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Ponant Cruises

Le Commandant Charcot

Small ship Bliss scored

The 245-guest Le Commandant Charcot debuted in July 2021 as the latest luxury expedition ship from Ponant traveling to the Arctic and Antarctica.

  • 270guests
  • 31,757gross tons
  • 34cruises now
  • $11,260fares from

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A reindeer seen on a Ponant polar expedition to the arctic.

At a glance

Le Commandant Charcot is a small-size cruise ship operated by Ponant Cruises, in service since 2021. It carries 270 guests and 235 crew (1.1 guests per crew member) at 31,757 gross tons. It is the largest of 12 Ponant Cruises ships by guest capacity. On Cruiseable's Bliss scale it scores highest for active and adventure & nature (10/10) and lowest for entertainment, family friendly and party (5/10). It is rated 4.5 out of 5 by Cruiseable and 4.5 out of 5 by Cruise Critic. It has 34 cruises on sale, with lead fares from $11,260 to $75,490.

Builder's plate

Specs

Cruiseable
4.5 / 5
Cruise Critic
4.5 / 5
Guests
270
Crew
235
Gross tons
31,757
Decks
9
Length
492 ft
Beam
92 ft
Maiden voyage
2021
Space ratio
1.1
Gross tons per guest
Guests per crew
1.1
Cabins
135
IMO
9846249

Bliss scores

What Le Commandant Charcot is best at

Ten dimensions scored by our editors on a 10-point scale. The Cruiseable app ranks every cruise against the mix you care about.

  1. Active 10.0
  2. Adventure and nature 10.0
  3. Cultural 7.0
  4. Dining 8.0
  5. Entertainment 5.0
  6. Family friendly 5.0
  7. Party 5.0
  8. Romantic 7.0
  9. Spa and fitness 6.0
  10. Staterooms 7.0

Our review

Le Commandant Charcot: Explore the polar regions in style

Le Commandant Charcot debuted in 2021 as the latest luxury polar expedition ship from Ponant. The ship travels to the North Pole, Antarctica and other polar climes with up to 245 guests and 215 crew members, offering one of the best passenger-to-crew ratios at sea. 

Guests follow in the footsteps of the great polar explorers — though hardly in the same rough conditions. Passengers on Le Commandant Charcot are surrounded by refined stylings and luxury services. 

The ship sports an indoor swimming pool, conservatory, panoramic restaurant, the Blue Lagoon outdoor restaurant, Main Lounge and Observation Lounge, all with a French flair. 
To boot, it's powered by the first hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by LNG, minimizing the ship's impact on the environment. 

Who sails on Le Commandant Charcot

The ship appeals to an international cohort of guests who enjoy high-end cruising on a small ship. Ponant offers bilingual (French and English) sailings that carry about 45 percent French speakers and the rest typically come from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Belgium, China and Japan.

Where Le Commandant Charcot sails

Le Commandant Charcot sails to some of the world's most remote regions: the Geographic North Pole, Northeast Greenland's National Park, circumnavigation of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway and Antarctica and the Larsen Ice Shelf.

 

Read the full review

Dining

An essential component of French culture, fine cuisine naturally is a centerpiece of a sailing on Le Commandant Charcot. Restaurants include:

  • Restaurant Nuna (the earth): On deck 5, you'll find a 5,200-square-foot gourmet restaurant that can accommodate all passengers in a single service for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
  • Restaurant Sila (the sky): For a more casual atmosphere, this venue on deck 9 (outside or inside) welcomes you for breakfast, buffet lunches and themed dinners. 
  • Inneq (the fire): At this open-air bar on deck 9, you can enjoy a varied and refined range of international sweet and savory dishes throughout the day as well as a fixed menu. 

Public areas

Le Commandant Charcot features a wide array of spaces for entertainment, including a  heated indoor swimming pool with a skylight, the Detox bar with sofas and armchairs, an  outdoor heated lagoon, a giant firepit to help you enjoy the polar landscapes in comfort and the outdoor Blue Lagoon bar, open from 11 am to 6 pm. The outside promenade deck wraps around the ship and comes with heated benches and two Swarovski Optik telescopes.

Indoors, the Kita Theatre seats 270 persons and features cutting-edge audio and lighting technology and high-resolution LED screens. Guests can sip cocktails and mingle in the 3,369-square-foot main lounge on deck 5, or they can hear live music at  the Observation Lounge or the tea room.

Wellness Lounge

The Wellness Lounge (called Nuan for wellness or happiness) on deck 9 features the following:

  • 4,630 square feet dedicated to wellness
  • Spa Biologique Recherche: three massage and beauty cubicles (including one double cubicle with sea view), a nail salon, two lounges with sea view to to wait or relax after a session
  • A hair salon with Davines products
  • A sauna (Ikuma - the burning heat)
  • A snow room (Siku - the ice), a fun and invigorating snow bath you can try out after leaving the sauna
  • Gym with sea view and Technogym machines (elliptical trainers, three treadmills, exercise bikes, rowing machine) and a dedicated coach
  • A heated indoor swimming pool (Imaq - sea water) with countercurrent swimming and a superb skylight thanks to its large glass roof
  • A sunroom with large external-facing windows

Staterooms

On board guests can choose from 135 suites and staterooms ranging in size from 215 to 1,240 square feet. Each room has a private balcony or terrace. At the rear of decks 6 and 7 are four stunning 1,011-square-foot split-level suites equipped with private terraces and Jacuzzis. The 1,237-square-foot Owner's Suite (Suite de l’Armateur) on deck 8 features wide sliding glass doors with stunning panoramic views and opening out onto a large 1,937-square-foot private terrace.

Fun facts

  • Each expedition ship in the Ponant fleet pays homage to a famous French explorer — in this case, it's named for Jean-Baptiste Charcot, who led the first French expedition to Antarctica.
  • Le Commandant Charcot is the first hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by liquefied natural gas.

Your take

How about you? Are you planning to cruise on one of Ponant's new luxury expedition yachts? Let us know!

Interested in a cruise on this ship?

If you're interested in a cruise on Le Commandant Charcot, contact a Cruiseable travel advisor at 1-877-322-3773 or by email. You'll usually get a better deal than you can get by contacting the cruise line directly.

SEE ALL LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT SAILINGS

On board highlights

Photos

Inside and out

Destinations 3

  • Penguins in Paradise Bay during a Ponant sailing to Antarctica.
    Penguins in Paradise Bay during a Ponant sailing to Antarctica.
  • A whale tail seen during a Ponant sailing to Antarctica.
    A whale tail seen during a Ponant sailing to Antarctica.

Dining 2

  • The main dining venue on Le Commandant Charcot.
    The main dining venue on Le Commandant Charcot.
  • Dining is a gastronomical experience on Ponant voyages.
    Dining is a gastronomical experience on Ponant voyages.

On board 1

  • The spa aboard Le Commandant Charcot.
    The spa aboard Le Commandant Charcot.

Staterooms 1

  • The living room of an Owner’s Suite on Le Commandant Charcot.
    The living room of an Owner’s Suite on Le Commandant Charcot.

More photos 6

  • A reindeer seen on a Ponant polar expedition to the arctic.
    A reindeer seen on a Ponant polar expedition to the arctic.
  • Le Commandant Charcot sails through the waters off the coast of Greenland.
    Le Commandant Charcot sails through the waters off the coast of Greenland.
  • Le Commandant Charcot sails through the waters of a glacier during a polar expedition.
    Le Commandant Charcot sails through the waters of a glacier during a polar expedition.
  • Polar bears seen on a Ponant expedition sailing to the arctic.
    Polar bears seen on a Ponant expedition sailing to the arctic.
  • A penguin stands guardian as a Ponant expedition Zodiac passes by in Antarctica.
    A penguin stands guardian as a Ponant expedition Zodiac passes by in Antarctica.
  • An aurora borealis seen off Victoria Island during a Ponant cruise.
    An aurora borealis seen off Victoria Island during a Ponant cruise.

Sailing now

Cruises on Le Commandant Charcot

Plan my cruise
  1. 16 Night Polar Odyssey between Northeast Greenland and Spitsbergen 16 nights · from Reykjavik Next Sep 28, 2026 from $33,670
  2. 10 Night Polar Nights From the North Cape to Spitsbergen 10 nights · from Tromso Next Oct 14, 2026 Fare on request
  3. 8 Night Polar Lights From North Cape to the Lofoten Islands 8 nights · from Tromso Next Oct 24, 2026 from $15,970
  4. 13 Night Autumn Splendors From Lofoten to the Norwegian Fjords 13 nights · from Narvik Next Nov 1, 2026 from $18,180
  5. 10 Night From the North Sea to the Baltic 10 nights · from Bergen Next Nov 14, 2026 from $12,510
  6. 9 Night Baltic Bliss and Winter Wonders 9 nights · from Helsinki Next Nov 24, 2026 2 dates from $11,260
  7. 9 Night Gautier Capucons Baltic Symphony at Sea 9 nights · from Helsinki Next Dec 3, 2026 from $14,700
  8. 8 Night The Gulf of Bothnia At the Gateway to the Arctic 8 nights · from Helsinki Next Dec 22, 2026 2 dates from $12,500
  9. 8 Night The Gulf of Bothnia At the Gateway to the Arctic 8 nights · from Kemi Next Dec 30, 2026 2 dates from $13,800
  10. 10 Night Jazz Festival from the Baltic to the North Sea 10 nights · from Helsinki Next Jan 23, 2027 from $14,510
  11. 11 Night Ocean Voyage Bergen to Montreal 11 nights · from Bergen Next Feb 2, 2027 from $12,390
  12. 14 Night The St. Lawrence River in the Heart of the Boreal Winter 14 nights · from Montreal Next Feb 13, 2027 2 dates from $26,350
Show 22 more
  1. 14 Night From the St. Lawrence to Greenland the Last Moments of Winter 14 nights · from Montreal Next Mar 13, 2027 from $24,400
  2. 8 Night Arctic Spring A Journey through Ice and Inuit Culture 8 nights · from Nuuk Next Mar 27, 2027 from $21,080
  3. 12 Night Encounter with the Last Guardians of the North Pole 12 nights · from Nuuk Next Apr 4, 2027 from $20,650
  4. 12 Night Beyond the Inhabited World 12 nights · from Nuuk Next Apr 16, 2027 from $25,800
  5. 15 Night Disko Bay Meeting the Inuit and Discovering the Unknown 15 nights · from Nuuk Next Apr 28, 2027 from $28,040
  6. 10 Night Inuit Spring of Ammassalik 10 nights · from Reykjavik Next May 15, 2027 from $26,160
  7. 14 Night Northeast Greenlands Unexplored Sea Ice 14 nights · from Reykjavik Next May 25, 2027 from $39,410
  8. 16 Night In the Ice of the Arctic from Greenland to Svalbard 16 nights · from Reykjavik Next Jun 8, 2027 from $43,830
  9. 16 Night In the Ice of the Arctic from Svalbard to Greenland 16 nights · from Longyearbyen Next Jun 24, 2027 from $40,260
  10. 17 Night Geographic North Pole and the East Coast of Greenland 17 nights · from Reykjavik Next Jul 10, 2027 from $60,270
  11. 12 Night The Geographic North Pole 12 nights · from Longyearbyen Next Jul 27, 2027 4 dates from $41,260
  12. 17 Night Geographic North Pole and the East Coast of Greenland 17 nights · from Longyearbyen Next Sep 13, 2027 from $53,940
  13. 12 Night Setting Sail for the Ice of the Mythical Weddell Sea 12 nights · from Ushuaia Next Oct 27, 2027 6 dates from $28,090
  14. 14 Night Beyond the Antarctic Circle In the Wake of Jean Baptiste Charcot 14 nights · from Ushuaia Next Dec 2, 2027 3 dates from $29,890
  15. 28 Night Unexplored Western Antarctica Between Two Continents 28 nights · from Ushuaia Next Jan 11, 2028 from $75,490
  16. 18 Night At the Edge of the High Arctic 18 nights · from Nuuk Next May 4, 2028 Fare on request
  17. 15 Night Disko Bay Meeting the Inuit and Discovering the Unknown 15 nights · from Nuuk Next May 22, 2028 from $27,460
  18. 10 Night Northeast Greenlands Unexplored Sea Ice 10 nights · from Reykjavik Next Jun 6, 2028 2 dates from $23,050
  19. 16 Night Geographic North Pole and the East Coast of Greenland 16 nights · from Reykjavik Next Jun 26, 2028 from $55,400
  20. 12 Night The Geographic North Pole 12 nights · from Longyearbyen Next Jul 12, 2028 5 dates from $39,640
  21. 18 Night The Geographic North Pole and Exploration of Northern Greenland 18 nights · from Longyearbyen Next Sep 22, 2028 from $58,470
  22. 12 Night The Weddell Sea and Larsen Ice Shelf 12 nights · from Ushuaia Next Dec 16, 2028 from $28,090

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