Le Boreal, A Class Of Her Own!

 

As you all know from reading my recent posts, I have been very fortunate to go on a fair few ships of late, but this time, I wanted to introduce you to something from one of the lesser known cruise lines and take you on a voyage to the White Country. Let me introduce you to Le Boreal.

 

Le Boreal is part of Compagnie Du Ponant. They have 4 magnificent ships in the fleet from elegant three-masted yachts to the ultimate style of super yachts.

 

So welcome aboard Le Boreal.  I think this picture alone gives you a sense of what they are all about!

 

Le Boreal is very much in a class of her own. A first class French floating hotel. They offer 5* luxury cruises with all drinks included from fine pouring wine, Drappier Champagne, coffee, juices and soft drinks. You will also find 24 hour room service and butler service in some staterooms.

 

 Le Boreal has 132 staterooms and can accommodate up to 170 guests on board meaning the staff to guest ratio is nearly 1 to 1 so this enables the staff to give the best customer service at sea to rival even the likes of the six and seven star cruise lines.

As I mentioned previously, they are styled like French country houses at sea and all of their ships sail under a French flag so it is worth remembering this as French is spoken a lot on board but they will translate into English.

So a bit on Le Boreal and what makes her the one of a kind ship she is.  Well, 2 of a kind as she does have a sister called L’Austral which sails alongside Le Boreal. They both sit high enough in the water to enable them to sail closer to the shores of Antarctica than any other ship of her size in the world.

 

At 142 meters long she’s as sleek and nimble as a yacht but outfitted like a luxury cruise ship but she’s tough custom crafted to take on the most dangerous seas in the world.

At 11,000 gross tonnes and costing just over $161 million dollars, she transports her passengers in high style to the bottom of the globe to see nature at her most inspiring beauty, a continent that few will ever visit yet one of the most beautiful and natural places in the world.

One of the key points of these ships is the custom built Marina on the back of these yachts that will hold 12 zodiacs, tough enough to handle almost any weather condition.  This is what sets Le Boreal apart – her ability to launch expeditions at any time and anywhere.

She has also been built with a double walled hull to protect against icebergs and this is one of the first ships of her size to sail in Antarctica. With 4 diesel engines powering the ship, she can travel up to 16 knots with 8600 horsepower so that’s 30 kilometres per hour.

Le Boreal has also been built with a state of the art stabiliser system which is retractable and 5 meters long to minimise the roll and keep the ship stable in the rough ocean waters.

She is also designed to be the cleanest ship at sea, sensitive to the pristine Antarctic ecosystems.

 

So before we take the 5600km Voyage to Earth’s final frontier, let’s have a look at what the Le Boreal could give you.

On arrival you are met by the Captain on the pier as he greets most passengers on arrival to the Le Boreal. On the maiden voyage, they were privileged to have the former French Prime Minster, Mr Rocard, on board for the 15 night Voyage down to Antarctica. You must remember the places you see on an expedition ship like this will not have the food supplies so everything is loaded before leaving port and this includes 1000 bottles of fine French wine, 850kg rice and 2000 bottles of water.

Firstly I want to look at the staterooms you could choose from should you wish to take a voyage on this very special ship.  Superior Staterooms are the lead in category.

These are 226 square feet and located on the Le Champollion Deck.  There are only 8 of these so they do get booked up fairly quickly.  These are the only staterooms on board that do not have their own balcony although there are lots of public spaces on board.  These have a large picture window so that you can sit in comfort and let the world go by.

So what can you expect from a Superior stateroom? They have a separate toilet and a full bathroom with shower. All staterooms on board have individually controlled air conditioning, a safe and a mini bar. You will also find little extras such as bathrobes and French bath products in your bathroom. There is a desk area complete with stationery and DVD, CD and IPod players which can be used with your own in-stateroom flat screen satellite TV loaded with video’s on demand. You will have the expected extras such as the hairdryer and satellite direct line telephone and internet Wi-FI.

 

 

The next grade up is the Deluxe Staterooms.  These are the lead in Balcony staterooms.  At 243 square feet these are fairly spacious, although one would ask in Antarctica would you use the balcony as much?  It may be larger than the Superior stateroom but the actual inside stateroom space is only 200 square feet with the other 43 square feet on your balcony.  This makes for a smaller stateroom with only a chair, whereas the Superior has the sofa sitting area.

 

Again this has the same layout as the Superior stateroom with a slightly smaller bedroom and seating area, although you do have the fantastic balcony to sit on.  Just make sure you wrap up warm. There are 28 of these staterooms.

Moving up a level you get to the Prestige staterooms.  These are identical to the Deluxe staterooms with the exception of having a bathtub AND shower.  There are 92 of these and they are the most popular staterooms found on Le Boreal.

 

Next we get to the Suites on board.  The Deluxe Suites are the lead in category for the suites and these come with a full bathroom with bathtub and shower.  They also have a separate toilet, a separate dressing area and a writing desk.  You also have the master bedroom area, a king size bed which can be made up as twins, a seating area complete with sofa, armchair and a small table. There are only 3 Deluxe Suites on board and these are on Le France deck. With a total stateroom size of 290 square feet and the addition of a large balcony at 54 square feet, this is the best of both worlds with the space inside and outside.

 

 

Next we have the Prestige suites.  I must say I do like these as they are basically two Prestige staterooms interconnected.  You have two entrances into the Suite and at a total stateroom size of 398 square feet – with the addition of a huge balcony at 86 square feet – these are a home from home.  As you walk in to the stateroom, on the living room side, you have a guest bathroom complete with shower and a separate toilet, and even a spare wardrobe. You have a large living area complete with a writing desk, television and bar.  This part of the stateroom is about 200 square feet.  As you walk through to the master bedroom area – again at about approx 200 square feet, another really spacious room – you have another bathroom this time with a bathtub, another separate toilet and dressing area with wardrobe. There is again another television in here complete with another minibar. These are the most popular Suites on the Le Boreal and there are just 20 of them.

 

 

So for the Crème De La Crème on Le Boreal –  the Owners Suite.  There is only one of these, located midship on the Le France deck totalling at a stateroom size of 484 square feet with the addition of a balcony at 97 square feet.  This is a large spacious Suite offering complete privacy.  The Suite has been tastefully decorated by a French interior designer to give it a little more luxury.

 

 

As you walk into the Suite past the guest bathroom, you will see the the main living area complete with a separate dining area capable of seating four people for in-suite dining, a separate lounge area with a sofa and armchair.  You also can enter your balcony from here so guests need not walk through the bedroom area.  Off of the large master bedroom is a stunning large bathroom complete with a bathtub, separate shower area, separate toilet and dual aspect vanity units.  You also have a separate dressing area and as expected, there is a television in both rooms.

 

Now lets look at the public spaces on board La Boreal.  She has six decks – the top sun deck being called Le Paris.  Up here you have an open air bar with stunning views out over the aft of the ship and should the weather allow for it, a large sun deck on the front of the ship.  The middle of this deck contains the Zodiacs which are used for landing on shore.

 

Down on Le France deck is where the majority of the Suites are located.  You will also find the main pool with sun loungers.

 

On Le France deck you also have the Grill Restaurant – a great place to come for a tempting fish dish or a succulent steak. Maybe even give a ‘Cappuccino of Lobster’ or a spot of Wild Boar with a pinot reduction a go?

 

Towards the front you have the Panoramic Lounger which is a great place to meet friends for a pre-dinner drink or to come back and relax after a long day exploring.  You can choose to sit inside or take in the fresh air on the Panoramic Terrace.

As we reach the middle of the ship, we get to Le Normandie deck.  This is where the bridge is and you also have a large number of staterooms on this deck. On the aft of this deck you have the main leisure facilities.  There is a fitness area and beauty corner with Sothys and Balneo, Hammam and Massage areas and if you should want to pay a visit, there is even a hairdresser on board. On this level you will also find the image and photo desk which is run in partnership with Philippe Plisson

 

 

The next deck down is Le Lafayette.  This is one of the accommodation decks with 35 of the Prestige staterooms located here.  You will also find the theatre on this deck.

 Down on Le Champollion deck, again, the majority of this deck is given to staterooms. You also have the medical centre on this deck. Towards the middle of this deck, you have the reception and also the excursion desk.

 

On the aft of this deck, you have the main lounge on board and this is where you can come for a more chilled out evening after dinner or for pre-dinner drinks.  There is also a shop nearby and a terrace at the back.

 

 

Now you may read this and think that there are no a lot of public spaces.  The spaces are large and open but at the same time, you have to remember that this is not a cruise ship – this is an expedition ship – and being off all day is more strenuous so if you are after disco’s and karaoke this may not be the best ship for you.  People that sail on this ship go for the destinations, food, relaxed and chilled out entertainment and luxurious accommodation.

 

On the very bottom passenger deck, Le Liberte deck, you will find the purpose built Marina towards the aft of the ship.  This is where you will come to be taken ashore in Zodiacs.

 

Other than that, you have the main restaurant down here where you can experience some of the best Haute Cuisine at sea.

 

 

 So let’s have a look at where she could take you.  One place many of us dream to go is to Antarctica – one of the most natural and inspiring places on earth.  But with that said, also comes the fact that it is also one of the most deadly.  The only rule when travelling to the White County for the Captains and their crew, is to bring their passengers back alive.

 

If this is something you are looking to do then it’s not for the faint hearted (or anyone that gets seasick easily) as you WILL cross some of the most dangerous oceans and passages. But it is so worth it, don’t you think?

 

 

So typically, if you were to do a cruise of this type, you would fly to somewhere such a Buenos Aires where you would meet the ship in port for an early evening departure. Now you must remember the stop on route will not enable the ship to pick up supplies so it’s a busy day getting everything on board for a 15 night voyage to the White Country.

 

As you leave port, you are in for some nice relaxing sea days before you get anywhere (hoping the weather will treat you kindly).  These are very dangerous oceans so the weather can change instantly from a millpond to a stormy ocean, and this is where Le Boreal comes in to her own as she has a state of the art stabilising system with 5 meter long stabilising rings to stop the ship rolling.

 

After spending a couple days at sea you would hit South Georgia Island. Before landing you are outfitted with high-tech waterproof parkas for protection due to freezing spray and Antarctic weather conditions.  You will then get all of your clothes vacuumed as South Georgia Island is environmentally sensitive and nothing from the ship can migrate to shore so even sand in the pockets and dust on clothing must be removed before you can leave the ship.

 

With the way the ship has been designed, she is able to sail closer to shore due to the height she sits in the water.  This means she can also anchor close to land and sail in to Fjords that other ships cannot. On arrival, your expedition tour, who would do a talk on board about the types of animals and places you are going to, will go off and scout for a landing spot.  South Georgia Island is home to one of the largest King Penguin colonies in the world where hundreds of thousands flood the beaches on the islands.

 

One of the problems that can occur when looking for a landing spot and one thing to take care of when you are ashore is fur seals. These are extremely protective and unpredictable.

 

You will spend an hour or two on the beach, taking in the wild life before being taken back to the ship for lunch.  You will then also have another stop at a couple more points around the island taking in this amazing place.

 

One of the things you need to remember is to always have your whit’s about you.  Although it is so beautiful and breath-taking, if you slip over or have an accident you are days away from a local hospital and one small accident could cancel the whole cruise for everyone.

 

From South Georgia Island to Antarctica, the voyage is about 1000 kilometres and here you hit you rough seas.  This crossing will take you 50 degrees south of the latitude area known to almost all seamen as the Furious 50’s.  This is due to the strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere.

 

One of the great features of Le Boreal is her ability to launch Zodiac in places many cannot so you can do things that are not planned such as if there is a floating ice sheet, they will take you out on the zodiac so you can walk on it whilst it floats along.  Not many places you can do that!

 

So after your voyage across from South Georgia Islands and across the South Atlantic ocean, you arrive in Antarctica – one of the most breath taking places in the world and one which very few will ever travel to, but many dream of.

 

Antarctica is the fifth largest continent in area – about double the size of Australia. No two days are the same on any cruise and here is no different.  The wildlife here is simply magical, what else can I say?  Pictures always speak louder than words.

 

From here we take the voyage up through Drake Passage.  This is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. Drake, the other two passages around Cape Horn, the Magellan Strait and Beagle Channel are very narrow, leaving little room for a ship – particularly a sailing ship – to manoeuvre. Ships can also become icebound and sometimes, gusts of wind blow so strongly that no ship can make headway against it, hence many ships prefer Drake Passage which is open water for hundreds of miles despite the extremely rough weather conditions.

 

One thing you will find as you hit storms on Le Boreal is that a safety feature is used whereby they put Aluminium on the lower windows.  Although safe to travel with, no penny is spared when it comes to the passenger’s safety.

 

You will then arrive in Cape Horn in Chile – also known as the end of the world- before arriving in Argentina to depart home. Here the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet, often in a confrontation.  These oceans can be very deadly and have taken so many lives in years gone by and on a hilltop of Horn Island, a monument to the memory of the mariners lost in the waters off Cape Horn was erected in 1992.

 

I am the albatross that waits for you
at the end of the world.
I am the forgotten souls of dead mariners
who passed Cape Horn
from all the oceans of the earth.
But they did not die
in the furious waves.
Today they sail on my wings
toward eternity,
in the last crack
of Antarctic winds.

 

Then it’s up to Argentina to fly back home, and reflect on what was truly a life changing voyage.

So is this somewhere you have been or maybe want to go? Any feedback will be most welcome

So from me and my new friend, bye for now!

 

[email protected] – 0800 408 6143 – www.tomstravels.co.uk