Ambassador Cruise Line Reviews 

I have now cruised Twice with Ambassador Cruise Line and on both I had a great experience. They are a small line and have small ships which I prefer. The standard of service from booking, boarding and customer care is perfect. The food is first class and the entertainment on board is as good as as any west end show I have seen . I would 100% recommend them if you have never cruised before and want to try but are put off by going on a huge floating Hotel . In short I will definitely be rebook in the near future

3rd Cruise. Older ship, but service and Qaulity make up for the age. Once again GHR team excelled.

Staff were all so helpful and pleasant. Loved the greatest hits radio interactions, was the reason I booked. Good food in both main restaurant and buffet area. Excursions were overpriced but think that’s standard . Only downside for me was the quality of the water in the shower, my hair was not in good condition after a week of showers

I sailed with Ambassador Cruise Line previously (from Belfast) and had a generally positive experience at the time — good food, enjoyable evening entertainment, and a lovely steward who made a real difference to the trip.

Because of that, I decided to book again this year as a convenient no-fly cruise option. However, my experience this time around before I’ve even sailed has been disappointing, particularly regarding communication and customer service.

Since booking, I have tried to contact them regarding a drinks package amendment. The only response I received was a single email from a member of staff (Natasha), after which there has been no further reply despite follow-ups. I used the reservations/new bookings email as listed on their website.

What is frustrating is the impression that communication is responsive only up to the point of taking payment, after which it becomes extremely difficult to get a reply or clarification. Even when email addresses are provided publicly or in responses to other reviews, there appears to be no guarantee that emails will actually be answered.

I appreciate cruise lines are busy, but this level of silence before departure is not reassuring and makes it difficult to feel confident as a customer.

From my previous cruise, while overall enjoyable, there were a few operational issues that affected the experience. These included daily onboard charges being processed in a way that caused confusion for some passengers, with small transactions appearing frequently enough that banks flagged them as potential fraud. There were also instances of staff entering cabins during the day to leave printed daily notices, rather than using a more discreet method of delivery. While these may seem minor individually, together they created a feeling that you need to stay constantly alert rather than being able to fully relax on holiday.

I became aware on the last cruise that some onboard activities, including crafts and bingo, carry additional charges, which is understandable, but it would be better communicated more clearly upfront rather than feeling like small extras add up once onboard.

I chose Ambassador again because it suited my circumstances as a no-fly option, and I’m a fully capable traveller who can manage independently. However, for passengers who may need more support or reassurance, I do have concerns that the level of proactive assistance may not meet expectations.

At this stage, with no response to simple pre-cruise queries, my confidence in the booking has been affected, and I am now boarding with lower expectations than I would like to have before a holiday.

I hope this feedback is taken constructively, because there is clear potential for improvement in customer communication and responsiveness, especially after booking.

Update (15th April 2026): I did receive a response from Guest Services, however the outcome remained unchanged with no flexibility offered on the drinks package. While I understand fare rules, I still feel the booking process is not transparent in how options are presented at the point of purchase, as not all drinks packages are clearly visible or signposted during booking. This places the expectation on customers to actively search and cross-reference the wider website, which is not realistic during a standard booking flow. Overall, this has reinforced concerns about limited post-booking flexibility and a lack of practical customer support once payment has been made.

Most of the stops cancelled which I get is out of their control. I am only giving this score due to some rude staff, awful communication and cancelling our class for a celebration party where not enough drinks for everyone- do better

I would particularly highlight the cruise director as a huge weakness in the journey.

This was our first cruise with Ambassador and sadly, will be our last. We had originally booked for a cruise to see the Northern Lights and a port of call at Lerwick (11/3 - 27/3). However after paying the balance we were advised by email that due to customer feedback, an extra day would be scheduled into Norway and the Lerwick stop would be cancelled. We were very disappointed as we were so looking forward to the Scottish port as we knew it was otherwise a considered travel destination. We contacted customer services to express our disappointment, but haven’t received a reply to date!
On arrival at the dock we were told by parking staff that the ship was undergoing a ‘quick turn around’, so we had to wait to board. On arrival into a very dark and quite frankly shabby cabin, we found a pair of female’s underwear and sanitary towel in one of the drawers. It was eventually removed and drawer cleaned by a steward, but the general cleanliness of the cabin wasn’t good, ie dusty drawers and marks in toilet.
My main reason though for this review is the way we were treated when I came down with what I’m sure was food poisoning after eating in the Borough Market. My husband contacted reception and the medical team, with whome I spoke directly to the day after I was unwell. Yes, I was provided with sea sickness and Imodium, but on no occasion was the concern that I may have food poisoning (I’d only eaten on board that day), addressed. Also no offer of providing water was given despite being advised to drink fluids only. We felt very much left to our own devices. My husband wasn’t asked if I had any other medical conditions.
Yes, there was a curtesy follow-up call by medical team the next day, but to be honest, I’d made up my mind to purchase cleaning products at the next port and clean the bathroom/cabin ourselves.
In general though, the cruise was quiet with more quizzes (if this is your thing), to shake a stick at! However their saving grace were the amazing entertainment teams where the shows were entertaining, professional and exceptional. They worked so hard despite rough sea conditions.
Talking of rough seas, I don’t profess to be able to Captain a ship, but it’s evident that this vessel can’t handle the unpredictable Norwegian seas! The port of Narvik (added on) was cancelled due to weather, so we spent five very uncomfortable days returning to Tilbury.
Considering we spent this amount of time at sea, there’s been no offer of recompense from the company.
Ironically, the next cruise from Ambassader which was again heading to Norway, changed their itinerary to the Baltic region due to bad weather conditions.
I totally understand customer safety but again, it’s evident these ships are not suitable for potentially such rough seas.
I’m anticipating the standard response of ‘please contact our customer relations’to this review, but have no confidence that anything will be offered to compensate a very expensive and stressful holiday.

Love the ship and it's character.
Staff friendly
Food very good both restaurant and buffet and something for everyone.
Good value for money

Just got home from a Norway & northern lights cruise on ambition sadly because of really bad weather for safety reasons our itinerary had to change to a Baltic cruise it was reassuring to travel with a company & captain &crew who put our safety first & worked really hard to put together a new itinerary in such a short time we really enjoyed it & the ship where the crew worked hard always with a smile to keep our cabin & everywhere on the ship clean we also enjoyed the entertainment especially the specially shows we saw in the theatre & bars & we will be travelling with ambassador again & have already booked for another try for the northern lights

Very responsive customer service department (Aimee in particular)
Sorted issue out fully with no problems

We went on the Greatest hits radio escape & it was absolutely fantastic.
The atmosphere was electric and the staff were just excellent.
It was a cruise that everyone just wanted to have a great time and it showed throughout the week.
The entertainment on the ship from the shows and bands to organized Quizzes was so enjoyable.
The cruise director was a really friendly guy and done a great job letting passengers know what was going on around the ship.
The fine dining experience we had was outstanding.
Like the Captain said they might not be the biggest ship but 100% they are the most welcoming
All the crew work as one & the singers & dancers in the theatre are one of the best we have seen.
We will definitely be on board again soon.

Pros. Comfortable bed, Powerful shower, Cupboard space.
One server in the bar near the casino was excellent, name of Bayo from Bali...1st class attitude and always a smile. And at Buckingham evening meals, Riswajit and Sharahat. Hard working under extreme conditions (lack of staff).
The rest is not pretty...
Asked 4 times for help with the ancient and pathetically small safe, before I got that help. So small, you cannot place an iPad in there. The A/C was way too hot on arrival. It took 3 attempts to get it cooler. You pay for filtered tap water! Even on the top level drinks package. Service, 90% poor. Rudeness of some serving staff. Worst staff were in the observatory. On tuesday at 1405, I tried to get a drink and was told to come back in 5mins as they were not ready to start serving drinks..."we start at 2pm". I pointed out that it was 1405. He ignored me. I walked away. At the SW19 bar, my wife asked for a Virgin Pina Colada strawberry..she was given a regular one. The server argued that it was Strawberry...it was yellow! Rather than admit a simple and forgivable mistake they wanted to argue over it. Total disrespect.
Breakfast...toast, not toasted, very mean with it, bircher inedible, no jams offered, marmalade only. Poor coffee and very mean with it. Why no coffee pots? Ketchup in a plastic bottle at dinner! Food in general, dinner...mean portions, particularly the veg. Dessert served with spoon, but no fork.
Wines..terrible. I took a look at the most expensive wine on the "PREMIUM" list, at £26.00...available on-line at $7.00 It tasted like cheap Spanish plonk...it was. There was no sommelier to advise. But then, you cannot advise on such poor wines. We took the drinks package at £500, as we were told that it covered all drinks. That was a lie. If you wanted an IPA, you had to pay 50% of the normal price! Same for a can of Guinness! Wow.
At the cafe, £7.50 for a slice of cake! And it was not a pleasant piece of cake. Funny that the price is not displayed.
Bingo and quizes, cannot get a seat at venues that were too small for the event. Wifi failed on several occasions for the card readers, so some drinks orders were taken on trust.
We gave up on breakfast for the last 3 days. I actually lost weight during 7 days on Ambience. I am amazed at the good reviews that Ambience have received, I can only imagine it i from the gluttons to spent their time in the zoo that was the buffet, cramming as much as they could. We witnessed it on the first day and realised it was not a good or healthy environment in which to take a meal. For the record, I have cruised with 4 other companies, and Ambassador was a shockingly poor cruise in comparison to others that I have taken. In summary, the ethos of 90% of the staff is that of disrespect and distain. Most of the staff appeared unhappy, disinterested and clearly not motivated. The company are clearly and quite deliberately running this ship on a shoestring mentality, not merely using the cheapest ingredients, but making sure it is difficult to get a reasonable portion.

Cruise ports of call and very friendly staff in all departments, made this cruise.

My first time cruising onboard Ambience. But my second time with Ambassador Cruise Line. On Embarkation Day. I arrived at my Check In Time of 12:30. The Check In process was efficient. As I provided all the information before online. Cabins were ready by 14:00. And luggage appeared shortly after. Overall the cruise was a great experience. The only negative was the hot tubs. One was cold and the other too hot. No working jets. The pool was good. Apart from being way too cold. For a colder climate cruise. Otherwise it was a great experience. Surpassing my previous experience with Ambassador Cruise Line. I would certainly consider another cruise onboard Ambience.

Great destinations and many of them with a sea day between most of them. Staff enjoy their work and supporting the passengers. Cater well for solo passengers

We had a wonderful holiday made extra special by the crew. The crew Bent over backwards to ensure that everyone had everything they needed to have an enjoyable time. When I go on Ambassador I feel like I am arriving home.

Staff as before are all excellent. Entertainment however was not as good as on our previous trips on Ambience.
Although the shows were brilliant we thought there were many days without a show.
Films were shown on port days and would have been better on sea days.
The port previews should have been available in the cabin. The TV selection is poor and could be enhanced with a sport channel.
There’s not a comfortable chair on the ship, unlike our favourite place on ambience, the observatory.

Wonderful staff. Woderful food. Wonderful destinations.
I enjoyed the light coloured decoration in cabins.
Service was fantastic

Good food, excellent staff, great entertainment and lectures and a fantastic itinerary meant this was a fabulous holiday

Ambassador Ambience have the most wonderful people working on the ship, in the Borough market Theresa and Chewy the waitresses where the kindest and most helpful people you could meet,a credit to the Ambassador cruise line,Also Ivan our cabin steward gave us a great service.

The friendliness of the crew.
The variety and quality of activities on board.
The quality and presentation of the food was exceptional as were the specialty dining options.
The swimming pool is not user friendly being very deep (about 6 feet) from end to end, having poor access steps for users with mobility problems.
The hot tubs did not work properly which they also did not the year beore