Ambassador Cruise Line Reviews 

I am writing to you as one of the hundreds of disgruntled customers following the cancellation of the A22604 itinerary.

This cruise itinerary was out of the ordinary and a very special one in that it was scheduled to visit the west coast of Norway right up to Tromso and Alta within the Arctic Circle. It was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience Norway’s Sami tribes and see how they live in subzero temperatures for most of the year, ride on Husky led sleds and a lot more. Additionally it would give passengers the best situation to witness the Northern Lights. Since 2000, I have been fortunate to cruise most of the World on several cruise lines with my wife who sadly, suffers from Alzheimers dementia and is now in a care home. Visiting the Arctic had always been on my “bucket list” and this was my first cruise with Ambassador and the first as a solo passenger.

The ship left Tilbury on 22 March as scheduled and guests were told almost immediately to expect severe weather in the North Sea. Then within 24 hours, on the second evening on board, before our first port (Bodo), it was announced that the whole itinerary was cancelled due to extreme weather and high seas in the North Cape. By the following morning a letter to all guests dated 23 March, gave information about a totally new itinerary visiting ports in Scandinavia bordering the Baltic Sea. This revised itinerary was of no interest to me and many other guests as I had visited these ports previously on other ships and on business. I therefore registered my feelings with the reception desk on board almost immediately and asked for the "Ambassador Guarantee" to be put in place thus providing a full refund as this was my first experience with Ambassador and I was not “happy”.
Despite a number of message exchanges, I have heard no more of this request from Ambassador. The letter referred to, acknowledging the disappointment of cancellation, also offered guests a 50% future cruise discount on 4 Northern Lights Cruises (2 in 2026 and 2 in 2027), or 25% discount on a “Solar Eclipse” cruise in 2026 or 20% off any other sailings departing before 31 December 2027. Whilst these appeared at first to be generous offers, they took no account of the disappointment experienced by many guests who had booked this cruise for the sole purpose of visiting the Northern Cape and had no opportunity to book any future cruises at the time. As it turns out, the discounts were based on the full brochure price of the cruises being offered. I did try to book a future cruise but there were no actual solo prices available for the “Outside” cabin type I was in at present. The only offer was to get the percentage discount off the price of 2 people. This would mean a new booking at 75% more than I had paid for this cruise, which I was not about to do. I am therefore left with absolutely no compensation for the lost itinerary. I also believe that solo travellers were being discriminated against.

I fully understand and acknowledge the safety reasons why the original itinerary was cancelled but I believe Ambassador knew this cruise was going to be cancelled prior to disembarkation from Tilbury. I say this as I'm sure the Company had the knowledge of the sea conditions in the North Cape from their other ship (Ambience) which was already suffering from high seas in the same area together with sophisticated weather forecasting technology. I also found it suspicious that they were able to announce a completely new itinerary within 12 hours of notification that the cruise was effectively cancelled. It comes as no surprise to hear that some ships from other cruise lines did in fact brave the weather and continue on their journeys.

Needless to say I am very unhappy and have request a full refund but as yet with no success.

DO NOT BOOK AMBASSADOR . Ambassador are the Ryanair of the season. Even one of their own officers says this...look if you want to play roulette over whether where you go is actually what you booked and paid for then give them a go BUT if you planning your bucket list dream holiday then please please dont trust it to Ambassador. Dont get me wrong the experience on the ship by the staff was amazing but we paid for a cruise around the Norwegian fjords and to hopefully experience the northern lights. To go on husky rides and spend the night in the husky lodge. To feed reindeer and see the absolutely outstanding sights norway has to offer. What we got was container ports and couple of sightseeing stops that needed an hour on the coach to get anywhere worth seeing. Ambassador refuse point blank to acknowledge they did anything wrong. Well Ambassador let me tell you that you messed up BIG TIME and you must listen to your customers and try to put things right

We have just returned from the Springtime fjords cruise. Embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly, however I was disappointed to learn that while waiting to disembark (7.30-10.15am) we were no longer able to get even a coffee. Norway was stunning and the staff were exceptional. The cabin - I found the beds very comfortable, however, my husband was unable to use the toilet for (pardon me) for No. 2s, due to the lack of knee room. Even I had to leave the shower door open. TMI I know but it was a major issue. On one occasion our toilet overflowed as the suction system didn't work but it was dealt with very quickly. We did not like having to sit with strangers at dinner so used Borough Market for all our meals. Frequently we were unable to find a seat as people would sit on after their meals to read and have a cuppa. Frequently the tea/coffee machine and juice machine in the restaurant would run out. Having the juice machine as the only place to refill water bottles seemed ridiculous. I was amazed that all the restaurants served the same menu, so if what was on offer did not appeal then you went hungry. The food I found was mediocre or strange concoctions e.g. who puts cardamom in fruit crumble? The drinks were great. The entertainment was cringeworthy especially during the day - basket weaving, choir, book club, knit and natter. The highlight of sea days was the evening quiz in the Cavern. We feel that the cruise was a week too long and could easily be fitted into a week if the ship had sailed faster - 12 knots is slow! I feel that prospective customers need to be made aware that this cruise appears to be aimed at an older audience. I was told before sailing that the majority of people onboard were 50+. I'd disagree and say 65/70+. This was our first cruise and our last. We were glad to get home. I would suggest that for the days when the seas were rough or the weather poor that the TVs in the rooms had some basic TV programmes, even BBC News or pay per view and it might be an idea to turn the Palladium into a movie theatre now and again.

I booked an experience of a lifetime to the Arctic Circle to hopefully see the Northern Lights, see reindeer, husky dogs, other wildlife, take part in the Sami culture. A 13 night experience to remember but I now remember it for the wrong reasons.
Due to 2 days of storms (which Ambassador knew about before we left) we were taken to the Baltic to visit three cities and three industrial ports with few redeeming qualities. The explanation was weak, senior management absent for any support, the customer service on return poor.
The option to seek shelter for 2 days of bad weather then continue was not given to us, despite other cruise lines doing exactly that and arriving safely in the Arctic that week.
As a recently widowed solo traveller I felt let down, unsupported and unable to get off the ship to return home.
The expensive Arctic cruise became a third rate meandering slowly around the Baltic to places that I didn’t want to visit.
I will never use Ambassador again and recommend that others find a more reliable company

*When you read the response below from Ambassador please understand that I’ve contacted Ambassador formally about this twice and they haven’t dealt with it.
So by answering they cover themselves on Trust Pilot as being a company that responds *

But they don’t!

Ambassador advertise amazing itineraries to get you booked, but sadly have a very poor success rate of getting you to the ports. I was on cruise in March26 and 27hrs into sailing, Ambassador changed the entire 2week itinerary and what should have been a bucket list Arctic trip became a Baltics capital cruise, docking in very unpicturesque trade ports. They made the changes under the guise of weather, but have failed to answer a single guests question as to why we did not continue after taking shelter overnight as Fred Olsen, P&O and Cunard all did. Sadly my cruise is not a one off, with similar happening frequently, albeit usually only a few ports rather than an entire itinerary. Ambassador customer service is very poor, with a patronising standard response issued, ignoring customers questions. Whilst a discount was offered to book another Ambassador cruise, it was restricted by date and duration, meaning not everybody could benefit, and those who couldn't afford to immediately rebook, or do not have the health to do so, have been left paying a premium price for a below par cruise. I would also not trust Ambassador to get me there the second time around given their track record on Arctic itineraries. Ambassador have been dishonest and treat customers very unfairly. What i will say, is that the staff and entertainment teams on board are incredible, so if you aren't bothered about the destination and just want the cruise experience, then Ambassador are good. But selling trips that their ships are not fit for is false advertising and lets their otherwise great onboard teams down.

I had a fabulous holiday with Ambassador on the Ambience on the Greatest Hits II cruise recently. I was very impressed with Ambassador and the ship was a good size and easy to find your way around. They had obviously taken the trouble to put like-minded people together on the dining tables and our table was absolutely brilliant - I think lots of other people wanted to be on our table!! The food was excellent and so were the shows in the theatre. Well done to all the staff and crew!

The company would be better if they conducted their business with candour.
We booked and paid for a cruise to the arctic. What we fot was a third class trip to the Baltic.
Can't bear the lies and deceit of it all.
Ambassador you ripped our dreams into peices, dreams that many people will never be able to now fulfill.
Lying about no prior knowledge of a COMPLETE change of itinerary, many of your staff told us they already knew we were never going to the northern arctic. You denied us the option of cancelling our holiday and just went ahead taking us to capital cities we did not want to go too You docked us in shipping Terminals, not cruise terminals Lying to our faces whilst insulting many of us. The rude arrogant hotel director actually had the gaul to say we weren't prisoners on the ship. A lot of people cruise due to health and flying etc, my husband included in that, so in actual fact, we weren't able to get off and fly home and I felt kidnapped to some extent as there was no option for us to go home. Had you been honest before departure. This cruise would have been abandoned, but of course Ambassador know this, they know at least 3/4 of the passengers would have said they did not wish to continue and they would have to refund us all. Its despicable.
From the words of the hotel director on board, Madam you booked with Ambassador, its the equivalent of flying with Ryan air. Speaks volumes!
EDIT
To the team who responded to my trust pilot review. Its a shame you haven't responded to the complaint I did on board to head office and the complaint I made about no response, or maybe the response I finally got telling me my original response would be 28 days. Approximately 40 days ago. GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT!

We've cruised a fair bit but first time (and last) on Ambassador. We did the round the UK itinerary. It may be that this itinerary attracted an older demographic. Getting on and off the ship by the gangway was tortuous slow with HUGE queues.- needs a second gangway as so many had mobility needs. Tender ports were dreadful- it clearly says you must be able to get on/off the tender and manage steps. It's clear this was widely ignored and is a disaster waiting to happen. HUGE queues for tenders with staff physically lifting people on/off the boats and moving heavy mobility aids.
Most staff were lovely and a special shout out to the light entertainment team for their excellent fun quizzes. The rest of the entertainment was poor. Food wasn't great. One particularly strange meal was chicken parm with potato wedges and salad. It arrived with hot beef gravy - over the salad....it was sent back. Food in the MDR is exactly the same as in the buffet so limited choice. Vegetarian dishes poor and repetitive. Food service times short.
6 of us cruised as a group and every single one of us had upset stomachs on more than one occasion following fish/seafood dishes.
Cabins are tired.
Initially we were on deck 10. The vibration in the cabin was so bad nce the ship set sail that whilst lying in bed you couldn't read a book. The book shook too much!!!. This cabin however was clean and had comfortable beds and a functioning hairdryer. They moved us to deck 5 which was better for vibration but the beds were rock hard and the floor was bowed /loose/bouncy throughout. The bathroom stank of urine despite a 'deep clean'. Shower curtain held on by 3 shower hooks, shower drain kept blocking despite attempts to clear it. They did find us a couple of mattress toppers which made a difference. Cabin very tired, useless hairdryer.
We actually considered leaving the cruise in Liverpool- half way through as it was so bad. The logistics of getting from Liverpool to tilbury to get the car from the car park was just too difficult so we decided to tough it out. Couldn't get into Aberdeen as weather too rough, Guernsey port day was substituted for....... Portsmouth
In short - embarkation at Tilbury excellent. Staff mostly lovely. Light entertainment team fabulous.
Food nearly average, ship tired, rooms very tired, entertainment dreadful.
Ambassador is now Number 1 on our list for all the wrong reasons and will not be an experience we will wish to revisit.
I've given it 2 stars because staff were mainly lovely ....the ship/cruise/food would be a 1 star review

We travelled on the 12th of april cruise from portsmouth, visiting Portugal and Spain. Had a great time and many great memories created. Would use ambassador again.

Every one of the staff were friendly and polite. Nothing was too much trouble. The unexpected birthday celebration for my 80th birthday on the 5th April 2026 was exceptional and will be remembered for ever. We have already booked two more trips which proves how good they are

Excellent food especially the evening meal. Friendly efficient staff. Good entertainment and speakers . Good ports of call.

Did not get greeted by our cabin steward,never saw him for a week then ran into him in corridor, always got greeted by steward on other cruise lines.My husband did not like the extra beds on wall as he kept banging his head on them, when he complained he was ignored and told nothing to be done.There was no casino which made evening entertainment limited.No lunch left all cleared away when we returned from excursion, would have to think hard about going with them again.

Accommodation was good, entertainment was good, staff were always very helpful. Food was excellent. Good value for money.

Booked a September 2027 cruise and paid the deposit last year. Really looking forward to it but received an email cancelling the cruise because they have taken a corporate booking for the whole ship across the dates of my cruise. Just received the deposit refund but obviously the small individual bookings don't really matter, money talks. Really poor customer service. Be careful if you book, there's no guarantee it will actually happen

This was our first cruise and we were very impressed. The inside cabin we had was larger than we thought with plenty of cupboard and hanging space as well as a kettle with tea and coffee, TV, hairdryer, fridge and safe (although the safe was a bit small). The food was plentiful and there was so much choice in both the restaurant and buffet. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to find a seat in the buffet especially at breakfast and we hardly ever managed to find a table for 4 with our friends. All the staff were extremely helpful from the man who cleaned our room, to all the catering, restaurant and bar staff.as we as those on guest services. The shows were brilliant - like going to the West each night and the daily entertainment was plentiful. I also participated in a spa treatment which was really good. The drinks were priced very favourably. We did think WIFI would be included in the price and felt this was very expensive. We also thought that the £7 a day per person gratuities were steep for a 14 day cruise and that the company should ensure staff are paid a good wage and not rely on customers to contribute. We felt that we also had and wanted to tip those we came into most contact so again this brought the price up - though I understand you can opt out of gratuities. Bingo cards were also expensive even though the prizes were good. There was only one table tennis table in the games room with a long queue so more tables please. One of our excursions was cancelled and another changed which was a bit disappointing and also there were long queues at times to get off the boat or onto the shuttle buses. All in all we really enjoyed our trip and would definitely book another with you in the near future.

Enjoyed everything. Tilbury operation was an easy transfer to the ship and nice to have no flights etc involved. Staff were amazing, and we will be back.

Small ship but ALL staff very helpful and friendly . The two waiters who waited on table 51 ( SHIBA and PUNIA) were excellent

Update - the guest relations replies have not read my complaint, copy and paste style response. E.g., failure in the expedition drinks package yeah that was the weather! Photo package - six weeks after complaining the reply of this is a concession, complain to them. Paid ambassador, photographer is badged as ambassador. The photo sale is ambassador. If everything goes to schedule and as planned you won’t have need to complain. If it doesn’t, and they have frequent port changes/misses, and you feel that a complaint is appropriate, don’t hold out hope. Book with a company that has a better customer experience when things go wrong.

Ambassador are the Ryan air of cruising. Would I fly with Ryan air? Yes. Would I spend two weeks on Ryan air? No.
Arctic explorer and northern lights 13 night cruise, changed into a Baltic cruise with very mixed communications, limited amount of time in port, ship at rest in the day and cruising at night leading to heavy judder midship deck 8. Photo package misleading. Complaints process staggeringly poor. Crew excellent, but don’t have a problem, ambassador the worst company I have dealt with, speed of response, copy and paste approach, and little to no consideration for the customer. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid, if you do book and have an issue, expect the absolute worst, and don’t say you weren’t warned! (Provided you read this of course!)

Found the cruise enjoyable but mainly due to the people on it.

Poor excursions and entertainment management
Average restaurants
Customer comms also appalling

Only worth it if you get it super cheap