Ponant, the leading provider of polar expeditions, is offering four new ships in their fleet that are as luxurious as they are high-performance. These four super yachts are named after famous French explorers: Le Lapérouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, and Le Dumont-d’Urville, all of them set to hit the water in 2018 and 2019. Ponant seeks to satisfy a calling to explore the great unknown. To meet different peoples and nature, to live out authentic and comfortable experiences, these explorers are made for both tropical and sub-tropical expeditions – a unique alliance that makes Ponant one of the only companies to brave these uncharted waters. From the secret coves of the Mediterranean to the majestic glaciers of Antarctica with the warm waters of the Caribbean or the farthest reaches of Alaska in between, each Ponant cruise is an extraordinary adventure.
“Exploring a silent world and discovering ocean floors like in the Nautilus or the Calypso.” This is how Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée, president of Ponant, puts it. This 5-star expedition definitely has what it takes to delight curious travelers. Onboard a Ponant Explorers ship, passengers are sure to be swept off their feet. A journey, an experience, an opera of emotions… Ponant’s expeditions are exceptional in that they’re unlike any other. Their crew is experienced, with nature experts and passionate speakers all along for the ride. The infinite mystery of dark abysses will light up little by little as the ship moves through unfamiliar seas. The strength of Ponant indeed relies on this very respect for nature, history, and exploration. Loyal to the company’s philosophy, their ships are perfectly sized and boast cutting edge design, technology, and a respect for the environment.
Their latest advancement is the stuff dreams are made of. Orchestrated by architect and sea enthusiast Jacques Rougerie, Le Lapérouse will be the world’s first cruise ship to be equipped with a multi-sensorial underwater space called Blue Eye. This space will be open to the ocean, with absolute comfort that will allow travelers to experience a spectacle like none other. “Feeling the sensations of a diver… discovering, watching, observing a living spectacle,” is how Jean-Emmanuel Sauvée once more puts it. This underwater lounge, at the heart of the ship’s hull and beneath the waterline, is accessible to all passengers; and that’s not all! The fabulous world of the deep seas can be discovered while the marvel elicited by this brand new and little-known universe is sure to inspire you like never before. The lounge’s lines, lighting, acoustic design, and furnishings are all imagined to bring the focus to two portholes, shaped like gigantic cetacean eyes that look out on an entire world beneath the sea. A mural decor puts live images filmed by three underwater cameras on an array of digital screens. Placed at strategic points on the ship, they allow passengers to witness, among other things, dolphins playing in the bow waves. All aboard!
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