On board Ambassador Ambience.
The ocean view cabin was light, airy, spacious and with fantastic storage. Pool towels, tea and coffee making facilities, a small TV, hairdryer safe and fridge were all available as well as dispensers for soap, shower gel and shampoo/conditioner in the shower room. I must also mention UK plug points!
A few nerdy facts! Ambience is a mid sized 70,000 gross tonnage, 1400 passenger ship with around 700 staff. 798 staterooms, including 50 Suites, 134 Balcony cabins, 436 Oceanview cabins, and 178 Inside cabins. 13 cabins in total adapted for guests with disability and mobility needs. Initially launched in 1991.
Scandinavia proved a little chilly but there were still great outdoor spaces to enjoy on board as well as a swimming pool and hot tubs. Ambience also features a spa although I didn’t get a chance to make use of it.
Our itinerary was Gothenburg and Hellsingborg in Sweden and Copenhagen and Skagen in Denmark. Unfortunately, Hellsingborg was cancelled due to a change of rule by the port authorities and so we were treated to an extra day/overnight in Copenhagen instead. All beautiful ports and with a good choice of reasonably priced tours available to pre book beforehand or onboard. We chose to take a tour of Copenhagen with a visit to the stunning little fishing village of Dragor and explored everywhere else on foot.
For a medium sized ship, Ambience was not short of beautiful bars and comfy indoor spots (all with a completely different feel) to watch the world sail by as well as a small shopping arcade, library, photographic area, casino and a beautiful 2 story theatre. I had pre booked a drinks package to include soft drinks, house wine/beer and a good selection of spirits and cocktails. In general, a cocktail was priced at around £7, small wine/beer £4/£5 and soft drinks around £2. Self serve water was available, free of charge at many spots around the ship as well as tea/coffee at the buffet area.
Staff are friendly and always available. We always received great service and all areas of the ship are spotlessly clean. We enjoyed 2 formal nights with the rest of the cruise being more relaxed.
I’m not a buffet fan but I loved the fact that the buffet is served by staff from behind counters! A good selection of options available for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Traditional dining is featured in the main dining room, Buckingham, for dinner and it also offers breakfast and lunch. Dinner choices were 5.45pm or 8.15pm, I chose the latter and a table for 8 with a great mix of lovely fellow guests. Food was delicious and fabulous quality with a good selection of traditional British choices plus a worldwide mix. Dietary needs are very well catered for. Dinner was 4 courses as well as tea and coffee. An on deck grill was available in the afternoons. Several payable extras were featured including a coffee shop, ice cream bar and 2 a la carte restaurants.
Last but not least, entertainment. A daily schedule of fitness, craft, quiz, bingo, murder mystery, destination talks, music and much more but the evening entertainment - just fantastic. I’ve 20+ cruises under my belt with an assortment of cruise lines and Ambassador’s entertainment rates amongst my top 3. West end style shows, solo artists, duos, classical, modern, disco, guest comedians and for any ABBA fans, a fabulous ABBA night created by the theatre team!
Ambience is a friendly, relaxed and spacious ship. In summary I’d say passengers are predominantly British, mostly aged 50/60+ with a huge number of repeat guests. Ambassador is traditional, offering great value for money and does exactly what it says on the tin!
