Former Aussie P&O Australia ship Pacific Dawn has been saved with an announcement from the UK that a new cruise line, Ambassador Cruise Line is coming to the British market, with Ambassador Cruise Line claiming that it’s the first new British cruise line since 2010.
While here down under, the deadly silence from the Federal and State Governments in relation to the restart of cruising continues, with Australian cruising continuing to wallow in the dark, Ambassador Cruise Line sales will be commencing in June and its inaugural cruises in Spring 2022.
In a press release, Ambassador Cruise Line says that it will offer, “Premium-value, authentic cruise experience, sailing for the British market from its homeport of London Tilbury,” and, “No-fly itineraries aimed primarily at the over 50’s market.”
Ambassador’s first ship, formerly Pacific Dawn is being renamed, Ambience and will carry approximately 1,400 guests, in 798 cabins, offering a selection of five restaurants including speciality dining options as well as two cafes, nine lounges, a swimming pool, spa, day and evening entertainment, fitness and leisure facilities complemented by enticing enrichment and lifestyle programmes.
The maiden season for the Ambience, scheduled for April 6, 2022, will be an inaugural short break cruise to Hamburg, before embarking on a mixed itinerary programme with sailings to the Norwegian Fjords and the British Isles planned throughout spring, with the first full year programme operating until May 2023 consisting of 33 sailings visiting a total of 88 different ports, featuring the Baltics and St Petersburg, Greenland, the Arctic, and Iceland, whilst for the winter months, a range of expedition-style voyages will sail to the Canaries, Cuba, the Caribbean, Cape Verde and Scandinavia.
Ambassador Cruise Line said that is fully equity-financed, with no financial debt, through funds managed by Njord Partners LLP, with the Chair of the Board of Directors, Gordon Wilson who has over 30 years of experience in the global travel industry including as the President and CEO of Travelport until July 2019. He is a member of the Supervisory Board of BCD Holdings which owns a global corporate travel management company, BCD Travel.
Ambassador says that it has an extremely experienced management team, including several team members who were previously with Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) led by CEO, Christian Verhounig supported by CCO, Christopher Coates, CIO, Gary Hides and CFO, Simon Weeks.
Chair Gordon Wilson said, “We are hugely excited to launch the first British cruise line in over a decade”, adding, “It is just what the industry needs right now to reboot the British cruise market and inject confidence into the sector”, and “Ambassador Cruise Line offers the best of British cruising – we’re a new company offering a distinctive product but maintaining traditional cruising values which we know are important to our guests”.
He also said, “This is just the beginning”, adding, “We have ambitious growth plans, and the travel industry is a crucial partner in this”, and “We’re looking forward to working collaboratively with agents, partners and the shipping community”, adding, “Investment on this scale and the launch of such a significant business as we emerge from the pandemic will make a significant contribution to the local economy and travel industry, particularly as we look to fill at least 100 jobs from the UK”.
Ambassador says its proposal is to bring back the joy of cruising in ships that look and feel like cruise ships and which take environmental responsibility seriously and as a result, prior to her first voyage, the Ambience will be upgraded with emission reduction technologies to be IMO Tier III compliant prior to the start of the cruising season. They added that she will not only adhere to the latest updated rules regarding emission reductions (Tier-II from Jan. 1, 2022, in certain NOX Emission Control areas) but will already be compliant with rules which will come into force by Jan. 1, 2025 (Tier III of the IMO NOX regulations – aiming to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by approximately 70 per cent compared to the Tier II standards).
In addition, the Ambience will be equipped and outfitted with the latest ballast and sewage water treatment systems enabling her to sail in all seas, including those strictly environmentally protected, plus single-use plastic onboard has been eliminated and technology has been used as an innovative alternative to printing menus, shore plans and activity schedules.
Ambassador said that the huge investment in this area means the Ambience will be an innovator in its class and fully Tier III compliant, adding, “Treating our guests right is not just about the booking and onboard experience”, and “In accordance with The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, we have insurance cover in place to financially protect all guests booking with Ambassador Cruise Line”, adding, “In addition, we will operate a fully compliant independent Trust Account where guests’ funds are deposited and only released when the cruise departs. Our offer also includes a booking guarantee in the event we are forced to cancel a cruise”.
Ambassador has also announced it will also operate a policy that all guests and crew will need to be vaccinated prior to setting sail to provide that additional peace of mind.
Indicative prices for a seven-night European cruise departing from London Tilbury are £850 per person on a full-board basis, with detailed prices for individual cruise itineraries available in June 2021 including some introductory offers and a 68-page brochure will also be launched.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor.
