Le Commandant Charcot

• A bar and a 262 m² observatory lounge
• Library, reading corner, “live” entertainment on certain evenings
• 2 Swarovski Optik spotting scopes

• A main living room of 313 m²
• A 24 m² “smoking” area
• A tea room area and a bar with “live” musical programming on certain evenings

• A reception area of ​​270 m²
• The shipping office
• Administrative services on board
• The sales office run by our Reception and Travel Manager
• “Ponant Studio” photo space
• “Oscillations”: a digital work of art by Miguel Chevalier

An extension of the voyage and the ship, the Illu boutique is a space dedicated to discovering the polar world. 95% of the souvenir range is made in France, and our partners offer textiles that respect the environment.

• The Blue Lagoon baths, outdoor lagoon heated from 27 to 37° C thanks to energy recovery
• A giant brazier ( Inneq - the fire) allowing you to enjoy the polar landscapes in complete comfort
• An outdoor bar (Blue Lagoon bar) to enjoy throughout the day (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) a varied and refined sweet and savory food offer.

The exterior promenade deck is uninterrupted. This makes it possible to circle the ship completely and get to the bow, unlike the majority of passenger ships.

It is also equipped with benches heated using energy recovery and, at the rear, two Swarovski Optik spotting scopes.

• Capacity of 270 people
• State-of-the-art sound and light technologies
• LED wall at the back of the stage allowing the projection of supports in very high resolution

A photography and videography team escort you throughout your trip. These professionals capture the most beautiful moments of your cruise, which you can share with family and friends upon your return. Meet them on DECK 5 (DECK 6 on the PONANT Explorers ships) at the photo/video area, where you can also order souvenir pictures and videos.

The Cigar Lounge is located on Deck 5.

All our ships feature an onboard spa. Equipped with massage cabins and a Turkish bath (Sisterships) or a sauna (Explorers), the spa offers a wide choice of top-of-the-range treatments provided in association with SOTHYS™ or CLARINS (Le Bellot and Le Jacques-Cartier only), leading French spa and wellness centre brands.

Discover a range of facial treatments, aromatic baths, exfoliation and body massage treatments designed to provide moments of complete relaxation. You can also supplement your beauty ritual with additional services such as hair-removal, makeovers, manicures and pedicures.

Prices and details of services in the PONANT Yacht Spa menu.

A hair salon facing the boundless horizon, massage cabins with large windows, a sauna with an unobstructed view of the immense white polar expanse… The wellness areas on board Le Commandant Charcot take on a new dimension. These spaces, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, combine design and comfort, and have been created with expert know-how using repsonsible brands.

The gyms on our ships are equipped with the very latest Technogym© equipment and machines. Treadmills, exercise bikes, Kinesis Wall© strength training machines and many other types of equipment are all provided in a laid-back relaxing environment. The wide floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the sea add undeniable charm to the exercise sessions.

Each day also begins with organised morning workout sessions, either out in the open air or in the theatre. These are supplemented by water aerobics in the pool, or in the sea off the beach for PONANT passengers, when the situation allows it.

Provided in partnership with KÉRASTASE® and L’ORÉAL PROFESSIONNEL®, the hairdressing salon offers a complete range of top quality treatments designed to strengthen, nourish and reinvigorate hair's shine and brilliance. Our stylists are available to serve all your styling, highlighting, colouring, cutting and tailored hair advice needs.

Excursions & land itineraries

Each itinerary has been thoughtfully created by our teams to offer you a complete excursion experience. You can discover the hidden gems of the regions you visit in line with your interests.

Hidden creeks, ancient cities, UNESCO world heritage sites... the world reveals its hidden gems as you journey along the routes taken by travellers. In keeping with our ethos “Accessing the worlds treasures by sea”, we offer a wide choice of land excursions during all our cruises (except for expeditions). Chosen by our PONANT experts for their cultural value and historic interest, these excursions can last a few hours or a few days. If you need to stay on land overnight, we take care of your stay from start to finish, until you rejoin your ship. These longer excursions mean you can discover the unmissable sites of the region you are visiting, like Cuzco in Peru for example or the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

You can access these trips by pre-booking two months before your departure date.

This first ever deep polar navigation cruise ship opens the gateways to the highest latitudes of the Arctic and the Antarctic. Embark for a faraway odyssey combining exploration with science, and become experts in these regions that for centuries have stirred the imaginations of the greatest adventurers. See this captivating and wondrous part of the world for yourself.

An On-Hand Expedition Team By Your Side

Le Commandant Charcot expedition team constitutes one of the best guest-to-staff ratios found on any voyage of this kind. Biologists, naturalists, engineers, glaciologists, and geologists, these experts in the polar regions will be on hand to ensure the safety of all your activities and experiences and to share their passion for the poles. They will be by your side throughout your voyage of discovery, providing key insights to help you get the most out of the encounters with fauna, flora and local populations that await you, and helping you better understand the stakes and challenges involved in preserving this natural and cultural heritage

Expedition leaders

Alongside the captain, the expedition leader is the main person responsible for managing and coordinating the exploration aspect of the cruise. They supervise the team of naturalist guides and scientific mediators, ensure the safety of the organised activities offered, and tailor and adapt the experiences, thus ensuring the full richness of these fascinating ecosystems is revealed in all its glory.

Naturalist guides

A team of 23 naturalist guides trained in supervising activities in polar environments will be by your side every day to interpret and explain everything about these largely unexplored ecosystems, both onboard the ship and during onshore activities. Meet some of the members of the team.

Science Mediators

The scientific mediation team on Le Commandant Charcot brings science to life for guests onboard the ship. Their mission is to give you an insight into the profession of scientific researcher and the challenges involved in the scientific approaches deployed, and enable you to contribute directly to the study and protection of the polar regions by giving you the opportunity to take part in citizen science workshops.

The poles like never before

Le Commandant Charcot takes you further than ever before, sailing well inside the polar circles and deep into the middle of the ice, where only a PC2 polar class ship (icebreaker) can safely venture. Onboard, on land, on the sea or on the ice, enjoy a range of unique, intense and authentically immersive experiences amidst the quasi-hypnotic power of the polar environment, such as dog sledding, sightseeing excursions in Zodiac® inflatable boats, snowshoeing, polar diving, kayaking, ice fishing and citizen science sessions.

A scientific research and monitoring vessel

Sailing through the remote and icy regions of the poles provides a unique opportunity to regularly and periodically collect scientific data for use in understanding how sea ice forms, analysing ocean circulation, studying the biological characteristics of the polar marine environment, tracking and monitoring marine megafauna, and analysing the social and environmental impacts of tourism. The data collected by researchers and passengers through citizen science sessions is helping to advance research into these regions – which more than a century after the heroic golden age of polar exploration still have much to reveal – and move forward efforts to protect and preserve them.

• Two dedicated expedition boarding and disembarking rooms to port and starboard.

• A conference room (Ilua - to be inside, to understand) : 30 seats

The Expedition Desk is located on Deck 5.

Your stateroom Officer will be able to take care of your laundry**. The washing and ironing of your clothes will take between 24 and 48 hours. Only ironing** can be delivered on the same day. As dry-cleaning is not possible on the ship, please only give us clothes that can be washed in water.

** These services are not free of charge and are billed directly to your stateroom account.

Adapters are provided on board, they are available at the reception office of our ships.

European Standard Sockets

The 220 volt 50 hertz alternating current is distributed by sockets meeting European standards. Onboard power is 200 volt AC (European standard) and 110 volt AC (North American standard). For safety reasons, hair irons and clothes irons cannot be used in staterooms. Please note that on Le Ponant, 110 volt AC is only available in stateroom bathrooms.

Children under one year of age shall not be authorised to embark on the ships.

For children aged between 1 and 8 years old, an authorisation to board the ship must be made in writing to PONANT. Subject to agreement, a liability waiver must be completed and returned to the company to validate the registration.

On classic cruises ("yachting"), children are accepted from the age of one, with a maximum of 5 children between 1 and 6 years old on board.

On "expedition" cruises children are accepted from 6 years old (except cruises aboard Le Commandant Charcot) and must be fully independent during all the outside activities organised and during disembarkation in rubber boats, be sufficiently tall to sit on the inflatable sides of the boats, and old enough to understand, and immediately respond to the orders given by the persons in charge. As a result, children's participation in any activity in an inflatable boat shall be subject to the agreement of the Captain and of the Expedition Head, depending on the sea conditions, and the difficulty of disembarking at each location visited. The ships do not carry Parka’s in children’s sizes. Parents must arrange to bring a suitable Parka for children. In all cases, children and young people under the age of 18 are at all times on board or on land under the full and total responsibility of their parents or carers.

For all "expedition" cruises on board Le Commandant Charcot, children are accepted from 8 years old only.

Children aged 4 years or more can be welcomed in the Kid's Club when the service is offered on board

There is a doctor on board available to the passengers on all our ships:

• The schedules of consultation are listed each day in the log book (emergency consultation 24/7).
• The Sisterships, PONANT Explorers and Le Commandant Charcot also have a hospital for any small surgery.
• During the excursions, the passengers are accompanied by a doctor or a nurse.
• There is a fee for consultations on board . The price may vary according to the time and place of the consultation (hospital or staterooms). You must also pay for medications.
• The doctor on board is not authorised to distribute sick leaves and prescriptions. Only accounts and invoices are provided which may be used by the passenger to obtain a refund from his/her health insurance if his/her contract allows.

Medical Consultations

There is a charge for medical consultations undertaken by the doctor or nurse on board. The price can vary according to the time and place of the consultation (hospital or stateroom). Any medication must also be paid for by the passenger. If using medications on a regular basis make sure to bring adequate supplies for the duration of your cruise.

Special Medical Treatment

If you have any special treatment, we ask you to inform the reservation service when you register for the cruise, to note it on the information sheet before departure, then inform the on-board crew at the moment of departure and always keep your medication with you for the duration of the cruise.

Seasickness

Our ships (except Le Ponant) have stabilisers equipped with dynamic fins which adapt to the movements of the ship. This system allows the ship to anticipate and compensate for the pitching and tossing of the sea to achieve greater stability. Passengers suffering from seasickness will see their symptoms alleviated and are pleasantly surprised to not feel uncomfortable during their journey. However it is wise to bring travel motion medication with you for peace of mind.

Our Sisterships, PONANT EXPLORERS and Le Commandant Charcot were designed for people with reduced mobility in mind:

• Specially designed staterooms;
• Access ramps allowing easy movement in communal areas;
• Posters, signage and stateroom numbers are translated into Braille.

Despite these arrangements, each passenger should be able to be independent or travel with a close family member or friend who can give them whatever assistance they require during their trip.

If a person has not been judged suitably fit for travel in complete safety, the company reserves the right to refuse their embarkation. Disembarkation in difficult places or in a Zodiac® is subject to the approval of the Captain, who will always have the safety and wellbeing of the passenger in mind.

Technical Accessories

We advise you to equip yourself with a ski mask, sunglasses, walking poles (available to purchase in the shop), a waterproof rucksack, binoculars, a technical watch, a mosquito head net (for the Arctic) and a waterproof pouch.

Sustainable development is enshrined in the company's articles of association and has been at the heart of the PONANT project since its inception. Founded over thirty years ago by committed sailors, the company was born out of a desire to share a passion for the oceans and the treasures of the Earth. This responsibility commits us to a respectful dialogue with the environment and the populations we meet and to investing in many fields related to the preservation and development of the natural and cultural heritage of the polar and oceanic regions.

Clean Ships

We were among the first cruise operators in the world to abandon the use of heavy fuels, and our ships are equipped with electric diesel engines and SCR catalytic converters, which enable a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions. Our polar exploration ship, Le Commandant Charcot, is a hybrid-electric vessel, propelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG enables a 25% reduction in carbon emissions, an 85% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions and a 95% reduction in fine particle emissions. Each time we design a new ship, we equip it with the latest available eco-technologies, enabling us to maintain our position as the cruise industry's environmental leader, ahead of international regulations in some areas. A commitment recognised by many independent organisations:

• Our entire fleet is Clean Ship certified by the Bureau Veritas. This certification guarantees that our ships fulfil very precise criteria: emissions levels, waste processing, waste water etc.
• In 2020, PONANT was recognised as “the cruise operator with the greenest fleet in the world in terms of airborne emissions” by the German NGO, NABU.
• PONANT was awarded the Prix des Palmes du Tourisme Durable 2020 (Prize for Sustainable Tourism) in the “Voyage” category for the elimination of heavy fuel oil in favour of LS MGO.
• In 2019, PONANT became the first European cruise company to obtain the North American Green Alliance certificate. This certifies that its members have adopted practices and technologies that are respectful towards the environment.
• PONANT is also a signatory of the Charte Bleue from Armateurs de France, which commits the maritime sector to act to protect the marine environment.

Wastewater

All of the wastewater is treated by means of processes that exclude the use of chemical products. The recycled water is used to clean the exterior of the ship. The water that is discharged into the sea is treated, drinkable water.

Waste

We have optimised our organisation in order to reduce waste at the source. Waste is nonetheless still produced on board. As of 2020, 60% of this is sorted and recycled, with an objective of 85% set for 2023. We ensure the complete traceability of this waste.

Single-use plastics

We have eliminated the use of single-use plastics (straws, cups, food serving trays, laundry bags etc.). A metallic flask is issued to each passenger on expedition cruises and water fountains are available in the common areas of the ships. We are also developing the bottling of our water in glass bottles.