I have recently had the privilege of spending the day on Ambassadors Ambition Ship. I arrived at Bristol Cruise Terminal which is really well signposted and the whole check in process was seamless. I was taken on a complimentary bus from the car park to right outside the ship. Once onboard, I was greeted by the lovely friendly staff. Ambassadors strap line is ‘The Warmest Welcome at Sea’, and they’re not wrong. You are greeted with a pristine, modern reception area before going to your cabin to unpack for your stay.
We saw a range of cabin types;
- Premium Suite - beautiful wrap around balcony with seating and loungers, spacious lounge area to sit and enjoy the view and with the added benefit of being able to order breakfast to your cabin.
- Suite - Any suite cabin or above you receive complimentary binoculars to help with your sightseeing. I loved the separate seating area in this cabin and you also get a walk in wardrobe for that added bit of luxury.
- Balcony Cabin - This cabin is great for space with the added benefit of a sofa area, desk and TV. The floor to ceiling doors allows lots of natural daylight in the cabin and great views even when you’re not on your balcony.
- Ocean view cabin - All outside cabins the same size just different location with a large 51” window.
- Inside cabin - 2 or 4 berth. These are still great sizes for those not concerned about seeing outside.
- Accessible cabin - There are two cabins for passengers who may be confined to wheelchair situated on Deck 9.
The dining onboard was very impressive. One thing I really noticed was the amount of seating choice around, you will never struggle to find somewhere to sit and relax with your book or your drink. Whether you’d like to sit in a bar with some live entertainment, the library or just a quiet little spot on the ship. Every bar has some sort of live entertainment except Purple Turtle.
- Clifton lounge - one of the passengers told me this was best place for hot chocolate, I didn’t get to try one so I’ll take her word for that!
- Grafton street - Here they do Arts and Crafts, there are 61 different types and cost approximately £6 per session. They are quite popular with guests so I would recommend booking these in advance.
- Saffron - Indian and Goa infused cuisine. They offer tables of 2, 4 and 6. They do a 3 course meal here for £19.95 per person which is amazing value. I had the buttermilk chicken curry which is one of the most flavoursome curry’s I’ve ever had!
- Holyrood restaurant - We had lunch in this restaurant and the service was impeccable. The staff could not do enough and the presentation of the food was really impressive.
- Borough Market - Here they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and an afternoon tea service. It’s a self serve buffet with tables of four mainly, lots of tables of two and few large tables. A lot of passengers think this is the only restaurant open for breakfast but The Buckingham is also open for breakfast so make sure you head on down there too! Here it is buffet style for breakfast and lunch and evening dinner is waiter service. They also have a water unit in here that you can top up your water bottles, however make sure it’s a smaller bottle so that it fits under the machine!
- Lupinos - Named after a late staff member on the transformation of the ship, this beautiful restaurant is located next to the pool area for more alfresco dining in the evenings. Bookings can be made with the restaurant manager.
- The Grill - another great place for more relaxed al Fresco dining, serving pizza and burgers or smaller snacks. This also leads straight out to the pool area.
The pool area is really spacious and has a pool with lovely jets cascading down. There is also a jacuzzi and hot tub. There is plenty of seating both sun beds and sofa beds to relax in the shade. Any smokers have a dedicated area on this deck with lovely sofas to relax on too. The Walking deck provides a track for those who want to get their steps in, 10 laps of this equates to 1 mile. There are two bars, one on each end of the pool area.
- Green sea spa - The spa is absolutely beautiful and much larger than I was expecting. The sauna, steam room and gym are all complimentary, you just pay for any treatments you wish for. Complimentary robes and towels will also be provided.
- The Gym - this is open 8am - 8pm and they also run classes which you need to book. The gym is designed with floor to ceiling glass window so to can over look the sea whilst burning the calories!
If you fancy a more relaxed time, head over to the Relaxation room where you can read your book in peace overlooking the ocean. This is where you’d find me!
- The Cavern - This bar has a great atmosphere and is quite a lively bar offering live music, various shows including a silent disco.
- The Palladium offers some fantastic shows. One benefit of being on the Ambition is that they allow you take your own drinks into the theatre from the bar so that there’s no rush to finish your drink or miss the beginning of the show!
Overall, having previously travelled on a larger ship with another cruise line, I was concerned I’d feel the difference and feel it was much smaller, however I shouldn’t have worried. This beautiful ship has everything you’d need to have a fantastic luxury holiday at affordable prices. The staff are so friendly with customer service is their priority, the food is delicious and beautifully presented and the cabins are spacious, light and airy.
I was very impressed and will definitely be booking myself my own holiday with Ambassador cruise lines and I hope you do too! If you have any questions or queries on [email protected], call me on 01452 345 623 or come in and see me in our Gloucester store.
