As Seatrade Cruise Global kicked off earlier this week in Miami Beach, FL, across the Atlantic Ocean, Navin Sawhney, CEO Americas, Ponant was boarding the new 245-passenger Le Commandant Charcot at Le Havre, France to witness the ship’s inaugural celebration.
As the 13th ship in the fleet and Ponant’s first "high polar" expedition ship, the new ship was celebrated in the same destination from which French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot departed from on his first expedition to Antarctica. In fact, Anne Manipoud-Charcot, the explorer’s great-granddaughter, attended the Le Havre ceremony.
Also celebrating the launch were: Hervé Gastinel, Ponant’s CEO; captains Etienne Garcia and Patrick Marchesseau; Chef Alain Ducasse; architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte; director Luc Jacquet; designer Jean-Philippe Nuel; and such Ponant partners as Vard shipyard, Stirling Design International, and Aker Arctic.
On Wednesday, Sawhney conducted a virtual press conference from the ship; plus, Travel Agent spoke with him one-on-one to learn more about Le Commandant Charcot, and to get his perspective on the “restart” of cruise operations, market trends and more.
New Ship Attributes
Designed to feel more akin to a yacht than a traditional cruise ship, Le Commandant Charcot offers 123 guest cabins. Most notably, the vessel is capable of reaching polar destinations formerly out of reach even to expedition ships. Those spots include the true geographic North Pole, Ross Sea, Weddell Sea and Pierre 1st Island.
But there are many onboard creature comforts, too. At two restaurants, gourmet cuisine will be prepared by French chefs taking inspiration from the destinations and ports of call. Menus are crafted by Chef Ducasse. Complimentary French wine is paired with all meals and an open bar format is offered on all itineraries. In addition, Ponant serves Veuve Clicquot Champagne as well as Ladurée macarons through exclusive partnerships.
Le Commandant Charcot also has a wellness area in partnership with Biologique Recherche; that includes a snow room, chilled to 14 degrees Fahrenheit and with fresh powder snow. The expedition ship will also feature an indoor swimming pool and heated blue lagoon baths.
In addition to the many hikes and Zodiac excursions already offered by Ponant, expeditions aboard Le Commandant Charcot will offer new activities. Outings in hovercraft or kayaks and tethered hot-air balloon rides will make it possible to admire Antarctic panoramas from sea, sky or land. Guests also will be offered the chance to dive in polar waters.
Sustainability and Seamanship
Sustainably designed with cutting-edge technology, the new expedition vessel is a Polar Class PC2 ship with a hybrid electric Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) propulsion system. It's also a Certified Cleanship by Bureau Veritas, and has the latest green technologies onboard including waste recycling and sewage management.
"The boldness of this project is not just about taking passengers to the far corners of the Arctic and the Antarctic,” said Gastinel. “It is about doing it safely and following the same values and principles of seamanship that move us.”
Gastinel continued: “Our values are first about respect for nature—this nature that is so dear to us, all the more knowing how much we owe the oceans and the fragile eco-systems we travel. Polar regions in particular deserve the highest respect and attention. We are committed to this mission every day and today ever more.”
Le Commandant Charcot is equipped with two scientific laboratories—a wet lab and a dry lab. Alliances formed with the scientific community mean the line can conduct research and experiments and involve guests in those projects, too. For example, guests can help set up a research station on an ice floe or deploy an Argos transmitter, a satellite-based system which collects and shares environmental data. The goal is to “transform their perspective on the world and truly awaken their sense of purpose,” explains Sawhney. “Those are things that set us apart.”
He tells Travel Agent that guests also increasingly desire to sail on a line that is committed to preserving destinations, both in terms of lessening carbon footprints but also in preserving flora and fauna. For many guests, it has become highly personal.
How so? Sawhney believes a voyage's ability to couple a sense of exploration, deeper discovery and eco-preservation is a powerful guest draw. In 2021 and beyond, "that's what personalization has come to mean," he says. "They all know about personalized service. That’s been around in hospitality for half a century, but how do you make it more personal?”
What truly resonates with Ponant's guests, he believes, is a cruise experience that helps them gain a deeper understanding of a destination and, in turn, helps them discover “my own purpose, my own responsibility.” That’s also helpful in attracting new-to-cruise or new-to-brand guests.
Ponant's Restart
On the restart front, Paul Gauguin began sailing in Tahiti waters last Saturday. Le Bellot, Le Lyrial and Le Dumont-D’Urville are now sailing as well. Le Commandant Charcot is departing for a repositioning journey to Antarctica.
“My expectation is that if things continue to progress the way they are, we should see all ships resume sailing by December, which would be very, very good” Sawhney notes. “Yet, we want to be cautious about it because you can’t get too far ahead,” pointing to what the industry has seen the last 20 months. “So, we’ll take it a step at a time.”
Ponant is seeing many experienced cruisers on its ships this fall. Some are Ponant loyalists, others are from other brands that offer a different type of voyage experience. Now, the new-to-brand guests "want to try a small-ship experience, try an expedition experience, try for an enriched experience," he says. "That’s what we’re seeing.”
In addition, right now "it’s good to see the advisors all enthused about everything—from training about new products and ships to doing promotions to bring in business for 2022 and 2023 including group business," he says.
One new option that’s peaked much advisor interest is Ponant’s Smithsonian Journeys, a new collection of 2022 sailings. He says that advisors can expect an announcement about the 2023 Smithsonian Journeys in a few weeks, likely by November.
Overall on the trade side, “I think it’s very encouraging to see the enthusiasm, the engagement of the advisors, their outreach to the client base and then the bookings begin to come in,” Sawhney stresses. “I see Smithsonian Journeys—our collaboration with them—as being a very strong part of it.”
In addition, he sees that consumers are seeking different content, different ways to experience a destination and doing that on a small ship. “That seems to have quite an appeal,” he says. "Our customer base has gradually changed and I think more so during the pandemic,” Sawhney adds. “People are traveling in a more purposeful way.” They’re looking for more meaning to their travel experience and a deeper understanding of the destination.”
Ponant’s small ships are "built to awaken a traveler’s sense of wonder," Sawhney says. He points to the Explorer-class ships’ Blue Eye Lounge below the water line.
Guests enjoy cocktails while watching marine life outside the ship via underwater portholes (in the shape of whale eyes). They’ll also hear and feel vibrations of marine life while comfortably seated, or view video of jellyfish on the lounge’s bar-backdrop wall.
Current Marketplace Challenges
Many destinations are Level 4 on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of countries. That level rating means a very high level of COVID-19 and that U.S. citizens should avoid travel to that country. Yet people still want to travel to those spots.
“That is a huge challenge,” Sawhney notes, also citing constantly changing entry requirements for border crossings, and the litany of travel steps that the individual traveler must take.
Right now, he is seeing guest feedback that's normal in terms of the ship or cruise experience. That said, what's different are guest comments about the difficulty of getting to and from the ship. While Sawhney understands that's pandemic-related, he believes governments and travel industry partners need to collaborate even more closely.
Travel Agent asked about his assessment of where the cruise industry stands in the pandemic—at the beginning, middle or end of that. His view?: “What matters more is we begin to learn to live with this because it doesn’t appear to be going away so quickly," he notes.
A Floating Way to Get There
Whether referring to the new Le Commandant Charcot or another cruise vessel, “the ship itself is not the destination," Sawhney believes. "It’s simply the best way to take you there and help you experience it.”
Ponant’s itineraries cover the globe and the new Le Commandant Charcot will take guests to even more spots. The ship's inaugural Antarctica season will include six new itineraries, ranging from 11 to 24 nights.
Following its Antarctica season, the ship (pictured above in Le Havre, France earlier this week) then will head north to the Arctic for the 2022 summer season and include departures to the true geographic North Pole.
What’s left for Ponant to add to its itinerary portfolio? “The only destination we don’t cover today is the Galapagos,” Sawhney notes, describing the Ecuadorian island chain as “a highly desirable destination.” While there are no plans now for that region, “yes, we’re always looking at new and different things and yes, the Galapagos would be a destination we would continue to look at in the future.”
What’s his favorite spot on any Ponant ship? He answers quickly: “Wherever I am, that’s my favorite spot. I think it’s the immediate connection to the destination. It is so pure. There’s almost nothing that that stands between one’s self and the destination.
For more information, visit us.ponant.com.
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