Oceanwide Plancius Feb 25 2024 - question about cabins

[Sailkeywest]

Hello all, We are so excited to be booking on this cruise!  However, I am having second thoughts about the cabin we chose (602) and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this ship that they might like to share -- especially thoughts about good locations of cabins!   Thanks much and be well all 🙂

[PerfectlyPerth]

I've been on the sister ship Ortelius and they are much the same. Plancius has a 6th deck of cabins while Ortelius goes up to 5. I was on 5th deck in twin with 3 windows. 

What kind of second thoughts are you having specifically ? 
 

They are both small ships & only a few decks so everything you need is a couple of flights of stairs away. You can familiarise yourself with the deckplans on the Oceanwide website if you haven't yet. 
 

Also - you are really only in your cabin to sleep, dress, shower. The rest of the time you are on excursions, or out on the decks watching landscapes or wildlife, or at lectures, recaps (usually before dinner each day), dining, hanging out in the lounge meeting fellow passengers. 
 

So really the cabin is of little vital importance. 
 

Hope that helps. If you articulate what your actual concerns are we can be more specific. 
Also - you can check Trip Advisor trip reports by past travellers for Plancius here: 

https://antarcticafaqs.boards.net/thread/30/mv-plancius

[Sailkeywest]

Thank you for the thoughtful and detailed reply, Perth!  Specifically, I was wondering if a particular section of the ship was quieter with the best views.  This is our itinerary:

 

 

 

We were excited to go on the Jannsonius, as it is a newer ship.  However, Jannsonius does not cross the circle.  For my husband, it was a "must have."  Also we wanted to go kayaking and camping and were 27th on the wait list for those activities.

 

We both love photography, so I thought having our own balcony would allow us to run in and out a lot.

 

Plancius has fewer passengers, which seems a plus, but the last few trips we have taken involved hiking all day and either camping or staying in meager (and I mean meager without heat and an outside toilet) accomodations.  The suite on Jannsonius seemed a bit more luxe.

 

But make no doubt, it is about the journey for us and not the accomodations, so Plancius seemed like the best fit.

Thanks much for all input and be well 🙂

 

 

[PerfectlyPerth]

I have only been on the older traditional Icebreakers on my trips. So no balconies. (Even when I've had balconies on big cruise liners in the Pacific I rarely use them as I'd rather be out on the deck looking around).
From my perspective there - if there is a whale announcement and they are on the opposite side of the ship to your balcony - well you have gained nothing !!

Whereas being out on the decks you can just run over to the other side easily. Plus when they open up the bow (captains discretion) you have about a 300degree view. 

 

You have the right attitude. It's well and truly about the destination not the lux factor. And to me - Antarctica should feel like it really was an expedition - not a luxury cruise.
But I'm old style icebreaker girl always and hating all the new posh builds!! Especially with the icky X-bows that remove all the fun of being out on the bow watching whales and dolphins race the ship. 
 

When I got home from my 4 trips I talked (incessantly) about the ocean, the icebergs, the landings, the zodiac rides, the helicopter rides (on 3 of my trips), the wildlife, the people I met (some who are now long term friends), the knowledge I gained from the experts on board etc. 

I didn't talk about whether my cabin was posh or not. 
 

I did take my own pillow tho! My trips were over a month long each. Long time without favourite supportive pillow !! And as they are sister ships Plancius may have similar pillows to Ortelius. Everyone complained !! They needed 3 pillows to get any kind of height and support. So I was relieved to have mine - which I popped into a non vacuum type ziplock bag that you sit on to get rid of the air. Squashed it down very flat for in my duffle bag.