Classic Cruising With A British Flair Aboard The AMBIENCE

In late October last year, we flew off to London to board Ambassador Cruise Line‘s Ambience for a 16-night “Norway’s Land of the Northern Lights and Scotland” cruise out of Tilbury. This would be my first cruise with Ambassador, a relatively new cruise line formed in 2022. And, as someone who loves smaller- to mid-sized, classic ships, I was especially excited to sail in the Ambience, which turns 35 this year. 

Built in 1991, she is best known as Princess Cruises‘ first Regal Princess and later sailed for P&O Australia as the Pacific Dawn.  In 2022, she was slated to join UK-based CMV Cruises but Covid intervened and CMV, like many smaller operators, went under.  In turn, Pacific Dawn was sold off to a Bitcoin entrepreneur to become the residential cruise ship Satoshi. But that venture, like most residential and bitcoin endeavors involving the cruise industry, quickly went south.

Satoshi was saved from the block by newly formed Ambassador (which recruited much of its staff from the late, much lamented CMV), who renamed her Ambience.  After some mechanical start up issues, Ambience quickly gained a loyal following for her affordable fares, spaciousness and warm, welcoming crew.  She has since been joined by the 1999 built, 1,200 passenger Ambition and, on a seasonal basis, the Renaissance, the former 1993-built 1,100 passenger Maasdam, which is operated in tandem with French-based CFC Cruises.

A Whale Of A Ship!  

For a full history and top to bottom tour of Ambience, please see this video from my Youtube Channel Peter Knego’s MidShipCinima.

Of particular note to people who fancy interesting architecture, Ambience was designed by Italian star-chitect Renzo Piano, who modeled her silhouette after a whale (although she was eventually marketed for her more consumer friendly “dolphin profile”).  So, in addition to her human scale at 70,000 gross tons and carrying only 1,500 passengers, she is quite lovely and fascinating to look at, with a dome capping her curvaceous superstructure.  Ironically, although she was one of the largest ships in the world when built, she is now the antithesis of today’s mega cruise ships that are up to — or even more than — three times larger and carry three times as many guests. 

Just for comparison, with the new Sphere Class Princess ships (Sun and Star Princess) that measure 178,000 gross tons and carry up to 5,000 guests for a passenger space ratio (PSR) of 35.6, the Ambience provides a far more generous passenger space ratio of 46.6.  The PSR, once an essential tool for travel agents, measures the cubic feet of space per guest.

A Comfortable Place to Call Home

Ambience has five overall cabin categories, ranging from Deluxe Suites with separate bedrooms and a full bath and Suites to Balconies, Ocean Views and Insides.  All but the Deluxe Suites share a similar layout, with an entry hall flanked by a walk-in closet that leads to the bathroom and a bedroom with a small desk and sitting area.  We were in a spacious Balcony stateroom, number 10110, on the port side of Deck 10.

Nice included perks were a coffee/tea maker with Tetley tea bags, a hairdryer, a safe and a fridge where we could chill our water bottles.  There was a European outlet and, left over from the Princess era, an American outlet, as well as a pair of USB ports but since we have lots of electronics, we brought along a U.S. to Brit converter for the main three prong plug.

I last saw Ambience when she was still in her Princess Cruises prime as the Regal Princess.  It was in the early 2000’s during one of her turnarounds in Fort Lauderdale, not long after she had been redecorated by Princess in-house design team, who were a bit too fond of beige and pastels.  So when embarking Ambience, I was pleasantly surprised by the ship’s far more stylish and dynamic updated look, largely unchanged from her P&O Australia career, boasting rich colors, bold carpeting and far more plush furnishings.

A Familiar Ship, Stylishly Reborn

The overall layout features public areas at the top of the ship (pool, lido, buffet, observation lounge) and near the bottom of the ship (showroom, most bars and lounges, atrium and main dining room) with suites and cabins in between and more staterooms and the spa at the very bottom of the ship.

Some of the deck areas, like the lido surrounding the pool, still feature the original teak decking. And while the ship is admittedly lacking in forward deck vantages (save for a narrow open strip on Deck 10 that can only be accessed from the starboard interior passageway), there was plenty of outdoor space for strolling and relaxing. 

There is a wraparound walking/jogging path that encircles the pool and continues to a platform overlooking the stern, itself a wonderful descent of terraces that contain a pair of jacuzzis and sheltered decks overlooking the wake. 

There are also two finite but nice and wide teak-lined promenades on either side of Deck 7, but again, during our often cold and wet late Autumn cruise to Norway, they went largely unused.

The most striking space is the Observatory, which occupies the dome atop the bridge, with its sculpted “rib” supports that, continuing Renzo Piano’s architectural vision, were meant to emulate the “belly of the whale” from the perspective of Pinocchio.  In the Princess era, the center portion of the room was wasted on a casino that was surrounded by ficus trees but now the center portion has been opened up and functions as a quiet lounge by day and at night, it becomes a lively nightclub.  There is nothing quite like it afloat and on a nice day, it provides the best views on the ship.

Located on forward Decks 7 and 8, the 740-seat Palladium showroom is quite large and features tiered banks of seating around a huge, U-shaped stage.  Overall, the sight lines are quite good, unless you get stuck behind one of the thick support pillars.  The sound and lighting were excellent, which, combined with the huge stage, created an epic setting for the numerous production shows starring the ship’s talented ten member cast and a mind-boggling wardrobe of splashy costumes. 

The Palladium was also host to guest performers like singer Aleksandr, who wowed with his operatic stylings, and a comedian.  Each sea day, there were numerous enrichment lectures by the likes of astronomer Martin Lunn (especially popular during our Northern Lights cruise), marine mammal talks, and of particular note for maritime enthusiasts, Stephen Payne, the designer of the QM2.

On several nights, there was also the resident Theater At Sea troupe, who performed short and amusing plays.  It made for a delightfully civilized evening to see an actual play after a leisurely dinner in the Buckingham Restaurant, then head to one of the smaller lounges to relax and enjoy a night cap.

Other notable spaces included the Purple Turtle Pub, which has a sunken dance floor surrounded by pub-style seating, making it a popular venue for quizzes (get there early), games, and live music by resident cover band Triade. 

Two of my favorite lounges are on aft Deck 7, which was designed with extra deck height, giving all of the spaces in that part of the ship a sense of loftiness and grandeur.  My favorite lounge is the ivory-toned Botanical Lounge with its domed ceiling and POSH furnishings, which were an ideal setting for the classical Mystic Duo.  We pretty much ended up there every night before and/or after dinner and the main show.

Directly aft is another favorite venue, Raffles, which is a cabaret lounge and piano bar.  We really enjoyed resident pianist/vocalist Alex Dennis and his arsenal of tunes that spanned all eras, from Jazz to 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Just a few steps away and occupying the entire aft portion of Deck 7, the 844-seat Buckingham Restaurant is a soaring space that is divvied into intimate alcoves framed by large picture windows and warm, wood toned paneling.

Guests enter via the three deck Center Court atrium, which has a grand staircase at its base that shares the exact blueprint with the one aboard the legendary Italian liner Rex of 1931.  Since the Ambience was built in Italy and was part of the renaissance of Italian passenger shipbuilding in the early 1990’s, it’s a wonderful tribute to one of Italy’s legendary liners and quite a striking feature, albeit far more modern in execution, of course.

Used for theatrical presentations, cooking demos and even a standing room only Fleetwood Mac retrospective by resident maestro Alex Dennis, the bottom level of Center Court is home to the reception desk. And across the way, Dickens, a bar where we enjoyed people watching and sipping cappuccinos throughout the day.  There’s a shop and a casino on the Deck 6 balcony and several shops and the elegant SW19 Bar on the Deck 7 balcony.

Food, Glorious Food!

For the price point (published rates for our 16-night cruise began at £1,779, or about $2,418, per person), the cuisine on Ambience far exceeded our expectations.  Full service breakfast, lunch and dinner are offered in The Buckingham, with two seatings for dinner.  Breakfast and lunch are open seating and on the two occasions when the timing worked out, we enjoyed breakfast there. 

Breakfast can be rather busy, so expect being seated at a large table.  I’m barely conscious in the morning and find it hard to speak coherently, so it wasn’t ideal for me, but thankfully most of our dining companions were convivial and polite.  The menu was varied and included all the usual offerings of pastries, cold and warm cereals, parfaits, smoothies, eggs, beans, tomato, bacon and hash browns, etc.  The service was friendly and efficient and there were no cold eggs (unless that was how they were ordered) or forgotten courses.

We found lunch in the Buckingham to be less congested and were almost always able to get a nice table for two.  Each day, there was a new multi-course menu with appetizers, salads, soups, main courses and desserts.  We loved the space, itself, and gazing out at the sea through those picture windows.  While the food was not epicurean, it was very good and there were some excellent courses, especially the Indian and Middle Eastern selections.

We had second seating dinner at a table for two with wonderful waiters Makhmad and Feri Well, who were graciously patient, polite, and on the ball, despite having a large and busy service area.  After our first request, each night they added olive oil and balsamic vinegar to our table settings for the breads, which were good, but never varied throughout the cruise.  Standout courses included an asparagus tart, chicken kiev, and any of the curries.  Dessert highlights included a delightfully crispy napoleon, caramel drenched bananas foster, and anything with ice cream, which was consistently excellent.  For an extra £21, you can up the ante here with a lobster and filet mignon surf and turf.

Located on aft Deck 11, the Borough Market is Ambience’s buffet dining venue that is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.  Perhaps because it was a cold weather cruise and there was no outdoor seating, this otherwise pleasant space could get very hectic when opening up for breakfast and lunch.  The stations were not self service, which put extra stress on the staff, but they handled it very efficiently.  I tend to like very large salads and after a few visits, they knew to just keep adding more until I begged off.  We especially enjoyed the Indian and other Asian specialties and, when not in a rush to head off on a shore excursion or to attend a lecture, preferred to dine after the busy rush and savor a leisurely meal.

We never had dinner in the Borough but when passing through, did notice that it was rarely crowded in the evenings.  Another place that we never got around to trying was the Alfresco Pizza Grill on the forward/starboard side of the Borough Market that serves pizza and burger fare from the late morning through the early evening.

Saffron is an extra tariff specialty restaurant, located in the aft section of the Borough Market that offers up an alternating Indian and Asian dinner menu for £20 per guest.  The Indian menu begins with poppadoms garnished with selected condiments, and includes naan breads, a wonderful Vegetable Darbar (think tapas, Indian style), and mains that include Salmon Molee (coconut sauce), Murgh Makhani (chicken in tomato and butter sauce) and a Beef Masala.  For a change of pace, we enjoyed dining here twice and preferred the Indian to the Asian, which was still quite good, and had some nice offerings like spring rolls, hot and sour soup and chili, garlic and soy tossed prawns.

Sea And Grass is the more upscale of the two specialty restaurants and is located on starboard Deck 12, just aft of the forward vestibule.  It commands a £30 per guest price tag and includes a beautifully presented seven course tasting menu (gravlax; smoked duck breast pastrami; mushroom and truffle soup; endive with feta and pomegranate; a choice of grilled sea bass, lamb, rib eye or cauliflower steak; a cheese board and an iced lemon mousse). 

The included wines were good and the service was especially attentive and accommodating.  After arriving, when I saw that there was a vegetable-based menu, I requested it, but would suggest if that is your preference, to do so when making the reservations. 

Ambience also has an a la carte priced room service menu that we did not partake of and various cakes and pastries are available for purchase in the Coffee Shop on the port side of Deck 12.

Those Fickle Northern Lights!

Having taken several prior cruises specifically to see the Northern Lights, only to have them obscured by cloudy skies, my expectations for actually encountering them were pretty nil.  Even without the coveted Aurora, it was a wonderful itinerary visiting several Norwegian ports I had never been to, with calls at Invergordon, Scotland, on the way up, and Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands on the way home — two “plaid hamlets” that were firsts for me. Rounding it off, there were no less than eight days at sea, which was of great appeal, since just being on the ship was my main draw.

Among the excursion highlights, there was a tour to Urquhart Castle, a wonderful ruin overlooking Loch Ness, even though we were crushed that we never saw “Nessie”.  In Alesund, Norway, we took a cruise into the spectacular Hjorundfjord Fjord on board a classic 1948-built mini liner called Bruvik and then spent a nice afternoon climbing 300 steps to the Fjellstua Viewpoint overlooking the harbor and our ship on a breathtakingly spectacular day.

The weather was quite nice in Trondheim, as well, where we wandered off on our own after taking the complimentary shuttle into town. Narvik was also very welcoming with its nice cafes and a war museum that was a mile or so walk from the ship.

Much to the delight of all aboard, shortly after departing Tromso, the green bands of the Aurora began to dance over the ship.  We would next encounter them, albeit a bit less brilliantly, at sea between Alta and Kirkwall, again quite unexpectedly. 

On a couple of other frosty evenings, many of us gathered with astronomer Martin Lunn on the forward Deck 10 terrace, hoping to see the lights but instead being regaled with fascinating info on the cosmos sprawling above us.

In Alta, we opted for the risky Northern Lights viewing excursion that took us on an hour’s coach ride into the snowy mountains where we were able to escape the cold by retreating to a cabin and a few teepees that were set up around small campfires.  Unfortunately, the clouds never broke, so it was a bust, but we booked knowing that sightings can never be guaranteed.

Quite possibly my favorite excursion was in Kirkwall.  Despite starting off soggily with incessant rain in the morning, the skies began to clear by the time we took the afternoon tour to Skara Brae, a fascinating 5,000-year-old cluster of stone dwellings by the sea.  Predating Stonehenge by 2,000 years, it is one of Great Britain’s most important archaeological treasures, but even that was topped by our next stop, the Ring of Brodgar, an utterly fascinating stone circle that is similar to Stonehenge and equally mysterious.

Odds and End

One tip if you are staying in London prior to sailing, make sure to purchase one of Ambassador’s transfers. We booked our cruise at the last minute and the transfers were sold out, resulting in an hour taxi ride that cost the equivalent of $200.   Another thing for American cruisers to know is that travel insurance is mandatory — coverage for the duration of the cruise cost about $300 per person and can be purchased on line.

Fellow guests were well traveled, ranging in age from mid-40s to early 80s and almost all from the UK, with a few Canadians, Aussies and Europeans, and least one pair of Americans sprinkled in.  We never felt ostracized and often found ourselves engaged in friendly conversations over drinks, on coach rides, between shows and on deck. 

There is only one tiny casino on board and no children’s facility, which is an added bonus for those of us who prefer a more tranquil vibe and who actually enjoy being on a ship, versus a Vegas-style amusement park that floats.

While the Brits generally tend to enjoy dressing up more than Americans, the overall attire on board was, for the most part, elegantly casual in the evenings.  There were a couple of more formal nights where men wore suits and some even went as far as tuxedoes, with ladies in nice gowns, but a blazer and slacks and less formal dresses or pant suits were also fine.

Since it was a rather long cruise, the self-service launderette was also a nice bonus, with detergent and the pound coins needed to operate the machine for sale at reception.

A Bright Future for a Classic Ship

In January of 2026, Ambience was given a multi-million dollar refit that has addressed a few outstanding mechanical issues, upgraded her air conditioning (which of course we never needed on our itinerary), and replaced worn soft furnshing in her passageways and certain suites and cabins.  Ambassador seems very committed to ensuring her a bright future, which is a rare feat for a ship that is already 35 years old.

Ambience is a happy, well-run vessel that fosters a homey, warm vibe amongst her guests, many of whom are triple and quadruple repeaters, which is quite impressive for a company that has been around for less than four years.   Ambassador has found a perfect niche for this ship, the similarly sized Ambition, and the part-time Renaissance and are reportedly looking at further expansion. 

For this American with some 300+ cruises under his belt, I’d return in a heartbeat.  What this handsome ship thankfully lacks in distractions and frills, she more than makes up for with understated elegance and a welcoming, dedicated crew.

For more info, please go to ambassadorcruiseline.com.