CRUISING: Sunshine here we come. Plus Ambition.

Fancy spending the winter in the Caribbean?

Ambassador might have the answer with a brand-new fly-cruise programme. Her name is Renaissance.

The launch of its first non-UK originating programme follows confirmation that the Tilbury-based cruise line and the French operator Compagnie Française de Croisières have merged, marking the creation of a leading European affordable quality cruise line for the silver market.

The inaugural winter season sees Ambassador enter this holiday market for the very first time, flying with Virgin Atlantic from Manchester and Heathrow to Barbados every other Monday.

For the inaugural (positioning) cruise there is an 18-night meander from Tilbury starting 30 October to Bridgetown (Barbados).  Ports of call include Lisbon, Ponta Delgada (Azores), St Johns, Roseau and Castries.  Perfect for those who do not like flying. Spend the season in Barbados and join the return cruise to Tilbury 9 March 2026.

Like her sister ships in the Ambassador fleet, Renaissance is an intimate and welcoming small-to-mid-size vessel that was fully renovated in 2023 and upgraded with the latest environmental technologies in January 2025 in line with Ambassador’s high environmental standards and commitment to sustainable travel. With a multilingual crew, she has an average guest capacity of 1,100 and a generous space-to-guest ratio that offers a feeling of comfort and freedom. Complete with a laid-back atmosphere and stylish interiors, she has 629 cabins with the majority available to the British market over winter 2025/26 with the remainder taken by French and Dutch customers.

From the UK, British guests will be able to enjoy ten 14-night Caribbean Fly-Cruise sailings on board Renaissance, most with a different programme.

Highlights include the inaugural fly-cruise Caribbean itinerary: the Tropical Autumn Escape. Sailing from Bridgetown on 17 November 2025, the cruise will offer guests the chance to discover the vibrant cultures, crystal-clear waters and stunning landscapes of eight Caribbean destinations including St Kitts, Martinique, Antigua, St Maarten and Curaçao.

Guests seeking warmer climes over the festive period can look forward to Christmas in the Caribbean sailing, which departs Bridgetown on 15 December 2025. The itinerary takes in Grenada’s spice-scented shores, Tobago’s untouched beauty, the charm of Guadeloupe and Martinique and a magical Christmas Day in St John’s (Antigua).

Caribbean itineraries have been curated to ensure Ambassador provides destination experiences that will allow guests to truly discover the rich culture, history and natural beauty of the Islands. Offering a variety of experiences to appeal to all tastes and budgets, these include a breathtaking 45-minute helicopter adventure for a once-in-a-lifetime view of Montserrat’s dramatic Soufrière Hills Volcano; a relaxing catamaran cruise to the iconic Pitons, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in St Lucia; the chance to travel through lush landscapes, past sugarcane fields and along the dramatic coastline of St Kitts on the Scenic Railway; and the chance to discover the hidden paradise of Virgin Gorda on Tortola (British Virgin Islands), where giant volcanic boulders create stunning sea caves and tranquil pools.

Prices start from £1,429. And you can fly Virgin Upper Class too.

www.ambassadorcruiseline.com


Ambassador Ambition



This time last year TNU’s Editor-in-Chief and his wife were invited to join Ambassador Ambition for a short cruise from Tilbury to Bristol.  We enjoyed the trip and in March returned for a 12-night paid voyage across the Bay of Biscay via Plymouth, La Coruña, Leixões for Porto, Lisbon, Getxo for Bilbao, La Verdon and finally Lorient in Brittany. Four sea days.  Quite a full programme. 

See www.travelnewsupdate.co.uk/article/695

Ambassador is a fine 3/4-star product, priced accordingly, and at this time of the year it attracts in the main retirees.  With many wheelchairs and pushers it feels just like Saga.  Virtually every public access door is automatic.

Our previous criticism of the safety drill stands!  There is a perfectly adequate cabin TV video rendition but it is not compulsory, and all guests have to stand out in the cold on the promenade deck whilst the Captain eventually explains the procedure.  For the old and infirm it was a struggle.  All that was needed was for every cruiser to report to a designated member of staff after watching the drill in the cabin, as on other ships.

Unless one books on a specific cruise with a published entertainer it is potluck on the evening performers and specialised lecturers.  We were lucky.  They were all good.

A young dynamic troupe served up fine song and dance routines to recorded music in the Palladium Theatre.  With no pillars and well stepped it is one of the best at sea.  

In the days of old the music halls and working men’s club were the showcase and learning curve for the stage profession.  Today it is the cruise ships.  

Young Scots mind reader, magician and comedian Brandon Barrett started things off with an extraordinary act that involved placing his assistant in a box, apparently cutting through with a sword.  Upon opening the box she had disappeared, and when looking again she had reappeared in a different coloured dress. He’s already made it to stardom.

Dave Kristion is a product of the North East, very experienced on the cruise and nightclub circuit.  He was never ‘blue’ but close.  And sang. 

Our final ‘guest artist’ was Dean Andrews from the BBC hit series Life on Mars, Last Tango in Halifax and ITV's supernatural drama series Marchlands.  Entertainment Manager Adam Glass, as a first time interviewer, is not yet Michael Parkinson when asking the questions, but did more than OK.  Andrews provided an often hilarious background tale to his TV work although it was not until he read the day’s script for Emmerdale in December 2024 that he found out his time was finished when his character Will died of a heart attack.

The guest lecturers were Major General Chip Chapman, who fought at Goose Green (Falklands), and Ian Gunn, a former Scottish Prison Governor, perhaps a little limited with his topic.  Both were excellent and attracted a full house.

There was no band on board or port lecturers but plenty of onscreen information for each docking place.  But it is not the same as a live presentation followed by a question-and-answer session with the lecturer available around the ship.  And the live music in the various bars could be best described as moderate.

The restaurant meals are very well presented but the standard alternative selection has been dropped (usually a meat, fish, and vegetarian option), limiting your selection.  There is (paid for) specialist dining which varied from day to day, including Italian, two variety of Chinse and a couple of Indian evenings.  A ‘night under the stars’ on the ample stern patio was a good idea but not practical even if the Bay of Biscay was amazingly smooth in cold March. The included pizza bar offered alternative light meals daily.

Ambassador offers a full daytime programme including dancing classes, a variety of quizzes, cooking lessons, bowls and arts and crafts. 

From the crack of dawn in the large gym until late at night at Pendennis Bar clients are kept busy.  It is excellent value.

Take a look at a couple of rather unique places we visited, Soulac-sur-Mer and Guernica. www.travelnewsupdate.co.uk/article/967

www.ambassadorcruiseline.com

Index/Home page
 

READERS' COMMENT

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 200 words maximum

No one has commented yet, why don't you start the ball rolling?