Here she is — our flagship of the fleet and first lady of the sea — Ambience. Inspired by the French word for “surrounding,” our aim is to create the right atmosphere on board, so every guest feels at home. With space for around 1,400 guests, Ambience balances a sense of freedom with the intimacy and camaraderie many of us value.
Ambience is a medium-sized ocean resort ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, which launched in 1991 and was last refitted in 2022. It has capacity for 1,400 guests across 798 cabins.
This size of ship suits those who want onboard options without some of the drawbacks of big-ship cruising. Ambience welcomes children on select sailings – check before booking.
The ship offers six restaurants and eating venues, including two complimentary venues and four available at an additional cost. Alongside this, guests will be able to relax at ten bars and lounges.
With eight accommodation categories to choose from, Ambience provides no shortage of choice. That includes inside and outside options, so you can prioritise the amenities and facilities that matter most to you.
I booked a suite with 3 friends for a Christmas market girls getaway. It was my first cruise but now I am hooked. Everything was wonderful from the champagne and cake in our room when we arrived, first class dining and wonderful hot tubs and wellness suite. The perfect pre- Christmas mums getaway to recharge our batteries
Being out first it was exciting and new. We enjoyed it though it took a few days to get into the cruise life rhythm. Firstly bear in mind currently Ambassador cater to the 50+ age group, so no children nor facilities for them.
The service was excellent, all the staff were friendly and helpful. The buffet had a good selection of food - for dinner there are typically 5 distinct types of food - a salad bar, Italian being pasta, something spicy of Indian or Chinese style, an English dish like beef, and something else I cannot recall. There was a few vegetarian dishes but could do with a couple more but I still ate well. There was various potatoes including fries, mash, roast, boiled etc, not always on the same day but there was always several variations. The only thing they could not do was the little desserts dishes/cakes - they were typically dry and/or tasteless.
Breakfast was always a good selection - typically cereals - cornflakes, muesli, granola etc, fruits, toast (though it was not in long enough and was a bit anaemic), typically English breakfast food - scrambled eggs were good, but mushrooms were so so. Fruit juice, water, tea and coffee, There isn't any branded coffee's if you like them, like Costa for example. The standard coffee was ok. Also fruit teas. Vegetarian sausages would have been a nice touch.
Lunch was similar to dinner.
Afternoon tea was very popular for the scones, jam, and cream with queues but only for 1-2 mins tops. Again the little cakes were a disappointment.
If you wanted to get a table for two you need to get there very early or as we called it, the walk of hope! walking round and round till a table become available.
We only used the main dining room once each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was fine and lovely service. As like most ships you will struggle to get a 2 seat table. Again, vegetarian dishes were limited.
In one of the bars they did cakes which were nice compared to the buffet but was a large slice!
The ship was clean but from looking at pictures and reading descriptions of other ships Ambience is a little old and tired looking but it was not a major issue.
The botanical bar is a lovely place for a drink especially with the piano and cello musicians who did pop music covers more than classical - very relaxing.
Raffles bar was lovely in the evening with a great singer/piano player. A little like a bar lounge. He sung both old and new songs from Rat Pack style to Elton John to Motown to Coldpay.
The main entertainment area is the crows nest area called the Observatory. The seats here during the day were at a premium - they were two large high backed armchairs - everyone wanted those, and instead of a walk of hope like for the buffet seating, we called this the walk of disappointment! as there rarely was a pair of chairs free.
But on sunny days those seats become a greenhouse with all the glass and it was too hot for us.
In the evenings they had a duo called Salt and Pepper - singers and one played guitar to backing tracks. I thought they were okay but as the week went on they seemed to get worse. And then we discovered a three piece group who played in the pub style bar who were much better. Our fault for not checking them out sooner.
The disco was okay - it is what it is.
The dancers/singers in the theatre were good but the productions were a bit boring after you've seen a couple. Mostly singing and dancing. There was a play/farce which was okay but I had not heard of it. They did a West Side Story show, again it was okay but did not wow me. I would like to see more comedy, more well known productions.
But worse, for me at least, at 6'1" tall, the seat backs were too low, and the seats were uncomfortable after 15 mins. My partner agreed and she is 5'7".
The beer and cocktail selections were good and the prices reasonable - a Guinness was £5.20 - cheaper than some pubs where I live in South Derbyshire. Cocktails were £7. A very popular one was Sex on the Beach - terrible name but lovely drink.
I had a window cabin - lots of storage. Good shower though a little short for my height. My partner had a balcony cabin. Again lots of storage. The only minor thing was there was a lot of paint splatter on the window doors, balcony floor and the seats - it looked like a rush job to paint it and not cover things up. And the outside of the window door had been repaired around the handle which was very messy with glu I think all over - so aesthetically it was messy but it all functioned ok.
We did not do the formal night but saw lots of very smart gentleman and beautifully dressed ladies, so it was popular.
Overall it's worth going for the adults only aspect. But we are trying P&O's Arcadia in July 2026, again adults only, so it will be interesting to compare.
Value, value, value. So much space. Excellent itinerary around Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Food is wholesome, if not the fine dining on other cruises we've had. Generally felt very looked after. Traditional is probably apt description. We're also very impressed with the Tilbury cruise terminal.
Friendly and attentive crew, always smiling. Great entertainment fabulous food and clean roomy cabins. Whats not to love. Going again at Christmas. Can't wait.
Sailed from Tilbury, embarking was smooth and stress free. Staff, food and entertainment were all really good.
Would definitely return again. Looking at the moment for next spring.
This cruise was absolutely perfect. The food ad etertaiment were superb ad the company matched it. Also the crew were the friendliest ad most helpful that I have come across i may years of cruising.
As a solo traveller they looked after us with special events ie;a champagne reception and a special solo's lunch with wine included.
The ports of call were also very iteresting I especially enjoyed Klaipeda in Lithuania an unusual port to visit. The local population were on the dock to see us off wavig their phones as we were the first to visit in the winter.
We also had 2 lovely speakers,one was a man who grew up as the son of the lighthouse keeper on the Isle of Mull. He got to know the Mcartneys very well and worked with Paul and Linda very well and finished his career helping Bob Geldorf with Live Aid.
The second speaker was a lady who spoke on the Vikings,she also was extremely entertaining.
I now have great difficulty in ever considering another cruise line.Hence the fact that I have 3 more cruises booked with them before Christmas. Enough said.
Renaissance will be your home from home during her inaugural Ambassador season. An intimate and comfortable ship, recently renovated in France, with a multi-lingual crew.
Here she is, Ambition. Our second lady of the sea. Aptly named to further emphasise our commitment to inspire and delight every guest to enjoy an authentic cruise experience effortlessly, and sustainably
