PONANT Explorations is extending its expedition seasons in an effort to create wilder travel for guests, and further distance itself from its competitors. Etienne Garcia, one of Ponant’s most distinguished captains, said the cruise line’s unparalleled fleet capabilities allow it to push further into the margins of the polar operating...
PONANT Explorations is extending its expedition seasons in an effort to create wilder travel for guests, and further distance itself from its competitors.
Etienne Garcia, one of Ponant’s most distinguished captains, said the cruise line’s unparalleled fleet capabilities allow it to push further into the margins of the polar operating season than others are capable of.
Garcia is Captain of Ponant’s expedition ship Le Commandant Charcot, which is the only luxury icebreaker in the cruise sector.
“We are going to places where people could go before, but we are going earlier in the season, like east Greenland,” he explained to Cruise Weekly.
“If you go in Aug, you have a dozen vessels in the field, there is no sea ice any more, but we are going in May, and we are alone.
“We have a lot of areas in the springtime, for example, to explore west and east Greenland,” Garcia added.
The Le Commandant Charcot captain, when probed on what other new undertakings the cruise line is considering, said further circumnavigations of Antarctica and Greenland are in the pipeline.
Ponant is also seeking out new experiences in heavily saturated markets such as the Med, where it will use its fleet’s small size to its advantage.
The cruise line last week announced its 2026 Europe collection, made up of a selection of small-ship voyages visiting the continent (CW 21 Oct).
Highlight destinations during the season include the Greek Islands, Italy, the Adriatic Coast, Scotland, Ireland, and the Arctic, with a highlight to be Ponant’s European Grand Voyages. MS
