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.
