Travelers going to the Arctic or Antarctica who want the most capable polar ship with luxury touches.
Think twice if: Polar voyages are long and expensive, and she rarely sails ordinary European port itineraries.
See her Europe sailings ↓ · Where is she now? → · Ponant's page for this ship →
What she's like
Quiet and personal. Small enough for little harbours big ships can't use. About 116 tons of ship per guest. As a rule of thumb, 40 or more feels roomy and under 30 feels busy.
'The languages spoken on board are French and English.' Signage in French and English (French-owned line).
Our judgment, from $ (budget) to $$$$$ (ultra-luxury).
All meals; Open Bar (drinks free and unlimited from boarding, including minibar and room service; champagne included on Sisterships/Explorers); free Wi-Fi; port taxes; one included activity at each stop on all cruises; spa and fitness access.
No children under 1 year on Ponant Explorations cruises.
Casual-elegant; cocktail attire for gala evenings; white or black-and-white for the Officers' evening; no shorts at dinner in gourmet restaurants.
Where she sails in Europe
Svalbard/Arctic, Greenland, North Pole
LNG-hybrid PC2 icebreaker; Arctic summers.
We don't have her sailing-by-sailing schedule yet. See the line's site for dates.
What it costs beyond the fare
| Tips for the crew | EUR 10-12 average (discretionary) per person per day; Not added automatically |
|---|---|
| Drinks package | Included (Open Bar). |
| Wifi | Included (free Wi-Fi in cabins and public areas). |
| Specialty restaurants | Gourmet restaurant included (no surcharge stated). |
| Money on board | EUR (US dollar also accepted; bills shown in both). |
How tipping and money work on a European cruise → · Build a full trip budget →
Her restaurants · 2 included, 0 extra
| Where to eat | Cost |
|---|---|
| Gastronomic Restaurant (deck 5) | Included |
| Restaurant (deck 9) | Included |
Which cabin to book, and which to avoid
The line doesn't publish cabin sizes for this ship that we could find.
Good to know before you pick
- Deck 8 cabins sit directly under the Deck 9 restaurant, indoor pool, fitness and spa
- Deck 6 cabins sit above the Deck 5 public rooms (lounge, bar, restaurant)
- Deck 6 has the lower-deck balcony staterooms; decks 7 and 8 have the upper-deck balcony staterooms and suites, per the deck plan legend
If you use a wheelchair or walk with difficulty
Ponant's quote form offers an 'I need an accessible stateroom' option; no count of accessible staterooms is published on the ship page Only the Sisterships and PONANT Explorers can accommodate reduced mobility (detail truncated); tender/Zodiac policy not published. Our accessibility guide →
Find your way around
Our own deck plans, drawn from the line's official plan: tap a deck to see it from above, with what's at the front, middle and back of the ship. Use “Find on board” to light up every deck with a pool, a bar or a restaurant. Not to scale.
- Deck 9 , Blue Lagoon; Bar; Restaurant; Indoor Pool; Detox Bar; Fitness; Spa; Observatory Lounge; Snow Room; Library; Bar (forward)
- Deck 8 , Bridge
- Deck 7 , Cabins
- Deck 6 , Conference Room; Cabins
- Deck 5 , Aft bridge; Promenade Deck; Gastronomic Restaurant; Reception Desk; Studio PONANT; Shop; Travel Ambassador Desk; Bar; Cigar Lounge; Main Lounge; Theatre
- Deck 3 , Expedition Room
What to book, and when
Booking, check-in and reservations
Pay a deposit or full balance online. Optional paid excursions charged onboard; cancellable up to 48 hours before.
Paying and cancelling
not published (FAQ links to separate policy).
Tips for her Europe sailings
French-English bilingual atmosphere; prices onboard in euros.
The ship in numbers
- Cruise line
- Ponant
- Kind of ship
- Expedition
- Built
- 2021
- Guests
- 270
- Crew
- 215
- Cabins
- 123
- Guest decks
- 5
- Gross tons
- 31,283
- Length
- 150 m (492 ft)
- Width
- 28 m (92 ft)
- Flag
- Wallis and Futuna (French territory)
- Class
- One-of-a-kind polar exploration ship (Polar Class 2)
- Ship number
- IMO 9846249
- In Europe 2026–27
- Svalbard/Arctic, Greenland, North Pole
Highlights
- First hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), per Ponant
- Polar Class 2 icebreaker that can reach the North Pole and deep Antarctica
- Deck 9 wellness area with indoor pool, Blue Lagoon, Snow Room and Detox Bar
- 245 guests, 215 crew, nearly one crew member per guest
- Drinks are included on board (champagnes, wines, spirits, beers, cocktails, soft drinks), per Ponant's inclusions list
More pictures
Sources & what we could not confirm · 5 sources · checked 2026-11
- Ponant: Le Commandant Charcot ship page (specs, deck plan, capacities)
- Ponant, fleet overview
- VesselFinder: Le Commandant Charcot (IMO 9846249)
- Ponant FAQ (US)
- Le Commandant Charcot deck plan SVGs (cc_deck-3, 5-9) embedded in the Ponant ship pages
- Ponant's site lists the flag as 'French'; VesselFinder shows the registry as Wallis and Futuna (French territory)
- Official length 150 m / beam 28 m; VesselFinder lists 151 / 32 m
- Restaurant names (e.g. Nuna, Sila) appear in Ponant site data but not in the visible page text, so generic names are used
- Ponant: Cancellation schedule
- Ponant: Accessibility detail
- Ponant: Nationality mix (French guests often a majority, not stated by line)
- Deck plan: Elevator positions not labelled
- Deck plan: No Deck 4 file found on the page