Expedition cruising is the format where traveling alone stops being a compromise. The days are built around landings, Zodiac rides and lectures, everyone wears the same red jacket, and a shared sighting of a humpback does more for a conversation than any hosted cocktail hour. HX Hurtigruten Expeditions leans into this harder than most. The line says almost 20 percent of its guests travel solo, and it has built its pricing to match.
The ships
HX runs four expedition ships of its own, plus the Galapagos vessel Santa Cruz II. The hybrid-powered Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen are the flagships, up to 490 guests each, with a Science Center, three restaurants, an infinity pool and saunas with a view. Fram is the smaller 200-guest veteran of the Arctic and Antarctic, and the 150-guest Spitsbergen is the most intimate, used on Norway, Svalbard, Iceland and Greenland routes. Both came out of refits in 2025.
The big two are the easiest for a solo guest. More venues, more space, and the Science Center, a working lab and lecture space where guests gather to look at samples and talk to the Expedition Team, is the best meeting point on any expedition ship.
A supplement you can plan around
Most expedition lines treat the solo supplement as something to negotiate. HX prints it. Every departure carries a low solo supplement until the solo cabin allocation on that sailing is sold, and the percentage depends on where you are going:
- 25 percent on Atlantic crossings and South America.
- 45 percent on Alaska, Antarctica, Arctic Canada, the Northwest Passage, and on Greenland and Iceland aboard Fridtjof Nansen and Svalbard aboard Fram.
- 50 percent on the Galapagos.
- 70 percent on the British Isles and on Spitsbergen's Iceland, Greenland, Norway and Svalbard itineraries.
On top of that, HX periodically removes the supplement completely on selected expeditions departing within the next six months, and those sailings carry a "No Solo Supplement" badge in the search results. Recent examples have included Highlights of Antarctica, the Explorer's Route in Antarctica and the eastern Galapagos route.
The rules are simple. The offer is on the voyage only, not flights or hotels. It cannot be used on group bookings, it can be combined with the HX Explorers loyalty discount, and once the solo cabins on a departure are gone the full double-occupancy rate applies. There are no single cabins; you get a double cabin to yourself. To see the real price, switch on the solo toggle on the itinerary page.
Eating and company
Dining on the Amundsen-class ships is flexible, with an open-seating main restaurant, a casual all-day venue and a small fine-dining room. HX's solo page sums up the approach: be as private or sociable as you like, with optional onboard get-togethers for solo guests. There is no assigned shared table, but on an expedition ship nobody needs one. The evening recap in the lounge, where the Expedition Team runs through the day and the plan for tomorrow, is where the whole ship ends up.
Landings are done in small groups, and solo guests are simply slotted in. Kayaking and other activities use sign-up sheets, which is how you find a paddle partner. Drinks, meals, tips and the daily excursions are in the fare.
Where to go alone
Antarctica is the obvious answer and, at a 45 percent supplement with occasional zero-supplement dates, one of the better-value ways to get there alone on a modern ship. Greenland on Fridtjof Nansen is the same 45 percent and far less crowded. The Northwest Passage is the big one for a solo traveler with time. The Galapagos at 50 percent is a small-ship trip with a very sociable rhythm of snorkeling and island walks. The British Isles and the Spitsbergen routes carry the highest supplement, so if cost matters, steer toward the 25 to 45 percent destinations.
Who it suits
HX suits the solo traveler who wants to go somewhere remote and would rather talk about ice cores than cocktails, and who is comfortable in a double cabin alone at a known supplement. It is not for anyone who wants a true single cabin, a hosted singles program or a resort-style ship. Book early, because the solo allocation is small, and watch for the no-supplement badge on departures in the next six months.
Sources: HX low solo supplement offer page (https://travelhx.com/en-us/offers/solo-traveller-low-rates) and the HX "Exploring with HX as a solo" story in the Stories section of travelhx.com.
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