Expedition - PONANT´s world first undersea lounge

PONANT surprised the travel public with its four new expedition ships from VARD, but now they surprise with an undersea lounge.

PONANT, COMPAGNIE DU PONANT (pronounciation), in keeping with its pioneering spirit, is launching a world-first: LE LAPÉROUSE will be the first cruise ship on Earth to be equipped with a multi-sensory underwater space, called `Blue Eye´. LE CHAMPLAIN, LE BOUGAINVILLE and LE DUMONT-d´URVILLE (originally planned to be named LE KERGUELEN) will be the next.
Since PONANT is back in French ownership. On October 9th, 2015, PONANT announced its takeover by ARTÉMIS, holding company of the Pinault family.

by Earl of Cruise

Rendering of the`Blue Eye´ Lounge on board LE LAPÉROUSE - courtesy COMPAGNIE DU PONANT

PONANT was founded in April 1988 by Philippe Videau, Jean-Emmanuel Sauvé, and other officers of the French Merchant Navy and launched the first French cruise ship - LE PONANT. Later it was in ownership of the French CMA-CGM, which sold the luxury cruise company to a British hedge fonds, that started the first newbuild program. This "selling out" was following the impact of the Financial Crisis of 2007, and following downturn in container shipping. Then ARTÉMIS took over in 2015. The company actually operates five ships, all of which fly the French flag. With the British owner, the flag could have become a flag of convienient ...

PONANT´s vessels proudly fly the French flag - courtesy COMPAGNIE DU PONANT

For interested travelers it was a positive surprise, when PONANT announced to name the new expedition ships after French endeavorours. For some Anglo-Saxon this will cause tounge-breaking when trying to pronounce the names correct.

While other cruise ships are trying to be more like hotels, PONANT has announced an amazing new innovation that is all about the ocean - an underwater lounge that allows passengers to see and hear the passing marine life of the deep sea. The world-first multi-sensory space, `Blue Eye´, will debut on LE LAPÉROUSE next year and then be incroprated into the other new PONANT ships.

Within the hull but beneath the water line, `Blue Eye´ will have large windows shaped like the eyes of a whale, as well as digital screens projecting live images filmed by underwater cameras. Sounds of marine mammals will also be transmitted into the lounge via specially developed ‘hydrophones’ beneath the ship’s keel (capturing noises up to five kilometres away). Coolest of all these sounds can also be felt through your body by sittingon sofas that vibrate to the noises.

Sarina Bratton, PONANT Asia Pacific chairman said: "It allows all guests to indulge in the subaquatic world, not just a few passengers in a submarine or a helicopter."
Expedition leader Mick Fogg said: "The sound experience would be a phenomenal `natural symphony´ of whales and dolphins singing and even fish noisily eating on coral."

`Blue Eye´, the underwater lounge aboard the PONANT explorers

Discovery Deluxe - PONANT names his new expedition vessels after famous French explorers

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