Le Champlain

The main lounge on Deck 3 is the social heart of Le Champlain. Guests gather here for pre-dinner cocktails, a light breakfast or lunch, and evening entertainment from a resident musician at the grand piano. A full bar pours a large selection of complimentary drinks, with a premium upgrade for top-shelf pours, and a coffee station serves espresso all day. The feel is like a river cruise lounge, with a seat for everyone.

Just outside the lounge, the Terrace is the casual alternative to the main dining room, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. A food station sets out French soups, cheeses, breads and a full salad bar, while the kitchen cooks steak, chicken and salmon to order, with dishes that change daily. Seating ranges from booths and tables for two to eight to loungers for a very casual meal. An outdoor bar extends the one inside.

The aft end of Deck 3 doubles as a sun deck, with loungers and an infinity pool whose acrylic glass sides look straight out over the wake. Just below is the marina, a platform that moves up and down. On many days it's set with day loungers as a chill-out spot, and in the right places the crew launches kayaks and Zodiacs right from it. This is the casual, relaxing heart of the ship.

Le Nautilus on Deck 4 is the formal dining room, with a seat for every guest, so there's never a wait. It's not all French cuisine; there's local flavor too, like a fajita bar while sailing in Mexico, alongside excellent French cooking. Breakfast and lunch add buffet stations with desserts, a salad bar, charcuterie and smoked fish. The wine list covers France and the rest of the world, and a few tables sit outside on the aft wings.

Named for Jules Verne, this forward-facing lounge carries the ship's explorer theme. Its library is curated around the regions Le Champlain sails, and there's plenty of comfortable seating, a full bar for morning coffee or a pre-dinner cocktail, and games such as cards and Trivial Pursuit. Big windows give a sweeping view ahead, a natural spot for sailing into port. Nearby, a quiet games nook has teen books, board games and a TV with HDMI.

Guests in the top suites have a butler who can arrange just about anything, from breakfast in bed to a spa appointment. The biggest suites sit at the very back of Decks 5 and 6, behind their own door: the Owner's Suite and the Grand Suites, with huge balconies over the stern. The Deck 5 balconies are even larger. Privilege Suites sit just forward, with Swarovski Optik binoculars waiting in the suites for wildlife spotting.

The spa sits midship on Deck 7, run with the French brands SOTHYS and Davines. It has a beauty salon for cuts, styling and color, three treatment rooms (one set up for couples, with ocean views), and a relaxation area with water, tea and espresso. The sauna looks out to sea through a big window. Just past the spa, a compact fitness center has a seated bike, elliptical, treadmills and yoga mats.

The theater has more seats than there are guests on board. It's built mainly for lectures, as experts brief guests on the art, culture and wildlife of the places ahead, and an LED video wall shows films and documentaries. In the evening it hosts stage shows and live music, on a smaller scale than a mega ship. It's the place where guests learn what expedition cruising is all about.