Region: Antarctica
Destinations: Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands, South Georgia
Ship: m/v Ortelius
Highlights: Antarctic Fur Seal, Adelie Penguin, Chinstrap Penguin, Crabeater Seal, Southern Elephant Seal, Fin Whale, Gentoo Penguin, Humpback Whale, King Penguin, Leopard Seal, Macaroni Penguin, Rockhopper Penguin, Sei Whale, Wandering Albatross, Black-browed Albatross, Giant Petrel, South Polar Skua
We took the 19 days tour to Falklands/Malvinas, South Georgia and Antarctica and it was a great experience. The crew, the expedition team and the services staff was outstanding. The Ortelius is a nice small ship that was our cozy home for these days. But, even though the tour was advertised as English speaking there were more than 50% of the passengers that were Mandarin speakers, of which only a handful was able to speak & understand English. Unfortunately there were not enough interpreters on board to deal with that imbalance which led to situations where during zodiac cruises not all people in the zodiac understood what was said. Even though there was only one „little issue“ with this situation during a landing where due to lack of language understanding a person feel into a river, this feeling of insecurity was always around when being of board. While the expedition team did try to overcome the problem by organizing Mandarin speaking only zodiacs it didn’t fix the problem completely as there were not enough interpreters. And frankly, to imagine what would happen in case of a real emergency where people don’t understand what’s being said is very scary and dangerous.
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Comment from Oceanwide Expeditions
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your detailed review and for your kind words about the crew, expedition team, service staff, and the Ortelius. We are pleased to hear that overall you had a great experience on your voyage to the Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica.
We want to address your comments regarding language and communication on board. Our voyages are generally international in nature and attract guests from many different countries and cultural backgrounds. While English is the primary working language on most voyages, including this one, the final composition of guests often evolves as bookings come in. In this case, a larger number of guests from Asia joined the voyage later in the booking process.
To support clear communication and safety on board, we therefore arranged additional Mandarin-speaking staff and interpreters for this voyage. Their role was to assist during briefings, landings, and daily operations where needed. English remained the main language, but translations were provided where necessary to ensure understanding.
Safety is always our highest priority. We take your concerns seriously, especially regarding communication during Zodiac operations and landings. The expedition team actively adjusted procedures, including organizing Mandarin-speaking zodiac groups where possible, to improve clarity and reduce risks. We fully acknowledge that managing multiple languages on a single expedition can be challenging, and we continuously work to anticipate, adapt, and improve our approach as situations evolve.
We regret that this aspect caused you moments of discomfort, and we appreciate you sharing your perspective, as it helps us further refine our operations. We sincerely hope that, despite this challenge, you were still able to fully enjoy the remarkable destinations, wildlife, and experiences that make this voyage so special.
Thank you again for travelling with us, and we hope to welcome you on board again in the future.