Le Commandant Charcot

• A one of a kind luxury icebreaker ship that offers genuine polar exploration. Le Commandant Charcot is the only cruise ship capable of reaching the geographic North Pole.
• Onboard guests can enjoy luxurious facilities including an exterior heated blue lagoon, indoor pool, spa, sauna, fitness centre, snow room and fine dining.
• The ship is the world’s first luxury icebreaker built with a Polar Class 2 hull and hybrid electric engines powered by LNG for a more sustainable expedition.

Why Choose Le Commandant Charcot

Le Commandant Charcot is by far the most exciting ship in the polar regions. It takes travellers on adventurous voyages to explore polar landscapes that have yet to be visited. It is more than just a cruise ship. It is one of the most technologically advanced passenger ships ever built.

Le Commandant Charcot has the highest ice class of any passenger ship built to date. Its Polar Class 2 hull allows it to operate in year-round sea ice up to 3 metres (8.5 feet) thick, opening up new possibilities for exploration.

Le Commandant Charcot was the first purpose-built passenger cruise ship to reach the Geographic North Pole in 2021. The ship can accommodate a maximum of 245 guests in the Arctic and 200 guests in Antarctica.

Le Commandant Charcot features an outstanding team of guides, a 1:10 guide-to-guest ratio, and 19 to 23 expedition guides and experts on board.

Dining on Le Commandant Charcot

Le Commandant Charcot features two outstanding restaurants, Nuna and Sila, as well as multiple bars and lounges for relaxation.

The Nuna restaurant on deck 5 offers fine dining with a blend of French and international cuisine. This formal restaurant has space for all guests and offers themed dinners on each voyage. Dinner is served a la carte with a choice from the Michelin-starred menu freshly cooked to order.

The Sila restaurant, located on deck 9, offers a more relaxed dining experience. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer sweeping views of the polar scenery. Food is served buffet style, and there is a wide choice of cuisine.

Cabins On Le Commandant Charcot

Le Commandant Charcot offers a large selection of well-appointed cabins, each decorated in a tasteful style. Each cabin features en-suite facilities and a private balcony.

The ship offers 12 different classes of cabins ranging from the Prestige Stateroom to the palatial Owner’s Suite. The duplex suites situated at the stern offer breathtaking views of the ice navigation.

Each cabin includes a mini bar that is restocked daily and 24 hours a day room service.

Onboard Experience

Few cruise ships offer such an outstanding experience combining polar exploration and luxury. The ship’s interior spaces are beautifully designed. On Deck 9, Guests can enjoy an observation lounge and bar that offers uninterrupted views. The main lounge on deck 5 offers a bar, a relaxed seating area and evening musical performances.

It’s unusual to see so many leisure facilities on a small ship, including a heated indoor pool with a detox bar, a spa with a range of treatments, a sauna, and a snow room. On deck 9, there is an outdoor heated lagoon and an open-air bar for guests to enjoy drinks on warmer days.

Activities & Excursions

Le Commandant Charcot’s voyages focus on exploring the pristine polar environment that is off-limits to regular expedition ships. Le Commandant Charcot offers a wide range of activities depending on your chosen itinerary.

Expedition cruises to Greenland include dog sledding with local Inuit hunters, ice fishing, kayaking, and the chance to take a polar plunge. Polar hiking is offered with the ship’s expedition team and guides.

Expeditions to the Antarctic peninsula and beyond the Antarctic Circle offer the opportunity to view Emperor Penguins at Snow Hill Island. All activities, including Zodiac cruises, are included on these voyages.

Destinations

Le Commandant Charcot offers expedition cruises in the polar regions, with itineraries in the Arctic and Antarctica. In the Arctic, guests can choose to explore The Geographic North Pole, Greenland, and Svalbard in the springtime—perfect for polar bears! And the frozen St Lawrence River in the winter.

In Antarctica, there is the option to explore Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea or follow in the footsteps of Charcot himself and explore the remote Bellingshausen Sea and Pourquoi Pas Island. It is also possible to do a semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica and visit the seldom-explored Amundsen and Beaufort Seas. It is the only passenger ship to offer these unique itineraries, as many of the places are inaccessible to other expedition ships.

Polar wildlife watching is part of the experience, and the ship has a team of wildlife-watching guides who notify guests when they spot wildlife.

Sustainability

Le Commandant Charcot is powered by liquefied natural gas, which reduces emissions in sensitive polar ecosystems. The ship is designed to provide sustainable exploration with advanced wastewater treatment and waste heat recovery systems. Recycled energy generated is redistributed throughout the ship and used to heat the promenade deck to keep it ice-free when exploring extreme environments.

Le Commandant Charcot enhances wildlife viewing by employing a dynamic positioning system that allows it to navigate without dropping an anchor, reducing disturbance.

Scientific research is carried out during expeditions. The ship features two science labs, a modular wet lab, and onboard scientists to facilitate research on polar scientific initiatives. Knowledge gained is shared with the ship’s passengers in onboard lectures.

The ship features advanced safety systems, including floating polar shelters and group survival kits, to safely evacuate all the ship’s passengers in an emergency.