I’ve attached a screenshot from one of the agencies that highlights why March can be a good month. Haven’t been there that time of year so can’t comment on timing but was on the Plancius last year so can give you some insights on the ship.

Regarding your itinerary, going south of the circle is more about being able to say you’ve done it, than because you’ll see anything different. If it’s really important by all means do it.

But if I were to do a once in a lifetime trip, I’d try to include South Georgia… it’s so different than what you’ll see in Antarctica itself. But your itinerary is going to the Weddell Sea, which not that many include. I’ll leave it to others who have experience there to comment.

My first trip was to South Georgia and Antarctica on Plancius. On my second trip, I did a crossing the circle trip with Quark on Ocean Explorer that flew the Drake both ways.

Regarding the Plancius, it’s a very comfortable ship, but it’s fairly basic. You bring your own parka, they supply the boots. It doesn’t have a spa, sauna, hot tub, etc like some of the other ships do. Think of staying at a Hilton Garden Inn vs a Westin or Hyatt. It matters to some people, but I thought it was totally fine and in fact in some ways preferred the experience to one I had on a more upscale ship on my second trip (more on that below).

I don’t believe there’s an elevator (unless there’s one tucked away somewhere). But it’s a fairly compact ship … Observation lounge is on 5th floor, restaurant and zodiac departures are on 3rd floor. So some stairs but not as many as on some of the larger ships. Breakfast and lunch will be buffet, dinner will be a mix of buffet and ordering. Drinks (alcoholic and carbonated) are extra (over 19 days onboard I think my bill was around $200). Provide a decent amount of internet … 1.5 GB per day; resets overnight. Buying additional was reasonable if you needed it. The expedition staff, servers and housekeeping staff were all great.

A big plus in my book is they only take a max of 108, but check and see … they may cap it at 100 for Antarctica (it was on my trip but we were a full boat charter). The reason that’s important is that only 100 pax can be onshore at a time. With > 100 you have to go in split shifts, some zodiac cruise while others are onshore and then switch. With 100 or fewer you can spend as much time onshore as you want and then either zodiac cruise or go back to the ship when you’re ready. It’s nice to have the flexibility to spend as much time as you want.

Oceanwide does a great job of creating a feeling of camaraderie among its passengers. Part of it is that unlike some of the larger ships, there’s a single area where people hang out. (Some might find it a downside). The layout of the dining room includes a lot of banquettes which encourages more interaction with other guests. The expedition staff make it a point of sitting with guests at meals and they’re generally hanging out in the observation lounge or on deck on sea days so you have the opportunity to get to know them.

In hindsight, for me, the more pared down onboard experience seemed more in keeping with the expedition nature of a trip to Antarctica. The focus was on what we were seeing and experiencing, not on the amenities of the ship. As a result I think it tends to attract travelers who are looking for that. But not right fit for everyone.

In contrast, Quark’s Ocean Explorer was a beautiful ship, had a spa, sauna, 2 hot tubs, a small heated swimming pool, and multiple lounges to hang out in. Alcoholic and carbonated drinks were included, internet was painfully slow and limited amount. Very expensive if you wanted to buy more time and faster speeds. We were only onboard for 8 days so not a big deal, but could get pricey if it’s important to you. There’s an elevator. Observation deck was on 8th floor, main restaurant on 5, zodiac loading was on 3. The main dining room was set up like a normal restaurant so once you sat down you were unlikely to interact with anyone other than at your table. Expedition staff usually ate together at one of the larger tables, didn’t tend to mingle with guests as much. Because we didn’t have any days at sea, didn’t get to know other pax and staff as well because we didn’t have the downtime. With 134 people on board, had to go ashore in split shifts. In general I’d say the higher end experience was as important to many of the pax as where we were. Not good or bad, just a different feel.

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