Le Soléal

Third Boreal-Class Ship – The Solar One

Le Soléal entered service in 2013 as the third in Ponant’s Boreal class, adding to the quartet of 264-guest expedition ships that form the backbone of the French line’s fleet. The name means “of the sun” in old Provençal French – an origin that belies the ship’s considerable experience in the polar opposite of sunny conditions: Antarctic ice fields, Arctic pack ice, and high-latitude summer waters where the sun barely sets but temperatures remain thoroughly challenging.

She shares the same core specification as her sisters L’Austral, Le Boréal, and Le Lyrial: 142 metres, 10,700 gross tons, 132 outside cabins and suites across six decks, and a crew of approximately 140. The four ships of the class are operationally interchangeable, which is reflected in the breadth of itinerary types that each deploys across a year.

On Board

Le Soléal carries the full Boreal-class complement of passenger facilities: a main restaurant with open seating, a more intimate second dining venue, a spa, swimming pool, fitness room, and dedicated lecture theatre for expedition briefings. The wine list is sommelier-managed and reflects both French wine country and the regions the ship is sailing through at any given time.

An expedition team is embarked for polar and remote itineraries, adding naturalist briefings, Zodiac landing leadership, and the contextual knowledge that distinguishes an informed expedition from a scenic cruise. The ship’s Zodiac fleet is stored in a purpose-built launch deck aft, enabling quick and organised deployment of landing craft regardless of sea conditions.

Cuisine

The culinary direction across the Boreal class is consistently French: fresh ingredients sourced where possible locally or from French producers, a daily menu that evolves across the voyage rather than repeating, and wine service that is attentive without being performative. On Antarctic itineraries, the kitchen works with provisions loaded before departure; on Mediterranean and Pacific routes, local market shopping supplements the ship’s stores.

Destinations

Le Soléal operates Antarctic Peninsula seasons in the southern summer, Arctic Norway and Svalbard in the north, and Mediterranean, Pacific, and South American programmes in the shoulder months. Her flexibility across all these environments is the Boreal-class proposition in its clearest form: one ship, one standard of comfort, any ocean.