IT IS not often you can walk around a vessel thinking that you own it – but this was the case when I boarded Ponant’s L’Austral last week in Hong Kong. My dreams of owning it had less to do with ego and more to do with the fact you...
IT IS not often you can walk around a vessel thinking that you own it – but this was the case when I boarded Ponant’s L’Austral last week in Hong Kong.
My dreams of owning it had less to do with ego and more to do with the fact you feel like you don’t have to share your experiences with hordes of passengers; it is so well designed.
More like a private yacht than a cruise ship, this very sexy, chic and modern expedition ship was balanced perfectly.
Intimate pockets of space entice you to flop and drop into your own world, but around the corner a small gathering of well-travelled cruisers surround a stylish bar – but not in a snobbish way; more in a celebration of shared experiences.
Imagine a minimalist French boutique hotel in which you can open the door and step out into the remotest parts of the world, and you have Ponant – and that is only the hardware.
The crew were happy, close and knew their roles well. Quite often their roles are intertwined as there is no ‘passing the buck’ here – with average crowds of 250 or less, your requests are dealt with immediately.
With so many cruise lines trying hard to differentiate from one another it is important an agent understands the differences. Ponant doesn’t have to try hard to be different…it’s in their DNA.
