Aquatic Sensory Immersion Wows Guests

It’s not enough to just have a state of the art polar-class expedition ship anymore. Cruise lines are doing everything possible to make their expedition experience a cut above the rest and French cruise line Ponant Yacht Cruises is leading the way with their new Blue Eye Lounge experience. 

Their newest ship, Le Lapérouse, has all the bells and whistles you’d expect to see on a luxury polar-class ship, but the underwater Blue Eye Lounge offers guests an aquatic sensory immersion experience they won’t find anywhere else at sea.

What is Blue Eye Lounge?

Billed as the first multi-sensorial underwater lounge, the space was designed by famed architect and oceanographer Jacques Rougerie in the spirit of fascinating ocean creatures like jellyfish and aquatic mammals both big and small.

The Blue Eye Lounge seeks to immerse guests in the sights and sounds of living in the deep. Two portholes in the lounge, both shaped like the eyes of a whale, use advanced underwater projectors to offer the most intimate look at life underwater. The cameras are placed at strategic points along the ship for a unique view of the marine life from all angles of the ship. 

Blue Eye Lounge aboard La Laperouse | Photo: Ponant

Ponant wanted the Blue Eye Lounge to encompass not only the sights of the ocean, but the sounds as well. They enlisted French composer Michel Redolfi, known for his research into subaquatic music, to create an acoustic sound immersion built into the lounge itself. Body listening sofas hum and vibrate in unison with the ocean around them for a complete sensory experience. Sip a cocktail after a long day of exploring and let your mind escape to a world you’ve never experienced up close and personal before. 

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Guests don’t just sit and have a drink in the Blue Eye Lounge. Instead they become one with the ocean and experience the aquatic life closer than anyone has before.

Le Lapérouse is the first of six polar-class expedition vessels with its sister ship, Le Champlain, arriving later this year. After a successful maiden voyage from Iceland in June, Le Lapérouse will sail in Northern Europe the remainder of the summer before heading to warmer climates in the fall.