A beautiful new ship

Our second cruise with Ponant, this time on their new ship, Le Bougainville.

Our cabin on deck 5 was ready as we embarked early in Istanbul.. we found the cabin to be comfortable, enough space for 2, a comfy bed, lovely verandah. The linen was good quality.

The bathroom was ideal, great Hermes products that were replenished daily. An excellent shower. The cabin was cleaned well each day. Turn down at night with a small chocolate or biscuit. Water was topped up daily as was a small mini bar. The cabin was very quiet.

Our cruise was around Greek islands and it was very disappointing that we did not celebrate this with a Greek dinner or similar. There was one occasion where a few dips and pita bread were offered and an afternoon tea with Greek pastries. We were hoping for a Greek influence during the cruise, with such a wonderful vital culture perhaps Greek dancing, food etc could have been included. I can only guess - this is a French line and that was very obvious every day.

The entertainment was similar to last year, some excellent French dancers. A very talented pianist was a highlight each day.

We did not undertake any excursions. We found the limited time on each island was very disappointing. For example the beautiful island of Rhodes should have been a full day at the expense of a less favourable stop.

The food was similar to Le Lyrial. Often looking better than it tasted.The outside grill buffet area for lunch was always open to flies.

Breakfast was the best meal with a wide variety available. Room service menu was very limited.

The Blue Eye is a wonderful concept.