MS Fridtjof Nansen

After a day of Zodiac landings and prolonged exposure to whatever weather the poles decide to throw at you, the Nansen’s spa is genuinely therapeutic rather than just decorative. Massages, facial treatments, and wellness services in a calm, unhurried environment give the body a proper reset between the kind of adventure days that leave you exhilarated but, let’s be honest, a little wrecked.

The Science Center is the intellectual engine of every HX expedition. Touch screens, microscopes, and state-of-the-art displays create the backdrop for expert naturalist lectures, real-time species identification, and the kind of deep-dive conversations about the natural world that you’ll still be unpacking weeks after you’ve disembarked.

Named for Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm — the cook and polar veteran Roald Amundsen called indispensable on every expedition — Lindstrøm on the Nansen is the ship’s premium dining room, exclusively available to Expedition Suite guests. Locally sourced ingredients, Scandinavian technique, and a menu inspired by Norway’s polar heritage elevate every dish. The kind of meal you’ll still be talking about when you’re back home at your very normal kitchen table.

Fredheim is the Nansen’s casual dining option — light fare and Scandinavian-inspired bites served in a relaxed setting perfectly calibrated for the between-landings crowd. When you’d rather grab something quick before the next excursion than commit to a full sit-down, Fredheim is where you end up.

Aune is the Nansen’s open-seating main restaurant, where breakfast, lunch, and most dinners are served with rotating menus that take their cues from the regions the ship is exploring. It’s spacious, unhurried, and the kind of place where you end up lingering long after your plate is cleared because the conversation — and the view outside the windows — is just too good to rush.

Tucked poolside on the aft deck, the Pool Bar keeps the outdoor session going well past the point of reasonable judgment. Cold drinks, warm company, and whatever the ocean decides to serve up on the horizon. It’s the kind of spot where you sit down for one drink and look up an hour later to discover the sun is still out — because in the Arctic, it always is.

The aft-deck heated pool and flanking hot tubs are the ship’s best argument for going outside even when outside is actively trying to freeze you. Nothing resets the body quite like soaking in a hot tub while an iceberg drifts by at arm’s length. On warmer voyages — Norway’s coast in summer, say — it’s just an excellent pool deck. Either way, you win.

The enclosed Observation Lounge wraps the Nansen’s forward section with panoramic glazing, giving you unobstructed views of whatever extraordinary place the ship is navigating. Floor-to-ceiling windows keep you fully in the experience — polar light, passing icebergs, the occasional whale at the surface — without the frostbite. One of the best rooms on any expedition ship, full stop.

A compact but well-equipped fitness room keeps your legs ready for the next shore excursion. Treadmills, bikes, and resistance equipment cover the basics — because hauling yourself in and out of Zodiacs works muscles you didn’t know you had, and it’s better to discover that in the gym before Antarctica does it for you.

On the Fridtjof Nansen, the Explorer Lounge pulls double duty as both a panoramic forward-facing lounge and a proper bar — no wandering decks to track down a drink. Floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides put you front-row for every glacier, fjord, and iceberg the ship passes, while the bar keeps things flowing. This is where expedition briefings happen, wildlife sightings get announced, and post-Zodiac stories get told — and then retold with slightly more dramatic embellishment.

No balcony — but the MF makes up for it with oversized forward-corner windows, a day bed angled directly at the view, and a water vapor fireplace that’s equal parts cozy and dramatic. All Lindstrøm dining privileges and suite perks are included, and the panoramic windows make the lack of a balcony feel like a completely reasonable trade.

The most numerous suite category on the Nansen, spread across multiple decks. Each offers a private balcony, generous living space, mini-bar, and espresso machine — a proper expedition home base that gives you everything you need without the excess. The most popular category on the ship for a very good reason.

The MD is the ship’s fully accessible corner suite — 35 square meters with a private balcony, double bed, Murphy bed, and heated bathroom floors, designed to deliver the full expedition suite experience without compromise. All suite benefits apply: Lindstrøm dining, priority boarding, and complimentary laundry included.

The MC has a private hot tub on the balcony. Full stop. Soak under the Arctic midnight sun, or the aurora borealis, or whatever the Nansen decides to hand you that night. Add Lindstrøm dining, heated bathroom floors, and the full suite expedition perks, and the MC makes a very convincing case for itself against every other category on the ship.

Nearly as generous as the flagship MA, the MB offers a large private balcony, double sofa bed, espresso machine, and the full suite perks package — including Lindstrøm dining and complimentary laundry. Scandinavian design done right: clean lines, natural materials, and a view that does most of the decorating for you.

The MA is the flagship category on the Fridtjof Nansen — a sprawling corner suite with panoramic balcony views, a double bed, double sofa bed, and espresso machine for those early-morning glacier moments. Suite guests get all-inclusive fine dining at Restaurant Lindstrøm and priority boarding. Because when you’re in the best cabin on the ship, the expedition should feel like it from the moment you step on board.

The 1896 Cabins are unique to the Fridtjof Nansen — a design nod to the year Nansen returned from his record-setting Arctic expedition aboard the Fram. These interior cabins trade windows for story, with rich heritage-inspired décor that transforms what could be a standard inside cabin into something genuinely worth telling people about. Smart pick for expedition travelers who plan to spend every waking hour on deck anyway and would rather put the budget toward excursions.