MV Plancius
Oceanwide's longest-serving vessel and a classic for the Antarctic Peninsula — a 108-guest ice-strengthened former Royal Dutch Navy research ship, refit for expedition cruising with maximum shore time and intimate guest numbers.
Oceanwide's Longest-Serving Expedition Ship
MV Plancius is the elder statesman of the Oceanwide fleet, and she wears it well. Built in 1976 as a Royal Dutch Navy oceanographic research vessel, she was rebuilt for expedition cruising and has since become the ship behind many of the line's most popular classic voyages — the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, and Spitsbergen among them.
At 108 guests she keeps the intimate scale that makes Oceanwide voyages tick: quick Zodiac turnarounds, plenty of shore time, and a naturalist team that knows the ice. She carries the same expedition toolkit as her fleetmates — Zodiacs, kayaks, an observation lounge, and the option to add camping or diving — in a comfortable, unpretentious package. Two honest caveats: her 1D ice class is lower than the newer hulls, so she's built for the classic routes rather than the heaviest pack ice, and most cabins are window or porthole rather than balcony.
As with her sisters, our read here is grounded in her specs, her long service record, and Oceanwide's three decades of polar know-how rather than our own time aboard. But for a classic Peninsula voyage at a genuine value, Plancius has earned her reputation. Stack her against the rest of the Antarctica fleet to see where she fits.
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Room Types
Quadruple Porthole
Triple Porthole
Twin Porthole
Twin Window
Twin Deluxe
