REMOTE ADVENTURES – You may not immediately recognize HX – they are a NEW brand, for a very OLD company. You may have heard of Hurtigruten – the Norwegian company that has been taking guests to the ends of the earth since the 19th century. It seems that not only do English-speakers have trouble saying “Hurtigruten”, but have trouble remembering it too… so now it’s HX.
HX runs accessible adventure cruises in Antarctica, the Galapagos, Greenland, the Canadian Northwest Passage, Alaska, and of course, Norway. I’m purposely avoiding the word “expedition” because it conjures up images of Olympic-level athletes scaling Mount Everest. We’ve done several expedition cruises, and the clientele is about as far from the Olympic Athlete’s set as you can imagine.
On our adventure to the Galapagos last year, the age range was 20 to 82, with the average age being around 65. You need to be able to get into a zodiac boat (with crew assistance), and be able to walk on uneven terrain, but other than that, there’s no special physical requirements. Probably the most important prerequisite is that you’re curious about the area you want to explore.
HX also operates the world’s first two hybrid-electric cruise ships. Roald Amundsen and Fridjof Nansen both carry under 500 guests, and when not operating on bio-diesel, they run on electric power when they are in areas that may have wildlife sensitive to the noise of conventional engines. Bob and I were on the North American inaugural cruise a few years ago for Roald Amundsen, and did this ship tour video: https://youtu.be/1L_ByDqhGR0
The first destination I would have on your radar for this type of travel is Greenland. There’s now direct flights from New York to Greenland, so you can be there in four-hours… quite a bit closer than getting to Antarctica.
The other destination you might want to take an HX Accessible Adventure Cruise for a test-drive is in Alaska. If you’ve done Alaska on a mega-ship, you haven’t fully experienced its remoteness and majesty. You won’t find T-shirt and jewelry shops owned by the cruise lines at your Alaskan ports of call when you go with HX.
After you’ve decided that small ship remote adventures (advertised as “Expedition Cruises”) are something of interest for you, you can also do this type of cruise to Antarctica, Western Australia, the Galapagos Islands, the northern most points in Norway, and the Great Lakes.
So if you’re curious about the natural world, love scenery, OR you really like the idea of visiting more remote corners of the planet, but want to do so in comfort, then HX should be on your radar.
If you’d like to see Kim & Bob discussing HX Expeditions, check out this week’s video blog: https://youtu.be/IVpzycK0hyQ
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Today’s Travel Opportunities with HX:
REMOTE ALASKA from Vancouver to Anchorage for 10-days
- Depart Vancouver, sail the Inside Passage, then to Misty Fjords, Klawock, Fjords of the Alaskan panhandle, Icy Strait Point, Glacier Bay, Valdez, Prince William Sound, and then to Seward (for Anchorage)
- Departures May through July 2026 from $4554
GREENLAND & NEWFOUNDLAND from Reykjavik to St. John’s for 18-days
- Start in Reykjavik, and then visit 2 ports in Greenland, before travelling down the Labrador coast to Newfoundland, and finish in St. John’s.
- Depart September 18 from $10,344.
ANTARCTICA round-trip from Buenos Aires for 12-days, with 5-days of landings
- Includes flights to/from Ushuaia (from BA) to board the ship.
- Departures November through March from $9721
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS and Quito for 9-days
- 2-nights in Quito, then fly to Galapagos (included in fare) for 6 nights. Visit Mosquera Inlet, Santa Fe, South Plaza, Santa Cruz, Charles Darwin Research Station in Port Ayora, Espanola Island, Eden Islet.
- Depart May through August from $7839
- Depart September through December from $7643
- 2026: January through March from $6900
NORTHERN LIGHTS in NORWAY round-trip from Tromso for 8-days
- Travel north of the Arctic Circle to remote villages in coastal Norway. See the mountains, fjords, fishing villages, and the AURORA BOREALIS.
- Departures January through March from $4762
TAUCK on the Water
Tauck offers the most inclusive river cruises: if you missed our feature in January about Tauck, here’s the link: https://pamperedcruiser.com/what-about-tauck/ . They also have a whole series of trips (both on river boats, and land-tours) that are especially designed for traveling with multi-generational groups:
CHRISTMAS MARKETS BRIDGES TOUR on the Danube for 7-nights from Bavaria to Budapest
- BRIDGES TOUR: Take children or teens with you, on this specially designed itinerary to the Christmas Markets!
- Visit Munich, Regensburg, Passau, Wachau Valley, Melk, Vienna (overnight), Bratislava, Budapest.
- 2025: Depart December 21 or 22 from $4590
- 2026: Depart December 22, 23, or 29 from $4990
GERMAN OKTOBERFEST: Amsterdam to Munich for 10-days in September
- Visit Amsterdam (overnight), Dusseldorf (to visit local craft breweries), sail the Rhine Gorge, Heidelberg for a beer-paired lunch, Strasbourg, Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus, Lake Konstanz, and then on to Munich for 2 nights for the world’s largest festival!
- 2025: Limited availability on September 17 or 24 from $8190.
- 2026: Departures September 16 or 23 from $8490
GREAT LAKES between Chicago and Toronto for 12-days:
- 2-nights in Chicago, the board the ship (Le Bellot – 184 guests) to visit Muskegon and Holland (Michigan), Mackinac Island, Detroit (for the Henry Ford Museum), Cleveland (for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), traverse the locks of the Welland Canal, Niagara Falls, and 2-nights in cosmopolitan Toronto.
- Departures August 18 or 25 from $10,790.
Visit the WHITE LOTUS in THAILAND
The third season of WHITE LOTUS was revealed on HBO about three weeks ago, and since then inquiries about Thailand have been off the charts. The White Lotus is a fictional hotel chain, but the filming was mostly done on Koh Samui in a few of the luxury hotels there.
KOH SAMUI is about a one-hour flight from Bangkok, so quite appropriate for pre or post cruise in Southeast Asia. Here’s our agency page on KOH SAMUI if you want to explore the options further: https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/bobbrad77410/travel/destinations/asia/thailand/koh-samui
If you want more general information on THAILAND, here’s our page:
https://www.virtuoso.com/advisor/bobbrad77410/travel/destinations/asia/thailand
Here are some cruise options that start or finish in BANGKOK:
Hong Kong to Bangkok departing October 22 for 15-days with OCEANIA
- Visit Hong Kong (overnight), Haikou, Ha Long Bay, Sanya, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City (overnight), Singapore (overnight), Koh Samui, Bangkok (overnight)
- Veranda Suites from $5760 with a $500 OBC.
Bangkok to Singapore departing November 6 for 12-days with OCEANIA
- Visit Bangkok (overnight), Koh Samui, Meleka (Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Phuket (overnight), Singapore (overnight)
- Veranda Suites from $4420 with $400 OBC
- Or stay on board for 34-days and ride the ship to Sydney (via Indonesia, and Western Australia) from $8899.
Bangkok to Bali departing January 5, for 14-days with OCEANIA
- Visit Bangkok (overnight), Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh City (overnight), Borneo, Brunei, Java, Surabaya, Benoa, Bali.
- Verandas from $6205 with a $500 OBC
In Case You Missed It:
COMPARING CRUISES: The old adage “the devil’s in the details” could easily be “the devil’s in the INCLUSIONS” when you’re comparing cruise vacations.
https://pamperedcruiser.com/how-to-compare-cruise-prices/
HOW WE USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: AI is quickly changing many businesses. We don’t fully know how it will affect the travel biz, but here’s our thinking on how we’ll end up using it (and how we WON’T).
https://pamperedcruiser.com/do-you-want-to-deal-with-artificial-intelligence-or-a-real-person/
Latest YOUTUBE Post:
DEMYSTIFYING EXPEDITION: If you think you need to be an Olympic athlete to enjoy an expedition cruise, then you’ll want to watch this interview where Bob chats with Alex McNeil – the Chief Expedition Officer for HX Expeditions. You might be surprised who goes on Expedition Cruises, and what they’re all about:
Reminder: VISITING THE UK?
You now need to complete an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) if you are visiting or connecting a flight anywhere in the UK. England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland require US Passport Holders to complete this prior to arrival. Here’s a video we did that contains all the details: https://youtu.be/6NGfCqOsDKk
If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
