Ambassador Cruise Line was launched in 2021 and had its first ship, Ambience, christened on the River Thames a year later by Olympic Gold medal athlete Sally Gunnell OBE.

The ship has many fans from its previous incarnations as Princess Cruises’ 1991-built Regal Princess, then as Pacific Dawn for P&O Cruises Australia in 2007.

Ambience was joined by Ambition in 2023 and both ships, taking 1,400 and 1,200 passengers respectively, specialise in no-fly cruises for the over-50s Brits, plus multi-generation itineraries during school holidays, from regional ports including Tilbury, Liverpool, Port of Tyne, Bristol, Falmouth, Dundee and Belfast.

In 2025 Ambassador merged with French cruise operator Campagnie Francaise de Croisieres to provide a Caribbean fly-cruise programme on 1,100-passenger Renaissance, sailing from Barbados, Martinique and Curaçao.

Ambience has a very happy, relaxed holiday atmosphere. During the 10 days I was on board I didn’t hear any complaints about anything – from cabins to the food or price of drinks – which was a surprise because Ambience is no spring chicken and the menus might be good but they’re not gourmet. The secret of Ambassador’s popularity? Its hugely competitive prices, excellent itineraries and vibrant public spaces.

Ambassador has nailed on board entertainment thanks mostly to its exceptional Theatre@Sea group, which produces abridged plays and hilarious spoofs in the Palladium theatre (we loved Abigail’s Party and quirky The Last Tango in Berlin) plus clever 15-minute vignettes in The Botanical Lounge, where it was hard to find a space to stand let alone sit down.

The Ambience Theatre Show Company has equally high standards and some refreshingly entertaining song and dance offerings, such as its Fleetwood Mac Songbook show and late-night ABBA Cabaret in the Observatory lounge. Something for everyone.

Ambience has 798 cabins over 11 decks with categories including inside, ocean view and balcony cabins – all reasonably spacious and some with sofa beds or foldaway bunks for a third or fourth guest. There is also a good number of large suites and de luxe suites.

Passengers travelling solo are well catered for with plenty of single cabins and there are interconnected cabins for extended families or groups, as well as some wheelchair accessible cabins.

All have pretty good storage, TVs with news and sport channels, a hairdryer and safe but best of all at least one British plug socket and in-cabin kettle for making your own tea or coffee, plus a small fridge.

The bathrooms are mostly fine – especially in the suites – but they are mostly quite small and inevitably a bit dated. I didn’t hear anybody complaining, though.

Buckingham Restaurant, the main dining room, serves breakfast and lunch every day, with open seating, and has two set sittings in the evenings at a table where you’ll eat every night – you can choose a table for two, four or six when you book. Solo travellers are allocated tables for 10 at dinner.

If you prefer more casual dining there’s Borough Market buffet restaurant, open for all meals. It can get insanely busy at breakfast and lunch but it does have the benefit of outdoor seating if the weather’s nice.

Alfresco Pizza Grill on the pool deck next to Borough Market is a life-saver if you’ve missed breakfast or returned to the ship hungry from an excursion, although only if you like pizza, burgers, hot dogs or chips. It’s open when Borough Market is closed.

Paid-for options include Indian restaurant Saffron, open most nights in a comfortably-furnished private space within Borough Market. Its three-course meals cost £19.95 and are a massive hit with curry fiends.

Sea & Grass opens less often and offers a lavish seven-course set menu. This may include salmon gravlax, mushroom truffle soup, a choice between seabass, pulled lamb, rib eye steak and mushroom risotto, followed by cheese board, lemon souffle and coffee with macarons – so it’s a good idea to miss lunch and eat early. Great value at £29.95.

The Coffee House serves paid-for cake and hot drinks from 7am until midnight, or you can pay for room service (suite guests can order complimentary continental breakfasts).

Most passengers are keen to explore each port of call during the day but if it’s a sea day or you just don’t fancy getting off there’s always lots to do.

Most sea days there will be an expert lecturer in the theatre. On my Springtime Norwegian Fjordland cruise we learned about the Vikings, the Norwegian way of life in small fjord villages and the story of Trafalgar Square’s Christmas tree gift from Norway.

There are morning trivia quizzes every day, daft indoor games in the Purple Turtle pub – like indoor curling and golf putting – and free morning fitness classes such as circuit training and meditation. There’s also an Active Studio on the top deck with table tennis and mats for yoga or stretching at any time.

During sea days there might be a full-length Theatre@Sea performance in the Palladium in the afternoon, craft classes in the dedicated Kapoors Crafters Studio and board games in the Aces & Eights card room.

You can join group meetings for solos, knit and natter fans, games such as shuffleboard, and there are regular LGBTQ+ meetings – or pay to win cash prizes at bingo every day.

On my North Atlantic voyage it was too cold for most people to use the one outdoor pool (the shallow relaxation pool was closed) but those in the know went down to the Green Sea Spa to use its free sauna and steam room. There was also a regular stream of people paying for hair treatments and spa specialities, which include a good choice of massages and facials as well as more experimental offerings such as LED light therapy.

Ambience’s lounges are some of the loveliest you’ll see at sea, in particular the Botanical Lounge – which is a light-filled, elegant, country house affair with live classical music before and after dinner, while neighbouring Raffles Bar has night club feel thanks to its monochrome décor and oversized black and white photographs plus grand piano for more live music – mostly 1970s and 1980s hits. Also on deck 7 is SW19, a small bar near fashion and jewellery shops.

Above is The Purple Turtle Pub, a strangely subterranean space thanks to its sunken dance floor but big enough for audience participation comedy shows and its popular quizzes.

One of the quietest spots is Centre Court, on deck 6, where the Dickens bar offers barista coffee as well as alcohol, while the liveliest night-time lounge is the Observatory, a live music and dance venue, where you’ll find the late-night disco. There’s also a small casino on deck 6.

But it’s the Palladium theatre that takes star billing every night with crowd-pleasing song and dance shows as well as excellent plays. We had the Elton John Songbook, a cheeky The Brothers Blue caper and West End classics.

For me, though, the Theatre@Sea actors were the true stars and a breath of fresh air as far as cruise entertainment goes. Always funny and entertaining with a welcome silly sense of humour.

Ambience will spend most of 2025 and into 2026 sailing from London Tilbury around northern Europe, particularly the Norwegian fjords, the Baltic and the British Isles, although there are some Iberian and Canaries cruises, Christmas markets and a 40-day Caribbean cruise return trip in January 2026.

* Ambience’s 7-night Springtime Fjords cruise, return from London Tilbury on April 3, 2026, calls at Stavanger, Eidfjord and Ijmuiden for Amsterdam, from £659pp including free car parking or return Victoria coach (0808 296 6337; ambassadorcruiseline.com).