For More Than Just A Luxury Cruise, Travel With The Experts

09.01.2024 - 14:23 / forbes.com / Conde Nast

Some pundits thought COVID was going to kill the cruise industry. They were wrong.

2024 will see record cruise ship capacity around the world, and according to Cruise Industry News, “Continuing a trend that started in 2023, the world’s largest cruise lines are seeing high occupancy rates and longer booking curves.”

Cruising is hot, but personally when it comes to this type of travel, I have little interest in the “world’s largest” anything. To get me on a cruise ship requires much more than water parks, casinos, buffets or private islands. The handful of cruises I’ve taken have all had a big “extra,” or “cruise-plus” component, like active cruising, which combines biking or hiking, or an extra special educational add-on. Fortunaetly, there are more of these kinds of cruises with something extra to choose from than ever before.

That’s why I found myself on the waters of Greece last fall with one of the top collaborations in travel, Smithsonian Journeys x Ponant, a partnership between two of the top specialists in their respective fields, luxury cruises and knowledge.

Ponant is the only French-flagged cruise line, and was launched in 1988 by several French naval officers who felt their nation deserved a line worthy of its luxury hospitality and culinary reputation. In the decades since, Ponant has won dozens of prestigious awards including titles like “Best Luxury Cruise Line For Adventure,” “Best Expedition Line,” and “Best Ocean Cruise Line Itineraries,” from the likes of Cruise Critic, Luxury Travel Magazine, Travel + Leisure, Travel Weekly, Time Magazine, British Cruise Awards, and Conde Nast Traveler UK. In 2022 alone, Ponant won over 30 industry awards, including #1 Best Small Ship Line and #1 Expedition Ship Line from Conde Nast Traveler.

Ponant uses only small ships, and its strategy is to make customers feel as if they are guests on a private yacht. There is a high level of focus on accommodations, service, and of course cuisine, with fine French cheeses, butter, wines and more. In addition, there are several special pre-dinner “tastings,” which on my trip included caviar night and Spanish pata negra ham night, with wine and cocktail pairings. While they lack casinos and waterslides, ships are modern and very well equipped, with spas, multiple bars and restaurants, underwater viewing lounges, marinas for launching Zodiac inflatables, but because they are much smaller than the vast majority of cruise ships, they can get to places others cannot, including polar regions. They can also dock in a lot more places including small harbors mega-ships cannot visit, greatly reducing the number of stops that require tendering in small boats, a cumbersome and time-wasting part of the cruise process.

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