Envisage an expedition to Antarctica and your mind might be forgiven for conjuring up the haunting silhouette of Shackleton — his thin, wind-whipped frame surrounded by snow-flurried mountains and a white haze of hardship. But as I sip on my second macchiato of the morning and watch a crabeater seal slide its way onto the ice floe beneath me, I reason that the modern experience is something altogether more luxurious – particularly if you’re aboard the plushest, most powerful icebreaker in the world, Le Commandant Charcot.
Launched in 2021 by French operator, Ponant (a company renowned for its stylish fleet of refined cruise liners) this 31,000-ton, 150-metre-long beauty is busy delivering next-level luxury in one the most inhospitable places on Earth. Indeed, intrepid explorers keen to follow in the footsteps of pioneers can now spend their mornings walking alongside emperor penguins, then book an oil-slicked pummel in the spa.
“This ship delivers the most luxurious experience possible in what remains one of the few truly wild places in the world,” asserts Casey Perry, Le Commandant Charcot’s assistant expedition leader and naturalist. “And because it’s the most powerful ship of its kind, we can get to places other vessels simply can’t even attempt to access.”
I’ve joined Le Commandant Charcot for a 14-night, 16-day exploration of the Weddell Sea — a volatile water mass in the Southern Ocean that provides a gateway to some of the polar region’s most iconic animals, including emperors, leopard seals and humpback whales. But the adventure starts in Ushuaia, Argentina, where I check into one of the plush 123 cabins. Every space has been elegantly considered, with Diptyque toiletries awaiting me in the shower and a pillow menu inviting me to consider a lavender-scented stack of firm or feathered headrests.
Guests are also gifted a polar-ready parka, waterproof rucksack, and leather-bound notepad to scribe their onboard musings and adventures in. In short, Ponant understands that details matter — and it’s evident that a huge amount of time, expertise — and money — has been ploughed into making this ship not only the most impressive and efficient vessel of its kind (Le Commandant Charcot can break up to three metres of ice at the bow, 15 metres at the stern, and navigate more compacted ice-floe passages than any other liner in the polar regions), but also the most aesthetically refined.
Designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Jean Philippe Nuel, the interiors deliver unadulterated elegance, with curvilinear walls; an interplay of textures, including walnut, oak and leather; and modern art installations adding contemporary flair.
There’s two lounging areas to enjoy: the Observatory Lounge — which is all boucle-clad tub chairs and sofas, supersized wooden board games, and floor-to-ceiling views — and the Main Lounge — a warmer, cosier space that leads to the ship’s specialist Cigar Room and Theatre, where a daily programme of naturalist lectures, expedition briefings, and polar-centric films are hosted.
There’s a gym and wellness area, comprising an indoor pool, Scandi-style sauna, snow room, treatment suites and salon (yes, you really can get your highlights touched up in Antarctica), plus a juice bar for ginger-spiked shakes should you experience the dreaded ‘Drake shake’.
Meanwhile, the two restaurants onboard are a gastronomic delight: Nuna, a fine-dining option, offers menus curated by Michelin-star chef Alain Ducasse, while the top-deck eatery opens out onto an outdoor lagoon for a heated alfresco dip among the ice-cloaked mountains (Champagne in hand, naturally).
After navigating the notoriously unpredictable Drake Passage (thankfully we experience the calmer, more comfortable ‘Drake lake’ crossing) and passing through a field of majestic icebergs, Captain Stanislas Devorsine points out our first smudge of penguins in the ice below, the emperors’ iconic black, white, and gold silhouettes gliding through the white, lunar-esque snowscape beyond with impressive power and grace.
Antarctica is one of the few wild places left on Earth; a place that’s pristine and pure and adventurous. A place like no other.
Later, as we sail further south towards the Larsen C Ice Shelf, a pod of orcas cruise starboard of the ship. And then there’s the gentoo penguins, chinstrap colonies, humpbacks, and plethora of seals — including leopard, Weddell, and crabeater — to marvel at during our zodiac landings on Aitcho Island, Carlsson Bay, Half Moon Island and Snow Hill, where we spend a magical couple of days walking with a shuffling army of emperors, their ‘highway’ to the ocean just metres from my feet.
Kayaking excursions, polar hikes across tabular bergs, and even a dip in the -2°C blue follow; each day seeming more surreal and beautiful than the last. Taking in the vastness of this continent’s white desert, frozen sculptures rising around me like an ice forest, it suddenly strikes me that Le Commandant Charcot delivers an experience more akin to a spaceship than exploration liner.
“It’s very otherworldly,” agrees Perry as we traverse Snow Hill Island, Adélie penguins popping up through cracks in the ice as a leopard seal basks in the sun nearby. “That’s what I love about Antarctica – it’s one of the few wild places left on Earth; a place that’s pristine and pure and adventurous. A place like no other.”
As the sapphire sky reluctantly gives way to gold and a caviar-tasting session gets underway back on board, I find myself wondering what Shackleton would have made of it all – and order another glass of Champagne.
