Le Commandant Charcot, Ponant's first luxury hybrid electric polar exploration ship, is the ultimate of responsible and ecological sailing. Her expertise is in safe and low-impact polar navigation, utilizing cutting-edge technologies and solutions to make it one of the most modern polar vessels at sea today.
Launched in Sept 2021, Le Commandant Charcot is a 245 capacity icebreaker operated by the Compagnie du Ponant. This Polar Class 2 icebreaker capable of reaching the Geographic North Pole has an LNG-powered hybrid power plant and 5 MWh electric batteries that may short drive the ship without engines.
20m² and a 5m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower, dressing table with hairdryer, flat-screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe
Prestige Stateroom Deck 7
20m² and a 5m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower, dressing table with hairdryer, flat screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe
Prestige Stateroom Deck 8
20m² and a 5m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower, dressing table with hairdryer, flat screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe
Deluxe Suite Deck 6
28m² and a 5m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower, dressing table with hairdryer, flat-screen tv, wifi, minibar, and safe
Deluxe Suite Deck 7
28m² and a 5m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower, dressing table with hairdryer, flat-screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe.
Deluxe Suite Deck 8
28m² and a 5m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower, dressing table with hairdryer, flat-screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe.
Prestige Suite Deck 7
40m² and a 10m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with two showers, dressing table with hairdryer, flat screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe
Prestige Suite Deck 8
40m² and a 10m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with two showers, dressing table with hairdryer, flat screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe
Grand Prestige Suite
42m² and a 12.5m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower and Balneo bathtub, dressing table with hairdryer, butler service, flat screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe
Privilege Suite
48m² and a 12.5m² private balcony, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower and Balneo bathtub, dressing table with hairdryer, butler service, flat screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe
Suite Duplex
48m² and a 26m² private balcony with jacuzzi, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower and Balneo bathtub, dressing table with hairdryer, butler service, flat screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe
Owner's Suite
114m² and a 186m² private balcony with jacuzzi, king-sized bed or two twin beds, private bathroom with shower and Balneo bathtub, dressing table with hairdryer, butler service, flat screen tv, wifi, minibar and safe
Deckplan
Dining
Fine dining onboard Le Commandant Charcot is reimagined in partnership with Ducasse Conseil, bringing menus designed by the Michelin-starred chef himself, as well as famous dishes served in his restaurant.
All guests are invited to dine in style at the Panoramic Restaurant at a single sitting. For a more laid-back dining experience, head to the Blue Lagoon Restaurant, which has both indoor and outdoor seating and serves breakfast, buffet lunches, and themed dinners.
Onboard Amenities
Ponant's Le Commandant Charcot has never-before-seen areas in its fleet, created and fitted out to meet all your demands while maintaining privacy for each guest. Two prominent French architectural firms, Studio Jean-Philippe Nuel and Wilmotte & Associés, were hired to design them. Some of them have Inuit names as a reminder of their strong connection to this interesting culture.
At the back of the ship on Deck 9 lies the Blue Lagoon, an infinity-style heated pool with a giant fire pit. In some of the world's coldest areas, heated seats keep passengers toasty warm and comfortable. The front observation lounge overlooks the helipad, where the expedition and scientific teams use a single four-passenger helicopter to assess landing places and facilitate research.
The spa, Nuan, has treatment rooms, a hair and nail salon, a sauna with sea views, and even a snow room. There is an indoor pool, leisure room, and detox bar in the adjoining winter garden, Imaq (Inuit for water).
Kita, the enormous theatre on deck 5, can accommodate all 245 passengers, though Antarctica expeditions are limited to 200. The main lounge includes a sophisticated steam fire and an extensive drink list for an evening aperitif.
A range of leisure activities is available to passengers, such as kayaking, hot air ballooning, dog sledding, ice fishing, hovercrafts, and even polar diving. Guests can also go hiking and snowmobiling.
Kate was great to work with in the planning stage. She was prompt, helpful, and efficient. Our tour guide, Edwin, was knowledgeable and passionate. We were very happy to have traveled with Adventure Life, it made the trip easy and a true pleasure. We could concentrate on enjoying the experience rather than the details of travel.
Lisa Bridge
TrustScore 4.8 | 175 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 175 reviews on
1 day ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
3 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
4 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.