Budget-minded mature travelers who like a British, no-frills mid-size ship.
Think twice if: Older ship sold mainly in the UK: few US departures, British style and prices in pounds.
See her Europe sailings ↓ · Where is she now? → · Ambassador Cruise Line's page for this ship →
What she's like
Easy to find your way around. Fewer crowds getting off in port. About 50 tons of ship per guest. As a rule of thumb, 40 or more feels roomy and under 30 feels busy.
UK line sailing from UK ports; nationality mix not published.
Our judgment, from $ (budget) to $$$$$ (ultra-luxury).
Cabin, meals in main venues, entertainment. Drinks, Wi-Fi, excursions and service charges extra (drinks packages include service charges).
Ambition and Ambience are adults only (18+); families with children 3-17 welcome on Renaissance.
Casual by day; evening dress suggested daily; generally two formal/gala nights per 7-12 nights (dinner jacket or lounge suit; no jeans, T-shirts or shorts in main restaurant those nights); 'smart' and 'casual' nights otherwise.
Her Europe sailings, November 2026 to December 2027
32 sailings in Europe on the published schedule, 2 to 45 nights. Tap a start port to see how to get from the airport to the ship.
Where they start
- London: 32 sailings
What it costs beyond the fare
| Tips for the crew | GBP 7 (GBP 6 on cruises of 16+ nights); GBP 4 for ages 12-17; Added to your bill automatically |
|---|---|
| Drinks package | Ambassador Drinks Packages (include service charges; cheaper pre-cruise); prices not published. Sample bar prices: G&T about GBP 7.50, large beer GBP 4.50, cocktails about GBP 7. |
| Wifi | Starlink packages (Basic, Value, Premium) bought onboard, per device; prices not published. |
| Money on board | GBP ('The currency onboard Ambience, Ambition & Renaissance is Pound Sterling') |
How tipping and money work on a European cruise → · Build a full trip budget →
Her restaurants · 4 included, 3 extra
| Where to eat | Cost |
|---|---|
| Buckingham Restaurant | Included |
| Borough Market | Included |
| Alfresco Grill | Included |
| Coffee House | Included |
| Sea & Grass | Extra charge |
| Saffron | Extra charge |
| The Grill | Extra charge |
Which cabin to book, and which to avoid
| Cabin type | Size | Decks |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Cabin | 183-194 (17-18 m2) sq ft | 9, 10, 11, 5, 6 |
| Ocean View Cabin | 194-205 (18-19 m2) sq ft | 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 |
| Balcony Cabin | 226-269 (21-25 m2) sq ft | 10, 11 |
| Suite | 409 (38 m2) sq ft | 11 |
| De Luxe Suite | 560 (52 m2) sq ft | 11 |
Good to know before you pick
- Deck 8 (Boat) cabins midship sit beside the lifeboats; the plan marks cabins 8101-8135 with the obstructed-view symbol
- Deck 11 aft cabins 11212, 11216, 11221, 11225 carry the obstructed-view symbol
- Deck 11 cabins sit directly under the Deck 12 pools (midship) and Borough Market buffet (aft)
- Deck 10 aft cabins are beside the Consulate Bar
- Symbol legend marks wheelchair-accessible rooms (circle) and interconnecting cabins
If you use a wheelchair or walk with difficulty
Guests with disabilities should travel with an able-bodied companion; adapted cabins: Ambience 13, Ambition 2, Renaissance 2 (partial). Tender policy not published. Elevators: Lift banks aft, midship and forward on the main decks (5-12); Deck 14 forward lift only; Decks 2 and 4 show lifts aft-midship Our accessibility guide →
Find your way around
Our own deck plans, drawn from the line's official plan: tap a deck to see it from above, with what's at the front, middle and back of the ship. Use “Find on board” to light up every deck with a pool, a bar or a restaurant. Not to scale.
- Deck 14 · Sun , ActiveStudio; Jogger's and Walker's Track; Big Screen; The Observatory
- Deck 12 · Lido , Saffron; Borough Market; Ice Cream Shop; Alfresco Grill; The Pool Bar; Relaxation Pool; Pool; The Coffee House; Sea & Grass; Bridge & Wheel House
- Deck 11 · Ambassador , Hot Tubs; Cabins
- Deck 10 · Consulate , Consulate Bar; Self Service Laundry; Cabins
- Deck 9 · Ambience , Cabins
- Deck 8 · Boat , Cabins; The Purple Turtle Pub; Bronte's Library; The Partnership Lounge; The Palladium (upper level)
- Deck 7 · Promenade , Buckingham Restaurant; Raffles Bar; The Botanical Lounge; SW19; Photo Gallery; Shopping Galleria; The Palladium; Promenade (outdoor, both sides)
- Deck 6 · Main , Kapoor's; Aces & Eights; Shopping Galleria; Ambassador Casino
- Deck 5 · Reception , Shop; Dickens; Centre Court; Reception; Destination Experiences; Future Cruise
- Deck 4 · Aloe , Medical Centre
- Deck 2 · Wellness , Salon; Thermal Suites; Gym; Green Sea Spa
What to book, and when
Booking, check-in and reservations
Online check-in opens within 72 hours of sailing once Advance Passenger Information is submitted.
Paying and cancelling
not published (ABTA-protected UK bookings).
Tips for her Europe sailings
Sails from regional UK ports (Tilbury, Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle, Dundee, Belfast, Portsmouth); prices in sterling.
The ship in numbers
- Cruise line
- Ambassador Cruise Line
- Kind of ship
- Mass-market
- Built
- 1991
- Last refit
- 2022
- Guests
- 1,400
- Crew
- 660
- Cabins
- 789
- Guest decks
- 11
- Gross tons
- 70,285
- Length
- 245 m (804 ft)
- Width
- 32 m (106 ft)
- Flag
- Bahamas
- Class
- One-off (ex P&O/Princess Regal Princess, 1991)
- Ship number
- IMO 8521232
- In Europe 2026–27
- Adriatic, Northern Europe & Baltic, Norwegian Fjords, British Isles, Iceland, Canary Islands & Madeira, Atlantic Coast (Spain, Portugal, France)
Highlights
- Built 1991 as P&O's Regal Princess, later Pacific Dawn (Wikipedia)
- About 1,400 guests in 789 cabins; refits in 2017 and 2022 (Ambassador)
- British line: adult-focused, sails mostly from UK ports
More pictures
Sources & what we could not confirm · 9 sources · checked 2026-11
- Ambassador: Ambience ship profile
- Ambassador: Ambience deck plans
- Ambassador: Ambience leisure facilities and dining (Included/Extra labels)
- Wikipedia: MS Ambience (secondary)
- VesselFinder vessel record (registry: flag, gross tonnage, year)
- Ambassador Cruise Line FAQs
- Ambassador: what's on board / Wi-Fi FAQ
- Ambassador: travelling to port
- CruiseTimetables.com: Ambience schedule (independent listing)
- Deck names from Ambassador's deck plan page; venue labels are only in images/PDF, so per-deck venues not listed
- Crew count not published by Ambassador; Wikipedia gives 660
- Guest deck count from Wikipedia (11 passenger decks); Ambassador's field is blank
- 'Adult-focused, UK ports' is general line positioning, not on a fetched page
- Ambassador Cruise Line: Drinks package and Wi-Fi prices
- Ambassador Cruise Line: Deposit/final payment/cancellation
- Ambassador Cruise Line: Tender policy
- Ambassador Cruise Line: Wi-Fi FAQ URL path truncated in our extract
- Deck plan: Deck 3 (Amber) and Deck 1 (Allium) have no plan image on the page
- Deck plan: Cabin sizes from the Ambience cabins page (m2, converted at 10.764 sq ft per m2); deck ranges inferred from colour key
- Deck plan: Exact obstructed-view cabin numbers read from small symbols
- Deck plan: Ambition has its own, separate deck plan page (https://www.ambassadorcruiseline.com/our-ships/ambition/deck-plans/) with different deck images; it is not the same layout as Ambience and was not read here