Le Jacques Cartier

Luxury textiles, high-thread count linens, and calming neutral tones abound in the cabins, which also have complimentary minibars restocked daily. Hanging clothes find space in the large dresser, but folded clothes get just two shallow drawers and two cabinets beneath the television. There’s also a banquette and a small round table. Each cabin has a balcony, which has two chairs and a small table. Separate baths are on the small side. Water closets have separate entry from shower/vanities, the latter of which has a window which can be made opaque with the flip of a switch. Bath amenities in cabins are from Clarins. Cabin amenities are rounded out by a Bose Bluetooth speaker (mind the volume; the walls are on the thin side), Nespresso coffee maker, electric kettle, safe, and a robe.

Suites

There are several suite categories, up to the 484 square foot owners suite, which has a large private veranda with a Jacuzzi. Grand deluxe suites are the same floor plan, but without the Jacuzzi, although both feature balneo bathtubs. Guests in prestige suites and higher also receive butler service. The rest of the amenities are the same in suites as they are in cabins.

Many of the ship’s cabins are wheelchair accessible. There are also floor-level indicators for guests with limited vision at the tops and bottoms of flights of stairs. In addition, there’s braille signage at stairs, on cabin number signs, outside accessible restrooms, and in common areas.

The ship can accommodate most dietary restrictions, and strongly recommends giving advance notice. There are many vegetarian dishes on the regular menus, some of which are vegan, but for passengers with stricter vegetarian requirements it is recommended to let the ship’s staff know in advance.

There is a health questionnaire sent to all passengers before the cruise, on which passengers with accessibility needs should outline their requirements. A Ponant medical officer will review the forms prior to departure. Ponant reserves the right to refuse passage to passengers not judged suitably fit to travel in complete safety.

There are two restaurants onboard, open for lunch and dinner.

Le Nautilus is the ship’s gastronomic restaurant on Deck 4. It operates in tandem with the Grill Restaurant, outdoors on Deck 3.

Breakfast is available in Le Nautilus with a self-service buffet of cold cuts, cheese, fruit, salad, pastries, toast, and a daily special. Hot dishes and coffee, including espresso drinks included in the fare can be ordered from the wait staff. Outdoor seating is available at Le Nautilus when weather permits.

At lunch, the buffet has a selection of salads, cheese, soups, and dessert. Guests can order hot entrees from the wait staff.

Dinners are four course affairs: Amuse bouche, appetizer, main course, and dessert. There’s also a cheese course if guests prefer. On a recent Smithsonian Journeys sailing in New Zealand, there were both classic French and Australian menus, offering a variety of meat and vegetarian dishes. Certain dishes like grilled steak, or casual favorites like burgers (beef, chicken, or vegetarian) or grilled salmon are always available if the menu that evening doesn’t suit your particular taste.

There’s typically a gala brunch buffet at least once per sailing, often featuring an extensive selection of seafood, including oysters, crab legs, sushi, and shellfish.

The “always available” dishes are also available from room service 24/7.

Lunches and dinners in The Grill are more relaxed, buffet-style meals with grilled meats or seafood, salads, and desserts. Dinners in Le Nautilus can be lengthy, particularly on designated gala evenings, which take pacing cues from the Captain’s or officers’ table. Chefs will often serve afternoon treats in The Grill, based on fresh local produce they found at local markets at the previous port. On our New Zealand sailing we feasted on local mussels and salmon chowder one afternoon, and scallops in puff pastries on another.

Cruise fares include soft drinks, wines by the glass, and basic spirits, premium brands are available a la carte, and drink packages are available to cover those.

The Main Lounge on Deck 3 is also the main bar, with an extensive selection of wines, spirits, cordials. This is also where early risers’ coffee and pastries are available before the restaurants open for breakfast, and where snacks and afternoon tea are served as the day approaches the evening hours. Afternoon teas structured around rotating themes (French, English, Asian) and always include a selection of freshly baked sweet or savory pastries and desserts.

The Main Lounge has a dispenser for cool or room temperature still or sparkling water for guests to fill the branded metal water bottles on clips in their staterooms prior to excursions.

The Blue Eye, below the waterline, is open limited hours, and has a limited menu of specialty cocktails. The signature cocktails are on the included beverages list. The Blue Eye also has live music and sometimes karaoke, and is generally open during the early evening hours when the last rays of the day’s sun illuminate the water from above, giving the blue eye window it’s signature look.

The panoramic lounge is on deck 6, and sometimes has breakfast pastries or afternoon light snacks, and there is sometimes bar service in the afternoons.

On our Smithsonian Journeys sailing, onboard lectures and shore excursions were curated by Smithsonian, so a pair of PhD lecturers gave talks on conservation science, local Māori culture, plate tectonics, local volcanoes, and astronomy. The lecturers also provided narration on their topics of expertise while the ship was scenic cruising in Dusky Sound and Milford Sound. On expedition cruises, excursions are included in the cruise fare.

Ponant-scheduled entertainment includes trivia quizzes and other games with the cruise director, and French-and-international stage shows with singers and dancers in the ship’s theatre, which has seating capacity for the entire passenger complement for a single show or lecture.

The ship is small enough to berth alongside even the smallest ports, but when the ship does have to anchor offshore, there’s a convenient floating dock for loading tenders or expedition zodiacs off the aft pool deck.

Deck 7 is dedicated to wellness, with a fitness center with cardio machines (but no weights) across from the Spa by Clarins. The spa includes a small relaxation area and an ocean view sauna which is free for guests to use during the spa’s opening hours. The spa includes a selection of massages, facials, and body treatments with Clarins products, and the salon offers hair, nail, and waxing services with Kérastase products.

The spa is small and doesn’t offer separate changing rooms or wet areas. Many passengers arrive for treatments in the robe from their stateroom.