Latest news with #LeCommandantCharcot
TTG
19-05-2025
- TTG
Everything you need to know about Ponant Explorations' luxury icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot
Charlotte Cullinan When designing Le Commandant Charcot, Ponant Explorations set out to create a vessel that could venture further afield, to places where 'few others dare to go'. The ship is capable of sailing to some of the planet's most inaccessible regions, helmed by seasoned captains with extensive expertise in ice navigation. In the Arctic, its destinations include the North Pole, and it is one of the few passenger vessels in the world capable of reaching 90° North Greenland. Its programme also includes a trans-arctic between two of the four north poles, and Antarctica, including the Weddell Sea and Antarctic Peninsula. Facilities and excursions Onboard guests enjoy an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, conservatory, panoramic restaurant, Main Lounge, Observation Lounge and lobby. Each shared space has been designed to convey discreet French-style luxury, with a focus on natural light and open spaces, which let the extraordinary polar landscapes take centre stage. When they leave the ship, customers are immersed in polar experiences such as kayaking, snowshoeing, polar plunges, zodiac excursions and dog sledding, which vary by the cruise and itinerary. Suites and staterooms Carrying up to 245 guests, Le Commandant Charcot boasts 123 suites and staterooms, each boasting a private balcony or terrace, meaning your customers will feel as though they are sailing on a private yacht. The aft of decks six and seven feature four 94-square-meter, split-level suites with private terraces and Jacuzzis. On deck eight, the 115-square-metre Suite de l'Armateur (Shipowner's Suite) offers panoramic views through expansive sliding glass doors that open onto a 186-square-metre private terrace. Culinary excellence This is also the only vessel to feature a gastronomic restaurant curated by Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse, meaning your clients can have an exquisite dining experience in the heart of the polar regions. The menu features healthy, refined and elegant dishes, while a second restaurant and a grill also serve wholesome, gourmet fare. Environmental stewardship This hybrid-electric polar exploration vessel is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), meaning it excels in safe and low-impact polar navigation. Le Commandant Charcot is the world's first passenger ship with a Polar Class 2 (PC2) ice-strengthened hull, allowing it to navigate drifting sea ice and reach the most remote and isolated regions, when conditions permit. Protecting polar ecosystems and coastal sea ice remains a top priority for the team, who focus on more responsible exploration, which they believe hinges on 'expertise, innovation, humility before nature, collaboration with local communities and a commitment to minimal environmental impact.'
Telegraph
22-02-2025
- Telegraph
The secret to visiting the most enigmatic region on Earth
In September 2024, Le Commandant Charcot, bearing a complement of excited passengers, nudged through pack-ice to become the first cruiseship to reach the North Pole of Inaccessibility, the remotest point in the Arctic Ocean from land. Three days later, she reached the geographic North Pole. That they penetrated so far in five-star luxury, a far cry from the hardships endured by explorers such as Roald Amundsen and Sir John Franklin, might diminish the Arctic's chiselled aura of remoteness. As do rising sea temperatures, which are reshaping its geography and accessibility. By 2024 the Arctic Ocean's sea-ice coverage had reached a historic low by extent. Yet this evolution of the icescapes and wild tundra above the Arctic Circle – outside of out-of-bounds Russia, which encompasses half the region – have opened new doors to opportunities to explore it. Just a few decades ago, the centre of attention was Sweden's Icehotel, first conceived in 1989, and a Christmas wishlist to visit Santa in Lapland. Now, there are wildlife cruises to see polar bears in the increasingly popular Svalbard archipelago and Astro-tourism is booming, driven by the sunspot phenomena Solar Cycle 25, which will yield wondrous northern lights sightings well into winter 2025/26. You can dogsled with the Inuit and learn their secrets of survival – ' coolcations ' also offer ever more unique and remote accommodation immersed in the wilderness.
