HX Expeditions Anmeldelser 29

What a fantastic trip from start to finish. Great welcome from all staff. Lovely food. Scientists were so knowledgeable. Expedition staff were brilliant. What more can I say. Will definitely be booking another one. Thank you

Ich versuche mittlerweile seit November zu einer Reise einen Teilnehmer hinzuzufügen (was mir bei der Buchung als möglich zugesichert wurde) und hierzu auch eine Bestätigung zu erhalten.
Trotz mehrfachen, mittlerweile wöchentlichen Nachfragen, per Mail reagiert mittlerweile niemand mehr. Auch knapp 7 Wochen vor Reisebeginn liegt mir immer noch keine Buchungsbestätigung oder Rechnung vor. Ich kann die Reise weder bezahlen noch unsere An-/Abreise planen.
Die einstige Vorfreude ist längst dem täglichen Frust gewichen.

Nach einer tollen Reise 2024 bedaure ich mittlerweile zutiefst, erneut bei diesem Unternehmen gebucht zu haben - es wird ziemlich sicher das letzte Mal gewesen sein. Die derzeitigen Erfahrungen passen nicht ansatzweise zu einer Reise dieser Preiskategorie und lassen in höchstem Maße zu wünschen übrig.

Bei der "Service"-Nummer +49 4087407441 sind stets "alle Leitungen belegt". Auch 20minütiges Warten führt nicht zum Kontakt mit einem Berater. "Wählen Sie die 7, wenn Sie zurückgerufen werden möchten" - allein, es ruft niemals jemand zurück. Ob man dort 12.000€ für eine Reise investieren möchte? Eher nicht.

Having enjoyed a wonderful Chilean Fjord cruise in November, we paid a deposit onboard for a subsequent cruise for the North-West Passage. Our salesman, was extremely helpful and stated quite categorically that should we need to cancel, there would be no problem in doing so, and our refund would be speedily refunded. We decided, within the cooling off period, that the financial commitment was too great to accept at that moment in time, so I phoned HX and the rep I spoke to told me to send an e-mail to a particular address to confirm same. (We were never advised to fill in an official refund form).We did this and heard no more for a couple of weeks, so phoned again and were told that our e-mail would have gone to a general inbox and most probably not been read yet. We had this same pattern every fortnight until Christmas, when we had to pay our credit card off, by having to take out savings to cover the £4k cost. I have spoken to 5 different reps, all well mannered , but not one could actually tell me anything. I eventually found and filled in an official refund form, which has been acknowledged and yet I have now received a further e-mail, on the 9th January, saying that I need to fill in the HX refund form, not the Hurtigruten form. As far as I can see, they are one and the same thing, and given that I have been given a case number and an acknowledgement I feel no need to re-send the form. I can imagine this is going to take longer, and I have already threatened legal action should the matter not be resolved quickly.
Needless to say, we shall not be booking the alternative HX cruise we had in mind and shall book elsewhere in future. This company is a disgrace, which is such a shame given how good the on-board staff were.

We travelled with HX along the Alaskan inside passage last year and after that wonderful experience had no hesitation in choosing them for our trip to Antarctica. As in Alaska, everything was well organised and went like clockwork. The cabins were large and comfortable, the food always of a high standard*, and the service friendly and efficient. As for Antarctica, it is breathtakingly beautiful. The daily landings were well organised, and we especially enjoyed the kayaking. It was early in the season so everything was pristine and white. There were plenty of penguins, but only a few seals and whales - we were a few weeks early for them. My only negative comments are that, compared to when we were with HX in Alaska, the zodiac drivers weren’t always as knowledgeable and informative about the surroundings - some were just drivers - and the kitchen has started using inedible fake meat in their *veggie burgers rather than burgers that are made of actual vegetables as we had on the Alaska trip. A small thing, but disappointing.

Such a fantastic trip! From the very start to the very end, the whole trip was a 10/10. The ship was so clean and well looked after, the staff go above and beyond and make the whole experience amazing, and the food was also great.

The excursions were extremely fun, and very relaxed. I loved that any questions you had were answered straight away by the amazing expedition team, and we saw so much wildlife.

Will be booking again very soon, and recommending it to all of my friends!

Attentive staff, knowledgeable scientists, Inuit ambassadors were incredible, lots of lectures and hands on experiences aboard ms Roald Amundsen
What surprised me on this cruise?
Incredible beauty, icebergs, polar bears, northern lights, scenic cruising with the zodiacs, the ship’s captain slowing down the ship so that we can all view wildlife when sighted. He turned off the outside ship lights for a short period of time so that we can enjoy the northern lights. Announcements of whale sightings. This sailing had no single supplement,
Great food, open dining, wine with lunch and dinner. Hiking poles, waterproof boots and an expedition jacket provided. Spacious cabin, kettle in room, outdoor pool, sauna and 2 jacuzzis.

I have been trying to book a holiday to Antarctica for about two months. No one will call me back, just sends emails. I have three times asked for a brochure, only to be told it will be ordered but I never receive it. I have all the emails to back up my complaint.
Are you a genuine company or not?

My husband and I (and our friends who traveled with us) went on the "Grand Greenland – Mythical Lands of the North" on the Fridtjof Nansen ship. Our main expectation was to see Greenland, icebergs, and the life in Innuit communities. Beyond that we did not have any specific expectations because we simply did not go there for the food, luxury, or for chatting with people on the ship.

But we were very pleasantly surprised. We did see many amazing places and Greenland will always have a special place in our heart. But besides that, we also loved the experience of the ship, the science center, the rooms, the food, the sauna, but above all the expedition team. They were all incredibly kind, helpful, funny, resourceful, and obviously cared about us having a good time. We loved going to different lectures and having different guides on our zodiac outings, because every member of the team had a different personality and different perspective, yet everyone was amazing. We did not interact to the same level with everyone, so I am sure I am leaving out some amazing people, but our special thanks for being the most amazing guides go to Jeanne, Sidsel, Aurelia, Bob, Rike, Geraldine, Marion, Tim, and of course Aleq, who left us speechless (in the best way) after almost each of his presentations.

The start of the cruise was delayed by a day because of issues at the Nuuk airport, yet the planning and adjusting to the conditions was done so well, that we covered most of the planned adventures and some unplanned ones, because we traveled all the way north, where the (mostly) continuous sea ice starts, and we were taken out in the zodiacs to step on the ice, which was very cool. The captain and his crew did all they could (and all that weather allowed) to give us an experience of a lifetime.

Also, I have to mention amazing Claire, that worked in Aune restaurant and made us smile every day.

Thank you everyone!

Very bad experience and the HR are not professional

This company is completely unprofessional. Poor communication, zero organization, and no respect for customers. Total waste of time and money. I’ll be sharing this awful experience across all platforms.

10 day Scottish Isles, Island Hopping on MS Spitsbergen was out of this world. Fantastic service and ship team were friendly and helpful. Stops were incredible, everyone enjoyable for different reasons. Some stunning scenery, beautiful wildlife and extremely lucky with the weather.

I do not recommend taking part in the recruitment process for this company. Recruiters arrange a meeting and then do not show up and are unable to answer the phone. Childishness and a waste of time

Beau navire, cabine correcte, restauration correcte, personnel du bateau dévoué et compétent
Mais: mauvaise organisation, les 50 français présents laissés, malgré l'accompagnatrice française qui a fait son possible, livrés à eux mêmes. Pas de conseils sur les excursions, leur contenu, ni leur niveau de difficulté.
Excursions mal préparées quelques fois dangereuses boueuses et délicates, non balisées, programme non respecté un seul glacier visité, parc agostini et glacier garibaldi escamotés
Visite de Valparaiso impossible à effectuer
Ne parlons pas des activités suspendues.
Conclusion : grande déception mauvaise expérience.
Nous nous attendions à mieux pour le prix
Nous ne recommandons pas le nouvel HX Hurtigruten

Nous venons de terminer notre périple sur le Fridtjof Nansen en Antarctique et nous ne pouvons que partager notre très grande satisfaction suite à cette expérience hors du commun.
Le navire est fantastique, ultra moderne, au design nordique. Nous recommandons tout particulièrement le sauna et sa vue imprenable. Le choix des 3 restaurants et leur nourriture nous ont parfaitement convenu, le service est impeccable. Mais le véritable succès de cette croisière réside dans l'équipe d'expédition à bord (activités sportives et sciences), absolument incomparable ! Nous avons pu apprécier la compétence de chacun dans son domaine d’expertise. Les conférences étaient captivantes tout en restant abordables. Julia, Hélène, Tessa, Guillaume et Magnus ont été particulièrement marquants. Excellente organisation à bord et à terre, Zodiac nombreux et les sorties kayak et raquette incroyables.
L'Antarctique est indescriptible. C'est une destination magnifique et époustouflante, capable de surprendre même les plus grands voyageurs par sa nature à l’état brut, la pureté des paysages et sa faune incroyable (des dizaines de baleines à proximité du bateau et des zodiacs tous les jours !).
S’agissant de notre voyage, nous devons spécifier qu’à la suite de deux cas de « force majeure » cumulés (urgence vitale passager et grosse tempête annoncée dans le passage du Drake), nous n’avons pas pu atteindre l’Antarctique dans le temps imparti de notre 1ere croisière. Dans ces conditions difficiles, et alors que les conditions générales de vente déchargeait la compagnie de toutes responsabilité dans ces deux cas, l’équipe HX a su, rapidement et avec grande générosité, parfaitement bien gérer ces déconvenues. Tout d’abord, en réorientant la croisière vers les Malouines où nous en avons pris « plein les yeux » ! Ensuite, en offrant, sans coût ajouté, à tous les passagers la possibilité de revenir sur un nouvelle croisière en Antarctique. Pour notre part, nous avons choisi de poursuivre sur la croisière immédiatement à suivre (soit 20 nuits sur le bateau !).
Nous recommandons aussi vivement une ou deux nuits supplémentaires à Buenos Aires pour interrompre le voyage.
En conclusion, HX Expeditions est à recommander à tous ceux qui recherchent une croisière inoubliable !!
Benoit Pillet et Laurence Vincent (février et mars 2025)

I've just got back from Roald Amundsen and what an amazing trip to Antarctica.

The ship is fantastic with everything you need, food exceeded expectations and the cabin had everything needed.

The staff are great but the real success are the expedition staff. Engaging, genuinely caring about their area of expertise and the lectures and lessons were superb.

Great organisation of the trips on and off the ship, Zodiacs were brilliant, the kayaking amazing and the choice of destinations each day worked really well.

The onboard app is excellent and works well and the communication throughout was spot on.

I can't fault any aspect of the trip.

This company seems to be having a number of issues. Since paying in full there has been no communication as to further details of the trip which is now 18 days away. Emails go unanswered for lengths of time and contact details are confusing with different email addresses and phone numbers across the USA, UK and Estonia. Finally did manage to talk with someone who was helpful but couldn't answer questions. It would appear that my travel documents had gone to junk mail. The 'travel document' are a website that seems to be advertising extensions and telling you what a fabulous time you will have but absolutely no specifics. In spite of transfers to and from Quito airport being included I was told I was not eligible as I arrive a day early so having paid a considerable sum of money and under the illusion the transfer is included I will now land and need to find my own way ...penny pinching and putting clients at risk. The website is clunky apparently I haven't filled in the manifest form although I have done so twice. I have repeatedly asked about return times to Quito to be told this will be advised 'later' although no definition of later and no help in organising ongoing travel. I chose this provider following a great trip to Norway last year but HX are no longer part of that company and it shows in the poor communication, awful platforms and penny pinching. Apparently the issues with emails, the website, and communication is due to the newness of the company although they have no problem grabbing as much money as they can and then providing very little in return. I have no option now but to travel but it has tainted the entire trip, made me as a solo traveller very wary and has ensured that my trip to the Antarctic in 2026 is with another provider. Beware!

So it took more than five weeks for a response. Just to update HX outsource to an Ecuadorian company called Metropolitan Tours. They are patchy. The cruise on Santa Cruz II was excellent but delivers because of the exceptional staff: expedition, hotel services and crew to a person work huge hours and really want you to see the Galapagos at its best. Metropolitan tour services in Quito fell short. Tour guides seem to go through the motions with a big focus on tips. One poor client who had had all her credit cards and phone stolen was left at the airport because her bag was delayed and told to take a taxi (she had no means of paying for it). The representative left her because ‘the other passengers were getting angry’. It would seem that HX isn’t really aware of what is happening on the ground and quality control is non-existent. In fact HX seem to be focused on aggressive sales and marketing in the US, the UK and other parts of Europe and Australia. Once paid up you get whatever Metropolitan Tours provides. This also means that much of what you pay leaves Ecuador. Had I known this I would have used another provider.
2 May update so in spite of reaching out and claiming they want to do a full investigation there has been no response to detailed issues raised with them. Their last correspondence was to assert they had investigated but there were no details or an apology. Offered 250 Euro credit off my next booking which will never occur. Again don't expect any response if issues arise.

Trip to Antarctica was cancelled due to technical faults with MS Nansen. Lack of straight communication, when stranded in Buenos Aires. Subsequent endless string of e-mails with customer service to get compensation for ruined vacation.

I have just been onboard MS Roald Amundsen visiting Antarctica and I cannot fault my experience.
The expedition team onboard in particular are amazing. Their lectures were engaging and interesting with Henryk and Niek being a standout for me.
Antarctica itself is indescribable and is worth the long journey here. It is a stunning and beautiful destination with HX putting together a great itinerary with landings in Antarctica each day.
I would highly recommend an additional night in Buenos Aires to break up the travelling.
I would recommend HX Expeditions to anyone looking for a once in a lifetime cruise.

The cruise was good
But be warned the add ons or pre and post cruise excursions are sub contracted to another company and are truly awful and chaotic
Our experience was not good
I’ve made a claim for a refund and await the outcome