Why Ambassador's Ambience is my Favourite Cruise Ship

In June 2023 I went on a cruise with my mother around Norway’s fjords visiting some lovely ports including Stavanger and Flam. We sailed on Ambassador’s Ambience, a 20-year-old cruise ship with a maximum capacity of just 1,400 guests. Ambassador is a relatively new cruise line and this was my first experience with them, having previously sailed on Norwegian, MSC, and P&O. Since that cruise I have also sailed with Celebrity and on Ambassador’s other ship, Ambition.

Of all the cruise ships I’ve been on so far Ambience is my favourite. It might be because I have particularly happy memories of that cruise. Some dear friends were also on board, the weather was unseasonably warm, and my mum absolutely loved it and it was wonderful to spend quality time with her. She died suddenly and unexpectedly the following February so those memories are very precious and naturally that might have meant Ambience has a special place in my heart.

Setting all that aside as much as possible, however, Ambience remains my favourite ship. It’s an old ship with the usual old ship problems – lifts that don’t work well, unreliable air conditioning, and décor which shows its age in places. It also has some old-ship features I’d prefer not to have such as the necessity of table sharing and fixed dining, and in-person muster drills (although on Ambience, unlike Ambition, at least these take place indoors at your muster station.) So I know it’s not perfect. (I’d also prefer it to have a wrap-around prom deck and tiered aft like P&Os Aurora, or a solarium like Celebrity Millennium, but you can’t win them all.)

Here’s why she’s still my favourite ship:

• It mostly sails from Tilbury, which happens to be my local port only a twenty-minute drive from my home. Tilbury is a small port with its Windrush history proudly on display and is quiet which makes embarkation quick and easy. I prefer no-fly cruises, not because I dislike flying (although it’s not my favourite thing to do) but because I like the convenience of no luggage limits and not having to deal with airports.

• There is lots of space throughout the ship. From the moment we boarded through the elegant and beautiful atrium, Centre Court, we never had a problem getting somewhere to sit, and the ship felt very spacious. (I compare that with my MSC cruise which always felt uncomfortably crowded and busy.)

• The drinks prices are extremely reasonable and the drinks package prices are better value than on some other lines, especially when you factor in that they include your daily gratuity. The mocktails are all delicious; we tried a new one each evening.

• The spa is free. That’s so unusual on a cruise ship. Ambience’s spa is right on the lowest passenger deck but that’s fine, I love nothing more than a steam room or a sauna wherever they may be. Ambition’s spa (also free) is at the top of the ship and features floor-to-ceiling windows. Treatments still have a cost, naturally, but I understand from those who are into these things that the prices are much lower than on other cruise lines and there’s less hard selling of products.

• There’s a large games room where we spent many happy evenings playing Dungeon Mayhem or doing a jigsaw puzzle, a library with lovely sea views, and a dedicated craft room. All these spaces seem to be pretty rare on modern cruise ships. I always look for a library on any ship as peaceful reading with sea views is one of the joys of life, and I love seeing what books other guests have left behind.

• Another thing I really appreciated about Ambience is what isn’t on board. There’s no art gallery and consequently no art auctions. I had always thought they were something of an anachronism until I took my art student daughter on a Celebrity cruise and she loved the gallery, spent a lot of time there, and was very excited at seeing some real Picassos. All the same, art galleries take up a lot of space that could be put to better use. I’m also thrilled that Ambience doesn’t have a large central casino like the first cruise ship I went on. Working in mental health and addiction means I am uncomfortable seeing people gambling. Ambience’s tiny casino is set off to one side in a quiet area of the ship and easily avoided, and her sister ship Ambition doesn’t have one at all.

• There are so many amazing activities. On my last sea day on Ambience I highlighted on the daily programme all the things I wanted to go to and it was just a sea of yellow. Book club, choir, enrichment talks, craft classes, knit and natter, demonstrations of towel folding, fruit carving and ice carving... I even had to miss a couple of things because they clashed with something else I wanted to do. I’m not into trivia or karaoke or traditional entertainment like watching people sing and dance (although I’m told by those who are that the entertainment on Ambassador cruises is excellent) but absolutely loved the book club, and the guest choir performed what they had learned in Centre Court at the end of the cruise which was just wonderful. Lots of these activities were led by members of the entertainment team and they were all lovely and happy to chat about their experiences on board. (They also greet guests outside the theatre after evening performances which seems a nice touch.)

• Theatre@Sea is, I believe, unique to Ambassador. Alongside the usual singing and dancing entertainment they have regular performances of plays and vignettes. The vignettes pop up in lounges and bars, and the one I saw on Ambition during a Christmas markets cruise was hilarious and brilliantly performed. Theatre is my thing, and I love that I can watch a play on board.

• Ambassador describes itself as having the “Friendliest welcome at sea” and while almost all crew on any ship will smile and greet you it does seem to be a little more than that on Ambience. Our cabin steward, Rusti, got to know us and always had time to chat. On embarkation day Mum and I went to the buffet, Borough Market (I know, rookie mistake, but it wasn’t too busy on this occasion luckily) and Lovely Jubbly (that’s what it says on his badge) smiled at me from behind the carvery station. When I told him I was vegetarian he stepped out from behind his counter and took me round Borough Market showing me all the options available to me, including the vegan counter. He asked our names, and whenever we saw him during the week he greeted us by name. He’s one of the characters on Ambience, very well known and loved, and his name is actually Ayok. There’s a very friendly and warm feeling on Ambience and you get the sense the crew really are happy to be there and are respected and appreciated by their managers.

• The food is excellent (although it has been on almost every cruise ship I’ve been on) with plenty of vegetarian options, and I had one of my favourite meals ever in the Buckingham Restaurant on that Ambience cruise. The afternoon teas are superb. I love the way Borough Market is set out, with individual speciality counters, and food is served to you which is much more hygienic. I also like that the cutlery is on the tables. Much easier than running back to get it all the time.

• Some of the spaces are just beautiful. I’ve already mentioned Centre Court, but I should also flag up the Botanical Lounge and the Observatory. Of course many cruise ships have impressive décor and sparkly staircases, but on Ambience it’s something very special.

• There are some quirky and fun things I really enjoy on Ambience. The lifts are all decorated with trompe l’oeil pictures, so you can step into a lift and find yourself in a stampede of horses, or a field of tulips. Admittedly these were there before Ambassador bought the ship so I have P&O Australia to thank, but I still appreciate it. I try not to use the lifts on cruises (helps keep the weight gain at bay) so it was my mum who told me she’d just stepped out of an ancient Greek temple. Another fun thing is the arrangement of nautical flags on the staircases. They all have meanings and reception can give you a key so that you can work out what the messages are. One other quirky thing I really appreciated once I figured it out – the entire ship is Wimbledon themed. From Centre Court and SW19 to the purple and green colour scheme, there are nods to Wimbledon in the styling all over the ship.

• I’m not a huge fan of speciality restaurants on cruises. I’ve already paid for all my food, so why should I pay an extra $70 (!) to dine at Le Petit Chef? (Looking at you, Celebrity.) Ambassador takes into account the fact that you have already paid for your food and the speciality restaurant prices are very reasonable. I think we paid £15 each to eat in Saffron, which is considerably less than we’d pay for a four-course Indian meal on land, and it was excellent, with some unusual and delicious dishes I’d not seen before.

• Again, I have another cruise line to thank, but I really like the cabin layout on Ambience. The way the room is organised means there’s a private dressing area which is great when you’re sharing a cabin with someone who isn’t your significant other. There’s also lots of storage incorporated in that clever design – I counted fifteen drawers.

• Ambassador still offers the traditional two cabin cleans a day, and cabin stewards still give you towel animals. These particularly delighted my mum, and she chuckled for ages over the monkey hanging from one of the hangers, so there’s a warm place in my heart for the fun towel creations.

• Another tradition Ambassador upholds which I don’t think any other cruise lines does now is the Baked Alaska Parade. On the final formal dining evening of the cruise Baked Alaska will be on the menu, and the wait staff will parade round the dining room with the Baked Alaskas held aloft, with sparklers on top, as guests wave their napkins and cheer. On that first cruise it was a complete surprise and a delight and really sealed a very special experience. It’s probably a fire hazard, which may be why other cruise lines don’t do it, but it’s a wonderful way to end a cruise.

I will acknowledge that there are plenty of newer, glitzier ships. There are ships with hammocks on the balconies, water parks,  and go karts. There are ships where the buffet never really closes, or there are fifteen different restaurants to choose from. There are ships where West End shows are performed, or where there is an ice-rink with skating shows each evening. I'll readily admit that Celebrity is more luxurious, and MSC World Europa was awe-inspiringly huge. But I'm still most excited to return to Ambience in a couple of months, and I've yet to find a cruise ship I prefer.