A new cruise line will be sailing around the British Isles next year in what can reasonably be called a surprise move. Ambassador Cruise Line will be sailing with its one vessel on cruises on sale this June and sail in the Spring of 2022.
The vessel they will be using is the MS Ambience, formerly Pacific Dawn which, more interestingly, is the ship also known as Satoshi. This ship was slated to be the first crypto ship, where people could lead a life away from the rest of the world by paying for everything with bitcoin. Although the vessel was thought to be underway to the scrapyard, it turns out it will now be sailing towards the UK.
Perhaps not surprisingly, many of the Ambassador Cruise Line management team are former executives of Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV). This cruise line went into administration last year after suffering from financial problems due to the pandemic.
Catering to the UK Market
Ambassador Cruise Line states in a press release it will be focussed on departures from the UK. Using the port of Tilbury, the gateway to London, as the homeport for MS Ambience.
The ship will offer no-fly routes emphasizing the over 50’s market, taking in nearly 1,400 guests, creating a relaxing and social atmosphere. The cruise line will aim to offer guests an authentic cruise experience with exceptional value:
Gordon Wilson, chair of the board of Directors,
“We are hugely excited to launch the first British cruise line in over a decade. It is just what the industry needs right now to reboot the British cruise market and inject confidence into the sector. 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.”
In addition to the 798 cabins, there are five restaurants, including specialty dining options and two cafes, nine lounges, a swimming pool, spa, and other enrichment and lifestyle activities. While the cruise line has only one ship at this time, the line is looking to expand significantly in the upcoming years, Gordon Wilson:
“This is just the beginning. We have ambitious growth plans, and the travel industry is a crucial partner in this. We’re looking forward to working collaboratively with agents, partners and the shipping community.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.”
Besides Gordon Wilson, the management team for the new cruise line will consist of CEO Christian Verhounig, supported by CCO Christopher Coates, CIO Gary Hides, and CFO Simon Weeks.
Itineraries & Cruises
Cruises onboard MS Ambience will go on sale this June while the vessel will be sailing for the first time from London Tilbury in the spring of 2022.
Throughout spring 2022, Ambience will sail to the Norwegian Fjords and the British Isles as part of its maiden season, starting with a short break cruise to Hamburg.
During the first year of operation, there will be 33 sailings to 88 ports, including sailings to the Baltics, St. Petersburg, Greenland, the Arctic, and Iceland. An array of expedition-style voyages will be available in the winter to the Canaries, Cuba, the Caribbean, Cape Verde, and Scandinavia.
About The Ship
It is good to see that Ambience has now found a steady home with Ambassador Cruise Line. In the last few years, she certainly has seen some ups and downs. The same people that now operate Ambassador Cruise Line had already purchased the vessel last year. However, Cruise and Maritime Voyages went into administration, and the vessel, which was supposed to be called Amy Johnson, was never used.
Only last year, the vessel was sold to a company called Ocean Builders which planned to exploit the former Princess and P&O Cruises Australia ship as a bitcoin accommodation ship off the coast of Panama. All this fell to the water as interest waned, and the pandemic sealed the deal for Ocean Builders and its accommodation vessel.
Built and delivered to Princess Cruises in 1991 as the Regal Princess, MS Ambience measures 70,285 tonnes and will only sail with 1400 guests instead of 2000 planned for Satoshi. This means that MS Ambience will have more guest ratio than previous cruise lines that operated the vessel.
All in all, it sounds like fans of a more traditional style of cruising, MS Ambience could very well be worth a look.
