Ponant Yacht Club cruise loyalty program: Everything you need to know

Luxury small-ship cruise specialist Ponant Explorations is a relatively small line, but it offers a big loyalty program that can bring you all sorts of great perks if you sail with the brand regularly.

The Ponant Yacht Club, as it's called, has multiple status tiers that come with valuable perks, such as significant discounts on cruises, onboard spending credits and free onboard laundry service.

What's more, the Ponant Yacht Club loyalty program gives you access to some of the best perks right after your first cruise — something that isn't always the case with cruise line loyalty programs.

Plus, the Ponant Yacht Club program has one of the most fun tier-level naming structures in the cruise business. Seriously, who can turn down the opportunity to officially be titled an "Admiral" or a "Commodore" when cruising?

Ways to earn points

The Ponant Yacht Club points-earning system is about as straightforward as can be. Every time you sail on one of the line's 13 vessels, no matter how long the voyage, you will get credit for one sailing. Your status level in the program thus will depend entirely on your total number of sailings and nothing else. Unlike at some lines, your status level will not be influenced by how many total days you sail or the type of cabins you book.

That said, there is also a not-so-obvious way to accumulate more credits for sailings than you might think possible. Hidden in the fine print of the Ponant Yacht Club program rules is the pronouncement that you can get credit for any sailings you take with South Pacific cruise specialist Paul Gauguin Cruises. The two lines are related, as Ponant has owned Paul Gauguin Cruises since 2019.

Related: Why your next dream vacation should be a Paul Gauguin cruise

Given that Ponant operates 13 ships around the world, while Paul Gauguin Cruises operates just one vessel, you'll probably be building up most of your status in the Ponant Yacht Club through Ponant sailings. But it pays to keep an eye on Paul Gauguin Cruises offerings, too, when looking for a cruise where you can take advantage of your Ponant Yacht Club perks.

Program tiers and benefits

There are four tiers to the Ponant Yacht Club loyalty program:

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• Major (two to four sailings)
• Admiral (five to seven sailings)
• Grand Admiral (eight to 20 sailings)
• Commodore (21 or more sailings)

You are awarded status in each tier level as you complete the sailing just before reaching the sailing count needed for that tier. For instance, you become a Major in the program after completing one sailing and will be a Major during your second, third and fourth cruises with the line. You then become an Admiral after completing your fourth cruise and will be an Admiral for your fifth, sixth and seventh cruises.

Even at the lowest Major level, the perks of the Ponant Yacht Club are solid. As soon as you take your first cruise with Ponant, you will qualify for a 5% discount on any future cruise. That's a great perk, as it amounts to real money in your pocket.

Additionally, you will receive:

• Shipboard credit of 50 euros (about $55) per person
• Complimentary onboard laundry service, up to two items per day, per person
• An invitation to join Ponant Yacht Club loyalty cruises

The next tier of the program, the Admiral tier, brings an even bigger discount of 7.5% when you book a future cruise. Also, the onboard credit that you will receive doubles to 100 euros (about $111) per person, and you'll get up to five free items of laundry done daily.

Related: Why Ponant's Le Commandant Charcot is unlike any other cruise vessel

But perhaps the most enticing perk at the Admiral tier is that you qualify for a cabin category upgrade when you sail, should a cabin for such an upgrade be available. There's nothing like a free upgrade to make a cruiser feel good about their loyalty to a line.

Plus, as an Admiral, you'll get a 20% discount on onboard purchases (with some caveats mentioned below).

Note that the discount on future bookings applies only to port-to-port prices and excludes taxes, discretionary expenses and transfers. This discount can be combined with the Ponant Bonus discount, the discount applied to onboard cruise sales, the Referral Program offer, the Privilege Single offer and the consecutive cruises discount.

Other fine print on the perks at the Major and Admiral levels:

• Certain restrictions apply to the discount for onboard purchases. Among purchases that are excluded from the discount are shore excursions; "Prestige" brands in the Boutique; jewelry, watches and black pearl products; tobacco; and exceptional wines and high-standard spirits.
• The onboard credit is nonexchangeable, nonrefundable and nontransferable. It is valid for all expenses on board (excursions included), once all eligible discounts have been applied.
• The onboard credit cannot be used for prebookable and prepayable tours, excursions, cruise programs or gratuities.
• As noted above, the cabin category upgrade is subject to availability. Cabin categories will be offered within a maximum of 48 hours after boarding.

The elite level that makes a difference

We're fans of both of the first two tiers of the Ponant Yacht Club loyalty program due to the quality of their perks. But the Grand Admiral tier of the Ponant Yacht Club is where we think your loyalty to the line really starts paying off.

For starters, as a Grand Admiral, you get a 10% discount on your cruise fare — a significant amount. Given that the line's cruises often start at around $500 per person, per day, this can add up to hundreds of dollars of savings per cruise.

Related: I went to the North Pole on a Ponant ship; here's how you can, too

At the Grand Admiral level, your onboard credit will rise to 150 euros (about $166) per person, which is more real money in your pocket. You can use it to cover the costs of, say, pampering yourself at one of the relaxing spas found on all Ponant ships.

Other perks at the Grand Admiral level include:

• A higher 25% discount on onboard purchases
• A waiver on change fees if you need to switch your cruise date within 12 months of your original booking

Note that for the latter perk, the change must be made 90 days or more before your original sailing date (150 days or more if the sailing is an expedition cruise).

Best elite perk

It's a tough call on the best elite perk of the Ponant Yacht Club loyalty program. Unlike some frequent cruiser programs, there isn't one clear standout perk, such as the free cruise that Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society members get after reaching the top Pinnacle Club level.

That said, at the top Commodore tier of the Ponant Yacht Club program, passengers get an even bigger 12.5% cruise fare discount. It's hard to argue that isn't a big deal.

Also, upon reaching the Commodore tier, you'll get a more hefty onboard spending credit than at other tiers: 200 euros (about $222) per person.

As at the Grand Admiral level, your discount on onboard purchases at the Commodore level will be 25%. You'll also get a complimentary cabin category upgrade when booking at the Commodore level.

At the Commodore level, you'll also be able to alter your cruise dates without fees when changing within 12 months of your original booking if the change is made 90 days or more before your original sailing date (150 days if it is an expedition cruise).

In addition, French-speaking customers at the Commodore level have access to a dedicated phone line.

A final perk for Commodore-level members: Priority boarding is available at certain ports of embarkation.

Note that, as is usually the case with cruise line loyalty programs, Ponant Yacht Club customers do not have to requalify for status each year. Status in the Ponant Yacht Club program is based on the number of sailings you have taken over your lifetime, and such "points" never expire. That means that someone who hits top-tier Commodore status will remain at that level forever (or until Ponant makes a change to the program).

Such "forever status" is one of the great allures of cruise line frequent cruiser programs. By contrast, many airline frequent flyer programs require loyalty members to requalify for status each year.

Bottom line

The Ponant loyalty program is more robust than you might expect for a cruise brand of Ponant's size. You can get a lot of value from being a member, even after just one cruise. There are varying amounts of discounts on cruises and onboard credits available at all four levels of the program.

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