Cheers to 30 years! Ponant, the French small ship cruise line, is celebrating 30 years in the cruising industry by adding some exciting additions to its fleet of luxury and expedition cruise vessels.

With Ponant’s new ‘Explorer’ class yachts, travelers enjoy a sleek ship design, exotic destinations, and the innovative Blue Eye Lounge, where it just might be the best place to have a drink. This new lounge sits below the water line, a first on any cruise ship, and takes the glass bottom boat concept to a whole new level. Witness everyday sea life through two giant portholes, designed to mimic the eyes of a whale or dolphin.

Live footage from underwater cameras project onto the lounge walls, adding to the ambience. With the use of hydrophones, lounge guests will be able to hear underwater sounds of marine animals within a 3-mile radius of the vessel. For a complete multi-sensory experience, sit on one of the lounge’s Body Listening Sofas, which softly vibrate in unison to the sounds of the ocean. This is one lounge we think you will want to see for yourselves!

The 6 Ponant Explorers, each named after a different French explorer, will all be outfitted with the Blue Eye Lounge. The first, Le Laperouse, sailed its maiden cruise on June 19th of this year, and Le Champlain sets sail later in October. Le Bougainville and Le Dumont-d’Urville, will debut in 2019 followed by Le Surville and Le Bellot in 2020.