During the summer months, several different cruise lines sail our waters on around the UK (and or Scotland) cruises, from the larger lines like Princess Cruises, upmarket lines like Silversea and of course the smaller expedition ships which transition between the winter in the Antarctic and summer in the Northern hemisphere.
I therefore took the opportunity to see something different – Le Dumont-d’Urville, which is part of the Ponant fleet, in Edinburgh. Ponant is a small cruise ship operator, with a French flair and was set up by some officers of the French Merchant Navy. Their first ship, the three-masted Le Ponant is still in the fleet today, although they have since expanded with several small, luxury expedition ships. The line is currently owned by the same group that owns Yves Saints Lauren, Alexander McQueen and Gucci, along with Christie’s’ auction house – that gives you an idea of the quality.
Reception Area
The Le Dumont-d’Urville (or Dudu – as it’s affectionately known) is only small. It has just 92 staterooms and suites, accommodating up to 184 guests, but as I was advised, it rarely operates full (somewhere around 150 is more typical – because of how different suites can be converted from bedrooms to lounges).
When you step onboard, you get the immediate sense of light – everything is either white or light wood, and that helps given the ship is narrower than standard small cruise ships, and has lower ceilings. The entrance area, with reception, is relatively small and is a convenient place to convene before leaving the ship – which funnels through to its main lounge and bar.
Bar and Lounge
Given it’s a small ship, all of the suites have a balcony. The ones on Deck 3 all come with a relatively high metal fronted balcony, and the Prestige starting on Deck 4 are the same size, but with a glass balcony. Unusually, and quite an odd thing to note is that they have a separate bathroom and toilet. There’s also a small seating area by the balcony and plenty of storage space.
When you get to the larger suites, they come with the general same layout as the Deluxe Suites, but with an additional room you can use with a lounge (this converts from another cabin, so you essentially get to bathrooms!). The owner’s suite at the back, with its wrap-around balcony, is quite special – and a TV slides down from the ceiling in the bedroom! There’s also a guest loo in the lounge – again, something you don’t see everywhere.
Bedroom in Suite
As you would find on all modern ships there is a well-equipped spa with a treatment room, sauna and salon, all with fabulous views over the ocean (you’ll have to imagine the fabulous view over the ocean!). There’s also a fabulous pool at the back of the ship, and a platform if you wish to swim in the sea in warmer waters than the UK!
There are two restaurants, the main restaurant and an outside grill (which has to be booked because of the space). Famed French chef Alain Ducasse has designed the menus, and whilst I was onboard mid-turn-around day, there is always a menu which can be ordered. I had an excellent Thai curry (I know it’s not very French!).
Restaurant
I was really impressed. For those of you who like Silversea, I would describe these Ponant ships as a smaller version of Silversea with a French twist. The suites are much smaller than you’ll find on any of Silversea’s ships, but they are well-designed, so you don’t notice it too much.
Regarding who you’ll find onboard – they have a mix currently of 50% French speaking (that’s French and French Canadian), and 50% everyone else – which varies from cruise to cruise.
Of course, all are bookable with us – and there are some amazing itineraries as well!
