MS Spitsbergen Ship Tour & Review | HX Expeditions
MS Spitsbergen in Norway
If you’re planning a holiday with HX Expeditions on their expedition ship MS Spitsbergen, this in-depth deck‑by‑deck guide will help you get a real sense of life on board.
It sets out the ship’s layout in a straightforward way and includes images showing the recent refurbishments. You’ll see the main public areas including the restaurant, lounge and new bistro. This blog post is based on my time sailing the 8‑Day Ultimate Norway itinerary in February 2026, a self‑funded trip that gave me the chance to fully explore the ship.
To start, here’s my full walkthrough video, followed by more details below about MS Spitsbergen.
About MS Spitsbergen
Named after the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago, MS Spitsbergen was built in 2009, rebuilt in 2016 and underwent a major refurbishment in 2025. With eight decks and space for just 150 guests, she’s one of the smallest ships in the HX Expeditions fleet and her compact size allows her to reach places that larger vessels can’t. Her Scandinavian‑inspired interiors use soft tones and natural materials to create a calm, modern feel. The dress code is casual, with a relaxed, easygoing feel on board. Complimentary Wi‑Fi is available throughout the ship.
The 2025 refurbishment introduced several guest‑facing improvements including the new Brygga Bistro - an informal, brasserie‑style dining space offering a more flexible and relaxed option between landings or after excursions. The newly built Science Centre features interactive screens, a small library, lecture space and dedicated workstations for citizen‑science projects. The Explorer Bar & Lounge received a refreshed interior and updated seating, while newly refurbished ADA‑compliant bathrooms and upgraded interpretation systems improved accessibility across the ship. The ship also now carries HX’s updated Indigo Blue and Sand livery.
Throughout the year, she sails a wide range of itineraries, including voyages to Norway, Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland and the British Isles.
Deck‑by‑Deck Guide of MS Spitsbergen
Deck 3 | Expedition Launch (Tender Pit)
Starting from the bottom of the ship, Deck 3 is where the passenger areas begin. This is home to the Expedition Launch, also known as the Tender Pit - the space you pass through whenever you head out on a Zodiac boat or go kayaking, and the place you return to after each landing or activity.
Guests disembarking from a Zodiac Boat
It’s also where expedition equipment is stored - Zodiac boats, kayaks and kayak gear including thermal onesies, dry suits, booties, PFDs (Personal Flotation Devices), pogies and paddles.
The expedition team deliver kayaking safety briefings here covering how to get in and out of a tandem kayak from a Zodiac, how to sit correctly, how to hold your paddle and how the person in the back uses foot pedals to steer the rudder.
Expedition Launch is a practical, well‑organised space designed to make getting on and off the ship straightforward and safe. When you’re heading out or returning to the ship from here, you’ll need to show your cruise card. On kayaking days, the team looked after our cards for us while we were out on the water.
Deck 4 | Accommodation & Security
Deck 4 is one of the main accommodation levels, home to Expedition Suites, Polar Outside and Polar Inside cabins. It’s also where you’ll find the ship’s Medical Centre. When embarking or disembarking on this deck, you’ll have your cruise card scanned each time. And on entering the ship, small bags such as handbags, backpacks and camera bags are passed through an x-ray machine in the gangway area.
Deck 5 | Public Spaces
Deck 5 is where you’ll find the dining areas, reception, the shop and several places to relax.
Aune Restaurant
Aune Restaurant
The main restaurant, Aune, sits at the stern of the ship and offers buffet‑style breakfast, lunch and dinner. Wine, beer and soft drinks are complimentary.
Lunch
You can see an example of the lunch buffet in the video above. It usually includes a Salad Bar with items like smoked fish, cold cuts and pickled vegetables. There’s a Soup Station, perhaps serving something like broccoli soup with bacon and parsley. A Pasta and Rice Station may offer dishes such as mushroom risotto and the Hot Food Station can feature options like venison stew with cranberries, fish and chips, cauliflower fried rice, oven‑baked celeriac and carrots, parsley potatoes, creamy polenta, roasted parsnips and steamed broccoli. You’ll also find a Cheese Station with choices such as Camembert, Port Salut and Norvegia and a Dessert Station with for example, fresh fruit, chocolate chip cookies, cookies and cream mousse, chocolate cake, ice cream and sorbet.
Dinner
A typical dinner buffet may include an Appetiser such as duck breast with Brussels sprout purée, coleslaw salad and potato salad. There’s a Soup Station, possibly serving something like barley soup with green herb oil. The Pasta and Rice Station often features dishes such as pasta arrabbiata and the Carving Station may offer something like striploin of beef with peppercorn sauce. The Hot Food Station can include options such as reindeer with juniper sauce, steamed salmon fillet with white wine sauce, oat and mushroom cake with mushroom sauce, roast carrots and Brussels sprouts, oven‑baked turnips, sautéed courgette, roasted potato wedges and grilled fennel. There is usually a Cheese Station, plus a Dessert Station as well.
Aune is open daily for breakfast from 07.00 to 09.00, lunch from 12.00 to 14.00 and dinner from 18.00 to 20.00. Breakfast and lunch are open seating, while at dinner, guests are shown to a table. On the final evening, a three‑course menu was served by the waiting staff. Allergies and dietary preferences including gluten, nuts and shellfish are well catered for. Additionally, a takeaway service is available if you’d prefer to enjoy your meal in your cabin or suite.
Brygga Bistro
Brygga Bistro, introduced during the 2025 refurbishment, is a casual venue serving snacks and light meals between restaurant hours, giving guests a flexible and relaxed dining alternative.
Menu highlights may include creamy cauliflower soup, a selection of salads such as grilled asparagus with wild rice, herb‑crusted nicoise and citrus with fennel, and a range of sandwiches including steak with caramelised onion, ricotta with roasted red pepper and smoked salmon with whipped mascarpone. There are also quiches such as wild mushroom with gruyere and golden harvest with prosciutto, along with late‑night options like buttermilk fried chicken bites and cauliflower fritters.
For those with a sweet tooth, the bistro offers a generous choice of cakes and pastries including for example, chocolate cronuts, maple pecan danish, blueberry muffins, vanilla custard danish, raspberry tarts, lemon meringue tarts, chocolate brownies, chocolate eclairs, vanilla eclairs, mini doughnuts and chocolate marshmallows coated in coconut.
Reception & Information Area
Deck 5 is also where you’ll find Reception, which is open 24 hours. The Expedition Co-ordinator is based here too. To one side of Reception, there’s a Guest Information Board outlining the Daily Programme in English and German.
To the other side is the Shop which stocks a range of clothing such as t‑shirts, shirts, jumpers, gilets and jackets. There are plenty of cold‑weather accessories too including beanies, scarves, gloves, headbands, caps and socks. You’ll also find personal care items and toiletries, from cosmetics and body wash to shampoo, conditioner, lip salve, mouthwash, shave gel and razors. Practical gear and travel essentials include binoculars, bags and rucksacks and for small gifts, there are notebooks, soft toys and keyrings.
Opposite Reception is a small Library of reading books that passengers can borrow from and donate to.
As you head along the corridor towards the Explorer Bar & Lounge, you’ll pass another Information Board. This one gives a short history of the place you’re visiting that day in both English and German, along with weather and wind forecasts and details of any Northern Lights activity.
Explore Lounge
Explorer Bar & Lounge
This newly refreshed space is one of the most popular places for guests to gather - a comfortable lounge for drinks, lectures and the daily ‘Plans for Tomorrow’ presentations. These sessions are streamed live to your cabin and recorded too, so you can catch up later if you miss one. The bar is open from 10.00 to 23.55.
Just to the left of the bar is a water station and a self‑service tea and coffee station. You’ll usually find cookies or cake nearby as well if you’re feeling peckish.
Observation Deck
Vantage Point at the Bow
At the very front of Deck 5 is a small outdoor observation area - a quiet spot to watch the scenery drift by.
Deck 6 | Accommodation & Science Centre
Deck 6 includes a range of accommodation - Expedition Suites, Arctic Superior, Polar Outside and Polar Inside cabins.
It’s also home to the newly built Science Centre - a reflection of HX’s strong focus on science and education. Designed for discovery and hands‑on learning, the space features microscopes, interactive screens, a small library and flexible workshop and lecture areas.
Science Centre
Deck 7 | Accommodation, Gym, Sauna & Hot Tubs
Double‑bed room with a large window
Arctic Superior Cabin
Along with Polar Inside and Polar Outside cabins, Deck 7 is home to many of MS Spitsbergen’s Arctic Superior cabins, including the one we stayed in - Cabin 721. Ours was classed as U2D, an Arctic Superior Outside Cabin with a double bed and a full, unobstructed view through a large (non‑opening) window.
A combination of pale wood and neutral tones gives the cabin a bright, calm, modern feel. The double bed has a built‑in wooden headboard with individual reading lights and European two‑round‑pin sockets on either side. Beneath the bed, there’s ample space for storing luggage.
Opposite the bed, you’ll find a flat‑screen TV, a telephone and a kettle with complimentary tea, coffee, sugar and creamer. The phone includes an option to switch on PA announcements - ideal if you don’t want to miss a Northern Lights alert. Loaned rubber boots, city spikes and a recycling bin are provided.
You’ll also find ‘We Stay Green’ and ‘Please Clean My Room’ signs. HX runs a Green Stay programme where, if you choose to forego daily room cleaning services, they make a financial contribution to the HX Foundation, which supports more than 100 local and environmental projects around the world.
Each room includes a complimentary reusable Ocean Bottle for every passenger - a high‑quality bottle designed for the water‑refill stations located around the ship, including the Bar on Deck 5, Deck 3 and the Gym on Deck 7. The water bottle is yours to use throughout the voyage and to take home afterwards.
As you enter the room, to your right is a wall‑mounted coat rack for your complimentary expedition jacket, which is waterproof, lightweight and highly breathable. There’s also space for hanging your life jackets, which you’ll need when heading out on Zodiacs. To the left are large wardrobes with generous hanging space and shelves, and one of them contains a safe for valuables.
There are individual climate control units for the room and for the heated bathroom floor.
En-Suite Bathroom
The en‑suite bathroom continues the neutral palette with light beige walls, white surfaces and modern metallic fixtures. There’s a walk‑in shower stocked with complimentary Hair & Body Wash and Conditioner, along with bath towels, hand towels and flannels. Under the sink, you’ll find a hairdryer with both diffuser and nozzle attachments.
Gym, Sauna & Hot Tubs
At the stern of Deck 7, you’ll find a small gym with cardio machines and free weights, two outdoor hot tubs (each with space for five guests) and a sauna open from 06.00-24.00.
Outdoor Hot Tubs
Deck 8 | Observation Deck
The highest deck on the ship offers uninterrupted views of the landscape and it’s one of the best places on board to watch the Northern Lights.
Final Thoughts
MS Spitsbergen alongside in Tromsø, Norway
MS Spitsbergen is a warm, welcoming and beautifully compact expedition ship, ideal for travellers who prefer a more intimate experience.
With space for just 150 guests, she’s easy to settle into, and the recent updates have given her a fresh, contemporary feel without losing her character. She’s designed for time on deck, time ashore and time spent learning - a quietly confident ship that makes a comfortable base whether you’re exploring Norway, Svalbard or further afield.
Details may vary between itineraries and seasons, but this reflects my experience on board in February 2026.
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(Photography | Rona Wheeldon)