Ambition is Ambassador Cruise Lines’ second ship, a relative newcomer to the cruising scene, offering affordable but interesting cruises. For those who don’t like to fly, there’s the added benefit of being on no-fly cruises – from a number of UK ports. The closest really for us is Tilbury, but they are also starting Portsmouth and Bristol.
I have just got back from a mini-cruise, two nights onboard Ambition from Dundee to Newcastle, and then Newcastle to Tilbury (essentially two one-night cruises put together). As this was the end of a cruise from Newcastle to the Norwegian Fjords, it was actually far busier than I thought it was going to be.
The journey was relatively straightforward. I flew up to Edinburgh with easyJet, which was on time and easy through Luton airport! Then the tram into Edinburgh, to pick up a train to Dundee from Waverley station. I got to Dundee at 1:30 pm, for a 5 pm sailing, although they wanted everyone onboard by 3 pm.
Ambition isn’t a large ship, it carries around 1200 passengers. Most common spaces like the reception, library, bars, bridge room and shopping area are on the lower decks, with the cabins on decks 7, 8, 9 and 10. Being a slightly older ship, there isn’t a huge number of balcony cabins – however, the first night I had an outside at the very front of the ship on deck 9. There’s plenty of room to get around, with a desk and a nice although small bathroom – you also get a nicely sized wardrobe.
As I was back-to-backing, I couldn’t have the same cabin for both nights. The first night I had an outside on deck 9 at the very front, cabin 9006 – which is a good size with a huge amount of storage. It was also noticeable that being a couple of decks higher and at the front, it was certainly quieter at night with less traffic going past. The second night I moved to a single outside which are obstructed by the lifeboats. Really, that isn’t much of a problem and you still do get a decent amount of light in the room, so it doesn’t feel too bad – although note it is smaller and it does have a particularly small bathroom. It was a nice touch that they moved all your belongings to the new cabin for you, leaving tags on my bed the night before – so despite vacating the room at 7:30 am (yes 7:30 am!), I could get to the new cabin before others started to board at 11 am.
Outside Cabin
Outside Single
I had dinner at the buffet, as the second sitting is a bit late for me at 2015 – but there was plenty of choice and as most were only there for one night had dinner in the main restaurant, so it was relatively quiet.
Borough Market – Ambassador Ambition
The entertainment is really quite good, although the only thing I would say at around 45 minutes of the show in ‘The Palladium’ the main theatre of the ship was a little too short and it could have been extended by another 15 minutes. It’s a small group of performers (8/9) who do a different themed show each night.
The Palladium Theatre
Like many cruise ships, it has all the usual facilities – some of which you can’t use in the middle of winter with a swimming pool (although some were braving the hot tubs), a spa with gym and sauna, and the usual bars. The gym has a prime position at the front of the ship, so you get really good views when sailing (I noticed quite a few people in there to see the sail away (when it was far too cold outside).
Pool Deck
Although it’s not the most state of the art, I actually like it better than some of the ‘luxury cruise lines’ older ships. It has a friendly atmosphere, and the staff are really amazing – and it’s still great value for money.
