Ambassador Ambition ship review

Ambassador is a relatively new cruise line which currently has two ships, Ambience and Ambition. I decided to try a 2-night mini cruise from Liverpool to Bristol on the Ambassador Ambition to see what it was like.

My boarding time was 2pm at Liverpool and the cruise port is at Pier Head, a short walk from the city centre. Check-in was very efficient and I was on board quite quickly. One good point about boarding at that time is that the cabin was ready as soon as I boarded.

The Ambassador Ambition cabin

I had an outside cabin which was very comfortable and very nicely decorated. As I was travelling with my mum, we had a twin cabin and it was quite roomy. The bathroom was also very well equipped, and the cabin had pool towels, which was a nice touch. The cabin also included tea and coffee-making facilities as standard which is great as I love a coffee in bed in the morning.

Food

There are lots of choices for food across the ship. These included:

• Buckingham Restaurant & Holyrood Restaurant – the main restaurants on board serving breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Borough Market – serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner
• Lupino’s – Mediterranean speciality restaurant serving dinner
• Saffron – speciality Indian fine dining restaurant serving dinner
• Chef’s Table – intimate, exclusive dinner experience hosted every other night
• Alfresco Grill – serving casual food

As it was only a 2-night cruise, I didn’t have time to try all the restaurants on board but the menus at Lupino’s, Saffron and the Chef’s Table looked lovely.

Borough Market

For breakfast, I decided to try the Borough Market (the buffet restaurant) which had a wide range of hot and cold items including a full English breakfast with English crispy bacon, fresh eggs and cold items such as fruit, cheese, meats, pastries and cereals. The toast was done for you by the staff but they were very quick with this and it meant the toast was hot when you got it. Hot drinks and juice were unlimited and self-service. The buffet was quiet at about 8:30am but busier by 9am. However, there were still lots of tables.

At lunch, there was a wide variety of hot food options including fish and chips, steak and kidney pie and curry together with a salad bar, vegan/vegetarian options and cheese and biscuits with Branston pickle. You could also help yourself to juice and coffee/tea.

Afternoon tea had a selection of delectable delights such as freshly made scones (plain and apricot), freshly baked shortbread, crumble with custard, turnovers, pastries and a selection of gluten-free and vegan cakes that tasted lovely. There was also a vast selection of sandwiches.

In the evening. The buffet follows the main restaurant food with some additions such as salad, soup, meats and cheeses, lasagne and curry. I went on the first night and it was very quiet as I imagine most people went to the main restaurant but I was still full from lunch!

Main restaurant

I ate in the main restaurant on the second night as it was formal night. I was a bit worried that I didn’t have a suit as I was only on board for 2 nights but I was fine with a smart shirt and trousers.

The menu was delicious and included to start: Welsh rarebit – this was very cheesy and served with a cheese straw just to add to the cheese! For the main, I chose saddleback of lamb mint sauce gravy, dauphinoise potatoes and broccoli and to finish, the all-important Baked Alaska with cheery sauce. Although I am not a great fan of this dessert, the staff managed to get some ice cream for me instead.

Alfresco Grill

The Alfresco Grill on the pool deck had a wide range of items to keep you satisfied throughout the day including pizza, wedges, salad and my favourite – bacon butties!

Daytime on the Ambassador Ambition

Deck space is always a bone of contention on board cruise ships but there were lots of loungers until about 11:30 but after that, the pool deck was busy as it was a hot sunny day. However, there were lots of loungers still stacked. It never took long to get a drink as there were lots of staff about and there were two bars: one at each end

The pool deck pool was very good and there were 2 hot tubs and a 2nd whirlpool-type pool. They were never very busy.

Entertainment during the day included line dancing on the pool stage and “Deckfest” which consisted of live entertainment from the onboard team followed by the ship’s party band playing a selection of songs across all decades from the 60’s onwards. This was nice to listen to in the sun from your lounger.

Evening entertainment on Ambassador Ambition

The Cavern Club on Ambassador Ambition is one of the main entertainment venues on board and on the first night there was a party tunes band from Brazil. They performed 2 sets during the evening and when I was on board, Jack the Cruise Director, did an amazing set of songs including Elton John, Neil Diamond and Robbie Williams. It was a real party atmosphere and lots of dancing.

As the second night was formal night, we had the Captain’s welcome which included free drinks and canapes and an introduction of key officers.

The Palladium is the main theatre on board and as we went from Liverpool, on the second night there was a guest act on board – The Bootleg Beatles – this was our entertainment for the night and they were absolutely amazing. I was blown away by the likeness and sound.  They played over an hour and 45 minutes of pure Beatles, hit after hit. This was certainly one of the highlights of the cruise.

Disembarkation

I disembarked at 12:20pm which was quite late but it was due to the tidal waters at Bristol. I could keep the cabin until 9am and there were plenty of places to sit whilst I waited to get off. Disembarkation was done in groups as buses had to take you from the quayside to the cruise terminal.

Conclusion

My taster 2-night cruise was excellent. Every member of staff I came across was friendly and professional and the food was amazing. I was thoroughly entertained throughout my cruise and wasn’t bored in any way. I would definitely cruise with Ambassador again, especially at the price they are offering cruises.