Key Aspects:
- Ambition will remain in Bordeaux for an extra night due to rough weather in the Bay of Biscay.
- The ship’s next port visit in Spain has been adjusted to account for the brief delay.
- Illness protocols remain in effect onboard, but the ship’s itinerary will continue as planned.
Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition has been cleared by French health authorities and guests are permitted to debark and explore the historically-rich city of Bordeaux, but the ship will now be remaining in port longer than originally expected.
Ambition was supposed to depart at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 following an overnight stay in the port. While the ship did arrive on time early on Wednesday morning, an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness onboard led French authorities to deny debarkation until health testing was complete.
Cruise Hive reported that the testing was finished and guests permitted to debark later in the day on Wednesday, following the loss of several hours of port visit time. This led to all of Wednesday’s tour opportunities being cancelled.
Now Ambition will remain overnight in Bordeaux until late Friday, but not entirely due to the illness outbreak.
“In the interests of guest comfort and crew wellbeing, Ambition will remain in Bordeaux overnight before continuing her sailing on a revised itinerary from tomorrow, Friday 15 May 2026,” the cruise line announced on Facebook.
“This will allow the ship to avoid forecast unsettled weather conditions in the Bay of Biscay this evening which would be less than ideal for guests and crew recovering from gastrointestinal illness while also providing valuable additional time for crew who have worked exceptionally hard in challenging circumstances over recent days.”
The Bay of Biscay is off the southwestern coast of France. As Ambition sails from Bordeaux to her next port, El Ferrol in northwestern Spain, she must completely cross the southern portion of the bay.
According to Windy.com, winds across the Bay of Biscay are forecast to be 25-30 miles per hour from the north-northwest at the time Ambition was to have been sailing toward El Ferrol on Thursday. By leaving on Friday instead, winds should slow to just 15-20 miles per hour, which will be a much smoother passage.
Time in El Ferrol Revised
The 48,200-gross-ton ship was originally planned to arrive in El Ferrol at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 16 and depart at 6 p.m.
On the revised schedule, the ship will now arrive at 10:30 a.m. and her visit has been extended until 8 p.m. to ensure all guests have a full day to enjoy the city and any tours or excursions planned.
At this time, there are no further changes to Ambition‘s itinerary. The ship departed Belfast on Friday, May 8 for the 14-night sailing. After El Ferrol, her remaining port visits are Gijon and Bilbao in Spain, followed by La Rochelle and Lorient in France, as she makes her way back to arrive in Belfast on Friday, May 22.
Illness Protocols Continue
Though Ambition is able to continue on her journey after the weather-related adjustment, the gastrointestinal illness outbreak remains onboard.
The Agence Regionale de Sante Nouvelle-Aquitaine has confirmed the outbreak as norovirus, but no serious cases have been reported.
Ambassador Cruise Line is continuing to provide free medical consultations onboard for any gastrointestinal illness symptoms and enhanced surface cleaning and other sanitation protocols remain in effect.
“Throughout this period, the health, safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew has remained our highest priority,” the cruise line said. “We would like to thank guests and crew for their patience, understanding and cooperation while precautionary health and safety measures remain in place.”
Ambition can hold 1,248 guests at double occupancy, but no numbers have been confirmed about how many guests or crew members have reported illness symptoms.
Norovirus and other gastrointestinal illness outbreaks are common in many public places, including schools, restaurants, and yes, on cruise ships.
So far in 2026, four outbreaks have been reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including most recently onboard Caribbean Princess with more than 100 guests and crew members exhibiting symptoms.
