Ponant

Ponant is a French expedition cruise line, founded in 1988 and owned since 2015 by Artémis, the Pinault family's holding company.¹ In Antarctica it sails mid-size luxury ships with an open bar and with flights from Buenos Aires built into the fare. It says those ships carry no more than 200 guests on Antarctic departures.⁴ Its icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, adds the Geographic North Pole and the deep Weddell Sea to the program, at a much higher nightly price.

Who owns Ponant, and which ships sail to Antarctica?

Ponant is the historical brand of PONANT Explorations Group, which Artémis owns and which also runs Paul Gauguin Cruises and Aqua Expeditions. The group counts 19 ships, each with 6 to 165 staterooms.¹ The company joined the shipping group CMA CGM and moved to Marseille in 2004, then joined Artémis in 2015. In 2021 Le Commandant Charcot became the first French ship to reach the Geographic North Pole.¹ Ponant belongs to IAATO, the Antarctic tour operators' association, whose member directory files it under ships carrying fewer than 200 passengers.² It is also a full member of AECO, the Arctic equivalent.³

Four ships carry the 2026-27 Antarctic program, and Le Commandant Charcot is not one of them:

Charcot's next Antarctic season starts on October 27, 2027, with 12-night Weddell Sea voyages from Ushuaia.⁹¹⁷

How much does a Ponant Antarctica cruise cost?

The lowest 2026-27 Ponant Antarctic fare still on sale when we checked, on October 14, 2026, was $16,850 per person for Emblematic Antarctica on Le Boréal, departing December 10, 2026. That buys 10 nights on board plus a hotel night and return flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, about $1,685 per night.⁶ Longer voyages cost less per night, and Le Commandant Charcot costs much more:

All fares are per person, double occupancy, include the PONANT Bonus discount and were read on October 14, 2026 and rechecked on October 15, 2026. Each is the cheapest cabin category still on sale for that voyage, which is not always the fare Ponant advertises.⁶ The per-night column is our arithmetic: fare divided by nights on board. The Ross Sea row uses the lower deck balcony fare because the $32,320 window staterooms were sold out.⁸ Ponant advertises the North Pole voyage from $43,580, but that category was sold out on both August departures.¹⁰²² None of these voyages can be booked online: each page offers a quote request instead.⁶⁷⁸⁹¹⁰

Two things move these numbers. The PONANT Bonus is an early-booking discount of up to 30% that shrinks as a cruise fills, so fares rise as departures sell.¹¹ The headline "from" price can also be a sold-out cabin. On the November 18, 2026 Emblematic Antarctica departure, the $18,700 window staterooms were gone and the cheapest bookable cabin was a $19,940 balcony.¹² Budget from the first category without a "Sold out" label, and see our Antarctica trip cost guide for flights, insurance and tips on top.

What is included in a Ponant expedition cruise?

Ponant fares include full board, all drinks except premium à la carte bottles, 24-hour room service, unlimited onboard internet, port charges and national park fees. Expedition voyages add one included activity per person per day, such as Zodiac outings and walks led by naturalist guides.¹² The 2026-27 Peninsula voyages bundle a five-star hotel night in Buenos Aires and economy flights to and from Ushuaia.¹² Charcot's Antarctic voyages swap that for a hotel night in Santiago, Chile, and economy flights between Santiago and Ushuaia.⁹ A water-resistant parka is given on expedition departures, and adults can rent rubber boots on board.¹²

The main extras on the three sister ships:

• Sea kayaking costs €350 per participant for one 1.5-hour session, with at most 20 kayakers per voyage, and is open to adults and to teenagers 16 or older with a parent.¹² On Le Commandant Charcot, kayaking is included.¹²
• The polar plunge is included, but you must bring a paper electrocardiogram (EKG) less than a year old.¹²
• Insurance: Ponant urges full medical and evacuation cover because you are far from hospitals.¹²

Almost every cabin has a balcony. On L'Austral, Le Boréal, Le Lyrial and Le Soléal, the exceptions are seven cabins on deck 3, which have a porthole or a large square window.¹³ Every cabin on Le Commandant Charcot has a balcony or terrace.¹³ Our balcony guide covers whether that is worth paying for.

How many guests go ashore at once on a Ponant landing?

At most 100 guests can be ashore at once at the busiest Peninsula sites, so a 200-guest Ponant ship lands in two groups. The Antarctic Treaty site guidelines for Petermann Island cap visitors ashore at 100 at a time, with one guide for every 20.¹⁴ They also allow no more than three ships a day, of which at most two may carry over 200 passengers.¹⁴ The guidelines for Whalers Bay on Deception Island use the same limits.¹⁵ If the ship's time at a site is split evenly, two groups means each guest spends about half of it ashore, against about a third on a ship that lands three groups (our arithmetic).

Ponant's terms of sale back up its 200-guest figure. They set the passenger capacity of L'Austral, Le Boréal, Le Lyrial and Le Soléal at 200 on expedition programs, against 244 to 264 on other cruises, and Le Commandant Charcot's at 200 in the Southern Hemisphere.²⁰²¹ The IAATO vessel directory lists the ships' full capacities instead: 264 for L'Austral, Le Boréal and Le Lyrial, and 270 for Le Commandant Charcot.¹⁶ In Antarctica, count on 200 fellow guests at most. On expedition cruises Ponant carries about 10 naturalist guides, and about twice that on Le Commandant Charcot.¹³

Does Ponant go to the Arctic and the North Pole?

Yes. In summer 2027 Le Commandant Charcot sails four 12-night round trips from Longyearbyen in Svalbard to the Geographic North Pole, departing July 27 (sold out), August 8, August 20 and September 1.¹⁰ Ponant advertises them from $43,580 per person, including return flights between Paris and Longyearbyen, but the cheapest cabin still on sale when we checked was $44,370, on August 8 and August 20.¹⁰²² The ship also links Svalbard and Iceland by way of northeast Greenland in June and July 2027, with cabins on sale from $40,260 (Longyearbyen to Reykjavík, June 24) and $46,750 (Reykjavík to Longyearbyen, June 8).²⁵²³ Two 17-night voyages combine the Pole with the east coast of Greenland: the July 10 departure from Reykjavík had both balcony categories sold out, so its cheapest cabin on sale when we rechecked on October 15, 2026 was a $67,730 Deluxe Suite, while the September 13 departure from Longyearbyen had cabins from $54,980.²⁴²⁶ On the North Pole voyage, Ponant offers "opportunities to glimpse or observe" polar bears, seabirds and whales, and promises none of them.¹⁰ In the Arctic, armed guides stand around the perimeter of every activity area, and the guide team follows AECO rules.¹³

Is Ponant or Seabourn better for Antarctica?

Ponant is the better pick if you want smaller landing groups and a fare that already covers your flights from Buenos Aires. Seabourn can be cheaper per night late in the season, but its two expedition ships carry 264 guests:

For the ship itself, read our Seabourn Venture page. Two other lines fill out the comparison. Viking runs the bigger Viking Octantis, listed by IAATO at 378 passengers.¹⁶ For other styles of expedition ship, compare Lindblad Expeditions and Quark Expeditions, and see how to choose an Antarctica cruise.

Who should book Ponant, and who should look elsewhere?

Book Ponant if you want a luxury ship with everything from the Buenos Aires hotel to the bar tab in one price. It also suits you if you want a 200-guest cap on landings, or a route few lines sell, such as the Ross Sea from New Zealand or the North Pole. Some departures add a guest expert through partners such as The Explorers Club; the 2027 Ross Sea voyage features the marine scientist Cassandra Brooks.⁸

Look elsewhere if your budget is under about $17,000 per person, because no 2026-27 Ponant Antarctic fare we found on sale was below $16,850.⁶ Do the same if you want kayaking included without sailing on Le Commandant Charcot, or a ship of 100 to 150 guests. Parents of babies should note that Ponant does not accept children under one year old.¹³ If the Drake Passage worries you, note that Ponant's 10-night Peninsula voyages sail it both ways, and we found no 2026-27 Ponant voyage that flies over it.⁴ Our guide to whether to fly or sail the Drake weighs that choice.