Five essential things to know before you board an Ambassador Cruise Line ship

Ambassador Cruise Line is no cookie-cutter behemoths-at-sea outfit. Aimed at British cruisers aged 50-plus, it launched in 2021 with two “heritage” ships and has established itself as a premium yet affordable cruising experience.

Ambassador has recently added a third vessel to its two medium-sized, beautifully refurbished ships, following a merger with French cruise line Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC). While Ambience and Ambition continue to provide year-round no-fly cruises from London Tilbury and regional cruise terminals, CFC’s ship, Renaissance, will offer winter sun fly-cruises to the Caribbean from October 2025.Ambience made its debut in 2022 at London Tilbury, near the company’s Purfleet-on-Thames headquarters, and Ambition followed in 2023 at Port of Tyne near Newcastle. Both are 1990s-vintage ships and depart from Tilbury as well as Liverpool, Belfast, Newcastle, Dundee and Bristol, which is one of the reasons why the brand is so popular.

The arrival of Renaissance coincides with the company’s expansion plans and marks a change in strategy.

Where does Ambassador cruise?

Ambience and Ambition sail year-round in Europe apart from their annual one-off cruises to the Caribbean and back every January, while Renaissance will spend winters based in the Caribbean for fly-cruises. Ambassador’s itineraries are designed to satisfy its largely British clientele, sailing mostly around northern Europe in summer and the Canary Islands and Caribbean in winter.

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The Norwegian fjords, the British Isles and Iceland are big sellers, although there are summer sailings to the Iberian Peninsula. One or two longer cruises go as far as Italy or Greece but due to the line’s no-fly policy, northern France and northern Spain figure more regularly.

Ambassador ships Ambience and Ambition sail year-round in Europe

Like British-focused cruise lines such as P&O Cruises, Saga and Fred Olsen, Ambassador’s ships chase the winter sun in the Canaries and the Northern Lights in Northern Europe. Ambassador’s prices are the most competitive.

Themed cruises are another speciality, as are Christmas market cruises to Amsterdam, Bruges, Antwerp and Hamburg. Music-themed cruises, often just two nights to reposition from one British port to another, feature music, menus and entertainment that take guests back to the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. “In Conversation” and “Sporting Legends” cruises with actors or sports personalities of a certain age are popular.

From March 2027 Ambassador will be exclusively adult-only

The arrival of Renaissance means Ambassador can now offer two-week fly-cruises in the Caribbean although these are so competitively priced they sell out immediately. Renaissance’s two-week fly-cruises are in addition to one annual six-week return trip to the Caribbean that both Ambition and Ambience have offered every January since their launch. The 2027-2028 season brochure also includes the same.

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Renaissance will sail round-trip from Barbados to islands including Curaçao, St Kitts, Guadeloupe and Martinique, with flights from London and Manchester, but during the summer months the ship will be marketed through CFC for French-language trips.

Spa on Ambition

Who does Ambassador appeal to?

Ambassador appeals to empty nesters and those seeking a peaceful, child-free holiday. Ambassador is aimed at the British market and from March 2027 it will be exclusively adult-only. The decision not to continue with family cruises during the school summer holidays was based on customer feedback.

To be fair, there’s almost nothing for children to do on an Ambassador ship except get over-excited in the pool. Although Ambience has a top-deck room with a ping pong table, the room is more often used for stretching classes and meditation.Most Ambassador guests are up for an adventure and stride off the ship as soon as it’s docked to explore independently. Depending on the destination, they’re no stranger to hiking boots and wet-weather gear. They also know what they’re signing up for, and because of its affordability, there are few complaints about the ships not being state-of-the-art or the dining not being gourmet. The convenience of regional departures is a huge plus.

Ambassador’s fleet

Ambience (1,400 passengers)

Ambience is Ambassador’s flagship vessel

The more spacious of the two, Ambassador’s flagship was originally built for Princess Cruises in 1991 and debuted for Ambassador in 2022. The Promenade Deck has the modern country house-style Botanical Bar, the slightly edgier club-like Raffles Bar and the light and airy main restaurant and lower tier of The Palladium theatre.

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On the Lido Deck are two outdoor pools and the Borough Market buffet restaurant, with a separate area for the speciality Indian restaurant, Saffron. Deck 12 also has the fine-dining Sea & Grass speciality restaurant (with optional wine pairing) and a café.

Sails to

Norwegian fjords, Scandinavia, Iceland, Baltic, Iberian Peninsula, Northern France, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Germany, Netherlands, Canaries.

Ambition (1,200 passengers)

Built in 1999 for Greece-based Festival Cruises, Ambition began sailing under Ambassador livery in 2023. Most of the cabins are fairly compact, unless you book a balcony cabin or suite and there is a number reserved for solo passengers. Leisure facilities include a reasonably-sized gym, two small outdoor pools, a pair of hot tubs, and the Green Sea Spa (treatments cost extra but the spa’s sauna and steam room are open to all passengers).

Sails to

British Isles, Norwegian fjords, Iceland, Scandinavia, Baltic, Northern France, Belgium, Netherlands, Iberian Peninsula, Morocco, Mediterranean, Canaries, Caribbean.

Renaissance (1,100 passengers)

Renaissance’s Grand Restaurant Vatel

Originally a Holland America Line (HAL) ship, Renaissance was built in 1992 but acquired and renamed by CFC in 2022. Although it has Ambassador’s signature purple and green livery, decor is slightly glitzier, particularly in the Grand Restaurant Vatel and the atrium. It also has two pools – one with a retractable roof.

Sails to

Caribbean.

Accessibility

Ambassador welcomes guests with mobility, sight and hearing restrictions but an able-bodied companion must take responsibility for their safety on board and ashore. Ambience has 13 adapted cabins, while Ambition and Renaissance have two each. More information can be found here.

Loyalty scheme

Ambassador doesn’t have a traditional multi-tiered loyalty program with points and membership levels like some other cruise lines. However, they offer a “Refer a Friend” whereby both the referrer and the referred guest receive onboard credit.

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