Ponant has announced its new winter 2024-25 itineraries to Central America, Greenland, Scandinavia and beyond 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 is offering an 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. Lecturer and guide Jonathan Shackleton, a descendant of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, and the historian Lucy Scott, the great granddaughter of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, will be onboard to regale guests with stories of their ancestors’ Antarctic exploits. The 21-night journey (February 16 to March 9, 2025) is primed for wildlife lovers and aspiring marine biologists, with stops at Cape Adare, home to the world’s largest colony of Adélie penguins; Macquarie Island, a breeding place for over 3.5 million seabirds; and the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand, brimming with Snares crested penguins, fur seals, 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 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 aboard Le Commandant Charcot. 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 to April 5, 2025), will visit Greenland’s 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.
New Itineraries Aboard Le Commandant Charcot
For the first time, Le Commandant Charcot will sail around Scandinavia during the late-fall and winter months. The “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 peaks of the Lofoten archipelago, bringing the country’s deep-blue fjords, sandy coves, and alpine summits into sharp focus. Additionally, the 10-day “Scandinavian Wonderland & Christmas Markets” itinerary (December 2-11 or December 11-20), will whisk guests to cities along the Baltic Sea including Stockholm, Gotland, Gdansk and Helsinki. Guests will also have the opportunity to meet 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 offer four ice-breaking voyages aboard Le Commandant Charcot through Canada’s St. Lawrence River. The 13-day explorations will combine sub-zero adventures such as 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.
Paul Gauguin Cruises’ 2025 Boutique Crossings Collection
Paul Gauguin Cruises’ trio of Boutique Crossing Collections voyages for 2025 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 to Lautoka 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.
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