From aboard Ponant 'Le Soleal'
'In the heart of Brazil'
Days at Sea
Small ship cruising is not always about 'expeditions' and on Ponant's Brazilian voyage between Montevideo in Uruguay and Recife in the north of Brazil, Captain Debien and his crew skippered this superb vessel more than 4000km making just two stops along the route.
Apart from our days ashore at Rio and Salvador de Bahia, there was plenty of time for good, old fashioned relaxing time at sea. On today's massive cruise liners, it's quite possible to sail for days on end without the sight of land and still have jolly time with all manner of distractions from water parks and ice rinks to lavish theatre productions and gourmet events.
Ponant's quartet of 142m, 264-passenger vessels are a chic package of both expedition ability and luxurious onboard amenities. There's the Sothy Spa, a 300-seat theatre for cinema, stage shows and lectures, a pool and comfortable lounges and bars.
During sea days, guests can do as much or as little as they like, but there is always something on offer. Lecturer, Jean-Luis Joret, enlightens us on history, culture and geography and we can later test our comprehension during one of cruise director, Axelle's daily quizzes. There are films in the theatre, morning exercises with the dancers, card and board games, dance classes, wine tasting with sommelier Eric, musical recitals with pianist Eugene or just quiet time in the Observation Lounge way up on Deck 6.
Thing are about to get more rigorous as I back up for the 'Over the Amazon & Orinoco' adventure over the next two weeks. Stay tuned for reports from seldom-visited locations like French Guiana, Venezuela and Martinique.
Images:
- Dancers from Ponant's 'Baller Paris C'Show'
- Guests gather pre-dinner in the Main Lounge
- Musical entertainers in the theatre
For more information about cruising with Ponant, visit www.ponant.com
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