Ponant is a French expedition cruise line that sails small ships, the largest carrying 264 guests, to Antarctica, the Arctic, the Mediterranean and far beyond, with an open bar, Wi-Fi and one activity per port built into the fare. Ponant's own loyalty program counts cruises rather than points, so card points reach a Ponant fare in two ways: book through a card travel portal that sells the sailing, or pay Ponant directly and wipe the charge with a travel statement credit. This guide covers the fleet, what the fare buys, who Ponant suits, and which of those points routes works with Chase, Capital One and Amex as of September 26, 2026.

Ponant at a glance

Ponant has been running expedition voyages for more than 35 years, according to its own site. The line started with Le Ponant, a three-masted sailing yacht that's still in the fleet. Today the brand sits inside PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP, which Ponant says is owned by Artémis, the Pinault family's private investment firm.

The group runs three cruise brands: PONANT Explorations, Paul Gauguin Cruises and Aqua Expeditions, plus a catamaran charter arm called PONANT YACHTING. Across them, the group lists 19 ships, more than 120 destinations, and ships with 6 to 165 staterooms and suites. If you've read our Paul Gauguin Cruises review, that ship belongs to the same group, and a Paul Gauguin sailing counts toward Ponant's loyalty tiers.

The pitch is the opposite of a megaship. Ponant bills itself as the global leader in high-end expedition cruising on ships carrying fewer than 500 guests, and every ship in its own fleet is far below that line.

The Ponant fleet

Ponant groups its fleet into four families: sailing ships, the Sisterships, the PONANT Explorers and one icebreaker. All capacity figures below come from each ship's page on us.ponant.com, read September 26, 2026.

The sailing ships: Le Ponant and Spirit of Ponant

Le Ponant takes 32 guests in 16 staterooms and suites, with 33 crew. Ponant says it was the first sailboat awarded the Relais & Châteaux label, in 2023. Its marina carries transparent-bottom kayaks, paddleboards and diving gear.

Spirit of Ponant is a different product entirely. It's a Lagoon Seventy 7 catamaran for 12 guests in 6 staterooms, with a crew of 4, and you charter the whole boat in the Seychelles. You set the dates, length and route yourself.

The Sisterships: Le Boréal, L'Austral, Le Soléal and Le Lyrial

These four are Ponant's larger expedition yachts. Le Boréal, L'Austral and Le Soléal each carry up to 264 guests in 132 staterooms and suites with 145 crew. Le Lyrial, the newest of the four, carries 245 guests in 122 staterooms and suites, also with 145 crew.

Ponant says the four sail everywhere from polar waters to the Aegean Sea and the Indian Ocean. Le Lyrial, for example, runs a 20-day Ushuaia to Buenos Aires voyage through the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula.

The PONANT Explorers: six smaller expedition yachts

Le Lapérouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont d'Urville, Le Bellot and Le Jacques Cartier are identical in size: 184 guests, 92 staterooms and suites, 118 crew. Their calling card is the Blue Eye, an underwater lounge below the waterline. The Explorers work the Caribbean, Central America, the St. Lawrence, Norway, Iceland and the Mediterranean, among others.

The icebreaker: Le Commandant Charcot

Le Commandant Charcot is the fleet's polar specialist. Ponant calls it the first hybrid-electric polar exploration vessel powered by liquefied natural gas. It carries 245 guests in 123 staterooms and suites, with 215 crew, and has two onboard laboratories that Ponant says have hosted more than 100 researchers since 2021.

Ponant says the ship was built for high polar exploration, and its Arctic program includes voyages through Northeast Greenland and Spitsbergen.

Where Ponant sails

Ponant's destination menu lists Antarctica, the Arctic, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Scandinavia, the Caribbean, Central America, North America, South America, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Islands, Oceania, Southern Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, the Atlantic Coast and Atlantic islands, plus transatlantic and ocean crossings. On September 26, 2026, its site listed 102 Mediterranean cruises, 35 in the Arctic and 17 in the Caribbean.

Some departures are themed. Ponant runs sailings in alliance with Smithsonian Journeys and The Explorers Club, along with themed departures built around gastronomy, music and dance, wellness and history.

What's included in a Ponant fare?

Ponant sells its fares as all-inclusive, and its FAQ spells out what that covers:

  • Your stateroom and full board, from dinner on the first day to breakfast on the last
  • The Open Bar, served from boarding to the end of the cruise, covering water, soft drinks, wine, beer, champagne, spirits, coffee and tea, plus the minibar and room service (premium alcohol on the menu costs extra)
  • Free 24/7 Wi-Fi, which Ponant warns can be slow or cut out in some regions
  • One included activity at each stop, picked from naturalist-led outings such as hikes and Zodiac rides or local-guide tours, bookable about two months out
  • Port taxes, and access to the spa, fitness room and all common areas (spa treatments are extra)

Some sailings also bundle flights. Those are marked "Round-trip flights included," "Outbound domestic flight included" or "Inbound domestic flight included" on the cruise page. The Great Austral Loop, for example, includes a night in Buenos Aires, a flight to Ushuaia and a transfer.

Tips are separate. Ponant's FAQ says tipping is at your discretion, with an envelope left in your cabin at the end of the trip, and it gives 10 to 12 euros per day per passenger as the average. Optional paid excursions, spa treatments and boutique purchases go on your onboard account.

On expedition sailings, Ponant says you're accompanied by a team of about 10 naturalist guides and experts, and roughly double that on Le Commandant Charcot.

What a Ponant cruise costs

Ponant prices per person, based on two people sharing, and fares move as ships fill. These were the lead-in fares on us.ponant.com on September 26, 2026:

  1. Le Boréal, nine nights round-trip from Valletta, next departure October 1, 2026: from $9,220 per person.
  2. Le Lapérouse, 12 nights from Martinique to Colón, Panama, next departure December 7, 2026: from $9,880 per person.
  3. Le Lyrial, the 20-day Great Austral Loop from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, departing March 10, 2027: from $21,670 per person, though the voyage wasn't bookable online.
  4. Le Commandant Charcot, 16 nights from Reykjavík to Tromsø through Northeast Greenland and Spitsbergen, next departure September 28, 2026: from $33,670 per person.

The biggest lever on price is timing. The PONANT Bonus gives up to 30% off the standard fare for early bookers (the Owner's Suite is excluded), and the discount shrinks as the cruise fills. On September 26 the listings showed PONANT Bonus levels such as 15% on the Le Lapérouse sailing and 25% on the Charcot voyage. Solo travelers should watch for sailings marked "No single supplement," which Ponant flags on the cruise listing.

Ponant also says it applies exactly the same rates to travel agencies as to direct guests, and asks you to email contact@ponant.com if you find a different price for the same cruise elsewhere. That's useful when you compare a portal quote with Ponant's own.

Who Ponant suits

Ponant suits travelers who want a small ship, French cooking, and time ashore with naturalists rather than a pool deck and a casino. It's a strong fit for a first Antarctic or Arctic trip, and for ports reserved for small vessels, which Ponant says its Sisterships are designed to reach.

If your family's wish list runs to waterslides and kids' clubs, a big-ship line is the better fit, and with fares starting above $9,000 per person, Ponant is not a budget cruise. If you want the same small-ship feel in French Polynesia specifically, Paul Gauguin is the group's specialist there.

Can you pay for Ponant with points?

Yes, through your card program. Ponant's loyalty program, the PONANT Yacht Club, is built on the number of cruises you complete, with discounts and perks at each tier, so the points side happens at the bank. Here's what each major program allows, from its own pages, read September 26, 2026.

Chase Ultimate Rewards: Chase Travel or the $300 credit

Chase Travel sells cruises from more than 40 cruise lines and over 20,000 itineraries, and Chase says you can earn and redeem Ultimate Rewards points on all cruises booked there. Its terms say points are worth $0.01 each when redeemed through Chase Travel. Points Boost, which raises that value, applies to select airline tickets and hotels, according to Chase.

Whether a given Ponant departure appears is something you check while signed in. Chase's cruise tool lets you filter by cruise line, and the full list of Voyages by Chase Travel partners, whose benefits include shipboard credits, is visible only after you sign in. The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 8x points on Chase Travel purchases, cruises included.

If you'd rather book direct with Ponant, the Reserve's $300 annual travel credit is worth knowing about. Chase's travel category for that credit includes cruise lines but excludes on-board cruise line goods and services, so it applies to the fare charge, not your bar or boutique bill.

Capital One miles: cover the charge after you book

Capital One's route is the simplest for a line like Ponant. You book with Ponant or a travel agent on your Capital One card, then use miles to cover the travel purchase within 90 days of the date it posts. Capital One lists cruise lines among the merchants generally treated as travel, with eligibility set by the merchant category code.

The math is published: multiply the cost of the purchase by 100 to get the miles needed, so Capital One's own example of a $200 purchase takes 20,000 miles. Partial redemptions are allowed, so you can cover only the deposit or only part of the balance. This works with cards such as the Capital One Venture X.

Amex Membership Rewards: the weakest route for Ponant

Ponant doesn't appear on Amex Travel's cruise page as of September 26, 2026. So the Amex portal perks, including onboard credit and 2x points on cruises booked through AmexTravel.com, don't come into play.

What's left is Cover Your Charges, which Amex values at 0.6 cents per point. Amex's terms say the charge must occur in the U.S. or a U.S. territory and must be at least $1. Check whether your Ponant charge shows as eligible once it posts before you count on this.

Using points around the cruise instead

For many itineraries, the better use of transferable points is the travel around the ship: flights to Ushuaia, Reykjavík or Nice, and a hotel night before embarkation. Our guide to booking cruises with points and miles walks through that approach, and the best credit cards for cruises covers which card to put the fare on.

The PONANT Yacht Club and status match

The PONANT Yacht Club has four tiers, based on cruises completed, and since October 3, 2025 a cruise counts at the end of the voyage rather than when you book. You reach Major after your 2nd cruise, with 5% off future bookings and €50 onboard credit. Admiral comes after your 4th, with 7.5% off and €100 onboard credit.

Grand Admiral follows your 7th cruise, with 10% off and €150 onboard credit, and Commodore your 20th, with 12.5% off and €200 onboard credit. On the Paul Gauguin, Ponant gives the onboard credit in dollars instead: $50, $100, $150 or $200 by tier.

Depending on tier, the benefits also include 20% or 25% off most onboard spending, free laundry, a possible upgrade within 48 hours of boarding, one free voyage change, and priority boarding at some ports. Cruises with PONANT Explorations, PONANT YACHTING and Paul Gauguin Cruises all count; cruises booked directly with Aqua Expeditions don't.

The shortcut is Ponant's status match. If you hold status with one of the cruise programs on Ponant's list, it will match you from your first voyage. Seabourn Gold, Silversea Venetian Society from 100 days, and Regent Seven Seas Gold all match to Grand Admiral, while Royal Caribbean Diamond and Celebrity Elite match to Major. Marriott Bonvoy members who've sailed Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection can match too, with Platinum Elite mapping to Grand Admiral. The match is one-time, Commodore isn't available through it, and it applies only to new bookings.

Ponant booking tips

Book as early as you can. The PONANT Bonus is at its largest when a cruise opens, and Ponant's terms let the Yacht Club's future-booking discount combine with it, as well as with the referral and consecutive-cruises offers.

Pre-book your excursions. Ponant opens pre-booking at least 60 days before departure, spots go first come, first served, and you can pre-book one excursion per port day.

Pay the fare on the card whose redemption you plan to use. With Capital One, the 90-day window starts when the charge posts, so a deposit paid a year out needs its own redemption within 90 days, separate from the final balance.

Verdict: Ponant and how to pay for it

Ponant is worth it if you want a polar voyage or a small-ship Mediterranean trip with drinks, Wi-Fi and a daily activity already in the fare, and you're comfortable with fares that, on the listings we checked, started at $9,220 per person. If you hold Capital One miles, book direct and cover the charge within 90 days. If you hold Chase points, sign in to Chase Travel, filter for Ponant, and compare the fare with Ponant's own price before you redeem. If you hold only Amex points, send them to airline partners for the flights and pay the fare in cash. Whichever you choose, file a status match before your first booking if you hold status elsewhere.

This article contains affiliate links. If you apply through our links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you, which helps us continue sharing points and miles strategies with the community.

Sources

  1. Ponant, Our ships (read 2026-09-26)
  2. Ponant, Le Commandant Charcot ship page (read 2026-09-26)
  3. Ponant, Le Lyrial ship page (read 2026-09-26)
  4. Ponant, Le Boréal ship page (read 2026-09-26)
  5. Ponant, Le Bellot ship page (read 2026-09-26)
  6. Ponant, Le Ponant ship page (read 2026-09-26)
  7. Ponant, Spirit of Ponant ship page (read 2026-09-26)
  8. Ponant Explorations Group (read 2026-09-26)
  9. Ponant FAQ (read 2026-09-26)
  10. Ponant Bonus (read 2026-09-26)
  11. PONANT Yacht Club (read 2026-09-26)
  12. Ponant Status Match (read 2026-09-26)
  13. Ponant, Mediterranean cruises (read 2026-09-26)
  14. Ponant, Caribbean cruises (read 2026-09-26)
  15. Ponant, Arctic cruises (read 2026-09-26)
  16. Ponant, The Great Austral Loop (read 2026-09-26)
  17. Chase Travel, booking cruises (read 2026-09-26)
  18. Chase Sapphire Reserve, card page and terms (read 2026-09-26)
  19. Chase Sapphire Reserve rewards benefits (read 2026-09-26)
  20. Capital One Venture X account terms, travel redemption (read 2026-09-26)
  21. Capital One, ways to redeem miles (read 2026-09-26)
  22. American Express Travel, cruises (read 2026-09-26)
  23. American Express, Membership Rewards points value (read 2026-09-26)
  24. American Express, Cover Your Charges terms (read 2026-09-26)

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