A UK focused cruise line specialising in no-fly voyages, Ambassador begun operations in 2021 with just the one ship.
Their cruises are adults only (although they used to host a limited number of multi-generational voyages) and are particularly popular in the 50+ demographic - although you definitely don’t have to be this age to sail with them. I travelled with Ambassador at 30 years old and had a really fun time!
The small size of ambassador’s ships means that they are able to dock in a variety of regional UK ports. This really sets them apart from other lines, allowing them to run itineraries from places like Cornwall and Scotland.
As a relaxed yet traditional cruise provider, Ambassador generally has a chilled vibe, and all dress codes are optional.
Despite this, it is important to be aware of the dress code so you know what to expect. It can be really fun to join in with formal nights, but I know they’re not for everyone. By planning ahead you can avoid any surprises and know how to fit in with the other passengers.
This guide will be useful for both first time cruisers and seasoned travellers who are planning to sail with Ambassador Cruise Line.
If you’re trying to decide between Crystal Cruises and Viking Cruises, then you’re in the right place.
While both lines offer premium, high end experiences, they have a different vibe and suit different cruising styles. Personally, I have sailed and loved Viking and Crystal, but can definitely see how each company would suit a different type of cruiser.
In this blog post I give a clear, side-by-side comparison and explain which cruise would be better suited for your tastes. Whichever you pick, you’re sure to have an amazing time!
This is an important part of your vacation that you need to get right before you even set sail!
As a premium line with modern ships, all of Viking’s cabins will be similar in quality, but the location of those cabins will come with various benefits and drawbacks.
This guide will help you to avoid some of the common mistakes people make when booking a Viking cruise, and select the stateroom that is best for you.
One of the many great things about Viking is that their cruises really are an almost all inclusive holiday.
While the cruise fare might be slightly higher than you would find with other lines, an impressive number of services are included in the price. This includes all of your food, drinks with meals, and even your toiletries, so you really don’t need to spend any extra money.
This blog post outlines what is included in the base fare of a Viking cruise, as well as any optional extras that you may want to budget for.
Packing for a vacation can be a stressful experience, but it doesn’t need to be that way.
This blog post outlines my top tips for anyone preparing to embark on a Viking ocean cruise, including clothing, cabin accessories and excursion essentials.
Hoping to play bingo? Pack your bingo dabber. Have a tendency to lose your cruise card? Get yourself a lanyard so you can wear it instead.
Read on for my complete guide to packing for a Viking ocean cruise!
If you’re not sure what to pack for a Viking cruise, then you’re in the right place.
Understanding Viking’s dress codes can be confusing, as they often differ from other mainstream cruise lines, with conflicting information shared by cruisers online.
Fear not! In this blog post I will outline the differences between a Viking river cruise and a Viking ocean cruise, and clarify which types of clothing are needed for each voyage.
Read my full review and learn what to expect from this excursion.
An onboard cooking experience offered by Viking Cruises, the Kitchen Table is available to book on their ocean ships. It’s a great way to liven up a relaxing day at sea, meet some new people, and learn how to cook a delicious three course meal from one of their onboard chefs.
I took part in one of these group cooking classes during a cruise around South East Asia onboard the Viking Venus in 2025, and found it to be a huge amount of fun.
If you’re thinking about booking a Viking cruise, then you’re in the right place.
I’ve sailed with Viking multiple times over the last few years and have absolutely loved each of my experiences. From travelling around South East Asia to sailing down the Seine at Christmas time, I’ve experienced what both their ocean and river ships have to offer.
This blog post will include tips for first time Viking cruisers, including what to expect on embarkation day, what’s included in the cost of your cruise, and how to get the most out of your holiday.
If you’ve booked a cruise that sails from the UK, then you may find yourself embarking at London Tilbury.
Despite its deceptive name, this cruise port is actually located in Essex, in a town slightly to the east of Greater London. This means that your journey will require a bit of forward planning in order to make it as smooth as possible.
Here is my complete guide to all of the guest rooms and suites available onboard the Crystal Symphony.
I love exploring cruise ships, and during my sailing onboard the Crystal Symphony I was delighted to find that staff had opened a number of cabins for guests to view. While all of the room categories are beautiful in their own way, it was really interesting to see how they differ and have a nose around two of the most luxurious accommodation options onboard.
Here is my full guide to food and dining onboard Crystal Cruises.
As one of the world’s leading ultra luxury cruise lines, dining onboard Crystal Cruises is an absolute delight.
With food offered on an all inclusive basis, there is a total of eight restaurants for guests to choose from (if I include the gelato bar!) Both of Crystal’s ships, Serenity and Symphony have identical food offerings, with the same eateries on each ship. The only venue that costs an additional fee is the vintage room, which offers dinner with guided wine pairings.
Here is a full tour and review of my room on Ambassador’s ship Ambience - suite 11147.
I was so excited when I found out that Ambassador had booked me a suite on their lovely ship Ambience.
I sailed in August 2025 on a three day round trip from London Tilbury to Honfleur, travelling with my sister. As it was her first ever cruise, it was lovely to have the extra space and all of the additional treats that come with having a suite.
Here is my full review and tour of Ambassador Cruise Line’s ship Ambience, which entered their service in 2022.
Relaunched in 2022, Ambience is Ambassador Cruise Line’s second ship. I sailed with her in 2025 on a three night return sailing from London Tilbury to Honfleur - a location that I previously visited with Viking Cruises!
Here’s my full ship tour and review of the Crystal Symphony.
Known to be one of the world’s most luxurious cruise lines, Crystal Cruises has had a turbulent history in recent years. Founded in 1988, Crystal traded for more than 30 years before going bankrupt in 2022 due to the collapse of its parent company.
Here’s my full guide to dining onboard a Viking river cruise.
There’s so much to love about Viking River Cruises, and the food is definitely one of them.
I first sailed on a Viking river ship in 2024 for a Christmas cruise along the Seine that began and ended in Paris. There were so many things that I enjoyed about this trip, and the onboard dining was definitely a highlight.
Here’s my full guide to food and dining onboard the Viking Ocean fleet.
Dining onboard a Viking ship is always a luxurious experience.
With several delicious restaurants to choose from each and every day, it can be difficult to choose favourite. I particularly love the variety available in the World Cafe, the Norwegian style waffles in Mamsen’s and the pasta in Manfredi’s!
I couldn’t quite believe my luck when Viking Cruises emailed to ask if I’d like to join them for a two-and-a-half week trip around Southeast Asia. I replied almost immediately - yes please!
We embarked the cruise in Bangkok, after a brief pre-extension at the stunning Shangri-La Bangkok hotel. After spending an additional few days docked in Laem Chabang, we departed for Cambodia, Vietnam, and finally, glittering Hong Kong.
Here’s a full tour of my Deluxe Veranda Stateroom onboard the Viking Venus.
When embarking on a long trip it’s important to have a clean and comfortable base to rise in each morning and return to each night.
That’s exactly what I had on my recent cruise around Southeast Asia, sailing on the lovely Viking Venus, and residing in stateroom 4035. I have fond memories of my time spent in this cabin - although I have to admit, this is the tidiest I kept it during the whole trip.
Here are the essentials that you need to pack for your next river cruise.
If you’re reading this blog post then you’re probably about to set off on a river cruise.
You’ve made a great choice - river cruises are a fantastic way to travel, and the small size of the ships means that you’re able to dock right in the centre of the action.
Welcome to the Viking Skaga - one of Viking Cruises’ noble river ships. She takes her name from an ancient Norse myth, where the Valkyrie Skaga rode into battle and escorted the dead to Valhalla, before preparing them to fight in the epic battle of Ragnarok.
A relatively new ship, the Viking Skaga only entered the fleet in 2020. At just 410 feet and carrying 168 guests and 48 crew, she was built specifically to sail down the Seine in France, although the specific itinerary will vary depending on the time of year. I was fortunate enough to join the ship for her week long Christmas on the Seine cruise, which starts and ends in Paris, calling at Vernon, Caudebec-en-Caux, Rouen, Honflour (via an excursion) and Les Andelys along the way.
I first cruised the Caribbean onboard P&O’s Arvia at the beginning of 2024, and while I didn’t know quite what to expect, I had an absolutely amazing time!
Our 14 day fly cruise started and ended in Bridge Town, Barbados, with flights to the country from London Gatwick Airport. During the trip we visited lots of fantastic islands, including Tortola, Antigua, Martinique, St Maarten, Saint Kitts, and Saint Lucia, with plenty of relaxing sea days in between.
For those wondering when to cruise the Caribbean, the best time to sail is over the winter months, when the weather is more comfortable. It’s also outside of their hurricane season, which takes place between June and November.
While many of the world’s most recent and largest cruise ships have foregone libraries in favour of revenue generating spaces, there are a number of lines which continue to champion the written word.
Here I will introduce you to five of the world’s most literature friendly cruise lines, all with stunning libraries onboard their ships.
In 2023 I set off for my first ever cruise onboard P&O’s Iona. I honestly had no idea what to expect from the holiday, but I was very keen to explore Norway and curious about how it would feel to travel on a cruise ship.
I ended up having an absolutely fantastic time and the trip ignited a love of cruising for myself and my partner. Having said that, as this was our first ever cruise, we had no idea what to take with us (and didn’t research very well either!)
Southampton is a great place to start any cruise holiday, with plenty of amenities and a range of hotels to suit all budgets.
In this blog post I have selected the very best hotels in Southampton, broken down by price. While doing so, I only chose hotels that were within a 15 minute taxi ride from the cruise terminal - with so many to choose from, you really don’t have to stay further away.
One main point of advice is to ensure that you book your hotel room early, as Southampton is a busy city and this will ensure that you get the best price possible.
The Norwegian Fjords is a gorgeous destination for a cruise holiday, served by a variety of cruise lines including P&O, Celebrity and Princess. Haugesund is just one of many possible cruise stops, located in the North Sea, in between Stavanger and Bergen.
The port here is large and able to accommodate a wide range of ships, including P&O’s Iona and Arvia, which are the largest British cruise ships to date.
I answer some of the internet’s burning questions about cruising and present fourteen fun facts.
How fast do cruise ships travel, and how long do they take to build? Read on to find out the answers to these and more.
Welcome to the Viking Skaga - one of Viking Cruises’ noble river ships. She takes her name from an ancient Norse myth, where the Valkyrie Skaga rode into battle and escorted the dead to Valhalla, before preparing them to fight in the epic battle of Ragnarok.
A relatively new ship, the Viking Skaga only entered the fleet in 2020. At just 410 feet and carrying 168 guests and 48 crew, she was built specifically to sail down the Seine in France, although the specific itinerary will vary depending on the time of year. I was fortunate enough to join the ship for her week long Christmas on the Seine cruise, which starts and ends in Paris, calling at Vernon, Caudebec-en-Caux, Rouen, Honflour (via an excursion) and Les Andelys along the way.
While many of the world’s most recent and largest cruise ships have foregone libraries in favour of revenue generating spaces, there are a number of lines which continue to champion the written word.
Here I will introduce you to five of the world’s most literature friendly cruise lines, all with stunning libraries onboard their ships.
I’ve just returned from a fantastic two day voyage on board Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Anne, and I can’t wait to show you around.
As the first addition to Cunard’s fleet for more than a decade, Queen Anne is unique compared to her sisters. Not only does she have the largest capacity to date, accommodating up to 3,000 guests and 1,225 crew, she’s also the most modern, seamlessly blending luxury with traditional features. Owned by the same umbrella company as P&O, I definitely noticed some similarities to their newest ships Iona and Arvia, while still remaining remained distinct to the Cunard brand.
I recently returned from a cruise around the Caribbean on P&O’s newest and largest ship, Arvia. The sister ship to the near identical Iona, which launched in 2020, Arvia set sail in 2022 and can hold a maximum of 5,200 passengers and 1,800 crew. She’s often described at P&O’s sunshine ship, with features including a retractable roof and swim up bar. You’ll often find her sailing around the Caribbean and Mediterranean, where passengers can make the most of what she has to offer, with 18 decks, 30 restaurants and 4 separate pools, Arvia really is incredible.
Ambassador is Britain’s newest cruise line, known for its affordable and good value cruises which depart from a variety of regional ports.
Their first two ships, Ambition and Ambience, carry out no-fly voyages to destinations all over Europe, including the Mediterranean, British Isles, Norwegian Fjords and more. Whether you’re looking for your next summer holiday, some winter sun, or exciting exploration somewhere new, you’re bound to find it with Ambassador.
In 2025 Ambassador gained another addition to their fleet, Renaissance, which now hosts fly-cruises around the Caribbean for a British market.
If you’re thinking about booking your next cruise, then you’re in the right place. In this blog post I have handpicked some of the very best deals, spanning a wide range of categories and updated for 2026 and 2027.