PONANT offers a different kind of voyage—one where the spirit of exploration is paired with the sophistication of French luxury and the assurance of international standards. With over three decades of expertise, we invite you to experience travel at sea as it should be: refined, enriching, and intimate.
Paired with the sophistication of French luxury and the assurance of international standards. With over three decades of expertise, we invite you to experience travel at sea as it should be: refined, enriching, and intimate.
Our ships are purposefully designed on a human scale, carrying only a select number of guests to preserve an atmosphere of privacy and tranquillity. Each vessel in our fleet—from the elegant sisterships to the cutting-edge Le Commandant Charcot, the world’s first luxury polar exploration vessel powered by LNG—is a showcase of innovation and comfort. These intimate ships allow us to reach places larger vessels simply cannot access, offering you rare opportunities to anchor in secret harbours, remote archipelagos, and protected ecosystems around the globe.
Our itineraries are unique by design. From the crystalline waters of the Seychelles to the icy silence of Antarctica, from Japan’s ancient shores to the fjords of Scandinavia, we bring you to destinations both iconic and unexpected—always with privileged access, expert guidance, and respect for the cultures and environments we encounter.
Aboard, the French touch is unmistakable. Fine cuisine prepared by French chefs is enhanced by exclusive partnerships with prestigious names in gastronomy, wine, pastry, tea, and wellness—ensuring every aspect of your experience reflects our commitment to excellence. Interior design by world-renowned architects and the use of exceptional French brands in linens, bath products, and decor contribute to a sense of understated elegance and refinement.
Yet PONANT is more than French—it is truly international. Our guests hail from across the globe, and our multilingual crew ensures every guest feels understood, welcomed, and at ease. All services, excursions, and briefings are conducted in both French and English, maintaining a warm and inclusive atmosphere onboard.
We are equally committed to sustainability. Our fleet incorporates cutting-edge technologies to minimise environmental impact, from dynamic positioning systems that protect marine life to advanced waste management and eco-efficient engines.
To sail with PONANT is to choose a voyage where luxury and discovery go hand in hand—a journey shaped by expertise, guided by conscience, and elevated by the art of French living.
Ponant' Ships
More about Ponant
For more than 30 years, PONANT has been taking its cruise guests to the planet's most remote, hidden and out-of-the-way locations, places where nature reigns supreme. Making this choice entails responsibilities towards the ecosystems that compose these places and the communities that live in them. In order to stay at the forefront of innovation, the company works on a day-to-day basis to promote a more responsible and more sustainable form of tourism through its PONANT Blue Horizon programme.
PONANT continues to optimise its environmental performance through 6 strategic commitments:
Minimise nitrogen and sulphur oxide emissions
Reduce CO² emissions
Eliminate single use plastics
Reuse and trace all our waste
Embark scientific research teams
Support the creation of Marine Protected Areas
Our everyday actions
Our commitment translates to concrete everyday actions, particularly in terms of the controlled and responsible approach we adopt towards what we use and consume onboard our ships, and also in terms of supporting research, awareness-raising and conversation projects around the world.
PONANT Foundation
Established in 2018, the PONANT Foundation's goal is to conserve the oceans and poles and to promote exchanges between populations. In order to do this, we commit to supporting innovative initiatives led by researches, NGO, start-ups or businesses working to preserve oceans, build scientific knowledge about the polar regions and interact with indigenous populations.
The Traveller's Ethical Charter
Whether on sea, on land or on ice: we strive to minimise our footprint and ask you to do the same.
An international recognition
PONANT is setting an inspiring example and leading the way. Our actions in favour of the environment are regularly rewarded and relayed at both a national level and internationally.
654 Cruises ·
14 Ships
Cruise Regions
Arctic
Transatlantic
Mediterranean
N Europe
Antarctica
Atlantic Islands
S America
Australasia
Far East
Pacific
Indian Ocean
Caribbean
West US/Mexico
East US/Canada
Africa
View cruises with this operator:
Reasons to Book
Travelling the French way
PONANT is an exponent for the French way of life across every sea on the globe. On board, this is translated through exceptional services, a multilingual crew and bringing French know-how to the fore.
Exceptional destinations
From secluded ports to secret seas, from forgotten beaches to remote lands, our experts choose itineraries that take you away from major tourist routes so you can enjoy unique cruises and shorelines that few have seen before.
Ships on a human scale
Thanks to our small capacity ships, we can dock in private ports and offer stopovers in preserved locations. On board, the limited number of passengers means that everybody can enjoy special moments and feel as though they are on a private yacht.
Our commitments
PONANT aims at becoming a world reference in the field of sustainable development in the cruising industry. The environment and ethics are among our main concerns, both in the regions we visit and in our relationships within the company and with our partners.
Members Club
PONANT Yacht Club
Being loyal to PONANT lets you take full advantage of the pleasures of cruising. As members of the PONANT Yacht Club, you will receive personalised attention, exclusive services both on board and on land, and offers not available to other guests.
MAJOR - After you confirm your 2nd cruise
Your benefits are:
5% discount on your future bookings
€ 50 onboard credit
Complimentary onboard laundry service
The opportunity to join the PONANT Yacht Club’s Loyalty cruises
ADMIRAL - After you confirm your 4th cruise
Your benefits are:
7.5% discount on your future bookings
20% discount for onboard expenses, except for excursions
€100 onboard credit
Complimentary onboard laundry service
The opportunity to join the PONANT Yacht Club's Loyalty cruises
Possibility of complimentary upgrade, depending on availability
GRAND ADMIRAL - After you confirm your 7th cruise
Your benefits are:
10% discount on your future bookings
25% discount for onboard expenses, except for excursions
€150 onboard credit
Complimentary onboard laundry service
The opportunity to join the PONANT Yacht Club's Loyalty cruises
Possibility of complimentary upgrade, depending on availability
Change your choice of cruise without incurring charges
COMMODORE - After you confirm your 20th cruise
Your benefits are:
12.5% discount on your future bookings
25% discount for onboard expenses, except for excursions
€200 onboard credit
Complimentary onboard laundry service
The opportunity to join the PONANT Yacht Club's Loyalty cruises
Possibility of complimentary upgrade, depending on availability
Change your choice of cruise without incurring charges
Dedicated phone line
Priority boarding
Modalities
These terms and conditions are subject to change. Any changes will be communicated to passengers and will be applied automatically.
The PONANT Yacht Club card is presented to each adult guest aged over 18 and eligible for the PONANT Yacht Club programme. The benefits and status are acquired upon confirmation of the reservation, unless it is cancelled prior to departure, and may be modified without notice. Free-of-charge or cancelled cruises – regardless of the reason for the cancellation – and cruises booked as part of a Group reservation (through a group travel agency) or a ship Charter, are not taken into consideration when calculating loyalty status. Benefits and status are available as soon as an individual booking is confirmed.
(1)The discount on your future bookings applies to port-to-port prices, and excludes taxes, discretionary expenses and transfers. This discount can only be combined with the PONANT Bonus discount, the discount applied to onboard cruise sales, the Referral Program offer, the Privilege Single offer and with the consecutive cruises discount.
(2)The discount for onboard expenses, applies to everything other than ‘Prestige’ brands in the Boutique, jewelry, watches and tobacco; as well as high standard spirits, exceptional champagne and wines aboard Le Commandant Charcot and Le Ponant. The complete list of these products is available at reception during the cruise.
Aboard Le Paul Gauguin, SCUBA diving, jewelry from the Boutique, Algotherm Dermo Ocean Spa, art sales and dance groups CD’s and DVD ’s are all excluded from the discount for onboard expenses.
(3)Onboard credit is NO-exchangeable, NO-refundable and NO-transferable. It is valid for all expenses on board (excursions included), once all eligible discounts have been applied. Onboard credit can be used on the Paul Gauguin and will be offered in the following equivalent US dollar amounts: $50 for MAJOR / $100 for ADMIRAL / $150 for GRAND ADMIRAL / $200 for COMMODORE. Not valid on pre-bookable and pre-payable tours, excursions or cruise programmes or for gratuities.
(4)Laundry service is free on board, with a limit of two items per day and per person for MAJOR members, and five items per day and per person for members with higher status.
(5)Complimentary upgrades offered on board, to a superior cabin category or to the same category on a superior deck, are based on availability, offered within a maximum of 48 hours after boarding and only for PONANT cruises.
(6)You may change your choice of contract free of charge on the cruise service for the first time, provided that the request is made at least 90 days before the original cruise departure date. The new departure date is within 6 months of the originally scheduled departure and the price of the new cruise service is equivalent to or higher than the original cruise service. Only one modification without fees is allowed every 12 months per person holding Grand Admiral or Commodore status, regardless of the cruise service involved. This modification results in the subscription of a new Contract, with no possibility of replacing or modifying the initially subscribed Contract. In the case of back-to-back cruises, please refer to the General Terms and Conditions of Sale.
(7)Dedicated phone line is only available for French-speaking COMMODORE, as well as Australian and New Zealand GRAND ADMIRAL and COMMODORE and only for PONANT cruises.
(8)Priority boarding is subject to availability and only applies to certain ports of embarkation and only for PONANT cruises.
Have you lost your PONANT Yacht Club card? You can make a request directly via our website by filling in the form on the Contact page and telling us that you have lost your card. We will send you your new PONANT Yacht Club card as soon as possible.