The MS Fram : My Antarctica Expedition Ship
My In-Depth Antarctica Expedition including the Falkland and South Georgia Islands cruise was on Hurtigruten’s newly remodeled MS Fram. Hurtigruten, a Norwegian company, is the original expedition tour leader – since 1893! I chose them for for my own Antarctica expedition because of their solid reputation and deep knowledge of sailing in frigid, icy polar seas. When you are that far from civilization, you want to sail with the best!
The stylish, clean-lined Nordic decor of the MS Fram was cozy and comfortable. I loved all the little artistic touches that went into the design, some of which I hadn’t fully appreciated until historian and Expedition Crew Member, Niak, took us on a walking tour of the ship.
There were nods to the ship’s namesake, and Nansen’s famous Fram North Pole expedition, as well as art from Greenland’s indigenous people, light fixtures resembling icebergs, and of course, lots of references to the sea, and all artwork by local artists. It was very appealing!
The Fram was custom built to be a polar expedition ship in 2007, and fully remodeled in 2022. There are 125 guest cabins, which I found to be a great size, as it is large enough to safely traverse the seas, yet small enough that we could get to know the other guests and crew. And importantly, the Captain could maneuver us into smaller bays and channels that the big cruise lines would have no hope of passing through.
Here are some of the features of Hurtigruten’s MS Fram:
The Cabins
Choose Your MS Fram Cabin
You can choose the cabin that’s right for you and your budget. I started off in a standard cabin, which I found comfortable and had plenty of storage space, plus a nice sized bathroom and shower for a ship, I thought. You also have a TV with cable and a large selection of movies. We also (surprisingly) had free WiFi most of the time!
Then, generously because of my podcast, and since there was space, after a couple of days, I got upgraded to a suite, which was definitely sweet:) In my suite, I had a desk area plus a sofa and chair, a larger port hole, plus a much larger closet.
The even nicer Deluxe Suites have a private deck, and I think some even have a private hot tub. One bag of laundry per day is included with all suites.
Dining Options on the MS Fram
There are two restaurants on the Fram: The Aune and the fine dining room, Lindstrøm. All cabin guests can eat in the Aune. This is the dining hall I ate in all the time, even though being bumped to a suite meant I could eat in the Lindstrøm, at no additional charge. Breakfast and lunch included a massive, very tasty buffet that catered to all dietary requirements (and was clearly labeled). Dinner offered a set menu with a choice of starter, main meal and dessert. Meals were beautifully presented – truly a work of art! House beer and wine is included with lunch and dinner.
Suite guests can eat in the Lindstrøm or Aune, which features traditional Nordic fare, and offers a greater selection of included wine and beer.
One thing I absolutely loved about the Fram, was at every meal, unless we specified a preference, we were seated with different people so we got to meet virtually everyone on the ship. Because of this, I made lifelong friends during our three week adventure. It certainly made traveling solo on my Antarctica expedition must more fun!
You can look at the Hurtigruten app each day to see what the menu is in order to decide where to go for your meal. Whichever you choose, you will be satisfied and happy.
One beautiful, sunny and perfectly calm day, the Captain took advantage of the weather and changed our itinerary so that we instead went into a small cove filled with icebergs which would have been too dangerous to navigate in rougher seas. Then, the chef decided to move our lunch to the upper deck patio for a spontaneous BBQ (you could still eat the buffet inside if you wanted to).
What a perfect day!!! You can see some photos of the icebergs we zodiac’d around HERE.
Activity Centers
When we were at sea, or in between landings, the MS Fram had lots of places for us to go to keep us entertained. At any time, you could wander the Observation Deck to look for whales, seals, penguins or sea birds. When we reached Antarctica, you could also see lots of icebergs, which was super cool! Note the waterproof red parkas that Hurtigruten gave all of us (they lent us muck boots for our landings, but the parkas were ours to keep).
Lecture Hall, Science Center, and Activity Center
One major hub of activity was on Deck 4. Here is where many of us spent our time in between landings.
Each night, Hurtigruten would slip a paper under your door with the next day’s schedule so you could map out your day. There were always plenty of options to satisfy whatever you were hankering for. I tried to go to all of the lectures, which were truly outstanding. I also went to all of the watercolor classes in the Activity Center, and most of the Science Center workshops and lectures.
Reception and the office of the expedition team were also on Deck 4, so it was easy to find answers to any questions you might have.
You can see a complete list of our many options HERE.
Relaxation Areas
If you didn’t feel like going to a lecture or workshop, there were plenty of places to simply relax on the MS Fram.
I tried to go to the gym after lunch each day (how cool to be able to watch whales, seals and icebergs while on a stationary bike???). Then, I would soak in the outdoor hot tub or sauna. People were always reading, grabbing a drink or coffee, or just dozing off in the Explorer Lounge.
Believe me, you will never be bored! There is always something fun to do. I choose to keep a full schedule. Others preferred to relax in the lounge or hang out most of the day on the Observation Deck. The great thing is, we all were able to tailor our days to what WE wanted, so we all had a fabulous time!
On Board Shop
Three weeks on a ship with only a couple of opportunities to re-stock necessities means you may run out of something. Fortunately, the MS Fram has a nice, well thought out shop with all the things you might need (or want) on an Antarctic expedition.
I put together an Antarctica Expedition Packing List. You can check it out HERE to make sure you bring the necessities.
A nice video with a walk-through tour of the remodeled MS Fram
