Britain's New Cruise Line: Ambassador Cruise Line promises a Premium Value for Guests and Trade Partners
c: Ambassador Cruise Line
On 21 July, Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) entered administration, affecting 50,000 passengers and destroying the livelihoods of 4,000 staff.
One year on, and its chief executive Christian Verhounig is back in the CEO seat, this time in charge of new line Ambassador Cruise Line – a UK-based venture launched by a group of cruise veterans promising “premium-value” ex-UK cruise experiences, and a commitment to working with the trade.
Ambassador’s first ship, Ambience, will sail from Tilbury in spring 2022 with a plan to extend sailings from additional regional ports including Liverpool and Newcastle in 2023.
Like CMV, Ambassador specialises in the over-50s market; offers ex-UK cruises; and even employs notable CMV names including Verhounig, Christopher Coates, now Ambassador’s chief commercial officer, Gary Hides, chief information officer, and Simon Weeks, chief financial officer. Meanwhile, CMV sales director Lisa Jacobs has been appointed to lead the sales team.
“We do have to consider this is a completely new start-up,” he says. “It’s completely new ownership and it’s a whole new roadmap going forward.
“the collapse of CMV was not the reason for the owners starting up this line. The reason is that there is massive pent-up demand in the market for no-fly cruises sailing out of the UK.”
SUSTAINABILITY
The line is “very much here for the long run,” says Verhounig. Which is partly why he says he so passionate about sustainability.
“We want to ensure our environmental footprint is reduced to the minimum. We have a very strong focus on sustainability and being ethical in the way we operate.”
This focus on sustainability includes reducing Ambience’s nitrogen and sulphur emissions and adding a new sewage water treatment system in order to reduce the ship’s environmental impact, while all single-use plastic will also be banned onboard.
“A lot of money is also going into new technology,” Verhounig says, with apps used to make the booking and boarding process easier, and the technology being developed “as we speak”.
The Cruise Ship Ambience is undergoing a huge refurbishment to “make her unique for Ambassador”.
This includes upgrades in the cabins and public and crew areas. He also stresses that while the ship can accommodate 2,000 passengers, guests will be limited to 1,400 “to give the ship a premium feel”.
