Travelore Cruise News: Ponant Purchases Paul Gauguin #Cruise #CruiseNews

Ponant has confirmed it has reached a deal to purchase Paul Gauguin Cruises, which will continue operating under its own brand. 

Paul Gauguin will remain an independent company, headquartered in Washington State and under the leadership of Diane Moore, president, according to sources.

Ponant, which has been on an expansion track, adds another company and cruise brand into its portfolio under the ownership of the Pinault family and Groupe Artémis.

In addition, by 2021, French-flagged Ponant will have a strong luxury expedition fleet of four Boreal-class vessels; six Explorer-class vessels; Le Commandant-Charcot, a polar exploration vessel with hybrid propulsion; and Le Ponant, a niche sailing vessel.

Based year-round in Tahiti, Paul Gauguin offers a luxury product and a number of adventurous itineraries, starting at seven days.

A new call introduced last year and being expanded for 2019 and beyond is Tahiti Iti, which is an exclusive destination for the brand. The vessel is generally welcomed by the entire town on port days.

A new children’s program was launched earlier summer, as the Moana Explorer program is a now complementary and replaces a previous for-charge program. Families can opt for additional shore excursions. The hands-on programming focuses on education and environment.

In line with its sustainability commitment, the company has removed plastic straws and other items, as well as mini shampoo and conditioner bottles in staterooms, replacing them with dispensers.

The Seattle-based company is also adding to its culinary line-up with more sailings featuring experts representing wineries and delivering lectures and hosting tastings. In 2020, celebrity chefs will join select voyages.

The biggest market for the line is North America, with most business coming in through the major travel agent networks. International sourcing is limited, reaching Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, the UK and Japan. 

The 332-guest Paul Gauguin was launched in 1997 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique and has sailed for Radisson Seven Seas and Regent Seven Seas. In 2009, Pacific Beachcomber acquired the vessel.

Source: https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com

Luxury Comes To Expedition Cruising

Ponant introduced the expedition ship Le Champlain (shown here in Norway) earlier this year. It is one of the first expedition vessels to offer a range of luxurious amenities.CreditCreditPonant

New small ships built for adventure are also offering a full range of amenities, from saunas and fine dining to solariums and luxury suites.

By Elaine Glusac

When it launches in spring 2020, the 126-passenger National Geographic Endurance from Lindblad Expeditions will have amenities on par with a luxury vessel, including two restaurants, a glass-walled yoga studio, an infinity Jacuzzi facing the stern and two saunas with panoramic windows so heat-bathers won’t miss the passing scenery. Such features aren’t uncommon on larger ships, but they may be the first to sail in northeast Greenland and along the Northeast Passage from Norway across Russia.

Generally associated with small ships bound for remote locales, expedition cruising has historically focused on the destination rather than the conveyance. Ships were strictly base camps for Zodiac trips to view the icebergs of Antarctica or hike game trails in remote Alaska.

Now the vessels themselves are getting an upgrade from Lindblad and several other lines, freeing passengers from choosing between adventure and comfort.

“The ship was just a place to lay your head at night, but there is a real growing segment that wants more,” said Colleen McDaniel, the senior executive editor of Cruise Critic, the online review site. “They want hard-charging experiences in port and onboard they want some luxury and space. That’s a niche that a lot of cruise lines are trying to fill.”

Small ships, big growth

With small ships bound for offbeat destinations, expedition cruises account for a small sector of the cruise industry. In 2018, Cruise Industry News put it at about one percent of the global market, but found that 28 ships have been — or will be — launching between this year and 2022, suggesting this style of cruising is catching on.

“Expedition travel is growing in leaps and bounds for a few reasons,” said Susan Boehnstedt, the president of Critics Choice Vacations, part of the Virtuoso network of travel agencies, based in Queen Creek, Ariz. “One, is that the typical ocean liner cruise client has traveled this way for years,” she said, referring to big-ship ocean cruising. Then luxury river cruising gained in popularity, and now, “they are looking for something a bit smaller and up close and personal.”

Crystal Experience, which includes the ocean liner Crystal Cruises and Crystal River Cruises, will add its first polar ship, the 200-passenger Endeavor, to its Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises collection in August 2020.

While visiting Antarctica, the ship is designed to keep guests toasty, from heated storage in the cabins meant to dry wet parkas quickly to a two-story solarium with a swimming pool and hot tub. Among amenities, there will be six restaurants, including one from the celebrated chef Nobu Matsuhisa, a pair of helicopters for excursions, and a three-person submersible. Its 17-day inaugural journey from Japan to Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula starts at $24,949 a person.

A suite in Ponant's new Le Laperouse ship.CreditPonant

Underwater lounges and submarines

“There are people who just want the basics, but there’s a whole group of people who might not have gone to those places until the luxury is there,” said Marcella Rappoport, a cruise specialist at Ovation Travel in New York.

For fine food and lavish suites, she recommends the French line Ponant, which is leading the expansion race, launching two 184-passenger ships in 2019, two more in 2020 and a 135-cabin ship in 2021. Its newest vessels, Le Laperouse, which made its debut in June, and Le Champlain, an October newcomer, each have a Blue Eye lounge, with oblong portholes, low underwater lighting and hydrophones that transmit the natural sounds at sea. Sofas vibrate in time with the acoustics (upcoming 13-day trips in the Amazon region start at about $8,200 a person).

Demand for expedition cruising is attracting both new lines, including Norwegian Yacht Voyages, which is expected to unveil a 222-guest ship in 2022, and line expansions, such as two new 264-passenger polar-class ships from Seabourn, each carrying submarines as well as kayaks, expected in 2021 and 2022. Silversea plans to introduce its 100-passenger Silver Origin in the Galápagos in 2020.

Known for its river ships, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours plans to send out its first ocean ship, the 228-passenger Scenic Eclipse, in early 2019, visiting places like Panama and Colombia (10 days from $9,295) and Alaska (13 days from $6,645), and carrying a six-passenger submarine and two helicopters.

Offbeat adventure and culture

Smaller ships make it possible to pull into smaller or shallower ports, such as the French Iles des Saintes in the Caribbean, and many expedition ships, such as the new Lindblad ship, are built to navigate polar ice.

Not all expedition cruises visit extreme destinations. Sometimes they go culturally deeper. Since 2010 the luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kenthas been chartering Ponant ships to offer expedition cruises in places such as Japan and Antarctica by reserving entire ships and bringing in its own experts and guides.

In 2018, the company began expedition cruises in Greece, and in 2019 it will add Italy, following the coast from Livorno on the Mediterranean south around the boot and back up to Venice (13-day trips from $11,995 a person), as well as the remote Kimberley region of Australia (13-days from $15,495 a person).

“These new expedition cruises will attract a more adventurous person who may not be looking for a cruise but now sees this as an easy way to get to outer islands or parts of Japan without flying around a lot,” Ms. Rappoport said.

Follow NY Times

A version of this article appears in print on Dec. 30, 2018, on Page TR6 of the New York edition with the headline: Cruise Lines Enhance Small Ships for Expedition Travel. Order Reprints

10 Unusual Cruise Ship Amenities #Cruise

CNN) — Cruise industry folks know that vacationers have literal boatloads of sailing options to choose from these days, inspiring the trend to outfit ships with the most whiz-bang attractions and amenities at sea.

Today you'll find souped-up ships oozing outrageous features -- such as amusement park-worthy diversions (racetracks with hairpin turns), high-tech innovations (robot bartenders) and Instagram-worthy settings (from ice bars to underwater lounges) -- as the lines try to one-up each other to get you to travel with them.

Here are 10 unusual cruise ship amenities to ensure you'll be anything but bored once you're onboard.

Submarine on Crystal Cruises

This pressure- and temperature-controlled submersible, large enough for a pilot and two guests, can bring passengers down to depths of nearly 1,000 feet.

The sophisticated C-Explorer 3 vessel is outfitted with a see-through, 360-degree acrylic capsule for optimal observation. It is agile enough to allow viewing of whatever ocean treasures await below -- from colorful coral reefs to shipwrecks -- on the roughly 30-minute dives.

Robot bartenders on Royal Caribbean International

Let Royal Caribbean's robotic bartenders shake things up on your next cruise. A duo of them literally shake and stir drinks up at the "mixology meets technology" Bionic Bar, found aboard several Royal Caribbean ships (including Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas and the line's three Quantum-class ships).

Place your drink order via tablet. You can pick from specialty drinks or design customized cocktails with more than 30 spirits on tap. Then watch the show-stealing pair of robotic arms get to mixing before serving up your concoction.

The one caveat? There's no program for them to listen to your problems -- yet.

Racetrack on Norwegian Cruise Line

This is one way to get your vacation on track.

Courtesy Norwegian Cruise Line

Got a need for speed that your ship's leisurely knots just can't satisfy? Norwegian answers the call with the largest racetrack at sea aboard its new Norwegian Bliss.

The open-air, 1,000-foot-long track offers great views out over port and sea -- that is if you manage to catch them while reaching speeds of up to 30 mph.

The winding, two-level track offers hairpin turns and the chance to leave your competition (of up to 10 drivers) in the dust -- though note you won't be able to actually rev your engines since the electric race cars run silently.

Call it recycling? The Silversea cruise ship company is spending over $100 million to make a very big cruise ship out of a smaller one they already own.​

Snow Grotto on Viking

Part of the LivNordic Spa's thermal suite area aboard Viking's four ocean-going sister ships, the "snow grotto" pays tribute to the line's Nordic heritage and Scandinavian sensibility.

Designed to invigorate and stimulate the circulatory system of guests who don't mind a chill, the small, snow-covered room pipes in cold air as snowflakes fall from the ceiling.

And if your preferred way of chilling out is to heat up, you can always get your fill at the adjacent steam room and sauna.

Underwater lounge on Ponant

Finally, a chance to find out what cocktails taste like underwater.

Courtesy Compagnie du Ponant

Upscale French expedition line Ponant is rolling out an industry-first underwater lounge dubbed the Blue Eye aboard six of its new Explorer-class ships, debuting through 2020 (the first, Le Laperouse, launched in June 2018).

Designed by architect Jacques Rougerie -- known for creating transporting underwater structures -- the high-tech space is angling for a multisensory experience that will invite guests to a mod, vibrating lounge set below the ships' water line.

There, two large glass portholes offer a window out onto the underwater world, further augmented by digital screens projecting live images from a trio of underwater cameras, as well as a sound system streaming in subaquatic hydrophone-captured sounds.

Bike ride in the sky on Carnival Cruise Line

Get ready for your very own E.T. moment aboard the SkyRide aerial attraction, found aboard Carnival's newest ships, Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon.

The innovative offering lets adventurers put their pedal power to an 800-foot-long suspended outdoor track that's elevated atop the ship's top deck, 150 feet above sea level.

The quartet of dangling recumbent-style bicycles can reach speeds of up to 18 miles an hour on twin tracks, but you may want to take it slower to enjoy the killer views.

Skydiving simulator on Royal Caribbean International

Want to try skydiving, but afraid of heights? This is a good compromise.

Roy Riley/Royal Caribbean International

Innovator Royal Caribbean -- responsible for industry firsts such as rock climbing, ice skating, zip lines and surfing simulation -- has also brought the first skydiving experience to sea with its RipCord by iFLY attraction, available on its Quantum-class ships.

Adrenaline-seekers can get a taste of simulated skydiving on an open-air deck -- affording stunning sea views as they spread their "wings" and experience what it's like to float on air in the 23-foot-high wind tunnel.

A brief training course, flight gear and hands-on instruction help ensure that levitating like a pro is a (strong) breeze.

Ice Bar on Norwegian Cruise Line

When they said it was a cool bar, they meant it.

Courtesy Susan Seubert/Norwegian Cruise Line

The coolest bar on the high seas, Norwegian's Skyy Vodka Ice Bar invites cruisers to bundle up and throw back a frosty drink aboard the Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Epic.

Temperature-controlled at a brisk 17 degrees Fahrenheit (- 8 C), the $20 admission gets guests 45 minutes to chill out at the frozen bar and take in the decorative ice sculptures; two specialty beverages (including Skyy vodka-based cocktails), served in carved-from-ice glassware; and, mercifully, the use of hooded parkas and gloves.

Planetarium on Cunard Line

How to see the stars from the sea.

Courtesy Cunard Line

Cunard Line's refined Queen Mary 2 boasts the only full-sized planetarium at sea, which is housed in its Illuminations theater.

Passengers can partake in plenty of programming under the giant dome (it's large enough to accommodate 150 reclining seats), such as narrated star shows, virtual reality rides and special presentations and lectures in partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society.

If you're a true outer space enthusiasts, board during the ship's "Transatlantic Space Week" voyage (embarking New York City on October 7, 2018) to share the planetarium -- and the rest of the ship -- with special guests that include a former NASA astronaut.

Glass-bottomed 'SeaWalk' on Princess Cruises

Walking on water is par for the course when you sail on one of three Princess ships (Regal Princess, Royal Princess and Majestic Princess) outfitted with the line's signature overwater SeaWalk feature.

See the sea from a bird's-eye perspective while strutting across the 60-foot-long, glass-bottomed walkway, which cantilevers the ships' sides by 28 feet.

Those lacking a head for heights needn't apply: SeaWalk overlooks the ocean waves 128 feet below, from a perch atop the ships' 16th or 17th deck.

Freelancer Elissa Garay has traveled to and reported on nearly 60 countries and 30 cruises around the globe. Tag along on her travels by land and by sea as she reports back on captivating cruises, hot hotels and timely travel trends.