French cruise company Ponant has taken delivery of its new vessel Le Lapérouse, the first of six in its Explorers series.
Le Lapérouse left the shipyard in Ålesund, Norway, on 16 June and will reach Reykjavik in Iceland on 19 June for the start of her maiden cruise. The inauguration will take place on 10 July in Reykjavik. Construction of the other five ships is currently under way.
“Le Lapérouse is a wonderful achievement for the company and the result of intensive teamwork with Vard and Fincantieri. From remarkable nautical performances to technical excellence and offering an extraordinary level of comfort, everything is in place for the Ponant Explorers series to be a huge success,” says Jean Emmanuel Sauvée, CEO and co-founder of Ponant.
The ship has 92 staterooms and suites, all with a balcony or private terrace. It also features the ‘Blue Eye’ - a ‘multi-sensorial’ underwater lounge that allows passengers to view the underwater world via two portholes. There’s also underwater lighting and hydrophones integrated into the keel that retransmit the natural symphony of the deep water, as well as ‘body listening’ sofas, which are said to offer a unique sensorial listening experience by corporal resonance.