Ponant is strengthening its collaboration with The Explorers Club for the 2027 season, rolling out 12 speaker-led voyages that span polar waters, tropical reefs, and remote coastlines. For the first time, sister brand Paul Gauguin Cruises joins the program, extending the expert-led experience into French Polynesia alongside Ponant’s established polar and coastal itineraries.
12 Voyages with Field Experts Onboard
The 2027 roster features members of The Explorers Club—a multidisciplinary society of scientists, adventurers, and storytellers—who will deliver onboard lectures, informal discussions, and Q&A sessions. Among the confirmed speakers are mountaineer and philanthropist Peter Hillary, son of Sir Edmund Hillary, and cultural anthropologist and author Wade Davis. Specialists in penguin biology, coral reef ecology, marine conservation, polar science, and underwater photography will also join specific sailings.
Each expert brings firsthand fieldwork experience, offering guests a window into the challenges and discoveries shaping the regions they visit. The program is designed to integrate these encounters into the itinerary rather than treat them as optional add-ons.
Live Science at Sea on Le Commandant Charcot
Ponant’s partnership with The Explorers Club extends beyond lectures. Select voyages aboard the hybrid-electric luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot will host scientist grantees who use the ship’s two dedicated onboard laboratories to conduct real-time research in oceanography, glaciology, and marine biology. Guests can observe sample collection, instrument deployment in polar waters, and data analysis that contributes to understanding climate systems, ecosystems, and wildlife—all while traveling in Ponant’s signature small-ship comfort.
This live-science component sets Ponant apart from many expedition lines, blending luxury cruising with genuine scientific contribution. For travel professionals, it offers a unique selling point for clients seeking immersive, purpose-driven journeys.
From Greenland to the Kimberley to French Polynesia
The 2027 Explorers Club voyages cover a wide geographic range, reflecting Ponant’s focus on place-driven itineraries. Highlights include:
- Arctic and Greenland expeditions featuring glaciologists, marine biologists, and photographers who interpret ice formations, wildlife, and northern cultures.
- Australia’s Kimberley region, where speakers such as Wade Davis will explore Indigenous cultures, rugged coastlines, and ancient rock art. This complements other luxury expedition offerings in the region, such as Silversea’s Silver Cloud Kimberley program.
- French Polynesia and the wider Pacific, where Paul Gauguin Cruises will host speakers on coral reef health, oceanic navigation, and Pacific Island cultures.
Ponant Explorations Group emphasizes that these voyages invite guests to engage deeply with cultures, environments, and histories, rather than simply passing through. The talks and onboard encounters are a core part of the itinerary, not an afterthought.
Industry Implications
For travel agents and tour operators, the expanded program offers a differentiated product in the luxury expedition segment. The inclusion of Paul Gauguin Cruises opens up French Polynesia—a market traditionally served by smaller luxury lines—to the same expert-led model that has proven successful in polar regions. As demand for experiential travel continues to grow, partnerships like this one between Ponant and The Explorers Club provide a clear value proposition for discerning clients.
Ponant’s move also signals a broader trend in the cruise industry: integrating science and storytelling into the onboard experience. Lines like Princess Cruises have expanded their Europe operations, but few offer the depth of field research that Ponant now provides. For executives at competing expedition lines, the 2027 program sets a new benchmark for guest engagement and educational content.
Detailed itineraries and speaker line-ups are available on Ponant’s dedicated theme page and through The Explorers Club’s 2027 program list. Whether clients are drawn to polar science, marine conservation, anthropology, or adventure mountaineering, the 2027 program offers a rare opportunity to travel alongside people who have dedicated their lives to understanding the planet—often in the very places being explored by sea.
