What true luxury looks like at the top of the world
- arielchin2
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Source : Travel Weekly Asia, May 05 2025
Luxury travellers aren't just seeking destinations – they're chasing experiences only a few will ever know.
There are few places on Earth where time seems to stand still – and fewer still where travellers can go and feel as though they’ve reached the very edge of the world. The Geographic North Pole is one such place. Remote, raw, and largely untouched by modern civilisation, this is not a destination – it is an experience. One that demands exclusivity, resilience, and a ship designed to lead the way: Le Commandant Charcot by PONANT.
A pioneer in polar exploration, Le Commandant Charcot is more than an icebreaker; it is a sanctuary of refinement in one of the harshest environments on the planet. Built for travellers who demand both adventure and sophistication, this is the only luxury vessel designed to take adventurers to the true North Pole in comfort, care, and deep connection with the ice-covered world.
A destination for the intrepid
To reach the geographic North Pole is to go where few have tread. Only a handful of vessels in history have ever made this journey, and Le Commandant Charcot – the world's only luxury icebreaker powered by hybrid electric liquefied natural gas propulsion – brings this dream closer to reality for a select few.
Unlike traditional cruises, this is not about ticking off a list of ports. There are no shopping streets or souvenir shops. Instead, you’ll find floating cathedrals of ice, shifting polar light, and the haunting silence of the great white expanse. On select voyages, guests even get to step onto the sea ice at 90° North – a feat that few human beings in history have accomplished.
Each journey to the North Pole is dictated by the elements. With expert expedition teams, daily briefings, and wildlife sightings that can never be predicted – a polar bear ambling along a floe, or narwhals breaking the surface – each moment feels more like a privilege than an itinerary.
Exclusivity is the new luxury
The definition of luxury has evolved. Today, it is not just about marble bathrooms or pillow menus – it’s about access. The kind of access Le Commandant Charcot provides is extraordinary: to silence, to solitude, to sights that money alone can’t buy.
On board, the elegance is unmistakable. Spacious Prestige Staterooms and Deluxe Suites on Deck 6 offer uninterrupted views of the icy wilderness, with interiors designed to echo the polar serenity outside. Materials awaken the senses – soft textures, soothing colours, and light-filled spaces that connect you to the world beyond the windows.
In a world where over-tourism has touched even the most once-remote places, the experience of being on a vessel that accommodates just 200 guests – and often sails in places where not another ship is in sight – is the ultimate indulgence.
The journey is the experience
On Le Commandant Charcot, every element has been curated to heighten the polar experience. Guests begin their mornings with a yoga session overlooking drifting ice, or taking a meditative stroll along the promenade deck, pausing on heated benches to observe Arctic wildlife through Swarovski Optik scopes.
In the afternoons, venture out with the expedition team on Zodiac cruises or hikes across the frozen terrain. On certain sailings, guests can glide across the ice on dog sleds or kayaks – modes of travel deeply entwined with the polar story. They’re not just observing the environment. They’re becoming part of its rhythm.
Back on board, they’re cocooned in quiet elegance. Relax in the spa’s snow cabin or Finnish sauna, float in the indoor pool heated to 32°C, or enjoy a detox cocktail with panoramic views in the wellness lounge.
Dining in the middle of nowhere, Michelin-style
Who says adventure means roughing it? On Le Commandant Charcot, dining is elevated to an art form. At Nuna, the gastronomic restaurant, guests savour creations by Alain Ducasse – vegetable and lobster cookpots, or slow-braised meats that evoke the essence of French fine dining, even in the high Arctic.
Prefer a casual bite? Lounge at Sila under the Arctic sun or grab a seat at the open-air bar. Wines are handpicked by the sommelier to complement the day’s mood, and afternoon tea might include truffle-infused croques or savoury pastries served by the Blue Lagoon – an outdoor heated pool powered by the ship’s energy recuperation system.
An intimate cultural exchange
Beyond the ice, Greenlandic itineraries with Le Commandant Charcot offer rare cultural encounters. In Ilulissat and Qeqertarsuaq, guests are welcomed by Inuit communities whose spring traditions unfold in tandem with the season’s first daylight.
Join dog sledding excursions guided by the last remaining hunters of East Greenland. Share stories over tea in colourful coastal villages, where the warmth of human connection cuts through the Arctic chill. These aren't staged performances – they’re authentic moments of exchange few will ever experience.
Once-in-a-lifetime sailings
1) 16D15N In the wake of Jean-Baptiste Charcot
An all-new exploration aboard Le Commandant Charcot, following in the footsteps of Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s two great polar expeditions, to the Bellingshausen Sea,
~ Cross the Antarctic Circle and approach the Charcot Island.
~ Outings and shore visits in a zodiac inflatable with a reinforced team of naturalist guides.
~ Conferences and information meetings with our passionate experts, specialists in the fauna, flora and history of the polar regions.
~ Landscapes: immense glaciers, monumental icebergs, immersion in the heart of the ice floes.
~ Wildlife: Adelie, chinstrap and Gentoo penguins; leopard, crabeater and Weddell seals; humpbacks, Minke whales and orcas, and the possibility of observing emperors penguins and Ross seals.
~ Many activities: kayaking, hiking or snowshoeing, polar plunge without suit.
~ For your comfort, your cruise package includes an overnight in Santiago the day before embarkation, transfers and flights Santiago/Ushuaia
2) 11D10N Inuit Spring of Ammassalik
Visit the East of Greenland
Exclusive: the possibility of taking part in a 2-day/1-night Nordic skiing polar trek, a unique and all-new experience.
Experience the exceptional: meet the Inuit people at the end of the winter.
Aboard Le Commandant Charcot, World’s Only Luxury Icebreaker polar exploration vessel
Exploring the region of Ammassalik, East Greenland
The landscapes: alpine landscapes, polar ice cap, winding fjords, icebergs
The wildlife: blue whales, humpback whales, polar bears, seals, sea birds.
Many brand-new activities: dog sledding, kayaking, hiking or snowshoeing, ice fishing, polar diving
3) 16D15N The Geographic North Pole
~ Be among the few people in the world to go in search of the Geographic North Pole!
~ Outings and shore visits in a zodiac dinghy or hovercraft* with an reinforced team of naturalist-guides.
~ The discovery of the features of the ice floes.
~ Landscapes: ice floes. In Spitsbergen, jagged mountains, steep-sided valleys, sheer cliffs.
~ Wildlife: polar bears, Northern fulmar, ivory gull, seals, whales.
~ Many activities: kayaking, hiking or snowshoeing, ice fishing, polar plunge without suit, polar swim with drysuit, participative science.
Polar expedition expertise
Since 2019, Sedunia Travel has partnered with Ponant, the world’s leader in luxury expedition cruises to redefine cruise travel. Sedunia Travel is the exclusive agent for Ponant in Malaysia. We have a team of experienced travel consultants who have a vast knowledge of the polar region.
Sedunia Travel has turned dreams into reality for many exploration lovers to go beyond the Arctic, Antarctica, Greenland and even up to the Geographic North Pole.
To find out more, visit https://seduniatravel.com/promotion/ponant-le-commandant-charcot/ or call 03–2779 5479 (Kuala Lumpur branch) / 04-2288 088 (Penang branch) or email cruise@seduniatravel.com
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