L’Austral in Pula, Croatia. The 264-guest ship is the most versatile current all-rounder among PONANT’s four Sisterships.
Photo: Orlovic. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0; crop by CruisePing.
L’Austral is the Sistership I would recommend first to someone who likes PONANT’s older small-ship format but has not yet decided where in the world to use it. The reason is not a secret design advantage. It is deployment. Its programme reaches from Greenland and eastern North America to Antarctica, the Mediterranean, the Iberian coast and the British Isles, giving this 264-guest vessel a wider practical identity than most of its sisters.
The hardware is deliberately familiar. Le Boréal and L’Austral share 10,950 GT, 142.1 metres, 132 rooms and the same basic two-restaurant, lounge, pool and spa formula. If you are deciding between them on an identical route, I would take the cheaper fare or better cabin. L’Austral becomes the stronger recommendation because its itinerary mix repeatedly puts that platform where a small ship has a reason to exist.
L’Austral is the best all-round Sistership in the present PONANT programme. It does not have the newest hardware, but it moves convincingly between Antarctica, Greenland, North America, the Mediterranean and UK-linked North Atlantic routes. If you want one Sistership that demonstrates the breadth of PONANT rather than a single regional speciality, this is the one I would start with.
L’Austral at a glance
| Cruise line | PONANT Cruises |
|---|---|
| Ship class or type | PONANT Sistership, second vessel in the four-ship series |
| Entered service | 2011 |
| Last major refurbishment | No recent transformative rebuild that changes the basic Sistership layout |
| Gross tonnage | 10,950 GT |
| Length | 142.1 m |
| Guest capacity | 264 maximum |
| Crew | 145 |
| Passenger decks | 6 passenger-accessible decks |
| Cabins or suites | 132 staterooms and suites; 125 have a private balcony or terrace and seven Deck 3 rooms have windows or a porthole |
| Accessible cabins | 3 wheelchair-adapted staterooms, on decks 3, 4 and 5 |
| Dining venues | Two main dining choices: a gourmet restaurant and a more informal grill/buffet venue, plus room service |
| Bars and lounges | Main lounge and panoramic/observation lounge with bar areas; no Blue Eye underwater lounge |
| Pools and hot tubs | Heated outdoor seawater pool; compact open-deck relaxation areas |
| Library | Books and board games available in the public lounges rather than a large stand-alone library |
| Spa and fitness | SOTHYS and Davines spa, sauna, hair salon and fitness room |
| Children’s facilities | Kids Club on selected voyages from age 4; expedition voyages normally accept children from age 6 |
| Adults-only facilities | No dedicated adults-only retreat |
| Wi-Fi | Included Wi-Fi throughout cabins and public areas; satellite performance still depends on geography and conditions |
| UK departures or deployment | Broad deployment spanning Greenland and North America, Antarctica, Mediterranean and Iberian routes, plus British Isles and Glasgow-Iceland North Atlantic sailings |
Best suited to
- First-time Sistership passengers who want a broad choice of regions
- UK travellers attracted by Glasgow, British Isles and North Atlantic options
- Passengers who want the same small ship to be credible in Antarctica and conventional European cruising
Think carefully if
- You want the newer Explorer-class marina and Blue Eye lounge
- Your chosen itinerary is available on Le Lyrial at a similar fare and you value its lower passenger count
- You expect a large resort ship’s breadth of dining and entertainment
Where this ship fits in the PONANT fleet
L’Austral is the second of the four Sisterships and is mechanically close to Le Boréal and Le Soléal. All three carry a maximum of 264 guests in 132 rooms. Le Lyrial came later and altered the accommodation balance, reducing the published maximum to 245 guests and adding a wider choice of larger suites.
That leaves L’Austral in a useful middle position. It is older and more traditional than an Explorer, but not so idiosyncratic that the ship dominates the holiday. I see that as a strength. The itinerary can lead, while the vessel supplies enough lounges, deck space and service to make longer repositioning sectors and polar sea days comfortable.
Cabins: choose position before category
L’Austral’s 132-room layout follows the standard Sistership pattern. Most rooms have a balcony or terrace, while seven Deck 3 rooms rely on a porthole or large square window. Three adapted rooms are available across decks 3, 4 and 5. Connecting Prestige staterooms can also create larger suite configurations, which is useful for families or friends travelling together.
I would not chase the largest category automatically. For a North Atlantic or Antarctic voyage, a well-positioned balcony room near the routes you use repeatedly can be a smarter buy than a larger suite with a less convenient location. On warmer Mediterranean sectors, balcony time rises in value. Look at the deck plan, then price the category jump in pounds per night rather than assuming more space is automatically better.
Dining and drinks
L’Austral keeps dining compact: one main gourmet restaurant and one more relaxed grill/buffet venue, backed by room service and the included Open Bar. That works because 264 guests do not need a restaurant district. It also keeps the evening sociable, with familiar faces and a clear rhythm rather than a reservation strategy.
For me, the weakness appears on a long voyage if you enjoy constant culinary variety. Two venues cannot imitate a large luxury ship with multiple speciality restaurants. The counterargument is that PONANT’s destination programme often gets you off the ship for much of the day, and the menu changes rather than the dining room. Decide whether variety of food matters more to you than variety of ports.
Lounges, pool and life between ports
L’Austral’s public rooms are traditional in the best and worst senses. There is a main lounge, panoramic lounge, theatre, spa, fitness room and outdoor pool, all easy to reach without long walks. The ship encourages reading, lectures, conversation and watching the landscape rather than queuing for attractions.
The trade-off is obvious beside a modern Explorer. L’Austral has no underwater Blue Eye lounge and no comparable aft marina platform. I would miss the marina on warm expedition voyages more than the underwater lounge. On Antarctica or North Atlantic itineraries, observation positions and a comfortable interior matter more, so the hardware gap becomes smaller than marketing photographs suggest.
Watch before you book
This tour is worth watching to judge whether the traditional Sistership layout feels elegant or simply dated to you. Look at the scale of the main lounge, restaurant, pool deck and corridors rather than individual decorative details. If the compact circulation appeals, the ship is likely to suit. If you immediately want more contemporary spaces, move to the Explorer guides before spending time on fares.
Expedition capability and shore days
L’Austral’s broad programme demonstrates why the label expedition ship can be misleading if read too narrowly. One sailing can involve conventional European ports and the next can involve Zodiac operations in Antarctica. The vessel supports both, but the rhythm, clothing, physical demands and shore access are completely different.
For Antarctica, I would pay more attention to expedition logistics than to whether the carpet looks newer on another ship. A 264-guest vessel is still small enough to operate as a serious destination platform, but landing regulations and site conditions can divide guests into groups. Read the activity notes and understand what is included before assuming the ship’s small size guarantees every landing will be immediate.
Accessibility and mobility
L’Austral has three wheelchair-adapted rooms and accessible public routes, which gives it a credible onboard base for passengers with reduced mobility. The gangway, tender arrangements and destination still matter. A Glasgow or Mediterranean port day can be much easier than a remote landing even though the cabin does not change.
I would ask PONANT to assess the actual itinerary rather than simply confirm that an adapted room exists. Expedition shore operations remain at the captain’s discretion and can involve Zodiacs or uneven ground. Onboard accessibility is a necessary part of the decision, but not the whole decision.
Families, solo travellers and atmosphere
L’Austral suits couples and adults who like a calm, internationally mixed atmosphere. French and English are both part of onboard life. Selected sailings can offer a Kids Club and PONANT accepts children within its published age rules, but the ship is not designed around family entertainment.
Solo travellers should watch for no-single-supplement promotions because L’Austral’s wide deployment produces more opportunities than a region-bound vessel. If a solo offer coincides with a strong route, the economics can change dramatically. Social life is easy enough in a 264-guest environment without forcing participation in organised mixers.
Where the itinerary makes the case
The reason I rate L’Austral so highly within this subgroup is the map. The programme includes Greenland to Canada, North American coastal routes, Antarctica, Mediterranean and Iberian voyages, British archipelagos and Glasgow-Reykjavik North Atlantic sailings. Few single ships give you such a clean demonstration of PONANT’s range.
For a UK passenger, the Glasgow links are particularly useful because they can reduce the logistical friction of a small-ship expedition holiday. For a first Antarctic voyage, L’Austral is a credible conventional PONANT option. For warm-water Europe, it becomes a simple intimate luxury ship. That versatility is more valuable than a cosmetic age ranking.
What is L’Austral worth paying for?
L’Austral justifies a premium when its breadth saves you from compromising on itinerary. A Glasgow-Reykjavik sailing, an Antarctic departure and a Greenland-to-Canada route are very different holidays, yet the same familiar 264-guest platform can serve all three. That flexibility makes the ship easier to buy than a vessel whose programme is concentrated in one expensive long-haul region. For a UK traveller, an itinerary that reduces positioning flights or hotel nights can also be worth more than a modest difference in cruise fare.
I would still put a ceiling on the premium over an Explorer or Le Lyrial. L’Austral does not offer enough unique hardware to justify paying substantially more for the ship itself. Where it wins is timing and geography. Price the whole trip, including flights, transfers, hotels and insurance, then compare the cost per usable holiday day. A slightly higher cruise fare can be the better deal if the embarkation and disembarkation points make the journey easier.
How it compares with the other Sisterships
| Booking question | CruisePing view |
|---|---|
| Best reason to choose L’Austral | The broadest all-round geographic fit among the Sisterships. |
| Best UK angle | Glasgow and British Isles/North Atlantic opportunities. |
| Versus Le Soléal | Choose L’Austral for Atlantic and polar breadth; Le Soléal for Asia-Pacific and Kimberley. |
| Versus Le Lyrial | L’Austral wins on broad deployment; Le Lyrial wins on lower capacity and suite choice. |
If I had to choose one Sistership without knowing the destination, L’Austral would be my answer. Le Boréal is more of a route-and-value choice, Le Soléal has the clearest Asia-Pacific specialism, and Le Lyrial is the hardware favourite. L’Austral is the balanced option.
Who should book it?
Book L’Austral if you want to test PONANT’s traditional Sistership experience without committing to one narrow region. Its itinerary breadth lets the vessel make sense as a European small ship, a North Atlantic explorer or an Antarctic platform. That flexibility is unusually strong.
Choose something else if the ship itself is the destination. An Explorer has more distinctive modern features, and Le Lyrial offers a slightly lower-density accommodation plan. L’Austral earns its recommendation by being useful almost everywhere rather than by being exceptional in one onboard category.
What to check before booking
- Compare L’Austral with Le Lyrial when both cover a similar polar route.
- Check Deck 3 carefully if a private balcony is important.
- For a UK-linked sailing, compare the saving in flights and hotels against the cruise fare.
- Read the expedition activity notes for Antarctica and Greenland rather than assuming every day works like a port call.
- Watch for no-single-supplement offers if travelling alone.
Related CruisePing guides
- PONANT Cruises guide
- Which PONANT cruise ship is best?
- Le Lapérouse guide
- Le Bellot guide
- Le Jacques Cartier guide
- Le Commandant Charcot guide
- Le Ponant guide
- Le Boréal guide
- Le Soléal guide
- Le Lyrial guide