Ambassador Cruise Line Ships: Which Is Best For You?

While the biggest cruise lines seem determined to build ever-larger ships, Ambassador Cruise Line is taking a very different approach.

The British cruise line has built a loyal following with its smaller ships, traditional style of cruising and convenient UK departures. And the fleet is growing, with Ambassador recently buying a fourth ship as part of a major expansion into Germany.

For now, Ambience, Ambition and Renaissance are the ships you can actually cruise on with Ambassador, while the newly acquired Ambella is due to join the fleet in 2028.

So, how do the ships compare, and which Ambassador ship is right for you? Here’s what you need to know.

Meet The Ambassador Fleet

Ambience

Ambassador Cruise Line’s first ship, Ambience, made her maiden voyage on 20th April 2022. She offers cruises from London Tilbury to a wide range of destinations. These include the British Isles, the Baltics, Scandinavia, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, and even as far as Cuba and the Caribbean.

History of Ambience

Ambience was originally set to join the Cruise & Maritime Voyages fleet as Amy Johnson, but CMV went bust before the transition could occur. Ambassador Cruise Line was formed by the former CEO of Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Christian Verhounig, who took the opportunity to buy the ship as the first ship for his new cruise line.

Ambience was built in 1991, and originally intended for an Italian cruise line by the name of Sitmar Cruises. The cruise line was sold to P&O Group in 1988. So when the ship was completed, she instead began sailing for Princess Cruises with the name Regal Princess.

She sailed with Princess Cruises until 2007, when she was sold to Carnival Corporation. She began service for P&O Cruises Australia as the country’s first superliner, with the name Pacific Dawn.

In 2019, it was announced that Pacific Dawn would be sold to Cruise and Maritime Voyages in February 2021 and renamed Amy Johnson. However, CMV went bust in July 2020, and so the ship was put up for sale in September of that year.

In 2020, Ocean Builders Central Inc bought the ship for $9.5 million and renamed it Satoshi. The plan was to anchor the ship off the coast of Panama and use it as a floating community for over 2,000 digital nomads.

However, the company was unable to get insurance for the project and so in December 2020, the ship was sold to be scrapped.

Shortly afterwards, Ambassador Cruise Line came to the rescue and purchased the ship that we now know as Ambience. In October 2021, work began on an extensive refurbishment in Croatia.

The initial launch was delayed for a couple of weeks due to supply chain issues, but Ambience finally set sail for the first time on 20th April 2022.

The Experience On Board Ambience

A medium-sized cruise ship, Ambience has 789 cabins with options of inside, outside, balcony and suite to suit all budgets. Single travellers will be pleased to know that this ship also has some single cabins.

Ambience offers a good blend of spaciousness and intimacy. The ship features 11 bars and lounges, including The Purple Turtle pub, Raffles Bar and The Botanical Lounge.

Drinks on board Ambience are very reasonably priced, with cocktails costing only £6.60. Click here to see the Ambassador Cruise Line Drinks Menus. There are also various drinks packages available.

Ambience has a multi-tier theatre, where you can enjoy entertainment from the onboard team and guest artists, as well as a late-night disco in the stylish Observatory.

Ambience also offers a wide range of daytime activities with a card room, casino, crafting studio, library, gym, spa and shopping gallery. On the top deck, you’ll find a swimming pool, two hot tubs and a large outdoor movie screen.

On board Ambience, you’ll find plenty of places to eat, including the Buckingham main dining room, the Borough Market buffet and the outdoor Alfresco Grill.

There are also three speciality restaurants: Saffron, Sea & Grass and the luxury Chef’s Table.

Ambience Destinations

Departing from London Tilbury, Ambience offers a wide range of cruises from 3 to 45 nights. So whether you fancy a short Christmas markets cruise, or a longer adventure to Mexico and the Caribbean, Ambience has you covered.

The ship offers a range of themed cruises, such as bridge, crafting, comedy, British broadcasting legends, cricketing legends, and gardening and wildlife.

Ambassador Cruise Line primarily serves the over-50s. However, in the summer, grandchildren are invited on board for a series of multi-generational cruises during the school holidays.

Ambition

Ambassador Cruise Line’s second ship, Ambition, entered service in May 2023. I was lucky enough to spend the night onboard just before the maiden voyage.

History of Ambition

Ambition was built in 1999. The ship was originally ordered by Renaissance Cruises, but the order was withdrawn and taken over by Festival Cruises, which named the ship Mistral.

Festival Cruises went out of business in 2004, and Mistral was sold back to the builders to be chartered to Ibero Cruises with the name Grand Mistral in 2005.

In 2013, the ship was acquired by Costa Cruises and, after a €10 million renovation, renamed Costa neoRiviera.

In October 2019, the ship was transferred to AIDA Cruises and underwent a further $55 million transformation to become AIDAmira. Cruising paused globally in March 2020, and then in January 2022 AIDA Cruises sold the ship to Ambassador Cruise Line.

The Experience On Board Ambition

Ambition is a little smaller than Ambience, with three fewer decks and 200 fewer guests.

The ship features two main restaurants, a casual bistro-style cafe and several speciality restaurants available for an extra fee. There are also four bars and lounges, plus a pub.

In terms of entertainment, guests can enjoy watching shows in the theatre, playing games in the card room, library and casino or crafting in the craft studio.

Leisure facilities include a wellness centre, gym, a swimming pool and a splash pool. There’s also a range of retail shops.

For a closer look at Ambition, head over to Instagram and check out my story highlights, where I have lots of photos that I took onboard the ship.

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A post shared by Cruise Mummy | Jenni Fielding (@cruisemummy)

Ambition Destinations

One thing that makes Ambition stand out is the huge range of UK departure ports. Rather than relying mainly on Southampton, she sails from places all around Britain throughout the year, making no-fly cruising much easier for many passengers.

Depending on the season, cruises depart from ports including Newcastle, Dundee, Belfast, Liverpool, Bristol, Falmouth and London Tilbury, with itineraries covering everything from Norway and Iceland to Spain, France and the Scottish Islands.

And thanks to her smaller size, Ambition can also sail routes that larger cruise ships can’t, including cruises that travel down the River Seine in France.

Renaissance

Renaissance became Ambassador Cruise Line’s third ship when she joined the fleet in October 2025, bringing a slightly different European feel to the line.

History of Renaissance

Originally launched in 1992 as Maasdam for Holland America Line, Renaissance has had quite the journey. She later became part of French cruise operator Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC), before joining the Ambassador fleet following the merger of CFC and Ambassador in 2025.

Renaissance entered service with Ambassador in October 2025 and now offers a mixture of European and Caribbean cruises.

The Experience On Board Renaissance

Renaissance has nine guest decks and space for around 1,100 guests across 629 cabins. Interestingly, she’s actually larger than Ambition in terms of size and number of decks, yet carries fewer passengers, giving everyone a little more space to relax.

Dining is a real highlight on board, with four restaurants offering plenty of variety. The Grand Restaurant is the elegant two-tier main dining room, while Bellevue serves buffet-style favourites in a more casual setting. The Lotus Restaurant adds a hint of Asia with Pan-Asian flavours, and Kreole Restaurant brings Caribbean-inspired dishes that perfectly match her tropical itineraries

You’ll also find three stylish bars and lounges – the Massalia Lounge, Ocean Bar, and Le Panoramique Lounge & Nightclub, where guests can unwind with live music and cocktails as the sun sets.

With her elegant design, friendly service, and just the right mix of British and European flair, Renaissance offers a refined, relaxed atmosphere that feels wonderfully grown-up – and a little bit different to her sister ships.

Renaissance Destinations

Unlike Ambience and Ambition, Renaissance mainly sails from ports in France rather than the UK. Her primary homeports are Dunkirk and Marseille, with itineraries focused on the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and wider European cruises.

She’s also set to offer longer fly-cruise style itineraries, including Caribbean sailings that begin from the UK with a transatlantic crossing before spending the winter season in warmer waters.

That gives Ambassador a very different type of offering, with more exotic itineraries and international embarkation options alongside its traditional no-fly UK cruise programme.

Ambella

Ambella will become Ambassador Cruise Line’s fourth ship when she joins the fleet in 2028, but she’s a little different from the other three.

The ship currently sails as Oceania Cruises’ Sirena. Ambassador has bought her from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, but she’ll remain with Oceania under a leaseback agreement until spring 2028 before beginning a new life with Ambassador.

History of Ambella

Ambella was built in 2000 and originally entered service as R Four for Renaissance Cruises. She later sailed as Tahitian Princess and Ocean Princess for Princess Cruises before joining Oceania Cruises as Sirena in 2016.

Ambassador’s acquisition was announced in September 2026. Once her time with Oceania comes to an end, she’ll be prepared for her new role before beginning Ambassador cruises in May 2028.

Unlike Ambience, Ambition and Renaissance, Ambella won’t initially be aimed at the UK market. Instead, she’ll launch Ambassador Kreuzfahrten, a new German-speaking cruise brand created as Ambassador expands into Germany.

The Experience On Board Ambella

At around 30,200 GT with space for just 670 guests, Ambella will be considerably smaller than Ambassador’s other ships. That should make her the most intimate ship in the fleet.

She’ll operate as an adults-only ship during her Ambassador seasons, continuing the relaxed, traditional style of cruising that the line is known for.

We don’t yet know exactly what all of the restaurants, bars and other venues will look like once Ambassador takes over the ship. So I’ll update this guide with more details as we get closer to her launch.

Ambella Destinations

Ambella’s first Ambassador season is due to begin in May 2028, with cruises aimed primarily at German-speaking guests.

She’ll offer 11 cruises from Bremerhaven and Kiel, along with two repositioning voyages. Itineraries will mainly explore Northern Europe and the Baltic, with some cruises heading further south in Europe too.

Ambella will then have a very unusual second job. During the winter, the ship is set to be chartered to the Semester at Sea study-abroad programme, with the first voyages planned for fall 2028 and spring 2029.

That means Ambella won’t just expand Ambassador’s fleet. She’ll also take the cruise line into a completely new market while spending part of each year operating a very different kind of voyage.

Ambience vs Ambition vs Renaissance vs Ambella: A Comparison

Here’s how Ambassador Cruise Line’s ships stack up against each other:

	Ambience	Ambition	Renaissance	Ambella
Size	70,285 GT	48,123 GT	55,575 GT	30,277 GT
Guests	1,400	1,200	1,100	670
Built	1991	1999	1992	2000
Guest Decks	11	8	9	9
Length	245m	216m	219m	181m
Beam	32.25m	28.8m	30.8m	25.5m

Ambassador Cruise Line’s Links to CMV

Ambassador Cruise Line is a new British cruise line. It was launched shortly after Cruise & Maritime Voyages went bust. The management team includes CMV’s former chief executive, chief commercial officer, chief information officer and chief financial officer.

Read more: Who Owns Ambassador Cruise Line?

Ambassador Cruise Line’s first ship is Ambience, a ship that was set to be launched by Cruise & Maritime Voyages before the company went out of business. This, along with the same management team, has led to some people referring to Ambassador Cruise Line as the ‘new CMV’.

I had previously booked two cruises with Cruise & Maritime Voyages before the company went into administration. I was sad that I never got the chance to experience a CMV cruise.

Final Thoughts

Ambassador Cruise Line has built its reputation around smaller ships and a more traditional, relaxed style of cruising, and its growing fleet gives passengers plenty of choice.

Ambience remains the largest option, while Ambition offers cruises from a wider range of UK ports. Renaissance brings something different with her French departures, and from 2028, Ambella will take Ambassador into the German market with an even smaller, more intimate ship.

So, the best Ambassador ship for you really depends on where you want to sail from and the kind of experience you’re looking for. Whichever you choose, you won’t find the waterslides and huge attractions of the newest mega-ships, and for many Ambassador cruisers, that’s exactly the appeal.

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