A-Z General Information
PLEASE CAREFULLY READ THIS INFORMATION, WHICH CONTAINS USEFUL DETAILS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BOOK YOUR CRUISE HOLIDAY. SHOULD THERE BE SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT YOU REQUIRE, OR YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY ASPECT OF YOUR CRUISE, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT US.
BAGGAGE
There is no restriction on the amount of luggage that you may bring onboard the cruises which depart from and return to the UK. To reduce the risk of accidental damage during baggage handling, please do not overpack your suitcases and also ensure that no one item of baggage weighs more than 23kgs/50lbs. As there are no separate Baggage Room facilities aboard our ships, all baggage must be stored within the cabin. Under-bed storage is available in most cabins for suitcases not exceeding 23cms depth. We strongly recommend the use of security locks for your luggage for all parts of your journey. Jewellery, medication, travel documents, passport and other valuables should be kept in your hand luggage. All baggage should be clearly labelled, with your name and cabin number. The Company is not responsible for any loss or damage to your luggage during transit to or from the ship. In case of loss or damage advise the carriers involved and your insurance company.
BOOKING CONDITIONS
In order to travel aboard our ships guests must read and sign, or in the case of web bookings, acknowledge that they have read the Booking Conditions, which cover the detailed terms and conditions under which bookings are accepted. It is the guest’s responsibility to ensure that they submit their API (Advance Passenger Information) to us via our website, by visiting our My Ambassador Sailing facility or via the Ambassador Cruise Line App in advance of travel. This can be done once within 90 days of sailing but must be completed no later than 24 hours prior to departure. Any guest who does not provide us with their information within this set timeframe, will be charged £75 per person on arrival at embarkation.
Failure to provide such information and a signed acknowledgement of our Booking Conditions could result in a delay in boarding at Embarkation or, in extreme circumstances, the permissions to board being refused.
BROCHURE INFORMATION
The information contained in the brochure has been checked for accuracy and is correct at the time of printing in May 2024. Worldwide events after this date may necessitate unavoidable alterations to our planned schedules. Any such changes deemed to be significant or fundamental to your booking will be advised to you accordingly. It should also be noted that the destination photography and maps are generic to the locations depicted and may not be a specific representation of sights or images to be viewed in a particular port of call on the cruise booked. Similarly, cabin photography is typical of the category shown but individual furnishings and colour schemes may vary within the same cabin grade.
CHILDREN & TEENS
Please note that our ships are child-free and therefore for the enjoyment of adult guests only (18 years and above at the time of sailing), except for our advertised multigenerational cruises. There are no dedicated recreational facilities for children aboard but accompanied children and teenagers under the age of 18 at the date of sailing are of course welcome on board and, when occupying a third or fourth berth in a cabin with two full fare-paying guests, travel at the beneficial rate shown under the ‘Fares’ boxes. Children and teens under the age of 18 at the date of sailing but occupying a twin cabin with just one accompanying adult, are charged at the full adult fare.
CRUISE DOCUMENTATION
As a sustainable cruise line, all cruise information and documentation will be available through our ‘My Ambassador Sailing’ page on the website or through the Ambassador App, launching by the end of 2021. You will need an email address to be able to update your information, book destination experiences, drinks packages, gift packages, car parking or coaching, as well as check-in for your cruise. Please note we do not offer any printed documentation.
DESTINATION EXPERIENCES
An attractive programme of optional Destination Experiences is offered at the majority of our ports of call. The exact content, pricing and full details of the programme and how to pre-book will be communicated to you closer to your sailing date. Availability permitting, you will also be able to book once onboard with our Destination Experiences Team, who will be pleased to assist you in selecting the Experiences most suitable for your requirements.
DRESS CODE
During the day, attitudes are very relaxed, and informality is the key. Casual clothing is quite sufficient during the days at sea and for time spent ashore. On certain destination experiences and at some religious sites, discretion should be used so as not to cause inadvertent offence with inappropriate clothing. Advice will be given on board in such cases. Every day, the Daily Programme suggests, as a guide, a mode of dress for that particular evening’s events. Generally, there are two ‘formal’ or Ambassador nights planned on each cruise when many gentlemen wear a dinner jacket, although a lounge suit is quite acceptable. The ladies on these occasions have a chance to dress up and often opt for evening or cocktail dresses. On evenings proposed as ‘smart’, a suit or smart jacket and trousers, with or without a tie, for the men is suggested and the ladies have further opportunities to look elegant in a cocktail dress, trouser suits and stylish co-ordinates. A ‘casual’ recommendation often covers evenings spent in port or when a special event such as a deck party is scheduled. In these cases, the choice of dress is left entirely to you.
DUTY-FREE SALES
The onboard shops are open daily when the ship is at sea, but local customs regulations do not permit the sale of duty-free goods whilst a ship is in port. It should be noted that alcohol and tobacco products purchased will only be delivered to your cabin on the last day of the cruise. If alcohol and tobacco products are purchased ashore, these will be taken from you at the gangway and stored until the last night of the cruise. Drink and tobacco may of course be purchased throughout the cruise from the ships’ bars at the listed shipboard prices.
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
All cabins feature 110v and 220v current and have an electrical socket to allow small appliances such as electric shavers, electric rollers and hair stylers to be used. All cabins have UK 3 pin sockets. For safety reasons, irons and water heating devices are not permitted to be used onboard.
EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION ARRANGEMENTS
The embarkation procedures at UK ports normally commence four hours before the published sailing time. Providing you have submitted your API (Advance Passenger Information) to us by visiting our My Ambassador Sailing (ambassadorcruiseline.com) facility online or via the Ambassador Cruise Line App, your provisional embarkation times will be displayed on My Ambassador Sailing 21 days prior to your departure date however, final embarkation times will be confirmed on your boarding pass, 72 hours before sailing. For final disembarkation, you should allow approximately 90 minutes from the scheduled arrival time before disembarkation will commence. Allocated disembarkation times will be confirmed once onboard.
Any guest who does not provide us with their information within this set timeframe, will be charged £75 per person on arrival at embarkation. In addition to this, the guest will be unable to board and will be required to wait until we have submitted their information to the Home Office, and we have received authority for permission to travel.
EXTRAS NOT INCLUDED
Please refer to our Booking Conditions, please see our website, for what is included in the fare. Unless otherwise stated, the following extras are not included: - travel insurance; travel joining costs to the port of embarkation (except for fly-cruises where specified); optional destination experiences; port parking; onboard spending of a personal nature i.e. drinks, gifts, shopping, laundry, communications etc; any visa & health certificate charges that may apply; and crew gratuities & services charges which will be automatically billed to your onboard account.
FARES
All fares published in this brochure and on our website are cruise only per person and exclude the outward and/or return cost of flights and/or transfers to/from the port of embarkation or disembarkation unless otherwise stated.
FINANCIAL PROTECTION
Peace of mind is our priority here at Ambassador. We know how important it is to feel financially protected and to be able to book with confidence, and as an ABTA member (Y6765), we are part of the UK’s leading travel trade association, widely acknowledged as the mark of trust and reassurance associated with travel brands. In addition to being ABTA members, our guests are financially protected by a Financial Failure Insurance policy which is managed by TMU Management Limited and underwritten by Accelerant Insurance Europe SA who are regulated by the Financial Services and Markets Authority (3193). We will continue to pay guests’ deposits and balance payments into an independently managed trust account.
FORCE MAJEURE
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by or you otherwise suffer any damage (or as more fully described under Our Responsibility in our main booking conditions) as a result of ‘Force Majeure’. ‘Force Majeure’ means any event which we or the supplier of service(s) in question could not, even with all due care foresee or avoid. Such events may include war or threat of war, riot civil strife, actual or threatened terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire or similar events outside of our control.
GRATUITIES & SERVICE CHARGE
For your greater convenience, we operate an automatic service charge and gratuity system which is automatically added to your onboard account.
For guests sailing on/after 1 September 2023 an amount of £7 per person per night (£6 per person per night on cruises of 16 nights or more per night) - will be automatically added to your onboard account. Please note that guests under the age of 18 will not be charged gratuities.
All service charges and gratuities are collated, so a portion goes to each crew member, who helps to make your cruise special.
If you notice an issue that makes you think twice about our service charge, be sure to speak with one of our Guest Services Team who will try to resolve the matter before a charge adjustment becomes necessary. Even if you had a negative experience with a particular employee, seriously consider whether it warrants removing your gratuities altogether, keeping in mind that because of one crew member the whole team is affected. Of course, if you want to also reward a crew member personally in addition for excellent service, feel free to do so!
If you purchase one of our Ambassador Drinks Packages, gratuities are also included. However, please note that the gratuity contribution cannot be removed from any of the packages.
GUARANTEED CABINS
If we accept your booking but are unable at the time to quote you a specific cabin number, or you have booked one of the Cabin Guarantees that are available on certain cruises, we shall allocate you a ‘guaranteed’ cabin at the fare quoted for your chosen grade of accommodation. Please note that you may ultimately be berthed in a higher grade of cabin for the same price, but in some circumstances, this may be located on a lower deck, or have an obstructed view. In most cases, the cabin number will be confirmed once online check-in opens; however, we reserve the right to make changes up to the time of embarkation.
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
HEALTH AND HYGIENCE
The safety and health of our Guests are our highest priorities at Ambassador Cruise Line. We set high standards for hygiene and cleanliness on board in order to safeguard all our Guests and Crew.
We follow standards set out by regional and worldwide ship sanitation organisations, principally the “EU SHIP SAN” framework. This is monitored by an independent advisor and we work closely with national Port Health Authorities to make sure that our procedures meet the required standards. We are always alert to new developments and welcome improvements to protect the health and well-being of our Guests and Crew.
Please check with your health care professional for up to date information on health and travel alerts from the countries you are visiting. It is the responsibility of guests to ensure that they comply with all health and vaccination requirements and are adequately protected. Our mandate will ensure the crew is fully vaccinated, and only fully vaccinated guests will be welcomed on board. Robust protocols will be in place onboard. The cruise line will also work closely with all destinations to adhere to local health guidelines and requirements. You can also access online information resources from the World Health Organisation website at www.who.int/vaccines-diseases and the Centres for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/travel. Useful up to date information is also available at http://www.masta-travel-health.com or
www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/Healthcareabroad/pages/Healthcareabroad.aspx
PRE - SAILING HEALTH QUESTIONNARE
Guests will be asked to complete a pre-sailing health questionnaire to identify any medical issues prior to sailing. Our priority is to look after everyone’s well-being on board and to make sure we provide any extra care that may be needed.
HOLIDAY & ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION
We have endeavoured to provide as much essential information as space permits about our ships. However, please bear in mind that from time to time, certain facilities, activities entertainments and destination experiences may be altered or withdrawn due to adverse weather conditions, lack of demand, essential maintenance work or other reasons beyond our control.
INTERNATIONAL DATELINE
Please note that the durations stated for cruises that cross the International Date Line are based on the calendar year. These cruises are however priced accordingly to take account of any lost or gained days when crossing the Date Line.
ITINERARIES
It should be noted that the cruise itineraries published are subject to amendment. Should major changes to the ports of call, other than timings, berth adjustments or the order in which they are visited, become necessary we shall endeavour to notify you in advance. Please note that in the event of adverse weather or sea conditions that prevent a vessel from calling at one of the scheduled ports of call, alternative arrangements will be made where possible. This is particularly pertinent to cruises around the waters of the British Isles. The order of visiting scheduled ports of call may also be varied due to congestion, tidal or other operational reasons. It should also be noted that the viewing of natural phenomena such as the Aurora Borealis or the Midnight Sun is entirely dependent on favourable weather and/or atmospheric conditions at the time.
INTERNATIONAL GUESTS
Whilst our cruises are predominantly sold to the British cruise market, we continue to welcome guests of other nationalities.
MEDICAL DECLARATIONS
In the interest of your safety and well-being, you must be fit and healthy to take your cruise and all other travel arrangements that you book with us. Therefore, the Company must be advised at the time of booking of any pre-existing medical condition and of any change to a guest’s condition that occurs between booking and the sailing date. Medical Declarations will be required by all guests including those who a) are pregnant or b) have a psychological or physical disability, including mobility limitations. Ambassador Cruise Line reserves the right in its absolute discretion to refuse boarding to persons who in the opinion of the Company’s Medical Consultant are unfit to undertake the cruise or who have failed to make full disclosure of the nature of their condition. Upon arrival at the embarkation port, you will also be required to complete a Health Questionnaire. If you have suffered from any viral symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting or flu-like symptoms within the 72 hours before sailing, you must immediately contact your GP and notify us providing details of the symptoms suffered. Based on the information you provide, if we reasonably feel that you are not fit to travel, we will not allow you to board. The Company regrets that it cannot accept bookings from guests who will be twenty-eight weeks pregnant or more by the end of their cruise. Please note that a failure to disclose a specified medical condition may additionally invalidate your travel insurance.
MEDICAL SERVICES
The services of our qualified medical staff are available to you onboard in the event of ‘mal de mer’ or an emergency. It should be noted that the NHS does not cover treatment on the ship and there is a scale of charges for surgery visits and medical treatment. Such charges, which are usually claimable under your travel insurance policy, less any excess amounts, must be paid in full before your final disembarkation. Seasickness tablets are available from Reception at a nominal charge.
MOBILITY AND SPECIAL ASSISTANCES
If you or one of your travelling companions has a mobility limitation or require special assistance, you must contact our office to allow us to discuss your requirements before you make a booking. Firstly though, please read the panel headed ‘Maritime Passenger Rights’ within the Booking Conditions as this contains important information. In the interests of safety, and to ascertain whether you or members of the party travelling with you have specific mobility or other assistances needs, you will be asked a series of questions. The answers to these will enable us to determine that you, any other person in your booking, and any equipment that you or they are intending to bring on board can be carried safely for the duration of your cruise. This will then be confirmed in writing to you and will enable your booking to proceed. A cruise is quite unlike a land-based holiday and the ships of our fleet are not ideally suited to prospective guests in wheelchairs or those who have limited mobility. It should be noted that the layout of the ship could considerably restrict such guests’ movement around the vessel and indeed preclude access to some of the ports of call, where gangway conditions are not conducive, or guests are conveyed ashore by tender. At anchorage ports, access to or from the tenders or launches requires a certain level of mobility which is necessary to manage the steps to the tender platform and to physically board and disembark from the vessel. It should therefore be noted that, on safety grounds, those with restricted mobility may be unable to go ashore at such ports.
ONBOARD PAYMENTS
All prices onboard our ships are quoted in sterling. A cashless system is in operation for all your onboard purchases. An account is opened for you at the start of your cruise for purchasing goods and services on board. All purchases are charged to your shipboard account and a final invoice is presented at the end of the cruise itemising all charges. This can be settled by MasterCard or Visa credit cards, or by Visa debit cards. Guests who prefer to pay by cash may top-up their cruise card by visiting reception.
Guests wishing to charge onboard expenditure to their credit card must register their chosen card during the embarkation process. Your card will be pre-authorized for £1. This pre-authorization will appear on your bank statement as a pending transaction until the end of your cruise.
During your cruise we will top-up your pre-authorised or pending amount in line with your account activity. You can check your account balance at any time using the ALL ABOARD APP, or at the self-service kiosks located around the ship. Your account will be closed at 0300 hrs on the day of disembarkation, at which point your onboard balance will be settled automatically and any remaining pre-authorised amount will be cancelled within 24 hours. Please note any purchases made after this point must be cash only. Please allow 3-5 days for this to be reflected in your bank account.
PASSPORTS
A passport is essential for all cruises, including mini-cruises and sailings around the British Isles and Republic of Ireland and all British Citizens, must hold a full ten-year passport. For travel to an EU country (except Ireland), or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City, you must meet the Schengen area rules. As a general rule, your passport must meet 2 requirements. It must be: 1. less than 10 years old on the day you enter (check the ‘date of issue’) 2. valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’). For travel outside of the EU your passport should be valid for 6 months after the date of your return. We will follow UK Government advice (which can be found here Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) however it is worth noting, that passport requirements when entering by sea, may differ from the entry requirements when arriving by air. If in any doubt of the validity of your passport, please contact our Guest Services Team at least three months prior to travel.
If you do not hold a valid 10-year British passport, please note it can take up to twelve weeks to obtain a new one. It is the responsibility of holders of non-British passports to check with the relevant consular authorities of the countries to be visited to ascertain if there are any specific restrictions or requirements for their planned itinerary. Any guest arriving at the departure port without a passport, or with incorrect documentation, will not be allowed to embark. Such circumstances are not covered by insurance and no refund claims will be entertained.
PRIVACY POLICY
Information provided by you to us in connection with your holiday will be collected and held by us as a data controller in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and our full data protection policy. In order to process your booking and to ensure that your travel arrangements can be properly performed we need to collect certain personal details from you. These will include, where applicable, the names and addresses of party members, their passport and insurance details, credit/debit card or other payment details and (with your specific consent), special requirements such as those relating to any disability or medical condition which may affect the chosen holiday arrangements and any dietary restrictions which may disclose your religious beliefs. We must pass on your personal details to the companies and organisations who need to know them so that your holiday can be provided (for example your cruise operator, airline, hotels, credit/debit company or bank). The information may also be provided to public authorities such as customs/immigration if required by them, or otherwise as required by law. If you fail to provide us with this information, we may not be able to plan or confirm your booking. We have appropriate security measures in place to protect the personal details you give us. You are entitled to ask us what details of yours are being held or processed, for what purpose and to whom they may be or have been disclosed; to delete, rectify or block the information we hold about you; to complete and restrict its use and to port it to another organisation. You have the right to object to the processing of your data in some circumstances and where we have asked for consent to process your data in ways additional to those listed above (for example, for marketing purposes), you may withdraw this consent.
PULLMAN BERTHS
Several cabins can accommodate a third or fourth guest in upper Pullman berths. Such berths are accessed by a short ladder, which is stored in the cabin and when not in use, the berths are folded back against the cabin wall. Potential occupants of Pullmans, therefore, need to be sufficiently fit and able to climb the ladder to reach their berth. Please refer to the deck plans to ascertain which cabins offer Pullman berth capacity for additional occupants. For multigenerational sailings, we suggest that no children under the age of 8 utilise an upper Pullman berth for safety reasons.
QUALITY CONTROL
To maintain a high standard of customer service, please be aware that telephone calls made to our Reservations & Guest Services Departments are recorded for monitoring and training purposes.
REFRESHMENT FACILITIES
Complimentary tea and coffee are available 24 hours a day from the relevant refreshment station. During bar/lounge opening hours you may purchase hot drinks and a range of speciality coffees from any of the ship’s bars.
RESTAURANT & TABLE RESERVATIONS
Whilst breakfasts and lunches are generally served in the restaurants on an open seating basis, two sittings with allocated seating are operated for dinner in the evening. On days at sea, these sittings are normally timed to commence from 18.00hrs and 20.15hrs and these timings may vary during port days. You should state any preferences for a particular dinner sitting and/or table size at the time of booking. Please note that requests for specific dining sittings and/or table sizes will generally be treated strictly on a ‘first-come, first-served' basis and will be subject to availability. Whilst every effort will be made to accommodate preferences, no guarantee or confirmations can be given.
SAFETY ON BOARD
Shortly before the ship sails, or if this is not possible within 24 hours of departure, a full safety drill will be held, and this compulsory exercise will give guests precise information of what to do and where to muster in the event of an emergency on board as well as important instructions about life jackets and the emergency procedures in place. In the event of adverse weather or sea conditions, it is important to take extra care moving around the ship, making use of the handrails and heeding any special instructions given over the P.A. system. In certain sea conditions, use of the guest lifts may be suspended for the duration and outside cabins on the lower decks may have protective covers, known as deadlights, placed over their portholes. These covers will therefore exclude natural light from the cabins affected. Such restrictions will be lifted as soon as it is practicable
SECURITY
For your complete security and peace of mind, there are stringent security measures in force, particularly at UK ports. All cabin baggage will be electronically screened, hand baggage may be examined, and you will be required to pass through an X-Ray arch before boarding the vessel. At embarkation, the barcode on your boarding pass will be used for gangway control purposes and will validate you as a bona fide guest. Once onboard, you will find your personalised ID cruise card in your cabin and this will be used for all onboard purchases and also, as security each time to leave and re-join the vessel.
SMOKING POLICY
Smoking is not permitted inside our ships. Consequently, all internal areas, comprising cabins, lounges, restaurants and other public rooms are non-smoking areas. Designated areas for smokers are available externally in selected areas of the open decks. We reserve the right to alter our smoking policy during the cruising season and should new national or international maritime legislation subsequently affect this policy, guests will be informed on board accordingly. E-cigarettes or similar are only permitted to be used in designated smoking areas.
SPECIAL DIETS
If you, or a member of your party, have a particular dietary requirement, we can offer the following dietary options: Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free, Low Cholesterol, Low Fat, Low Salt, Vegan and Vegetarian Meals. If you have not done so at the time of booking, please advise any requirements no later than four weeks before departure.
TECHNICAL CALLS
A technical call, as highlighted by the * in the itinerary, is a short duration visit to a port that is made for a specific purpose only. Such reasons for scheduling a technical call include the taking on of freshwater or fuel oil or embarking or disembarking participants of an organised destination experience that commences at one port and re-joins the vessel at another. Independent guests can't go ashore during these brief technical calls.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
It is a condition of booking that all guests hold fully comprehensive travel insurance that specifically covers cruise holidays, is valid for the entire duration of your chosen itinerary, provides full health coverage for all pre-existing conditions and the costs of medical repatriations, plus specific cover for covid-19 related issues. It should also include Personal Luggage insurance since there is limited liability for loss or damage. We are delighted to be working with Holiday Extras, who are able to provide our guests with exceptional value fully comprehensive cruise travel insurance cover, please visit www.holidayextras.com/ambassadorcruiseline/insurance.html to find out more.
VALUABLE
Each cabin has the facility of a personal safe for your valuables and important papers. The Company is not responsible for any theft or loss of any items not kept in the safety boxes. The Company does not accept responsibility for loss or theft of cameras, video cameras, chargers and other valuable electrical items which are your responsibility at all times.
VISAS
It is a guests own responsibility to ensure that they hold the correct documentation to visit the countries shown on their chosen itinerary. Failure to have the correct documents prior to sailing will result in you being denied boarding. The Visa Travel Company is Ambassador Cruise Line’s preferred visa, testing and entry provider. They can offer help and advice on specific requirements for Ambassador Cruise Line’s cruising itineraries as well as independent travel. For more information please visit https://thetravelvisacompany.co.uk/ambassador-cruise-line/ or alternatively you can call on 01270 904 907 or email enquiries@thetravelvisacompany.co.uk.
VISITORS
Due to the stringent security measures in force, it is regretted that it is not possible to allow visitors onboard our vessels at any port of call.
