You know how it is when you just can’t get a song out of your head. So
why was I strolling through a Gentoo penguin rookery on the Antarctic
Peninsula humming Beyonce’s hit, “All the single ladies”? Read on.
From my experience, folks travel to the wild lands of the Antarctic for
enrichment and a dash of adventure. A chance to relive – in a safe and
comfortable way – the daring exploits of the pioneers a century ago.
Aboard the brand new Ponant ice queen, L’Austral, the journey
however becomes a decadent foray into the frozen realm complete with
private butler, spa treatments, fine dining and a saucy after dinner
cabaret with high-stepping Parisian showgirls.
At this point you could easily back a strong argument for either side of
the cruising debate. Should Antarctica be left to the rugged, ecowarriors
who throw themselves in front of Japanese whalers, or should it
be opened up to the Mumm-sipping elite as a diversion between
pedicures and foie gras ? Both, of course, are extreme but this is where
we’re at. I’ll leave that thought with you for a moment while I describe
this amazing vessel.
La Compagnie du Ponant (or just Ponant) has been around since 1986
specialising in small ship, niche market and sophisticated cruise
products. Their first vessel, Le Ponant, is a gorgeous 64-pax, threemasted
sailing ship in the mould of Windstar or Sea Cloud – yes, the one
in the 2008 Somali pirate drama. The company added an expedition ship
in 2004 with the 1974-built Le Diamant, now sold (along with Le Levant)
to make way for a trio of state-of-the-art vessels. Le Boreal was launched
in May 2010, L’Austral just last June and la troisième will launch in mid-2013.
Scoff as the purists might, these ships represent the cat’s whiskers in
maritime design. They are the first to be “green ship” certified and, at
10,000 tons with 132 suites and staterooms, are huge by expedition
cruise standards. Each can transport up to 264 guests in Sofitel level
comfort to all corners of the globe, although numbers are limited to 200
for Antarctic operations.
The 142m hull is ice
rated 1C (1A is the
toughest) and the
impressive satellite
navigation will keep the
vessel fixed without the
need to drop anchor.
Dining is single seating
in one of two
restaurants with house wine included. Deck 6 has butler service and two
of three cabins have private balconies. There’s a big gym, Sothy spa,
kids club, wheelchair access throughout, beaut observation lounge bar/
library, pool and wi-fi internet access.
Staterooms and suites are all fitted with flatscreen TVs coupled to an
inflight-style entertainment system. Bath tubs installed on Le Boreal are
deleted from subsequent vessels and bathrooms now have just showers
with L’Occitane amenities. There are six price levels, ranging from the
smallest at 18.5 sq m (with 4 sq m balcony) to the palatial 45 sq m
owners suite with a massive 9 sq m private balcony.
Excursions are marshmallow soft compared to the hardy Russian
counterparts, but still permit guests to get ashore and “tick off” their
Antarctic continent landing. Costs, surprisingly, are not a lot different.
Are you a cocktail sipper or tree hugger? The choice is yours.
For detail on all Ponant cruises, contact Travel the World on
1300 950 622 or visit www.traveltheworld.com.au.
