - thanks to new, exclusive activities
For the first time, PONANT guests can discover the White Continent from completely different perspectives. In addition to the already known trips and landings with the on-board Zodiacs®, the cruise line has developed some new activities and brought them on board the new polar expedition ship. Thanks to their unique propulsion system, hovercraft, whether on land or on water, bring travelers to even the most inaccessible places. A ride in a hot air balloon, dog sledding or polar diving are also among the newest activities of the new fleet. As part of a participatory scientific approach, the guests of the Le Commandant-Charcot help under the guidance of a team of scientists on board and thus become researchers yourself, for example when installing a station on the pack ice or taking water samples.
PONANT Le Commandant-Charcot - outside deck © PONANT-Wilmotte & Associés Architectes.jpg
Sustainable development at the heart of the concept
Conceived as a new type of cruise, the Le Commandant-Charcot the latest innovations in environmental protection and makes PONANT a model for responsible tourism. With its hybrid propulsion system, which combines liquefied natural gas (LNG) and electric batteries, the polar expedition ship has been designed to keep the environmental impact as low as possible. There is also a scientific research laboratory on board, equipped with equipment to study the ecosystems and biodiversity in the ever-evolving world of ice.
Price examples for cruises with the Le Commandant-Charcot
The Emperor Penguins of the Bellingshausen Sea
Beyond Peter I Island and Charcot Island, this extraordinary cruise takes guests on board the Le Commandant Charcot into the heart of the Bellingshausen Sea. Named after the Russian admiral and explorer who discovered Antarctica in 1820, the marginal sea of the Southern Ocean, which is largely covered with pack ice, is difficult to access and almost unexplored. The reward, however, more than lives up to the challenge: Huge colonies of emperor penguins live here, a species that only occurs in Antarctica and that can almost never be seen in the wild. At this time of year, when winter gradually gives way to southern spring, the several week old boys become independent and gather in huge “kindergartens”. A truly magical spectacle.
From Puerto Montt to Ushuaia
November 01st to 19th, 2021, 19 days / 18 nights
From 22.700 euros * per person, based on double occupancy
The Ross Sea
During a sea voyage on the Ross Sea, guests on board the Le Commandant-Charcot discover one of the most extreme and best preserved regions of Antarctica. It is partly covered by the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest glacier platform in Antarctica. This huge bay is only a few hundred kilometers from the South Pole and is known as the “last ocean”, it is the last intact marine ecosystem and, since 2016, the largest marine reserve in the world. Here the cold is even more intense, the wind blows even stronger and the ice is even more impressive. In the heart of this polar garden of Eden, where the ice shelf turns into icebergs, guests encounter a wonderful animal world and surreal landscapes with infinite shades of blue. It is home to Antarctic petrels, minke whales, killer whales, seals, and large colonies of Adelia and Emperor penguins.
From / to Ushuaia
February 16 to March 12, 2022, 25 days / 24 nights
From 26.030 euros * per person, based on double occupancy
Weddell Sea and Larsen Ice Shelf
Insurmountable, extreme, fascinating - this is how the Weddell Sea could be described, which consists largely of thick, compressed pack ice. Driving on it is a challenge and a privilege, the promise of extraordinary landscapes and new encounters. On the cruise through this vast polar region, guests enter an infinitely frozen desert, a world of silence in which everything appears calm and serene. In the northwest of the Weddell Sea, which runs along the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, rises an impressive barrier of ice, the Larsen Ice Shelf. It is an extension of the inland ice at sea. This huge ice shelf is calming and fascinating at the same time, if only because of its gigantic dimensions and the impressive tabular icebergs that separate from it and are among the largest specimens ever observed.
From / to Ushuaia
December 03rd to 14th, 2021, 12 days / 11 nights
From 12.250 euros * per person, based on double occupancy
* Starting prices, per person, including taxes and port fees. The PONANT bonus price is an early bird price that guarantees the best price at the time of booking. When the booking starts, guests save up to 30 percent compared to the catalog price with this bonus price. As the occupancy rate increases, it approaches the catalog price in five percent steps. The current bonus price can be viewed on the PONANT website.
