Everything you need to know about Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition
Ambassador Cruise Line specialises in the British market and was launched in 2021 after the end of the UK’s Covid restrictions. Its first ship, Ambiance, was renamed in 2022 at its home port London Tilbury. Ambition, built in 1999, was renamed by double Olympic Gold Medal godmother Shirley Robertson OBE at Newcastle’s Port of Tyne cruise terminal. Both ships offer affordable mostly no-fly cruises for adults only, except for a few school holiday multi-generation itineraries.
Covid protocols
Since June 2023 there has been no requirement for vaccinations or pre-departure testing, although updates will be posted on the cruise line’s website in the Before You Sail section.
What’s it like onboard?
There’s a pleasant buzz on board, with passengers keen to explore the ports but also happy joining in with sea day activities. Most are over-50 and British or Irish, so the atmosphere is comfortably relaxed.
The lounge bars fill up before dinner but are never packed, the main dining room is bright and the waiters are fun – and passengers dress smartly rather than being over-dressed.
There’s nothing super-trendy to see or do, it’s not a foodie experience and it’s never going to be a TikTok sensation, but life on Ambition is pretty chilled.
READ MORE: Cruise guests warned to stop common buffet behaviour
The WOW factor
Ambition has been beautifully refurbished so every lounge bar is a real destination, whether you want a coffee or pot of tea during the day or reasonably priced pint of draught beer or cocktail at night.
The Angel Bar, named after The Angel of The North sculpture at Gateshead, has a subtle rust-red décor, while The Cavern Bar has a Liverpool vibe and the Purple Turtle is an unexpectedly vibrant wine bar.
But it’s the quality entertainment that is entirely unexpected for such a small cruise line. The Palladium Theatre offers proper musicals as well as song and dance reviews – on my Iceland cruise Wouldn’t It Be Luvverly was a fantastic version of My Fair Lady – and there were even a couple of plays, with excellent comedy game shows in The Cavern and live classical music in The Clifton Lounge.
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Staterooms
Ambassador Ambition has 679 cabins and suites to take a maximum 1,200 passengers, all refurbished and featuring at least one UK electrical socket as well as European and American, in-cabin tea and coffee facilities and really comfortable beds.
As the ship was built in 1999 there are only 12 balcony cabins, although the 44 suites all have balconies including 10 Junior Suites reserved for solos.
Most are Ocean View and Inner Cabins, which are around the same size – 13sqm – and 78 of these are also for solo passengers. There are only two accessible cabins.
Many have brand new bathrooms and all have lovely shower units – no soggy curtains – although suites also have bath tubs.
Other facilities include a wall-mounted flat screen TV, hairdryer, toiletries in wall-mounted bottles, a safe and USB ports for charging phones but only suites have fridges and mini bars.
Dining
There are seven dining options including three paid-for speciality restaurants, although you can also pay for room service and buy ice cream from a pool deck trolley.
Ambition’s main dining room is Buckingham Restaurant, a light filled caramel and cream room on Deck five, which offers breakfast and lunch as well as two waiter-served dinner sittings.
The more intimate Holyrood Restaurant at the back of Deck six is mostly for suite guests and generally only open for dinner, again with two sittings. Both serve exactly the same food.
The buffet at Borough Market, which is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner also has the same options and it’s a firm favourite with those who prefer casual dining – especially as it has an outdoor seating area.
Also on Deck 11 is the Alfresco Pizza Grill, open at lunchtime and from 3pm-6pm for anybody off the ship at lunchtime – or just very hungry.
Speciality restaurant Lupino’s has a Mediterranean menu for £14.95 that starts with a delicious shared mezze, then a choice of four exceptional main dishes and a trilogy of mini-deserts. It’s in a covered section on Deck 11, which works well in sunnier destinations but needs heaters in cooler weather.
Saffron is an Indian restaurant on Deck six next to Holyrood Restaurant and a much more flamboyant affair with staff dressed in gorgeous gold jackets and turbans. For £16.95 you get set starters and desserts, with a choice of main courses.
Finally, Chef’s Table is £89 for 10 courses with wine pairings. It’s in a curtained off section of Buckingham Restaurant and takes up to 12 people. Unless you’re in a group the best way to book it is to join a list kept at Reception.
Lifestyle
One word sums up the lifestyle on Ambassador Ambition: relaxed. If you’re not getting off to visit a port there are plenty of places to sit reading, having a coffee or drink – both inside and out.
Deck six has a Promenade with deck chairs and there are loads of loungers around the two Deck 11 pools and the splash pool on Deck 12, with plenty of sheltered seating including cabanas on Deck 11.
What you won’t find is anything noisy: no aqua park and children’s play areas, and there were no pool games on the way to Iceland – although that could be different for warmer itineraries.
Some cruises will also have staff from marine conservation charity ORCA on board, helping passengers spot whales, dolphins and porpoises from Deck 12 as well as giving talks in the Cavern Bar and Palladium Theatre.
Sea days also mean lectures from other experts – on our Iceland cruise we had a geologist and a West End producer. This is when arts and crafts lessons are available. You can buy paints, paper and a brush for £19.99 or just pack your own and the art lessons are free. Paid-for bingo and free quizzes are also popular.
You can also start your day with free Morning Stretch sessions in the gym, led by one of the dance team as part of Ambassador Ambition’s Mind Body & Soul programme, which also includes Choir Class in the Pendennis Bar and beginners’ Spin Class in the gym.
The gym is a good size, free to use and next to Green Sea Spa at the front of Deck 11, where there’s a free sauna and steam room. Spa treatments, hair and nail sessions are excellent and very reasonably priced.
Entertainment
For a small ship Ambition really punches above its weight and that’s thanks to having its talented Theatre@Sea group as well as excellent singers and dancers and well-chosen individual performers.
Stand-out shows at The Palladium, which fills up early for its twice-nightly performances, were its fantastic version of My Fair Lady – Wouldn’t It Be Luvverly – and a clever staging of Simon & Garfunkel songs in All Aboard, set on a train.
There were all-singing all-dancing shows too, with fantastic costumes for Cirque de Luminaire, and a couple of very welcome plays such as the farce A Birthday Blunder.
Evening games shows including We Are The Champions and The Hit List, at The Cavern, were also a treat and this club-like bar was the place to go for live music and dancing. The ABBA tribute show was particularly good.
And, in the spirit of something for everyone, it was hard not to love the enthusiasm of Kazakhstan identical twins Alina and Marina, who played the piano and violin every night at The Clifton Lounge.
Fact box
Ambition will sail from Belfast, Liverpool, Bristol Royal Portbury, Falmouth, London Tilbury, Newcastle Port of Tyne, Dundee and Edinburgh Leith throughout 2023 and 2024.
Itineraries will focus on northern Europe destinations including Britain, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, northern France and northern Spain.
However, there will be a few Mediterranean and Iberian cruises, two no-fly winter Caribbean cruises and themed cruises such as school holiday multi-generation cruises and Christmas markets.
* Ambition’s 10-night Maritime Cities & Scenic Waterways cruise, return from Bristol Royal Portbury on October 15, 2023, calls at Falmouth, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Rouen and Honfleur from £549pp, two sharing. (0808 102 8111; ambassadorcruiseline.com).
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