Most cruise lines fill their ships with on-and-off sales. Ponant takes a refreshingly transparent approach: the earlier you book, the less you pay. Here’s how it works.
Last updated 7 June 2026
In our article on the pros and cons of last-minute cruise specials, we explained that holding out for a last-minute deal can occasionally secure a sharp price — but it can just as easily mean missing your preferred departure altogether, or being left with the less desirable cabins and suites.
One cruise line whose approach to pricing we particularly like is Ponant. Rather than running ad hoc campaigns to fill a ship — and risking frustration among guests who have already booked — Ponant uses a single, transparent, scaled discount policy.
How Ponant’s discount policy works
Ponant’s policy rewards guests who commit early and pay their deposit. When a voyage first opens for sale, the discount starts at 30%. From there it steps down gradually as cabins and suites are taken — in other words, the price rises as the ship fills — easing back in 5% increments until the voyage is sold out.
With Ponant, the earlier you commit, the less you pay — the discount only shrinks as the ship fills.
Ponant doesn’t publish how many cabins or suites must sell before the discount moves to the next level, but it will tell you the current discount, and endeavours to let guests know where a voyage stands. The takeaway is simple: the best price is almost always the earliest one.
Discounted single supplements
Alongside the overarching discount programme, Ponant periodically runs offers with reduced single supplements. A single supplement is the surcharge a solo guest pays for a suite that is normally priced for two people sharing — a twin-share basis. A discounted single supplement makes joining a Ponant voyage noticeably more affordable for those travelling on their own.
Explore Ponant itineraries
Through our dedicated cruise website you can use our Cruise Search Engine to explore and compare Ponant voyages, detailed itineraries, cabin and suite images, and deck plans. A few popular regions to start with:
The Ponant Yacht Club: loyalty that grows with every voyage
Sail with Ponant more than once and you’ll be rewarded for it. Membership of the Ponant Yacht Club builds with each voyage, and at its heart is an escalating discount on your future cruise fares that climbs through four tiers:
Major — after your 2nd cruise — 5% off your next cruise fare.
Admiral — after your 4th cruise — 7.5% off, plus a complimentary cabin upgrade when one is available.
Grand Admiral — after your 7th cruise — 10% off, and the freedom to change a voyage once a year at no cost.
Commodore — after your 20th cruise — 12.5% off, the Club’s most generous tier.
The fare discount applies to the cruise’s port-to-port price (excluding taxes, transfers and discretionary extras) on new bookings. Members also enjoy a discount of up to 25% on most onboard spending, along with onboard credit that grows with each status, complimentary laundry, and — higher up the tiers — perks such as fee-free voyage changes, a dedicated phone line and priority boarding. We’ll make sure your Yacht Club discount is applied to every booking you make through us.
*Terms and conditions apply.
Refer a friend — and you both save A$800
There’s one more way to save with Ponant that has nothing to do with how early you book. If you’ve sailed with Ponant and introduce someone new to the line, the line rewards you both: A$800 off per stateroom each. It’s a quiet thank-you for sharing what you already love — and it applies whether you book directly or, as we’d recommend, through us.
As the referrer
A$800 off your next voyage, per stateroom, once the friend you’ve referred has paid the deposit on their first Ponant cruise.
As the referee
A$800 off your first voyage, per stateroom, as a welcome to the Ponant world.
To set it in motion, simply let us know — we’ll handle the referral and apply the saving to each booking. The referrer just needs to share their Ponant Yacht Club number with the person they’re introducing, so the line can match the two of you up.
The fine print
✓The friend you refer must not have previously booked or sailed with Ponant Explorations Group.
✓Neither party can be a current or former employee of Ponant Explorations Group or of a travel agency.
✓You can refer any number of people, but only one per household — and you and the person you refer must not be in the same household.
✓A referral is declined if the person referred, or anyone in their household, has already been referred.
✓The referred guest’s saving applies immediately, is limited to one use per stateroom per person referred, and must be used within two years of their deposit on their first cruise.
✓Your own referral saving must be used all at once, on a single cruise. Referral savings can be accumulated and added to your booking up until final payment on your next voyage.
✓Savings for either party cannot be taken as a payment or cash refund.
✓The referrer and the person they refer cannot share a stateroom, and neither can two people who have been referred.
✓If the person you refer cancels their booking, your referral saving no longer applies — but you can use it again whenever they make a new booking.
✓The referrer’s saving can be combined with other selected offers. The referred guest’s saving, however, cannot be combined with any other discount described above, except the Ponant Bonus and Consecutive Cruises discounts.
✓Travel agents are not eligible for the referral programme.
✓Referral savings cannot be applied to group or charter bookings.
Ponant discounts: frequently asked questions
How does Ponant’s discount policy work?
Ponant uses a single scaled discount rather than ad hoc sales. When a voyage opens for sale the discount starts at 30%, then steps down in 5% increments as cabins and suites are taken, until the voyage is sold out. The earlier you book, the larger the discount.
Is it cheaper to book Ponant early or wait for a last-minute deal?
With Ponant it is almost always cheaper to book early. Because the discount is highest when a voyage first opens and only shrinks as the ship fills, waiting tends to mean a higher price and less choice of cabins and suites — the opposite of how last-minute deals work on some other lines.
What is a single supplement, and does Ponant discount it?
A single supplement is the surcharge a solo guest pays for a suite that is normally priced for two people sharing. Ponant periodically runs offers with reduced single supplements, making its voyages more affordable for those travelling on their own.
How does the Ponant Yacht Club loyalty programme work?
The Ponant Yacht Club rewards repeat guests with an escalating discount on future cruise fares: 5% at Major (after your second cruise), 7.5% at Admiral (after your fourth), 10% at Grand Admiral (after your seventh) and 12.5% at Commodore (after your twentieth). Members also receive a discount of up to 25% on most onboard spending, onboard credit that grows with status, and perks such as complimentary laundry and cabin upgrades. The fare discount applies to the port-to-port price on new bookings. Terms and conditions apply.
What currency does Ponant price in for New Zealand?
Ponant prices in Australian dollars for the New Zealand market. You can browse Ponant voyages and itineraries on Fine Travel’s cruise website and enquire with us for current pricing — the figure we quote already reflects the scaled discount that applies at the time.
What other Ponant savings are available?
Beyond the scaled discount, Ponant rewards loyalty through the Ponant Yacht Club, where a future-cruise discount grows from 5% to 12.5% across its tiers (alongside onboard spending discounts and onboard credit), and runs a refer-a-friend programme giving A$800 to both the referrer and the new guest. Terms and conditions apply.
Sail Ponant with Fine Travel
Book early and travel for less
From Antarctica to the Kimberley, we’ll help you find the right Ponant voyage at the best available price — and arrange your connecting flights too.
Explore Ponant voyages
