Cruise Critic Names PONANT “Best in the Arctic” for 2023

We at PONANT could not be prouder to have been named the “Best in the Arctic” in the Expedition category by the editors of Cruise Critic, an industry-standard online cruise resource trusted by 1.9 million travelers. We’re excited to be building on these accolades, with much more polar exploration and discovery ahead in the coming years.

When we began our luxury expeditions in the Arctic over 20 years ago, we strove to revolutionize what polar exploration could be. Since then, we’ve broken ground with our pioneering luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot, the only ship of its kind in the world; provided an onboard laboratory for scientists from multiple disciplines to advance our knowledge and share their findings with a global scientific community; and developed innovative, never-before-seen itineraries to destinations that traditional ships could only dream of visiting. 

Never known to sit on our laurels, we see this award as an opportunity to take stock of how far we’ve advanced polar exploration, and where we plan to go from here.

Le Commandant Charcot: A Blueprint for Further Discoveries

When we launched Le Commandant Charcot in 2021 it was certainly a ship of absolutes – absolute luxury, absolutely clean and sustainable, and absolutely equipped for extravagant adventure.

She is the very first hybrid electric polar expedition ship, and – fitted with a Polar Class 2 hull – the only luxury icebreaker in the world. She boasts safe and low-impact navigation systems. She recycles energy to heat an outdoor pool and sitting benches on the promenade deck. She runs on liquid natural gas. Simply put, she is the most eco-friendly ship on the seas. Read more about her incredible technological advancements here.

To have incorporated such luxury into a ship designed for harsh environments was no small feat. World-class kitchens that create gastronomic masterpieces, dining rooms that are the peak of excellence, a full-service spa, state-of-the-art staterooms, hi-tech theaters. Thanks to our brilliant ship architects, it all wove together seamlessly.

Our Director of New Construction, Mathieu Petiteau, remembers the birth of Le Commandant Charcot well. “We had to imagine, develop, and design everything from A to Z,” he says. “No ship like her had ever seen the light of day. Going to such privileged environments at such a high level while limiting our impact was an absolute necessity.”

Expanding Your Access to Scientific Inquiry

Scientific study plays a central role in all of our Arctic expeditions. Envisioned from the start as a ship of opportunity, Le Commandant Charcot boasts one wet laboratory and one dry laboratory, each equipped to the standards of international oceanographic fleets. These facilities help us foster close partnerships with renowned scientists on a global scale. By studying polar ecosystems more intimately, they hope to not only further our understanding, but affect the environmental policies of governments, too.

Onboard scientists do more than take samples of ecosystems. Because we journey the same routes, sometimes for many consecutive weeks, they can observe trends that tell a more complete story about marine biology, climate, hydrology, and other fields. And, because Le Commandant Charcot can slice through polar ice, we can access remote corners of ice-covered bays that no scientist (or traveler!) has ever observed. What’s more, we constantly measure atmospheric, oceanographic, and ice conditions; we then share that data with the international scientific community in real time.

To move the needle on oceanographic studies even further, PONANT began an alliance with The Explorers Club last year. Brilliant scientists who have joined The Explorers Club ranks of Jacques Cousteau, Buzz Aldrin, and Sylvia Earle will join select sailings and continue to illuminate our understanding of the polar regions for years to come.

Best of all, PONANT actively engages our travelers in marine and polar research. Those who choose to contribute help to collect samples of sea water, plankton, and other elements while on excursions. Samples are delivered to the lab on board, where they provide scientists data about the environment’s health. Researchers then share their finding with guests during lectures and informal talks.

Going Where No Cruise Has Gone Before

Our Arctic itineraries are second to none. Aboard a ship purpose-built for navigating the globe’s icy reaches, and with a captain and crew intimately familiar with them, we’ve shown PONANT guests magnificent coasts and seldom-traversed waterways, from Greenland and Svalbard to Iceland and the northern shores of Alaska. 

Le Commandant Charcot will take you even farther in 2024, 2025, and beyond. We’ll be spending winter months along the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, exploring the fragile biomes of the waterway at a time of year when no other ships can access such icy waters. We’ll head out in search of both the geographic and magnetic North Poles. And we’ll become the first cruise company to make a full trans-Arctic crossing from Svalbard to Nome, Alaska.

Are we thrilled to be named “Best in the Arctic” by the editors of Cruise Critic? Of course! And we’re even more excited about the expeditions to come. We hope to see you soon.

Join us so you can see why we were named “Best in the Arctic” in the Expedition category by Cruise Critic.