Ponant is gearing up for new winter 2024-2025 itineraries to Central America, Greenland, and Scandinavia — with highlights including a festive sailing attended by French chef Alain Ducasse and a Melanesia voyage hosted by one of the world’s most intrepid explorers.
Here’s a preview of what’s to come.
Discovering Scott and Shackleton’s Antarctic
PONANT has designed a thrilling expedition to the seldom-visited Ross Sea, which extends from the Antarctic coastline out into the Southern Ocean, to follow in the footsteps of legendary polar explorers. The lecturer and guide Jonathan Shackleton, a descendant of legendary polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, and the historian Lucy Scott, the great granddaughter of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, will be on board to regale guests with stories of their ancestors’ Antarctic exploits. The 21-night journey, February 16-March 9, 2025, is primed for wildlife lovers and aspiring marine biologists, with stops, weather and ice conditions permitting, at Cape Adare, home to the world’s largest colony of Adélie penguins; Macquarie Island, a breeding place for more than 3.5 million seabirds; and the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand, brimming with Snares crested penguins, New Zealand fur seals, New Zealand Sea lions, and more.
New Expeditions with The Explorers Club
Earlier this year, PONANT and The Explorers Club joined forces to offer weeks-long, science-led expeditions to the world’s most remote corners—from Papua New Guinea to the icy depths of Antarctica. On the horizon for later this year is a nine-day itinerary (December 12-20, 2024) through Belize and Honduras aboard Le Bellot, with highlights including discovering the UNESCO sights of Belize Barrier Reef and the opportunity to dive in the Great Blue Hole, plus cultural encounters with the Garifuna communities.
Looking ahead to next year are additional dates for two new polar itineraries that weave around the icy expanses of Greenland. The first is a 16-day journey (March 6-21, 2025) from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the southwestern coast of Greenland. The second, also a 16-day voyage (March 21-April 5, 2025), will whisk guests to Greenland’s majestic Disko Bay, home to the largest icebergs in the northern hemisphere. A highlight will be The Explorers Club member and storm chaser, George Kourounis, who will join this expedition and work with the guests on a citizen science project for NASA - collecting data that will help inform the cloud identification algorithms NASA uses with their orbiting satellites. Both voyages will take place aboard Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by LNG.
All New Itineraries aboard Le Commandant Charcot
For the first time, Le Commandant Charcot will sail around Scandinavia during the late-fall and winter months, with new itineraries offering immersion into the region’s idyllic towns, atmospheric Christmas markets, and wintery traditions like dog sledding and reindeer rides. The all-new Autumn Splendours: From Lofoten to the Norwegian Fjords journey (November 7-20) sails as close as possible to the shores of continental Norway and the dramatic peaks of the Lofoten archipelago, bringing the country’s deep-blue fjords, sandy coves, and alpine summits into sharp focus. Meanwhile, a 10-day Scandinavian Wonderland & Christmas Markets itinerary (December 2-11 or December 11-20), will whisk guests to the most enchanting cities along the Baltic Sea, including Stockholm, Gotland, Gdansk, and Helsinki. Guests will also have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet famed French chef Alain Ducasse, who will be onboard the second departure.
PONANT is also paving the way for winter exploration cruises in the Great North. From January to February 2025, PONANT will also offer four ice-breaking voyages through Canada’s St. Lawrence River — an industry first for a cruise ship — aboard Le Commandant Charcot. Due to its Polar Class 2 ice rating with capabilities to break through ice up to eight feet thick, Le Commandant Charcot is able to explore destinations that are otherwise inaccessible during the winter months. The 13-day explorations will combine sub-zero adventuring like kayaking, ice-fishing, dog sledding, and skijoring along with visits to Indigenous Innu and Mi'kmaq communities, rare wildlife sightings including caribou and black bears, and the spectacle of the Northern Lights dancing across the night sky.
Looking Ahead: Paul Gauguin Cruises’ 2025 Boutique Crossings Collection
Exotic islands, leisurely days at sea, and a full calendar of onboard lectures led by renowned scientists, authors, and other experts— these are just a few of the allures of Paul Gauguin Cruises’ trio of Boutique Crossing Collections voyages for 2025. Itineraries range from 14 to 20 nights, covering destinations such as Fiji, Bali, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. A highlight includes the Crossing Melanesia voyage in April 2025 from Darwin, Australia to Lautoka, Viti Levu Island, Fiji, which will be attended by National Geographic photographer/filmmaker and The Explorers Club member Jad Davenport. A true explorer, Davenport has been on assignment in more than 160 countries, from covering Middle East conflicts to studying Canadian Arctic polar bears and wolves, and will regale guests with his stories of finding Eroni Kumana—the Soloman Islander who found JFK and his surviving PT-109 crew a week after it was destroyed by a Japanese warship in 1943.
