Key Aspects:
- Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition cannot finish its planned visits to Scotland due to poor weather.
- Instead, the ship has turned south and will visit Ringaskiddy in Ireland as a replacement port.
- This is the second consecutive cruise when weather has forced Ambition to change course and alter ports.
It’s been rough sailing lately for Ambassador Cruise Line’s ship Ambition, as yet another itinerary is dramatically impacted by poor weather.
The ship is in the middle of a 9-night sailing from Newcastle Upon Tyne to Liverpool, by way of Scotland and Northern Ireland. The vessel set sail on Sunday, September 7, 2025.
Unfortunately, three of the upcoming ports of call must be cancelled due to poor weather in the sailing region. The cruise line has consulted with port authorities in all three locations to come to this difficult decision.
“Regrettably the strong weather conditions have meant that Ambition’s planned calls to Runavik on 11 September, Scrabster on 12th, and Portree on 13th have had to be cancelled,” Ambassador Cruise Line confirmed.
The severe weather includes wind gusts and swells that would make navigating to docks or anchoring for any tendering operations especially challenging and even dangerous.
Because of this, the ship is unable to continue further north for the final planned calls in Scotland.
“We have already started a voyage South to take shelter from the worst of [the storm],” the cruise line said. “We have been able to confirm an alternative port in Ireland and will call at Ringaskiddy on Saturday 13th September.”
Ringaskiddy is in County Cork, just across the mouth of the Lee River and Cork Harbour from Cobh Cruise Terminal. Ambition is now scheduled to dock in Ringaskiddy from 9 a.m. until late in the evening, though the departure time has not yet been finalized.
The ship should still make her planned visit to Belfast on Monday, September 15 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is also no change to the planned debarkation in Liverpool on Tuesday, September 16.
North Sea Weather Unpredictable
This is the second significant itinerary change for the 48,123-gross-ton Ambition in the past two weeks. On the ship’s previous cruise, an 11-night summertime Norwegian fjords adventure, Ambition was unable to call at Kristiansand on September 4 and instead remained overnight in Stavanger.
An earlier call in the sailing, a visit to Geiranger on Saturday, August 30, was also missed. That cancellation was due to a minor operational issue rather than weather, however.
Poor weather can impact cruises in all parts of the world at any time of year. Cruise lines monitor regional weather closely and coordinate with port authorities, local weather bureaus, and other resources to ensure they have the most accurate and updated information as possible.
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While it is always the intention to keep original schedules, sometimes that just isn’t possible. Safety of the guests, ship, crew members, and port communities will always be the top priority.
Ambassador Cruise Line is doing its very best not only to keep everyone safe, but also to ensure full transparency for necessary changes.
Furthermore, the line is working to ensure guests still have an amazing onboard experience by arranging alternative ports whenever possible, which isn’t always an easy task.
Most guests are very understanding of such changes, agreeing that it is better to ensure safety rather than risk a potentially dangerous port. There will always be another cruise itinerary to enjoy!
