I am also considering a trip on the Ponant Dumont D" Urville. Does anyone have experience on deck 3 regarding noise etc. Of course there is more foot traffic due to the theater and the main exit of the ship. Opinions welcome.
Texasmama, we have not been on the Dumont D'urville (Norway cruise cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021) so I can't speak to noise. However, there are some useful video tours of the ship on Youtube and one thing we discovered is that the rail on Deck 3 balconies is solid, not clear/open like on the upper decks. Thus, when seated on your balcony you might not be able to see over the rail. Bummer. Also, the big glass doors on upper decks are replaced with a door and smaller window on the deck 3 cabins. Hope this helps.
Rick, glad you posted that about Deck 3. We're thinking of a tour with Dartmouth Alumni that uses the Bellot - a different Ponant ship of the same type. I could see the difference in the window/door but not that the railings were solid. Makes a difference.
You don’t have to stay in your rooms. Although one does spend a large amount of time on the ships, there are other places you can be. On the two Ponant ships I have been on, I spent some of my time sitting in the library/small bar area in the bow of the ship that has wonderful full glass windows. At times, I would be the only person in there. My husband would nap and I would take my book and go and read there. I’m not sure some people were even aware of that area.
It also depends on the trip you are doing. If it is Iceland, there is often not much to see apart from the sea.
The lectures in the theatre are not well attended, neither are the shows, so noise should not be a problem. The shows are not long and do not finish late. Most people go to bed early. Our cabin was similar on both our trips, one was near the elevator. We never heard a thing. In fact, we ended up liking being ne’er the elevator for quick transit. If there is still certain Covid restriction when you travel, like not having access to the public restroom and things like that, it’s handy when your cabin is nearer to the lounge and dining room etc.
thanks everyone for your help. I did not see the video on utube - wish I had. Judy we are the same - going to iceland on July 7th. I appreciate British your sensible approach.
We just returned home from cruising Iceland on the Dupont D'Urville (Deck 4). We had a very pleasant experience on board with no distracting noise outside the cabin. Sound from entertainment and lectures was quite isolated with few people attending (although we went to all the events and enjoyed them very much).
We did not sit on the room balcony at all, but we stood out there frequently taking photos, watching birds and looking for whales. Most times the chair cushions would get too wet to sit on, and the cool temperatures and winds made it more desirable to look out from within.
Connorlaker...??? Did you return to the US? Did Tauck make arraggements for your required Covid test prior to your US entry? How much time did it take from your free time?
We cruised on Le Champlain in a deck three foreward cabin. We like the proximity to go to the theater and the pool.. It’s a small ship, so you are never very far from anything.
Patrice..The ship arrived at the final port of Hafnarfjordur at 7:00 am on day 7. A team boarded right away and ran the tests before we left at 8:00 am for the Golden Circle/Blue Lagoon excursion (cost of test was about $80 per person). We were told on the bus later in the day that all results came back negative and a paper copy was waiting for us when we returned to the ship (results could also be sent to emails). We then left the ship at 8:00 am on day 8 for the flight home to the USA, All went well.
Thank you Connorlaker for your prompt and thorough response. So happy you had a great experience. My only Tauck tour was a river cruise in 2019. I am hoping my Tauck Lisbon to Barcelona cruise next month goes as smoothly. I realize the Tauck guests will be sharing the ship with Windstar guests so I'm counting on Tauck to take care of our Covid testing without any glitches. Keeping my fingers crossed that all passengers abide by protocols. Windstar may be different than Ponant regarding how strict they are with requiring us to follow the rules... distancing and masks. Can't control what happens on free time off the ship. Portugal/Spain/Gibraltar/Mallorca is a riskier tour compared to Iceland.
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Texasmama, we have not been on the Dumont D'urville (Norway cruise cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021) so I can't speak to noise. However, there are some useful video tours of the ship on Youtube and one thing we discovered is that the rail on Deck 3 balconies is solid, not clear/open like on the upper decks. Thus, when seated on your balcony you might not be able to see over the rail. Bummer. Also, the big glass doors on upper decks are replaced with a door and smaller window on the deck 3 cabins. Hope this helps.
Rick, glad you posted that about Deck 3. We're thinking of a tour with Dartmouth Alumni that uses the Bellot - a different Ponant ship of the same type. I could see the difference in the window/door but not that the railings were solid. Makes a difference.
Yikes, sorry to hear this. We booked late and are stuck with these rooms. Oh, well, beggars can't be choosers.
You don’t have to stay in your rooms. Although one does spend a large amount of time on the ships, there are other places you can be. On the two Ponant ships I have been on, I spent some of my time sitting in the library/small bar area in the bow of the ship that has wonderful full glass windows. At times, I would be the only person in there. My husband would nap and I would take my book and go and read there. I’m not sure some people were even aware of that area.
It also depends on the trip you are doing. If it is Iceland, there is often not much to see apart from the sea.
The lectures in the theatre are not well attended, neither are the shows, so noise should not be a problem. The shows are not long and do not finish late. Most people go to bed early. Our cabin was similar on both our trips, one was near the elevator. We never heard a thing. In fact, we ended up liking being ne’er the elevator for quick transit. If there is still certain Covid restriction when you travel, like not having access to the public restroom and things like that, it’s handy when your cabin is nearer to the lounge and dining room etc.
thanks everyone for your help. I did not see the video on utube - wish I had. Judy we are the same - going to iceland on July 7th. I appreciate British your sensible approach.
We just returned home from cruising Iceland on the Dupont D'Urville (Deck 4). We had a very pleasant experience on board with no distracting noise outside the cabin. Sound from entertainment and lectures was quite isolated with few people attending (although we went to all the events and enjoyed them very much).
We did not sit on the room balcony at all, but we stood out there frequently taking photos, watching birds and looking for whales. Most times the chair cushions would get too wet to sit on, and the cool temperatures and winds made it more desirable to look out from within.
Connorlaker...??? Did you return to the US? Did Tauck make arraggements for your required Covid test prior to your US entry? How much time did it take from your free time?
The testing is done on the ship. I believe it costs $150
We cruised on Le Champlain in a deck three foreward cabin. We like the proximity to go to the theater and the pool.. It’s a small ship, so you are never very far from anything.
Patrice..The ship arrived at the final port of Hafnarfjordur at 7:00 am on day 7. A team boarded right away and ran the tests before we left at 8:00 am for the Golden Circle/Blue Lagoon excursion (cost of test was about $80 per person). We were told on the bus later in the day that all results came back negative and a paper copy was waiting for us when we returned to the ship (results could also be sent to emails). We then left the ship at 8:00 am on day 8 for the flight home to the USA, All went well.
Thank you Connorlaker for your prompt and thorough response. So happy you had a great experience. My only Tauck tour was a river cruise in 2019. I am hoping my Tauck Lisbon to Barcelona cruise next month goes as smoothly. I realize the Tauck guests will be sharing the ship with Windstar guests so I'm counting on Tauck to take care of our Covid testing without any glitches. Keeping my fingers crossed that all passengers abide by protocols. Windstar may be different than Ponant regarding how strict they are with requiring us to follow the rules... distancing and masks. Can't control what happens on free time off the ship. Portugal/Spain/Gibraltar/Mallorca is a riskier tour compared to Iceland.