YVR Cockroach

This confirms it.
PPR or whoever is indeed assembling a portfolio of luxury brands.

I know it was sold by CMA-CGM and one of the children of CMA-CGM founder Jacques Saadé apparently till has a senior position at Ponant.

YVR Cockroach

I've seen/read that too. Not sure what to make of it or validity. I'd like to see reviews from French (or German) customers as I wonder if lack of English (primacy) onboard is a factor in some of these reviews. The alleged poor or substandard food (seems mainly from Australian) may be a worry though some may find French food rather uninspired when compared to new culinary ad flavorful trends that have taken hold down there (forgetting what the food was like in the past century).

Standard cabins admittedly seem rather small compared to say, RSSC or even Seabourn's old ships.. I'd almost want to compare them to Holland America cabins in size.

Nicoolio

PPR is the former name for Kering - They're used to running brands at a loss for years as they try to develop them - like Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, Stella McCartney - It took them years to make money. I would think they are all-in with Ponant. I think I read Pinault bought it because they've cruised with them and like it personally so definitely not some VC looking to cut costs and flip. I think KKR will definitely want to have a consistent product. This is their answer to LVMH's 5-star hotels.

Points Scrounger

Last summer my mother and I took a Ponant cruise, chartered by Tauck entirely for English speakers. I thought the experience okay, but she pretty much disliked it. Buffet food better than server-at-table option. I wouldn't recommend them.

747FC

Aside from the food experience, what causes you not to recommend them?

Points Scrounger

We were booked as separate cabins, given separate cabin numbers by Tauck before boarding the ship. Ponant insisted on trying to assign us both to the same cabin, which was not resolved until the Tauck tour director finally got through to them. I am not ascribing it to a language issue, so much as that they just weren't getting it.

I wasn't thrilled with the separate WC and shower-sink spaces, which made the shower room seem much smaller, and the WC a small, dank closet indeed; my sense of smell isn't the strongest, but I definitely noticed the "odor" other reviewers have mentioned. I didn't find the bedroom particularly small, but it was only my second cruise and I was sleeping solo. Another cruiser who was able to upgrade to a suite stated that she would never travel them without an upgrade.

Food quality aside, I had breakfast in the buffet daily, which was fine. However, my mother went to the dining room, where she felt the attention was lacking; bear in mind that she's definitely not someone who needs to be fawned over.