Ambassador Ambience Cruise Ship Review

Ambassador Ambience Cruise Ship Review
#ambiencecruise #ambassadorcruiseline #cruiseship #cruiseshipreview #sailawaywithdanandjay
This is our Ambassador Ambience Cruise Ship Review. Ambience is a cruise ship which started sailing for Ambassador in April 2022. Formally Pacific Dawn, Ambience is a small-sized cruise ship, carrying around 1400 passengers and possessing a gross tonnage of around 70000 GT. Ambience offers a more personal, and intimate way of cruising - offering unique no-fly sailings out of the UK, and sailing to ports in Europe and further afield not accessible by larger cruise ships.
In this Ambience Cruise Ship Review, we'll cover everything we liked about the ship - including the dining, the entertainment and the decor of the bars and lounges. We'll also cover what's not so good about Ambience; including the fact the pool area and hot tubs were closed for maintenance, there was unfinished deck work, cabins are tired and the dreaded coronavirus carpet. If you would like to see Ambience even more closely, check out our Full Ship Tour in 4K Ultra HD on our channel, or click the link below!
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Ambience was formally Satoshi, Pacific Dawn and Regal Princess.
Response from Ambassador concerning lifts and areas of interior which look tired: "The current decor is from the previous owner when the ship was P&O's Pacific Dawn. Ways of refreshing the ship and promoting the ships brand is under review".
*We were invited onboard Ambience by Ambassador for her renaming ceremony in Tilbury, UK. There is no financial arrangement between Ambassador Cruise Lines and Sail Away with Dan & Jay to produce content on their behalf. Any opinion given in our videos relating to Ambassador is our own, and all visual footage and content belongs to Sail Away with Dan & Jay with the exception of the post-maintenance hot tub clips which were supplied by Ambassador Cruise Line.
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✔✔ You Can Check Out Our Other Videos Here :
👀5 GREAT Things About Ambience
Link: • 5 GREAT Things about A...
👀 Ambience Highlights 2022
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👀 Ambience Outside Cabin Tour
Link: • Ambassador Ambience Ou...
👀 Ambience Balcony Cabin Tour
Link: • Ambassador Ambience Ba...
👀 Ambience FULL Cruise Ship Tour
Link: • Ambassador Ambience FU...
👀 Ambience Docked in Tilbury
Link: • Ambassador Ambience Cr...
👀 Celebrity Ascent Full Ship Tour 2024
Link: • Celebrity Ascent Full ...
👀 MSC Euribia Full Ship Tour
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👀 Queen Elizabeth FULL Ship Tour
Link: • Cunard's Queen Elizabe...

[@sailawaymag]

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[@marieobrien9465]

We have just returned today from a cruise to Norway on the Ambience. Ambassador were brilliant, the entertainment first class. We found the whole experience fantastic. The cheerfulness and attention to detail from all the crew made this sailing one to be remembered and repeated. The smaller cruise ship is our go to choice and Ambience was just perfect. Thank you for your review and I can certainly say Ambience is a great cruise liner. Well done to Ambassador for rescuing her and making her into a joy on the sea.

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Marie! Thanks for your comment, it's great to read that you had such a brilliant time on Ambience. While we didn't have a great experience onboard, or leave with the best impression of Ambassador, it's always great to read that somebody has had an enjoyable cruise on one of the ship's we've been lucky to review! We're giving Ambition a go next year, so it'll be interesting to see how that compares to Ambience. Please post again, it would be lovely to hear which ship you're trying next :) all the best!

[@marieobrien9465]

@@sailawaymag thank you. We had only been on one cruise prior to Ambience, so we are certainly not cruising experts. Our previous cruise was a ship that had 3,500 passengers. Whilst not big in the cruise ship world, it was too big for us. We loved the smaller Ambience with about 1,200 passengers. From this experience we will look to the smaller cruise ships in future.

[@Thaspy-br4hr]

Hi Marie, do you know if the cocktails are in eluded in the drinks package as without it would seem better to stay off of it.

[@remescaner]

I'm one of the newly hired crew in this ship. I'm hired recently and I'm happy to be part of my First Seafarer journey of my life with this ship :) see you guys ^^)

[@sailawaymag]

Hope you have a good and safe contract :)

[@sailawaymag]

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[@floydkeys]

Weirdly (and selfishly) I don't want them changing another thing right now. I'm from the UK and worked on this ship in Australia almost 9 years ago. Was very nostalgic watching this and hope to book a cruise on it one day

[@sailawaymag]

Glad you have such fond memories of her, David! Thanks for watching :)

[@martinschoenbeck7590]

Excellent review! Many thanks for giving a very honest and balanced report. I previously sailed on CMV Magellan and Columbus, so really excited to be trying this new ship in May… I’m certain they’re working hard to finish the outside areas and gym etc.. I was particularly pleased to hear your reaction to the food offerings ❤ Hope to see you on board sometime! 😊

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for your Feedback Martin! Hope to bump into you one day too :) enjoy the cruise, I’ll be interested to know how it goes!!

[@unclebarbar]

I assume you've been now Martin? How was the cruise for you?

[@martinschoenbeck7590]

@@unclebarbar almost a distant memory now! It was great 👍🏻 Food and service was excellent- Ambience is an old girl and showing her age. They had maintenance teams working hard throughout our cruise, but things like the aircon weren’t really great and many of the windows really needed cleaning or replacing where the glass had gone opaque. The entertainment was way better than the old CMV line. I loved the observatory deck - great layout up there. Excursions were well organised and ran smoothly. We’ve rebooked for next year- so definitely a vote of satisfaction from me 👌

[@exploretheworld19r]

I must say I love your honest review, we need more people like you. Keep up the good work!

[@sailawaymag]

Thank you so much! We always aim to be honest, balanced and fair no matter what! 😀

[@carmelshepherd6739]

Ooh I'm so excited to see inside this ship 🚢

[@EmmaCruises]

This is such an interesting review. I’m considering a cruise on her and this is the most helpful video I’ve found about her. Thanks so much for this, I learnt a lot. 🎉❤

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks Emma, that's a big compliment! Glad the video was helpful, and we hope you have a great time if you bite the bullet and book :)

[@EmmaCruises]

I’ve just booked a little one to try, thanks for this. ❤🎉

[@sailawaymag]

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[@tessharper7235]

Thanks for the unbiased review, very helpful for our upcoming trip.

[@sailawaymag]

Glad you found it helpful Tess. We both hope that you have an amazing time :)

[@Janet-cruisingthrulife]

Thank you for a very well balanced and informative review (and a good voice over lol... far easier to listen to than the ones where they think 'squeaky and silly' is going to get the point across). We have sailed primarily on Princess and also sailed a couple of times with CMV Marco Polo (loved her!) ... and like others we looking forward to sailing with Ambassador. :) Have to agree with you ... the 'Covid-pattern' carpet needs to go, and the cabins could do with a 'refresh'. :)

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Janet, thanks for your comment. Well, Princess this ship certainly is not - however if you enjoyed sailing on Marco Polo you'll probably like this ship, and appreciate her for her quirks. Bars, Lounges and restaurants are decorated beautifully. Service was pretty good, and we were impressed with the food and entertainment. If Ambassador focus on getting the outer decks sorted and renovating the cabins, I'd happily sail on her again! Where you sailing to?

[@ashleypantz]

I was on this ship's crew for Regal Princess' final months back in 2007. Some things look exactly how I remember them. The thrust stage with the audience on three sides. The second level of the theatre that did not connect with the rest of it. I'll have to look at photos, but that carpet you showed looked really familiar and I think it might even be the same. Thanks for the trip down memory lane

[@jamesgilbart2672]

Interesting review! Ambience looks rather like P&O's smallest ship Aurora in both appearance and size. I recently did a cruise on that (my first) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm put off by those mega monster floating housing projects so this ship may be one to try even if if it still a bit rough round the edges.

[@sailawaymag]

Hello James, thank you for your comment and feedback! Yes, she is around the same sort of size, and from the same era. I understand your preference for smaller ships, I too prefer them (Jay). But, Ambience is in desperate need of TLC unfortunately - something Ambassador should have taken care of before launching her. We're sailing on Aurora next year for the first time, very much looking forward to it! All the best :)

[@cruisingwiththe4bs]

Excellent balanced review. Love your detail like the info on abta and the history of the ship at the start. It obviously won’t be for us but think it will have its market but seems it may of been rushed into service a bit. The bird bath pool 🤔 seems a waste and was it just me but that pool seems small but incredibly deep! I liked the lifts, I have new love for lifts since MSC and virgin. “Coronavirus carpets” 🤣

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks guys! We couldn’t believe the the pools onboard, it’s defiantly not a cruise ship you would want to do in the Caribbean. The lifts were very unusually, but like the covid carpet they could have done with some TLC. 😂 - Dan

[@leelonghurst]

superb video and great observations/commentary - I think you hit the nail on the head re: getting a good deal.. it's amazing how blind we become to errors and omissions when the price is right!

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for your very kind words Lee! I can see a lot of good points with this ship, but it would have to be a good deal for me to go again - as there are drawbacks with an older ship, one being balcony cabins are so much more expensive compared to a newer, larger ship as there’s fewer to sell; so they hike their prices! Are you booked to go on her?

[@leelonghurst]

I'm not booked up yet @@sailawaymag - I've just disembarked Valiant Lady and still weighing up where to book next. There are some great deals on most cruise lines right now... from Cunard 3 night tasters to 7+ nights with NCL, P&O et al

[@seltaeb9691]

@@leelonghurst if you're single or couples there is bargains. I've booked for a single, 32 days in Mediterranean at 60% off which I paid £2129, it's a Saver fare & the cruise isn't till late October. Check them every day if you want a cruise this year. I do wonder if they are in trouble as what cruise line gives a discount to a singly, well Ambassador does & I'm truly grateful. They made a port change so cancelling the Black Sea due to Ukraine & adding Rome & Naples instead, plus giving every booked guest £500 account credit. They are different that's for sure too the big monster ships.

[@soul68ou1]

Was on that first cruise. Food was excellent.... and the entertainment was outstanding.

[@sailawaymag]

We we’re only on for the overnight naming ceremony, but we were very impressed with all of the food we ate, and the entertainment look pretty good too!

[@christinacannon94]

Great footage as usual guys! It’s definitely beautiful on the inside even though some parts are dated. It’s a shame about the hot tubs though, bet those customers weren’t happy.

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Christina, thanks for your comment. Much of her interior was really nice, and yes I think there were some unhappy customers on her maiden. Hopefully they can get the remaining issues sorted soon.

[@seltaeb9691]

The biggest world's cruise ship has nearly 6000 guests & 2500 crew, that's a small town! Guests on Ambience is 1400 & 700 crew, so 2:1 crew, so the big flash human container cruise ships can't compete on a personal level.

[@ado3616]

I sailed on this ship in one of her first voyages as the Regal Princess in 1991. I'm not sure if you mentioned her exterior was designed by famous 'starchitect' Renzo Piano to resemble a dolphin. At the time, the ship was one of the first with balcony cabins. She was soooo swanky! She had a multimillion dollar modern art collection onboard. There were two pools with waterfall on the center lido. The lobby had bubbling water under the grand staircase. It was a glamourous ship. I wonder how many miles she's sailed? So glad she is still serving passengers, Thanks Jay for another great review!

[@sailawaymag]

Yes she has got a classic design! Thanks for your feedback, glad you enjoyed it :)

[@dmd40j]

Fantastic ship, great food, brilliant entertainment, wonderful crew.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching and feeding back Lewis! ☺️

[@70PaulK]

Very interesting review. Would definitely be interested as an alternative to Marella if it offered sailings from Tilbury at competitive prices, but would want more info on drinks prices & gratuities. There's definitely a market for UK cruisers who prefer the medium sized ships. Will look out for reviews in the coming months & see if the teething issues are resolved.

[@sailawaymag]

Glad you found it interesting Paul! Hoping to get a video uploaded in the coming weeks, which will cover drink prices and available packages onboard :)

[@peterandersen8922]

I sailed on it as the Dawn. I think your comments were the same then. But, cruising the Pacific it always felt like home and was super reliable. I also made a comment regarding the orange carpet. As I can see, a lot has been removed from the top areas. I have always loved the dolphin profile. I would have still gone on it if it was here just for the above instances.

[@brigidconroy2111]

Congrats on a very thoughtful review. You have some great shots of the interior spaces. I like the polar bear in the elevator. The covid carpet is a bit much, especially with the worn parts. The food and dining venues were very inviting.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for your kind comments Brigid. The polar bear lift wasn’t too bad, there were some that looked like Windows XP backgrounds, very nostalgic! I was more concerned with how worn and dated the “covid” carpet was, rather than it resembling covid. Overall a very mixed bag, some people will love this ship, but others will go on her and never sail with Ambassador again. All the best :)

[@brigidconroy2111]

@@sailawaymag Yes, I realize that it was the condition of the carpet that was your concern. But, unfortunately, that type of pattern has become associated with bacteria and viruses. ;-} That being said you do a marvelous job of being even handed in your descriptions. I did love the Art Deco vibes.

[@sailawaymag]

@@brigidconroy2111 well I’m glad you think so. Dan and I try and be as balanced as we can, but we never shy away from what we’re not so happy with. I LOVE ART DECO, it’s one of the reasons I love Cunard ships so much!

[@brigidconroy2111]

@@sailawaymag ABSO-SMURFLY, YOU ARE GREAT. Art Deco is one of the draws to Cunard for me as well, and the Verandah....

[@seltaeb9691]

@@sailawaymag with a crew ratio of 2:1 that's a plus, these big ships with 5000 guests look like a sci fi prison ship & crew must be overwhelmed really, guests don't think about them beyond the smiley face.

[@paulnorman3571]

We have just returned from a 7 night Fjords cruise on Ambassador and your review is spot on. Food excellent, entertainment good, bars good, still no working hot tubs. Pool full of water but closed whole week. Heating on ship was a problem we had no heating in our cabin for 4 days. Overall good cruise but ship not finished, like you say we expected a full refurbishment after all it has been in dry Dock for a long time.

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Paul, thanks for your feedback. I'm glad you found the review balanced and understood the points I was getting at. The big problem with this ship, is that P&O Australia spent no money on her for the last 5-6 years of her life with the company, as they knew she would be leaving the fleet at some point. She then got laid up for 2 years with the expectation that she would be scrapped (therefore no deck maintenance) and now Ambassador have taken her on, they too have done very little to her in the grand scheme of a ship refurbishment, and its why they seem as though they are out of their depth in certain areas. The challenges are massive. They may have bought a ship for near scrap value, but the tasks ahead are colossal - hopefully Ambassador can overcome them though.

[@Janet-cruisingthrulife]

@@sailawaymag It's really sad that Marco Polo got scrapped, and they didn't keep her on. She was a beautiful ship, old girl - but beautiful. She was in great shape when we sailed on her to the Baltic in 2018.

[@sailawaymag]

@@Janet-cruisingthrulife yeah I’m gutted I never got to sail on her! I’ve watched documentaries about her, and read books on her so I know she was an iconic ship with a lot of history. Real shame

[@dansrules]

Love the footage you got, also good points , I was worried about ATOL but understand now why they don’t have it! Did you guys try the specialty main dining venues?

[@sailawaymag]

Yeah, no need to worry about ATOL - and it sounds as though ABTA status isn’t too far away. Unfortunately, because we were only on for the night we weren’t able to try the speciality dining venues - however I’m hearing good things from the Facebook groups

[@grahamhills7344]

Just returned from a weeks cruise to the Norwegian Fjords , we live near Tilbury so it was a major reason we went with Ambassador for our first ever cruise, we thoroughly enjoyed it and all you have said about the ship I agree with , one word of warning was the trips we booked prior to sailing , the Flåm full day railway trip was a total sham , costing £300 pounds for me and my wife we were really looking forward to it but we had the guide from hell , he came close to putting our group on a train to Oslo and another guide quickly intervened , the food at the hotel in Voss was disgusting and then we came out to do the coach part of the tour and we didn’t have one and our guide was flagging down random coaches to see if they were our transport! Eventually it turned up but we had to miss a major scenic waterfall stop on the way home and were then taken through the longest tunnel I’ve ever been through , 11 k , we couldn’t get any money back and the boss of the on board trip experience was very forceful and threatening, we complained to Hays travel on return to warn future customers to book their own trips ! It didn’t spoil our cruise and we will use them again !

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Graham, thanks for your comment. Sorry to read you had a bit of a disaster in Flåm, however is sounds very similar to my experience when I did it in 2005. I did the railway but through Fred Olsen cruises - the trip itself was enjoyable, but a little disorganised at times; and I would certainly agree with the quality of the food at Hotel Voss. Glad you had a good time overall :)

[@seltaeb3302]

You would? After all that. What was the rest like on board.

[@gerardmackay8909]

For me the critical components; food venues, bars, drinks prices, public spaces and theatre experience all look superb (which you readily acknowledge) lurid stairwell carpets, faded pictures and retro bathrooms I could not give a flying fig about (as long as they are clean). Lack of sufficient pools/tubs on a hot weather cruise may be an issue ( though as it’s mainly child free there’d be less pressure on bathing facilities than a regular cruise). I’m off on Ambience next week for a 3 day mini break to Bruges and, considering it’s costing me around £120 a day, that’s tremendous value (as is cruising in general compared to the prohibitive days of my youth when it was only for the seriously wealthy).

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Gerard, hope you are well. Glad you aren't bothered by the date cabins etc, but its important we point these out in case there are people that are bothered by these observations. Hope you have a great time onboard, and come away feeling as though you have received great value for money. Best wishes - Dan & Jay.

[@gerardmackay8909]

@@sailawaymag Thanks guys your review was excellent and covered all bases really well. I certainly didn’t mean to imply the points you raised about cabin spec were unimportant (merely unimportant to me but I’m well aware it matters a lot to others). Looking forward to boarding Ambience in two days time. My last cruise was on Iona so it will be an interesting contrast between ultra modern and more traditional. All the very best to you. Gerard

[@seanhughes9043]

Thanks for this guys... just what I was waiting for. I'm sailing on her in June and will be interested to see if any of the more negative points you raise have been addressed by then. I doubt they will have time to re-carpet tho... ;)

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for the feedback Sean! Hopefully many of the issues raised will be sorted by the time you go :) finger crossed!

[@kennethjford48]

No nothing has changed, except for some of the entertainment cast went down with Covid-19. And a lot of the passengers soon started to get it as well.

[@cliffgniliaw9642]

Love the prices of ambassador so will defo keep and eye out for deals in the future, but hope they fix the little things like the carpet etc like you mentioned, if only they had put more money in when doing it up in the begging they wouldn’t need to worry about in in the future! Still looks nice in lots of areas though like the bars! Well done guys thanks for posting, will you be doing a full ship tour as I would like to see what the gym looks like!

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Cliff. The prices onboard Ambience were incredible, probably the fairest prices I've seen out of all the ships I've been on. £5 for a cocktail, £14.95 for a three course Indian meal and spa treatments are around £64 an hour. Yes, we hope to get the ship tour up probably Sunday or Monday :)

[@seltaeb9691]

I just booked a single room on Ambience for a 32 day Mediterranean cruise for £2,200, it was 60% off.

[@ianm6204]

We have travelled on this Ship when it was the Pacific Dawn six or seven times. Really enjoyed it for the price. Not fussed on the Purple colour scheme though.

[@sailawaymag]

The purple colour scheme is about the only thing that they’ve changed 😂

[@kennethjford48]

Just returned from a cruise with ambience and public areas are ok but rooms though clean need to be upgraded and soon. A couple of the entertainment cast went down with Covid-19 and very soon a lot of the passengers started to go down with it, including my Wife and myself.

[@seltaeb9691]

Well I'm booked on the 32 day Mediterranean cruise on Oct Nov & as a single I got it for £2129! Thats 60% off & nice doing it for singles. The cruise is 3 mths away, surprising & does worry me if they are in trouble. But the room as long as it is clean I can forgive it's need of upgrades but they must do it but when as it's booked all next year or will they scrap it & then use Ambition. The Cruise industry is a mysterious one due to money money money..

[@M4M1610]

I worked onboard this ship when she was Pacific Dawn.I’m happy to see someone rescued her. However I can tell you it’s not cut out for the rough seas of Northern Europe.Having been into full black out in the Tasman Sea during a cyclone we were lucky to be alive.This was one of many scary moments where technical gremlins made me fear for my life. Aside from that the toilets on deck 7 would frequently back fill into my bar area with it then needing to be closed off due to being contaminated with excrement. Below decks the staff toilets arnt much better,mine being the end of the crew area frequently flooded with other staffs turd into our shower. I’d still happily go for a visit though,just for nostalgia

[@suecoo66]

That's rather concerning!

[@gasgas2689]

Thanks a bunch! we are just going to Canaries Madeira and Cassablanca on Ambience. Mind you we also went to the Carribbean and back on CMV Marco Polo - the one with the pensioner drug traffickers on our sailing which meant we didn't call in at Madeira when a helicopter landed with drug squad officers at 3am. They got 8 years each in a Portugal jail.We went Southampton to Sydney on Aurora and thought it is the ideal size for a ship. We have also been on Britannia which we think is too big - and if you want to see boring dull carpets and wall coverings that's the one to go for. Everything is brown. Brown walls brown floors and brown ceilings (almost). You come out of a lift and the only way to find out what floor you are on is to cross the 20ft wide landing to look at a plate (in brown) with small lettering (in dull gold). Whoever designed it needs to go to Specsavers and ask how to design a notice plate. Anyway we hope that by the time we go on Ambience in December 2022 the work will have been finished, and double hope that they have got rid of the corona virus carpets .

[@norfolkboy6935]

Thanks guys a very well edited and balanced review 👍. Some venue’s look really good but overall looks like an inconsistent upgrade. It would need to be a great itinerary and price with so much choice out there. If Ambassador are serious of making an impact, I think they needed to start with a better quality of ship refitted and carpeted throughout. As they say, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Thanks Jay.

[@sailawaymag]

Thank you! This ship really was a mixed bag! Some fantastic points, and we loved many parts of her interior - but the cabins, stairwells and exterior decks let her down. I agree with everything you say, I can’t understand why they thought they could start a new cruise line by buying a ship on its way to be scrapped, and then do nothing to it. They hadn’t even changed the bog brushes in the cabins, which highlights the extent of the renovation (or lack of renovation) that took place. A real shame.

[@iloveanimals1662]

@@sailawaymag Would rather have a new picture and a carpet instead of condiments on the tables!😳

[@sailawaymag]

😂 fair point! Was trying to highlight as many good points as I could ha!

[@iloveanimals1662]

@@sailawaymag A picture speaks a thousand words!😲 I think your reviews are fair and balanced. But I can't unsee that cell......I mean cabin! Even Marcella and Fred Olsen do a better job with older ships.

[@sailawaymag]

@@iloveanimals1662 I think you’re right! Going forward, Ambassador need to look at how Fred Olsen and Marella do things, so they can understand their competition. At the moment, I think they’re going to struggle.

[@darploin5071]

The ship could use a major mechanical overhaul And preferably to be reengine The public room's look nice but they should put the same detail to the cabin especially of all classes

[@cafsixtieslover]

We are sailing on Ambience later this year. We were supposed to sail on her as Amy Johnson. Will be interested to see how she compares with Magellan and Columbus. Have heard good reports so far. Our only comment so far is that disabled cabins are not available at balcony level so whilst this would not matter for a Christmas cruise, it would affect our decision to sail in the summer.

[@seltaeb9691]

There's spacious lifts & 2 crew for every guest ratio means bags of help.

[@davidchalmers3982]

I am due to sail on her in mid February to the Cape Verde Islands a 3 weeks cruise. What I see has made me even keener to sail on her and hopefully some issues mentioned will have been resolved.

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks for watching David. Hope you have an enjoyable time onboard :)

[@seltaeb9691]

I got a single room for a 32 Med cruise for £2200! Take that Couples! It was going to the Black Sea for Romania Bulgaria but with the conflict it's now instead doing Naples & Rome, oh they felt bad doing this & have given every guest £500 account credit. Not bad & shows guest commitment by them. With the price of fuel I expected a surcharge!

[@sailawaymag]

Hey Seltaeb, That’s fantastic, we hope you have a fantastic time onboard! Please do let us know how it goes, we’d love hear all about it and the experiences you get up too! 😃

[@sailawaymag]

Have you sailed on Ambience? Or have you sailed on her under a different name? We'd love to here your experience, so drop us a comment below :)

[@darploin5071]

Is that the Thomas burrow's restaurant. That's my Downton Abbey joke for the day

[@sarahdray7167]

I cruised on Pacific Dawn many times...it's Amazing how many things are exactly the same. Including the carpet and elevators

[@sailawaymag]

Yes. The new owners have worked very hard to avoid spending any money on her at all…. ;)

[@sarahdray7167]

@@sailawaymag it's sad really. They had such a good opportunity

[@sailawaymag]

You’re totally right! We liked a lot about the ship and they could have made her pretty special. They did everything on the cheap, and she just felt very tired and dated in many areas!

[@suecoo66]

Cruise & Maritime were originally Transocean Tours with the Astoria & Astor ships. My daughter worked on both ships and mid cruise they suddenly went bust but the company reformed to be Cruise & Maritime still using the same ships. Is Ambassador the same company as Cruise & Maritime?

[@sailawaymag]

It pretty much is - same shareholders, and operates almost identically to CMV!

[@cheregoddard7217]

I like the polar bear in the lift..who doesn't love a bear

[@sailawaymag]

Oh I love bears, just not sure it went with the rest of the ship. The lifts do divide opinion, but glad you liked them :)

[@jamesvaneynde4856]

We Love the ship as the Pacific Dawn Seal on 7 times

[@sailawaymag]

Wow that’s amazing! What ships do you cruise on now days? ☺️

[@jillhinde8946]

Spot on! The 'lesser' cabins need a lot of attention. Our bathroom (s) were nowhere near as good as those shown in the video.

[@sailawaymag]

The suites I looked round were lovely, but it bothers me that they’ve changed nothing to the lower grades of cabin! Haven’t even changed the bog brushes :O

[@jillhinde8946]

@@sailawaymag And take a look at the taps! Ghastly.

[@sailawaymag]

Yeah, didn’t think much of our tap either. I do find it surprising that Ambassador did literally nothing to the interior. It’s a shame, because the public areas were pretty nice (not the corridors though) ha!

[@seltaeb3302]

@@sailawaymag not bog brushes, yuck horrible things but handy if a Conger eel slithers up your lav!

[@jillhinde8946]

@@sailawaymag So refreshing to read such balanced comments--that absolutely reflect my own thoughts. There are some glowing reports on social media that make me wonder if we were on the same cruise! I'd advise anyone to take cleaning materials for those corroded and rusty taps!

[@reececollison5101]

I agree with you the lifts are strange on this ship, obviously except the gorgeous polar bear🐻‍❄️ how can anyone hate him 🤩🤩 I called him Boo Boo😂

[@sailawaymag]

Okay, Boo Boo was cute! But some (like the tulips) look like Windows XP desktops!

[@beverley6312]

Excellent video. Very thorough as always. Parts of the ship look stunning and other parts very dated. Not very impressed with the pool decks 🙈

[@sailawaymag]

Thanks Beverley! :)

[@seltaeb3302]

I agree, I've booked but feel discouraged & it's not cheap for my Med cruise 32 days £5000 single. I can't see seasoned over 50s from the CMV line being impressed. She looks lovely but inside iffy so far.

[@sailawaymag]

Particularly on balcony cabins, Ambience doesn’t offer good value for money! I compared two Norway itinerary’s - one with P&O Iona, and another on Ambience. Based on a standard balcony cabin: Iona £710 pp Ambience £1767 pp That is a problem. And I’d be so disappointed if I pod all the money, and I got that sort of cabin. Inside and outside cabins on Ambience offer much better money, but I don’t usually stay in them.

[@virtualgardener]

Interesting review. I'm intrigued - how do you get involved. Do you have to be in the industry?

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Lindsey. I’m hoping I’ve understood your question correctly; we were invited by Ambassador to her renaming ceremony, and they asked if we would like to stay onboard for the night too. Hope you’re both enjoying Sky Princess!

[@virtualgardener]

@@sailawaymag thanks it was lovely. Just curious really as to how one gets invited to such events. Would be great fun. Where's your next cruise?

[@sailawaymag]

We’re currently on Britannia. Haven’t been on her for a few years - it’s the first cruise that seems normal (face masks are gone, sailaway parties are back) where are you two off to next?

[@virtualgardener]

@@sailawaymag Oh that's interesting. Our next is on our beloved Aurora to the Baltics. Enjoy 😊

[@iloveanimals1662]

The old carpet,faded pictures and shabby bathroom is a massive put off for me,unfortunately. I love relaxing in my cabin and I found the cheaper cabins shown quite depressing. Food however looks superb 👌🏻

[@sailawaymag]

Yes I’d be a little disappointed too! Particularly with balconies which can be double the price of a balcony on newer, larger ship - because there’s less of them, and they hike their prices. Some people will be happy with the cabins, and tired decor won’t bother them; but it would bother me

[@seltaeb3302]

I agree. The cabin is important, it's your home. You can't get away with it when you are paying £1000s.

[@iloveanimals1662]

@@seltaeb3302 It's definitely not luxurious!

[@seltaeb9691]

@@iloveanimals1662 saying that I've booked their Mediterranean 32 days 60% off for £2129. It's an old classic cruise ship like an E Type Jag, clean is main thing, the modern ships are human container cruising. This has 1400 guests to 700 crew compared to 6000 guests to under 2000 crew on largest ships. It's where it is going to that I've booked onboard. Now modern ships people book to go onto the ship & all that goes on inside, it's not cruising just a floating entertainment centre. It's a big difference & guests on board both ships are different too.

[@iloveanimals1662]

@@seltaeb9691 wow,that's a bargain! I hope you have a great time. We're all different. I can't get past the decor and age of the ship,but I can totally appreciate your sentiments. It's still a no from me,I'm a glamour puss and I like my luxury!😂🤣

[@Caroline-se7gh]

Oh no. I wonder if it will be the same story with the other ship, Ambition. I was so excited to see they will sail from Belfast next year. Inches away from booking til I saw this review. I like the idea of a small, quieter ship. We need a quiet relaxing getaway.

[@sailawaymag]

Hey Caroline! We have a new video premiering at 5pm today called “5 GREAT Things About Ambience” - it may still tempt you. While we felt certain parts of the ship let her down, Ambience still has a lot to offer, and I think Ambassador do offer great value for money, as long as the “teething” issues we experienced have disappeared.

[@Caroline-se7gh]

@@sailawaymag Yes, maybe when they are up and running a bit longer they will get themselves sorted. Might leave the "ambition" cruise til later in 2023, let them iron out any creases!!

[@sailawaymag]

With Ambition though, Ambassador have released artist impressions of what the ship will look like - which indicates that they will do more of a refit than what they did to Ambience. But I’d agree with you, letting them iron out initial teething issues is probably wise!

[@Caroline-se7gh]

@@sailawaymag Thank you for your advice! Keep up the great videos!

[@sailawaymag]

@@Caroline-se7gh thanks Caroline ☺️❤️

[@janealexandraeccles2581]

I can't find anything anywhere about the gym. Is it up to much? Thanks

[@sailawaymag]

Please see our Ambience Full Ship Tour : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnOmh4mNbJqGfc0

[@louisaL1980]

There's nothing wrong with marellas buffet! They're fantastic weve done 5 on 4 different ships!

[@sailawaymag]

Hey Lou! I guess it’s each to their own, but we never rated them! Found the MDR pretty good, and their speciality restaurants are excellent though

[@lorenzomag100]

Agree with you..We loved the Islands buffet..

[@motogte]

Leaving Belfast next year 👍.

[@sailawaymag]

Hope you have a great time :)

[@b1oho]

We sailed in July on the Ambience around the UK but unfortunately it was not what we expected. With lots of work still going on 5 members of staff painting a pool 5 days into our trip, varnishing the rails on decks, painting going on throughout the entire trip, sharp objects on sun lounger, fridge didn't work 4 days to replace and it was extremely dirty behind fridge . Our main complaint was the dumping of waste into the Irish sea including plastics NOT GOOD! We contacted the captain and showed him the images, not sure what the true outcome was! We already had a second Cruise booked with Ambassador Cruise Line now cancelled and refunded. On a positive note the ship has good staff

[@sailawaymag]

Hello Steve, thanks for your comment. Very alarmed to read about such extensive maintenance continuing all over the ship - but utterly shocked if what you said about "dumping" waste including plastics into the Irish Sea is true. Speaking as a ship's officer myself, the captain should be very concerned about this, as that's a major violation of MARPOL Annex 5 whereby it states that the discharge of plastic from any ship, regardless of location is strictly prohibited. Evidence of the discharge of plastic would land a cruise line a substantial fine of more than 6 figures. Glad you found the staff to be friendly and efficient, and that you managed to get a full refund. May your next cruise be more enjoyable :) all the best, Jay.

[@thewhiskyexplorers5224]

@@sailawaymag HI Both I I've photographs of all of the incidents along with over 40 images of the waste over a 40 min period. This was our 67th Cruise and never seen anything like this before . Thank you for your reply all the best Steve

[@seltaeb3302]

Send the photos to the head honcho of Ambassador Cruises as he brags about sustainable cruising they do.

[@johnholden2651]

Sailed on the Maiden Cruise to Hamburg and I agree that the ship was not ready and the cruise should have been cancelled (again!). Food on board was excellent but service in the bars was very slow as only one bartender preparing all the drinks. We expected teething problems but not on the scale we evidenced as there was a constant queue at Reception. Computer problems delayed check-in and disembarkation. We had a Premium Twin cabin which had plenty of drawers and hanging space but the bathroom was small and dated. Graffiti on the window ledge and small table had not been removed/repainted which supports the view that the cabins had not been refurbished. Ambassador's policy of being a sustainable company isn't helpful and as the touchscreens around the ship were not working properly the ship reverted to a printed Daily Programme which I think nearly everyone was pleased about. We are booked on the Nordic Treasures cruise in May so hoping things will have settled down. I don't think Ambassador have done themselves any favours by going ahead with the Maiden voyage as our first impressions were not good. Fingers crossed the next cruise will be a lot better.

[@sailawaymag]

Hello John. Sorry to here about your experience on board Ambience, however I can’t say that I’m surprised seeing what I say at the renaming ceremony! Totally agree with your observations, particularly regarding the service and condition of the cabins! We’re you given any goodwill gesture or future cruise credit?

[@johnholden2651]

We already had a 10% on board spend with 20% Future Cruise Credit from the original cancellation and every passenger has received (or will receive) £75 refund. Good compensation but not good for the finances of a new company. Unfortunately I think Ambassador are sailing in rough seas.

[@sailawaymag]

Personally, with the condition of the ship I feel that passengers are owed more. I totally agree with you about the company “sailing in rough seas”. So many people are trying to justify and explain why Ambassador find themselves in this awkward position, I hear “all maiden sailings have these problems” but nowhere near to this extent (and especially when no interior renovation has taken place). For a new brand, to receive the amount of negative social media posts and feedback I’ve seen, it isn’t a good start and I’d imagine that a substantial amount of those whom have already sailed on Ambience, or even seen some of the comments and photos, are put off sailing with Ambassador in the future :/

[@alcat64]

Hi John We were a party of 5 and have Just returned from a weeks trip to Norwegian Fjords after initial trip cancelled. Ship still was not ready in some areas and this needs addressing but hopefully these are teething problems as we saw a vast improvement after day 2. We had premium balcony cabin which was always kept clean, toilet worked well and shower had very good pressure and good supply of hot water Beds very comfortable. Staff were courteous and could not do more for you. Daily program delivered to cabin every evening. Touch screens were working all over ship as was our TV in cabin after initially getting no signal. Food was excellent. Ate once in “The Sea and Grass” food was great but beware the huge portions of this tasting menu as you could get full before main course arrives. Entertainment team were amazing and very friendly. The cruise was great value as was the all inclusive drinks package. There were plenty of different bars and waiters on hand to serve in good time. I feel that the management appears to be listening to any passenger concerns and doing upmost to sort out any issues.

[@johnholden2651]

@@alcat64 Sounds as though they are getting their act together which is encouraging. Thanks for this as you've lessened my uneasiness about our sailing in just over a week.

[@darploin5071]

Only if it's doing an Arctic cruise

[@VikPaints]

My gut feeling is not much will change based on feedback. Hope I'm proved wrong.

[@sailawaymag]

It sounds like there have been some improvements, but the tired carpet in the cabins and corridors will be there for at least a couple of years until she undergoes a renovation. The problem with this ship, is that P&O Australia didn’t spend much money on her for the last 6-7 years of her life as Pacific Dawn, because they knew they were going to sell her off or scrap her. Ambassador have then took her on, and they’ve done nothing to her either - it’s no wonder this ship has so many problems. These aren’t “teething problems” or “maiden voyage” issues, the ship is knackered and needs a lot of time and money spent on her to get her seaworthy. They’ve given her a lick of paint on the outside, put some astroturf down and that is it. Even bog brushes in the cabins, and ornaments on the tables in the restaurants are the same as when she was Pacific Dawn. Never heard of a cruise line buying an old ship and doing nothing to it, particularly to a ship in such a poor state of condition. Ambassador are in uncharted waters.

[@iandavies6374]

Biggest gripe I have with Ambassador as it was with CMV, was the lack of multi generational cruises.

[@seltaeb9691]

There's plenty of them about, Ambassador is for adults over 50 in the main no children who should be in school!. They are doing 2 multi generations cruises.

[@reececollison5101]

No I’m sorry but that’s the best thing about them. Someone’s gotta offer adults only cruises that Karen can’t bring her spoilt little darlings onto to ruin the experience for everyone else!

[@darploin5071]

And because P&O was going to scrap that ship Maintenance to her critical system was probably lacking cause why spend the money if you're gonna send it off to be torn apart made into paper clips

[@darploin5071]

You probably know the same called scale of economy and and that's why they got rid of their smaller ships during the pandemic smaller ships do not make the money that a larger ship does it does plus on a larger ship they can charge a little less for cabin and still make a nice healthy profit What would've been the cost if you were actually going on a cruise on ambassador would have been about $7000 for an in dollars for an inside state room cause that's the only way I can see they can make any money off that ship I like the small ships too and I was sad when Royal Caribbean scrapped majesty of the seas but but they still have a few other small ships in their fleet they're fleet the vision class for example

[@seltaeb9691]

I've booked on it on it's 32 day Mediterranean cruise single cabin £2129 calling all round the Mediterranean countries. It's where it's going too than the ship that was how cruising was & about, nobody mentions it's ports of call, that's cruising otherwise what's the point.

[@darploin5071]

@@seltaeb9691 and the reason why you got such a great price is probably cuz there's 6500 other guests with you on that cruise so take what you paid times that and you'll see that the ship can make money then with the addition of onboard sales

[@primmtravels450]

That carpet belongs in pointins or Britannia not a cruise ship. Still I like the look of this cruiseline.

[@sailawaymag]

I haven’t done Pontins, but was on Britannia two weeks ago and really liked it! You’re not a fan then?

[@darploin5071]

You do know that that class of ships other 2 mates have been scrapped already believe me I would have paid nothing more than scrap value for it if it was offered to me

[@carmelshepherd6739]

Not to my standard I'm afraid needs full upgrade .

[@sailawaymag]

She really is dividing opinion! I’m with you though, I wouldn’t pay to go on her while she’s in her current state of condition.

[@kennethjford48]

I completely agree very poor 😢 rooms though public areas are OK. Just returned from a cruise and entertainment crew started a cj0

[@kennethjford48]

Just returned from Cruise on Ambience, no Lobster on this cruise food very repetitive in both Main Dining room and buffet, had a 24 hour delay in Tilbury so mist first port.Two Entertainment crew had Covid-19, and it soon spread, but still no wearing of masks required in any public areas. We were a party of 4 and 3 of us have returned home with Covid-19. As most of the people on board 60 plus. I don't think that this was essentially good management of the situation. I or any of my party will be cruising 🛳 with Ambience again.

[@sailawaymag]

Sorry to read you had such a poor experience. Unfortunately, I share your misgivings about Ambience. I feel that Ambassador has got a lot of work to do, to get them anywhere close to the standards set by their rivals!

[@seltaeb9691]

We have to live with Covid as we do with the flu that kills about 8000 a year in all the risks groups. People not being vaccinated are the problem.

[@matthew.a4694]

Wow they really haven’t changed much at all and really have P&O Cruises Australia to thank for all the modern feeling areas of the ship. It’s hard to say that even the areas they have changed are an improvement on her Pacific Dawn spec. I guess they are after a different market but why remove hot tubs, slides and the “Edge” experience activities…

[@sailawaymag]

I totally agree with you, it’s crazy. They’ve done virtually nothing to it, but the little they have done have has made the ships spec worse in my opinion. What was the Edge experience?

[@matthewadams9265]

@@sailawaymag Yeah it's bizarre to remove amenities off a cruise ship lol! The Edge adventure park is a bunch of "adrenalin activities" like flying fox, laser tag, rock climbing, cargo net racing, walk the plank, Titanic moment up at the bow, slackline surfing, segways and trampolines. All of which seem to have been removed in her "transformation" to Ambience.

[@sailawaymag]

@@matthewadams9265 oh I see! Well with Ambassador’s target demographic those facilities probably wouldn’t get used, but not to worry; there’s a games room and a room you can knit and sew buttons 😂

[@matthewadams9265]

@@sailawaymag even in a colder environment surely the slide and rock wall would have got some loving from pax and would have been a point of difference to Marella ? 🤷‍♂️ thank God for the card room though hay 🤣

[@johannaroake5911]

no money on board, so if u want to leave a tip take cash with you

[@sailawaymag]

All cruise ships are cashless.