HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) Insider’s Guide

Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.

At a glance

• Who it is: HX is an expedition cruise operator sailing to Antarctica, Greenland, Svalbard, Norway, Alaska and the Galapagos, among other places .
• Name: HX is the expedition brand; the Norwegian coastal ferry-cruise service called Hurtigruten is a separate company with its own website, and HX's loyalty page says Hurtigruten cruises do not earn HX points .
• Fleet: five ships from 90 to 490 guests .
• Fare style: pitched as all-inclusive: meals, drinks (premium drinks excluded), daily excursions, Science Center access and gratuities .
• Antarctica season: the line describes the season as starting in late October and running to March; penguin chicks are best mid-December to mid-February .
• Norway: the winter Northern Lights voyage runs 8 days from Tromsø on MS Spitsbergen .
• Paperwork: a Medical Screening Form is required for Antarctica guests, children included .
• Budget band: see the full guide for the fee list and your own blanks. Never rely on a number you read in a blog, including ours; fares move.

Is it for you?

HX suits people who want the destination to be the point of the trip. The ships are small by cruise standards, the schedule is built around landings and talks, and the plan changes with ice, wind and wildlife. Plan on layers, boots and a flexible mindset, not formal nights and a casino.

It is probably not the right line if you want a fixed port schedule, a big kids' program, a pool deck party or a cheap week away. Expedition fares are priced for a remote operation. If your budget is tight, the Norway winter voyage is the shortest of the polar-feeling options, and Antarctica is the one to save for.

Free things worth knowing

1. The Medical Screening Form promise. For Antarctica voyages, if your first submitted form is declined for medical reasons, HX says it will refund or credit the bookings it made (flights, hotels, ground transport), provided you submitted the form at least 6 weeks before departure and request within 60 days; bookings made outside HX are excluded, so check your insurance . Submit the form early.
2. The loyalty program is free to join. HX Explorers lets you use Level 1 benefits from the moment you get a membership number, and points are valid for seven years . Join before you book so the points start on your first night.
3. Pay by US wire for a discount. US customers can pay by wire transfer with a discount, terms apply . Compare it with the points and rewards you would earn paying by card, and read the terms first.

What the fare covers (and does not)

On the 12-day Highlights of Antarctica voyage, the line lists included: hotel night in Buenos Aires, economy flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, meals and drinks including wine, beer and spirits, Wi-Fi (streaming not supported), lectures, escorted landings and a wind- and waterproof expedition jacket . Not included: international flights, travel insurance, luggage handling, optional activities and spa treatments. Optional extras listed there include a guided sea kayak at $229, camping at $505, snowshoeing at $91 and a discovery kayak at $148 . As of 2026-10-20; confirm on the cruise page or in your booking before you sail.

How to start

1. Pick the region first, then the season. Antarctica is late October to March; Norway's Northern Lights voyages run late autumn through March; Greenland and Svalbard are summer destinations.
2. Join HX Explorers (free).
3. Read the General Terms and Conditions PDF that matches your departure date at https://www.travelhx.com/en-us/terms/ before you pay a deposit.
4. Buy travel insurance with medical evacuation cover. The US State Department says Antarctica has no hospitals and that serious cases may need long-distance evacuation .

The full guide covers all of this in detail, plus day-by-day sample itineraries, the points plan, a cost sheet with blanks for your numbers and a printable packing list.

Three mistakes first-timers make

Booking the cabin before reading the terms. The cancellation schedule and deposit sit inside the General Terms and Conditions PDF for your departure date, not on the cruise page. HX lists separate versions for different effective periods, including one valid from 1 June 2026 for all departures and one valid from 3 November 2025 for departures from 1 April 2027 . We could not read the PDFs themselves, so we do not quote deposit or cancellation figures here. Open the right PDF and write the numbers in the cost sheet in the full guide.

Treating "all-inclusive" as "nothing more to buy." The line says drinks are included "excluding premium drinks," and its optional activities are priced separately. Onboard credit, when HX offers it, can be spent in the shop, bar, restaurant and wellness centre but not on fare, flights, hotels, taxes or service charges, and it is forfeited if unused by final settlement on the last night .

Booking flights before the itinerary is firm. Expedition itineraries bend to weather and ice. HX says all activities depend on weather and ice conditions . Refundable or points-based flights give you room to adjust if dates shift.

Where the full guide goes next

The full guide walks through thirteen chapters: who the line suits, the fleet by ship, cabin choice, what you pay for onboard, fees and fine print, the loyalty program, age rules, booking order, paying with points and flights, a cost sheet, a packing and emergency plan, and update notes. It also includes sample voyage days for Antarctica, Norway, Greenland and Svalbard, so you can picture the rhythm of a day before you choose.

This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.