MS Roald Amundsen
Antarctica · Chilean fjordsHighlights of Antarctica (12 days, from $10,141) and the Chilean Fjords, Buenos Aires to Valparaíso.
Best for: a first Antarctic trip at HX’s lowest fare.
The HX fleet: two hybrids, two veterans and an island ship
Five ships, from 90 guests in the Galápagos to 490 on the battery-hybrid sisters. The hull you pick sets the crowd at the landing — so start with guest count, then the route.
5Ships on HX’s fleet page
490Guests on each hybrid sister
90Guests on Santa Cruz II
20%Fuel and CO2 cut HX claims
By Joey Boleslawski, founder & travel advisorFacts checked November 1, 2026
The short answer
For Antarctica on a budget, take a hybrid sister; for a smaller crowd, take Fram. Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen carry up to 490 guests and run the shorter Buenos Aires voyages. Fram carries 200 on the long South Georgia route.
In the north, Spitsbergen (150 guests) and Fram split Svalbard between them, while Santa Cruz II, at 90, is a Galápagos ship year round, not a seasonal visitor.
Maud is gone — back to Hurtigruten as Midnatsol in November 2024. Don’t let an old brochure tell you otherwise.
01
Five ships, sorted
Line them up by the numbers HX publishes
Tap a sort button and the meters redraw against the largest figure in the fleet.
Guests, years and refits are from HX’s ships page, its Roald Amundsen page and its February 2025 refit announcement. HX publishes tonnage and length only for Roald Amundsen on the pages we could open.
Where a figure isn’t published, the card says “Not stated” — we didn’t fill the gap from fan sites or brokers. Sort by guests first — on an expedition, the head count shapes the day, not the tonnage.
02
Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen
The hybrid pair, cabin by cabin
Sisters, a year apart. Cabin figures below are Roald Amundsen’s.
These two carry most of HX’s guests. Each takes up to 490 people, and every cabin faces outside — HX says about half have balconies, not all.
Roald Amundsen is 20,889 gross tons and about 459 feet long, built in 2019 by Kleven Yards. Hurtigruten’s 2019 launch release put its ice class at PC6. Fridtjof Nansen, its sister, followed in 2020.
The hybrid line is HX’s, not a test result. HX calls Roald Amundsen “one of two fully hybrid ships” and says it cuts fuel use and CO2 emissions by 20 percent. In 2019 Hurtigruten said it was the first cruise ship to sail purely on battery power.
That September it also became, by Hurtigruten’s account, the first battery-hybrid ship through the Northwest Passage — arriving in Nome on September 10, 2019.
| Category | Type | Size | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA | XL Suite with balcony | 495–517 sq ft | Sleeps up to four with a sofa bed |
| MC | Corner Suite with balcony | 215–323 sq ft | Private outdoor hot tub |
| MD | Large Suite with balcony | 377 sq ft | Two double fold-down beds |
| ME | Suite with balcony | 237–301 sq ft | Most have walk-in wardrobes |
| XT / XTD | Outside cabin with balcony | 161–205 sq ft | Some views are limited |
| XY | Accessible cabin with balcony | 205 sq ft | Wheelchair accessible, two guests |
| RR | Outside cabin | 205–248 sq ft | Lower deck, up to four guests |
Sizes are from Roald Amundsen’s HX page. Suites add unlimited Lindstrøm dinners, laundry and turndown; cabins pay a EUR 25 cover at Lindstrøm.
On a long polar voyage, price a balcony before a suite. The jump in space is real; the jump in landing time isn’t.
03
Boats, kayaks, tents, boots
What each ship puts in your hands
Tap a ship. The bold figures are what you’d pay on top of the fare.
- Boats
- Small expedition boats for escorted landings
- Kayaks
- Discovery Kayak $148, Guided Sea Kayaking $229 in Antarctica
- Camping
- Tent $505 or bivvy bag $402, booked onboard
- Science
- Science Center with lecture space and workshops
- Also
- 1896 Cabin Experience on Fridtjof Nansen, $100
⚠The longest activity list in the fleet, and the most people booking from it. Ask us how the kayak slots are shared on your date — they’re limited, not unlimited.
- Boats
- Small boats for landings
- Kayaks
- Guided Sea Kayaking $114 in Svalbard; $148–$229 in Antarctica
- Camping
- Tent and bivvy options on In-depth Antarctica
- Science
- New Science Center, spring 2025
- Cabins
- 19 Arctic Superior cabins renovated in 2025
✓Our pick for a smaller polar ship. The 23-day In-depth voyage is the one route where Fram’s size pays off most.
- Boats
- Escorted Zodiac landings at anchor
- Kayaks
- Winter kayaking included on the Northern Lights voyage
- Snow
- Snowshoeing and a Nordic sauna with a polar plunge, included
- Science
- New Science Center, spring 2025
- Food
- Brygge Bistro and 24/7 Grab & Go
⚠The one HX ship that sails a Norwegian winter. Paid extras in Lofoten run $135 to $176.
- Boats
- Small-boat landings and glass-bottom boat trips in the itinerary
- Water
- Snorkel gear; wetsuits on request, XXS to XXL
- Kayaks
- Free, after a safety briefing and with a naturalist guide
- Park
- Galápagos National Park fee included in the fare
- Wi-Fi
- Limited and low bandwidth
✓The simplest kit list in the fleet, and most of it is in the fare, not on a bill.
Prices are HX’s own, from its U.S. voyage pages on November 1, 2026 (the Svalbard kayak and Lofoten extras were last read October 31). Rubber boots are lent free where required and are mandatory on Antarctic landings, per HX’s FAQ.
None of the HX pages we checked lists helicopters or submarines. If either is the draw, read our expedition primer before you shortlist.
04
Filter the deployments
Who sails where, and in which hull
Try “150–200 guests” with “Antarctica”. Only Fram answers.
Ship size
Region
MS Roald Amundsen
Alaska · Northwest PassageInside Passage voyages from late May, then Seattle to New York across the top of the world in August.
Best for: the Northwest Passage on a hybrid.
MS Fridtjof Nansen
AntarcticaHighlights and Iconic Antarctica from Buenos Aires via the Ushuaia charter.
Best for: the 16-day Explorer’s Route.
MS Fridtjof Nansen
Greenland · IcelandDisko Bay round trips from New York in summer; the North Atlantic islands in spring.
Best for: Greenland without a transatlantic flight first.
MS Fram
South Georgia · AntarcticaThe 23-day In-depth voyage from Santiago, from $21,128.
Best for: penguins at scale, on a smaller ship.
MS Fram
Svalbard · GreenlandCircumnavigating Svalbard (14 days) and Serene Greenland from Reykjavík.
Best for: the full Svalbard loop.
MS Spitsbergen
Svalbard · ScotlandCircumnavigating Spitsbergen in summer; the Hebrides in April and May.
Best for: island hopping in a small hull.
MS Spitsbergen
Arctic Norway, winterUltimate Norway under the Northern Lights, 8 days from Tromsø, from $4,471.
Best for: the northern lights with kayaking included.
MS Santa Cruz II
Galápagos, year roundIn Darwin’s Footsteps, 9 days from Quito, from $6,420, flights to Baltra included.
Best for: the islands with the park fee already paid.
No ship matches that pair. Widen one filter.
Deployments follow HX’s U.S. destination pages for 2026 to 2028. For the places themselves, read our Antarctica landing sites, polar bear and Galápagos visitor sites guides.
05
Seven years of fleet moves
How five ships became the fleet
Each move carries the date it took effect. Trade press first, HX’s own filings second.
2019–2020New
The hybrid pair
Roald Amundsen, from Kleven Yards in Norway, enters service in 2019; its sister Fridtjof Nansen follows in 2020.
Nov 2024Left
Maud returns to Hurtigruten
After three years with HX, Maud takes back its original name, Midnatsol, and sails the Bergen–Kirkenes coastal route.
Feb–May 2025Refit
Fram and Spitsbergen
More than EUR 7 million across both ships. Spitsbergen is back April 2, 2025 and Fram May 26, each with a new Science Center.
H1 2026Yard
Layup and inspection
HX’s half-year report lists a Spitsbergen layup, Fram upgrades and Fridtjof Nansen’s first five-year inspection.
Sept 2026Aboard
App and Grab & Go
A new HX app on Roald Amundsen, Fridtjof Nansen, Fram and Spitsbergen, and a 24/7 Grab & Go on Amundsen, Nansen and Spitsbergen. No ship added or removed.
June 2027Due
Spitsbergen’s lease
HX’s report schedules a Spitsbergen lease repayment for June 2027, and its directors cite the potential to refinance it. We found no new ship announced as of November 1, 2026.
The headline is what didn’t happen. In the trade press and filings we read, no ship has joined or left since Maud, and HX’s 2026 changes are refits, an app and a snack bar, not hulls.
Check a voyage’s ship again at final payment, because HX’s terms let it substitute a vessel with notice.
06
What the spec sheets leave out
Fleet fine print, card by card
Tap a card. Every one comes from HX’s own pages or filings.
These are small print, not red flags, but each one can change the ship, the crowd or the date you thought you’d booked.
For the company’s wider finances, read the booker’s notes in our HX line guide.
07
Our picks
Which HX ship, for which trip
Our judgement, built on HX’s published specs. Use it to choose a ship, then compare departure dates.
First Antarctic trip
Roald Amundsen or Fridtjof Nansen
The 12-day Highlights voyage includes the Ushuaia charter and a Buenos Aires night, from about $10,100.
Fewer people aboard
MS Fram
Two hundred guests and the longest HX route south, through South Georgia and the Falklands.
Polar bears
Fram or Spitsbergen in Svalbard
June to September. HX says bears may be seen from the deck — a chance, not a promise.
A winter trip
MS Spitsbergen from Tromsø
Eight days under the northern lights, with kayaking and snowshoeing in the fare.
Look elsewhere if
You want a ship under 100 guests at the poles
HX’s smallest polar ship carries 150. Compare Lindblad’s fleet, where Orion takes 102.
Look elsewhere if
You need helicopters or the Ross Sea
No HX page we checked lists either. For helicopters, start with Quark’s ships; for the Ross Sea, Ponant and Heritage Expeditions.
08
Fleet questions
What people ask about HX’s ships
How many ships does HX have?
Five, on HX's ships page as of November 1, 2026: Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen (490 guests each), Fram (200), Spitsbergen (150) and Santa Cruz II (90) in the Galápagos. HX's half-year report for 2026 says it owns four of its expedition ships and charters one more, without naming which.
Which HX ships are hybrid?
Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen. HX calls Roald Amundsen one of two fully hybrid ships in its fleet and says the technology cuts fuel use and CO2 emissions by 20 percent. In 2019 Hurtigruten said Roald Amundsen was the first cruise ship to sail purely on battery power. Those are the line's claims; HX's pages make no hybrid claim for Fram, Spitsbergen or Santa Cruz II.
What happened to MS Maud?
It went back to Hurtigruten. Cruise Industry News reported that Maud left HX in early November 2024 after three years on expedition itineraries, took back its original name, Midnatsol, and joined the Bergen-to-Kirkenes coastal route. It isn't an HX ship anymore.
Which HX ship is best for Antarctica?
It depends on the trip length. Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen run the 12-day Highlights of Antarctica and the 16-day Iconic Antarctica from Buenos Aires via Ushuaia, with up to 490 guests. Fram, at 200 guests, runs the 23-day In-depth South Georgia, Antarctica and Falklands voyage from Santiago. For fewer people on the ship, Fram is our pick.
Is Santa Cruz II an HX ship?
HX sells it and lists it on its ships page: 90 guests at most, refurbished in 2021, sailing the Galápagos year round. HX's voyage pages include the Quito-to-Baltra flights and the national park fee. HX's half-year report says one ship in its fleet is chartered but doesn't say which, so ask us who operates your sailing.
What is the HX Science Center?
It's the room the expedition team works from. On Roald Amundsen, HX describes touch screens, microscopes and science equipment, lecture space, a small library and photography and biology workshops. Fram and Spitsbergen each got a new Science Center in their spring 2025 refits, per HX's February 2025 announcement.
Do HX ships carry kayaks?
Yes, on many voyages, but you usually pay for them. HX lists a Discovery Kayak at $148 and a Guided Sea Kayaking Adventure at $229 in Antarctica, and guided kayaking at $114 on Fram's Circumnavigating Svalbard. Winter kayaking is included on Spitsbergen's Northern Lights voyage, and kayaks are free with a guide on Santa Cruz II.
Plan with Seabound Journeys
Torn between two hulls? We’ll check both on your date.
Send the region, the month and how many are traveling. We’ll confirm which ship runs your departure, which cabins are left and what the kayaks and camping cost on that voyage.
- The ship assigned to your exact date
- Balcony and suite availability
- Activity prices and slots for your voyage
No fee, no obligation. You pay the cruise line’s own fare. A real advisor replies, usually within one business day.
Ask about HX’s ships
Answers come straight from this guide.
How many ships does HX have?Which HX ships are hybrid?What happened to MS Maud?Which HX ship is best for Antarctica?
Answers come from our guides and are general information. Confirm details with us before you book.
09
Sources and verification
Where every spec came from
HX ships pageGuests, build and refit years for all five ships.
Checked November 1, 2026HX ship page: MS Roald AmundsenTonnage, length, beam, hybrid claim, Science Center, cabin categories and sizes.
Checked November 1, 2026HX refit announcement, February 25, 2025Fram and Spitsbergen drydocks, dates, Science Centers, cabins.
Checked November 1, 2026HX Group results, H1 2026Four owned ships and one chartered; layup, inspection and the June 2027 Spitsbergen lease.
Checked November 1, 2026HX U.S. voyage and destination pagesDeployments, fares and activity prices for each ship.
Checked November 1, 2026HX U.S. FAQBoots, kayaks, Santa Cruz II Wi-Fi and gear.
Checked November 1, 2026Hurtigruten press releases, 2019Battery-only sailing, PC6 ice class, the Northwest Passage transit.
Checked November 1, 2026Cruise Industry News, November 2024Maud’s return to Hurtigruten as Midnatsol.
Checked November 1, 2026Cruise Industry News, September 2026The HX app and Grab & Go rollout across the fleet.
Checked November 1, 2026Ship figures are HX’s own, from its current ships page; where older releases differ (Fram at 250, Roald Amundsen at 530), we say so and use the current figure. The hybrid and “first” claims are HX’s and Hurtigruten’s. The picks and the “best for” lines are our judgement. We couldn’t open HX’s Fridtjof Nansen, Fram and Spitsbergen ship pages, so their specs read “Not stated” rather than borrowed.
Keep planning
Where to go from here
The lineHX Expedition CruisesThe split, the calendar, the true cost and the payment clock.Start hereExpedition Cruises, DecodedShip sizes, regions and seasons across every line.DestinationAntarctica CruisesMonth by month, and how the Drake works.DestinationArctic CruisesSvalbard, Greenland and the Canadian Arctic.DestinationGreenland CruisesDisko Bay, the east coast and the fjords.DestinationAlaska Expedition CruisesThe Inside Passage and beyond, on small ships.Compare fleetsLindblad’s ShipsA smaller-ship fleet to set beside HX.CoverExpedition Cruise InsuranceThe evacuation cover HX asks for, and more.
One advisor, the whole expedition
The voyage, the gateway night, and the cover that matters out there.
Expedition trips have more moving parts than a Caribbean week: a charter flight, a night in a gateway city, gear lists and an evacuation clause the line sets for you. We book them together and check that the dates and the fine print agree.
01The voyageMatched to the region, the season and the ship size that fit you, at the line’s own fare.Get a free quote →
02The region and the seasonAntarctica, the Arctic, Galápagos, the Kimberley: when to go, and what each season trades away.Expedition cruises, decoded →
03The coverMany expedition lines set their own minimum for evacuation cover. We check your plan against it before you sail.Expedition insurance →