Cruising the Caribbean on Ponant's Le Dumont d'Urville
Arriving at the cruise terminal in Fort-de-France in Martinique, our home for the next 12 days Le Dumont d’Urville, could not have looked more different than it’s next door neighbour also in town that day, the humongous MSC Seaside. This beautiful French superyacht just oozes class from its every pore, from its sleek silhouette to its super cold Scandi interiors, it’s delicious Alain Ducasse inspired cuisine and its super attentive crew. From the moment guests arrive at the embarkation port until the day they have to say a find farewell, the crew are there to anticipate your every need and ensure you don’t lift a finger for the entire voyage. Announcements are made in both French and English with the crew switching effortlessly between the two, and though English speaking guests are undoubtedly outnumbered they are never made to feel any less welcome than their Francophone counterparts. With a capacity of 180 passengers we had 130 guests on board our Caribbean cruise, so with one less crew than passengers, within a day or so the wonderful bar team knew who we were and what we liked to drink.
Although our boarding time was not until 4pm there were a number of guests transferring from the hotel in Fort-de-France to the ship, so the hotel laid on a coach to transfer us all there arriving just before our allotted time. Greeted at the pier by the attentive crew we were quickly on board the ship and being shown to our verandah stateroom on deck 6, room 602. The room itself was quite small but with plenty of storage and a beautiful, relaxing Scandi design we soon settled in and were sad to leave the comfort of our suite at the end of the voyage.
Finding our feet on the first evening on board we started with a pre-dinner drink in the main lounge before heading upstairs to the main restaurant for dinner. With two main dining options, other than the 24 hour complimentary room service, the Dumont d’Urville has the capacity to seat all of its passengers in the formal main dining room, as well as the more casual option to eat al fresco in the Grill restaurant located on the pool deck. Within a day or so we had settled into a routine, enjoying breakfast in the main restaurant, lunch beside the pool at the Grill and dinner in the main restaurant, sometimes managing to grab one of the coveted outside tables on the little terrace overlooking the pool.
Sailing overnight to our first and furthest destination we had a half sea day before arriving at South Friars Bay in St. Kitts. However, there was no sleeping in for us with jet lag waking us up just as it was starting to get light. All rooms come equipped with a coffee machine so every morning started with a coffee out to the balcony usually just before sunrise, giving us the energy injection we needed to venture out and find the sunrise, sometimes even jumping in the glorious infinity pool at the aft of the ship, the perfect place to watch the sun emerging over the horizon.
With an 11am arrival, lunch was served early so that guests could make the most of the time in port. Our first debark was via tender and with it being a Sunday there were lots of local families enjoying the beach. With many of the guests simply choosing to hire a sunbed on the beach we chose the second option, to walk along the beach stopping at some of the beach bars along the way. Finishing up at the Shipwreck Bar and Grill we lingered over a local cold beer before making our way back along the beach to catch a tender back to the ship.
That evening we had the first of two Gala dinners on our voyage, starting with a Captains welcome cocktail reception on the pool deck. With most guests using the Gala evenings as a good excuse to adorn their glad-rags, enjoy a glass of Veuve Clicquot and get to know fellow travellers over a six course degustation dinner.
One of the disadvantages of sailing on a smaller ship is that sometimes you can feel the movement of the ship a bit more than you would on a larger ship, and that night we had a rather rocky sleep. With the swells challenging the deck crew the first tender to shore was a little later than planned with our fabulous Captain using all of his negotiation skills to secure us an alternative docking in the harbour at Gustavia on the gorgeous island of St. Barthelemy. With the swell making it difficult to get people on the tenders our dedicated Captain came down to supervise the operation and wave us off on our day ashore, as he did most days. Once safely ashore we headed straight to Shell beach, a short walk from the town, and we were soon swimming in the cool Caribbean Sea and lazing in the shade of a palm tree. Having never been here before we couldn’t leave the island without exploring a bit further than the gorgeous Shell beach, so before catching the tender back to the ship we wandered around the town taking in some incredible views and the high end shops of this incredibly affluent town.
Back on the ship and now fully settled into the ship and its routines, our evening always started with a port talk from Charline, our cruise director whilst we sat back and enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail. During the ten minute talk Charline would adeptly switch between French and English to give guests a brief overview of the next days port and activities, all of which was also printed on the daily programme delivered to our suites whilst we enjoyed that evening’s activities. And that evening saw the first full theatre show featuring the all female troop of three dancers and a singer. The show, ‘Mademoiselle de Paris’, included a mix of french and English songs and a variety of dance styles dating back to the twenties through to more modern styles. This was the first of three equally as entertaining theatre shows as well as two more informal shows in the main lounge.
Despite a late night enjoying the entertainment, the next morning we were up early to enjoy the scenic sailing through the channel of islands to get us to our next stop, White Bay on the British Virgin Islands. With no piers for tenders to dock at White Bay, today was our first wet landing of the voyage, with the ship lowering its marina platform and hoisting the zodiacs off of the top deck to take us all ashore. Once ashore there were sunbeds, towels, umbrellas and a small bar set up for us to enjoy a day in this gorgeous little bay with its white sands and stunning views. We settled on a sun bed before heading into the sea for a swim and snorkel before the organised aquagym class in the sea.
Whilst most guests headed back to the ship for lunch we headed to the Soggy Dollar, a short walk along the bay from where we were seated. We found a table in the shade and ordered a couple of their signature painkiller cocktails, accompanied by a toasted cheese sandwich and fries. It was perfect and what a great little spot for lunch. After lunch we headed back to our sunbeds and there was literally only us and one other couple still on the beach. We had a glass of champagne and another little swim in the sea before dozing off for an hour. A perfect day in paradise!
We made it back on board the ship just in time for a little afternoon tea, which takes place in the main lounge every day from 4-5pm and is always accompanied by live music from either the onboard vocalist, Tatiana, or the fabulous guitar player. Each day has a different ‘theme’ including things like chocolate, cupcake, choux, macaron, mille-feuille, British, American. Although its not a formal afternoon tea like on some of the bigger ships with guests helping themselves to the offerings, there is always a couple of sandwiches to choose from and three or four sweet treats. And all of it is accompanied by the always available array of delicious teas on offer at the bar.
Another activity we looked forward to every day was our visit to the underwater Blue Eye lounge. Usually open for only two hours a day the bar is only accessible via the forward elevators where guests alight at deck one and then take the stairs down to deck 0. Entering the bar is a multi-sensory experience with underwater sounds emanating from the surrounding speakers, mood lighting and the fabulous large oval windows on either side of the bar giving a view to the underwater world surrounding the ship. Every visit to the Blue Eye lounge afforded a different sighting from a massive ancient tarpon to swarms of tiny little tiddlers and tropical fish. Often the only guests down there we always enjoyed a chat with whoever was behind the bar, a glass of champagne and a relaxing hour looking out at the underwater world view.
The next morning brought us to our most remote destination, Dog Island off of the coast of Anguilla. A quick stop at Anguilla to gain port clearance meant that we arrived at our anchorage off of Dog island at just after 10am. With a large swell again causing the Captain a bit of a headache it was a while before we could disembark for another wet landing onto the deserted beach which was our destination for the day. The local authorities at Anguilla don’t allow for much to be taken over to the island but there were a few umbrellas set out on the beach and some towels to grab to sit on. We stayed on the beach for a couple of hours, taking a walk around, lazing in the sun and snorkelling in the Caribbean sea.
Leaving Dog Island at sunset we had booked a sauna session and massage for when we set sail. The sauna is available in half hour slots for guests to book sessions in this huge room with a massive oval window looking out to sea. Watching the sunset from the sauna followed by a romantic couples massage was the perfect ending to another incredible day. But our day wasn’t over yet, with an informal al fresco dinner at the Grill followed by a little light entertainment from our fellow guests as they partook in French karaoke we finished our evening with a cup of tea on our balcony before retiring to bed.
After the last few days of tenders and zodiacs it was a welcome change to be alongside the next day on the island of Dominica. The ship docked in the National park just a short walk from the main town Portsmouth complete with shops, museums, beaches and restaurants to visit. Since we were staying here until early the next morning and all aboard wasn’t until 7.30pm, we sandwiched lunch with a morning wandering around Portsmouth and a walk in the National park just before sunset.
Releasing the ships line at the crack of dawn we headed the short distance to Les Saintes off of the coast of Guadeloupe. We arrived at our anchor during breakfast in the restaurant giving us a lovely view over the bay of Terre-de-Haut. Another tender stop we landed ashore and immediately headed to Fort Napoleon, a 2km climb to the west of the island. Although it was hot and in places steep, the walk gave us some lovely views over the island and the ship docked in the bay. From here we decided to walk to the other end of the island to a beach called Du Pain de Sucre, a 3km hilly walk. Arriving at this remote beach very hot and sweaty we immediately jumped in the sea for a swim and some snorkelling. By the time we left we were both hungry so we stopped at the lovely little bar on the beach path for lunch enjoying the lofty views out to sea before undertaking the long walk back to the ship.
Tonight was White night on the ship with guests encouraged to dress in white and join the the festivities which started with a get together in the lounge where a wonderful canapé and rum table had been set up for guests to enjoy as they listened to the live music. After the usual port talk it was time for dinner and we managed to grab a table for two on the outside terrace for a romantic evening as we sailed through the Caribbean Seas enjoying a delicious dinner.
Having explored all of the ports so far independently we decided to book a shore excursion for our next day in Bequia. Meeting in the lounge our group boarded the next tender, boarding the catamaran docked immediately next door to the tender pier. Our morning excursion took us around the headland, passed the cliff side community known as moon hole before stopping to snorkel at an uninhabited island just off the coast of Bequia. On the way back to the ship we all enjoyed leisurely sail back to Port Elizabeth whilst sipping on a very strong rum punch.
Staying on board the ship for a lazy afternoon we decided to go back ashore to watch the sunset. Since the ship wasn’t leaving Bequia until 10pm and with the tenders running until late we relished the opportunity to spend the evening on this beautiful Caribbean island, finding a gorgeous shoreside bar to watch the sunset over the bay with the ship in the background and a beer in our hands. getting the tender back to the ship in the dark we were greeted with a stunning view of the ship beautifully lit up in the nights sky.
Our next stop was Grenada, somewhere we have visited before so we treated it as a sea day and spent the day relaxing on the ship enjoying the views over the Old harbour where we were docked until 10.30pm.
Our next stop was eagerly anticipated, an exciting day of exploring and snorkelling at a marine conservation in Tobago Cays. We were up early to make sure we were on the first zodiac over to the island and settled ourselves down on the beach immediately donning our snorkelling equipment and heading out in the sea. Rich hadn’t been out long before he spotted a massive sting ray and we both headed to the rocky outcrop where there was plenty of tropical fish. Noticing some excitement further out in the bay Rich headed out there and was rewarded by spotting a beautiful turtle grazing in the grassy sea bed. Although we had been snorkelling for over an hour we still hadn’t had enough of the beautiful seas surrounding this deserted island, so we took a short walk through to the beach on the other side of the island and spent another hour snorkelling through the sea grass, rocks and coral reefs. The fish over this side of the island were gorgeous and so varied from tiny little blue tiddlers to massive menacing looking fish, we’ve never seen such a variety of fish in one place. Having been out for nigh on three hours we called the snorkelling a day for the time being and headed back to the ship for lunch. Unable to resist another visit to this gorgeous little island, after our lunch we hopped back on another zodiac back to the island, this time starting our visit with the 25 minute walking trail around the island and over the hill which gave us a magnificent view of the surrounding islands. We then sat on the beach until late in the afternoon catching one of the last zodiacs back to the ship in time for a gorgeous sunset enjoyed from the wonderful infinity pool at the aft of the ship.
We had been invited to dine on the Captains table that evening, using our invitation as an excuse to wear some of the more formal clothes we had bought. Once we were changed we headed to the lounge for a pre-dinner cocktail and the port talk before making our way up to the restaurant to meet the captain and our fellow diners. We enjoyed a delicious dinner with some rather marvellous fine wines to accompany it and such good company that we were the last table to leave the restaurant.
A short hop the next morning brought us the bay of Mayreau where we were due to have another beach day complete with beach barbeque. Although it looked a little overcast we gathered our stuff and boarded the first tender ashore, finding a couple of sun loungers under a palm tree on the beach to settle down on. With a bar set up a few feet away from where we were sitting we thought we were set in for the day, but the weather gods had other ideas. As we sat there the clouds got heavier and darker and around mid morning the rain started, starting with a light drizzle but within a few minutes a torrential rain storm. Everyone gathered around the bar for shelter and the amazing bar team served us all very nice rum punches to take the edge of the wetness. With the barbecue already alight the kitchen team decided to take some of the food back to the ship for those people wanting to retreat from the rain. We however decided to stay and drink rum, dance to the steel band music and enjoy the most amazing barbecued lobster in the beach, with the rain eventually easing off in time for us to eat.
Our penultimate day we had two stops starting with spending the morning at Pigeon island on the north coast of St Lucia, landing at the National park. Once ashore we took a little walk along the coast before heading back to one of the beaches within the park. We stayed there for a couple of hours enjoying the view and then caught a tender back to the ship for lunch while we repositioned to Soufriere Bay where we anchored with the most amazing view of the famous Piton mountains. Having always wanted to see the Pitons we spent the afternoon on the Observation deck enjoying the most fabulous sunset with the Pitons as a backdrop - the perfect end to an incredible cruise.
But the fun wasn’t over yet, we still had a farewell party and gala dinner to enjoy, so we donned our gladrags and headed down to the pool deck for a glass of Veuve Clicquot and the crew parade. After that we headed to the restaurant for another six course gala dinner, Rich choosing the classic menu and me opting for the vegetarian one. After dinner we headed down to the lounge for one last glass of champagne before heading off for our last night of this dream Caribbean cruise.
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Thank you to Ponant who hosted us on this incredible Caribbean cruise, their 12 night “The Essential of the Caribbean’ cruise and paid our all-inclusive cruise fare. All other costs were covered by ourselves including the flights to get to and from Martinique, our pre and post-cruise hotel stays, all of our transfers and our shore excursions. Ponant had no editorial control over any of our content, either before, during our after our voyage and all views are our own.
If you enjoyed this blog why not take a look at our Ponant L’Austral ship visit blog or our Le Bellot tour.
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