Celebrity Cruises vs Ambassador Cruise Line
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Celebrity Cruises and Ambassador Cruise Line covering ratings, fleet size, food quality, entertainment, value for money, and available sailings from UK ports. Updated for 2026.
The head-to-head
Ratings are based on aggregated passenger reviews, editorial analysis, and expert scoring. The cobalt outline marks the stronger line for each attribute.
Who should choose which?
Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. Here is an honest look at who each line is best suited for, based on passenger feedback and our editorial assessment.
Choose Celebrity Cruises if you want…
- Food and dining enthusiasts
- Modern luxury seekers
- Couples and adults
- Design-conscious travellers
Celebrity Cruises may not suit you if…
- Families wanting mega-ship activities
- Budget-conscious cruisers
- Those wanting UK departures only
Choose Ambassador Cruise Line if you want…
- No-fly UK port departures
- Value-conscious cruisers
- Sustainability-minded travellers
- Traditional British cruising
Ambassador Cruise Line may not suit you if…
- Families with young children
- Luxury seekers
- Those wanting modern mega-ship facilities
Ships at a glance
A quick comparison of each line's fleet including passenger capacity, tonnage, and year of launch.
Celebrity Cruises Fleet (17 ships)
Celebrity Apex
Built 2020 · 2,910 guests
Celebrity Ascent
Built 2023 · 3,260 guests
Celebrity Beyond
Built 2022 · 3,260 guests
Ambassador Cruise Line Fleet (2 ships)
Ambience
Built 2022 · 1,400 guests
Ambition
Built 2023 · 1,200 guests
Available cruises
Current sailings from both cruise lines. Prices shown are per person based on two sharing the lowest-grade cabin available.
Celebrity Cruises Sailings
Save 1%7 NIGHTSAlaska Southbound Glacier
11 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 11-night Best of Italy & Croatia
Save 1%7 NIGHTSIceland Total Solar Eclipse Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSBest of Greece Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSGreece Malta Turkey Cruise
Ports: Barcelona, Spain · Athens (Piraeus), Greece
Save 1%7 NIGHTSGrand Cayman Mexico Perfect Day
Ports: Miami, Florida, USA
Save 5%7 NIGHTSGalapagos Outer Loop Cruise
Ports: Isla Baltra, Galapagos
Save 1%11 NIGHTSBest of Italy & Croatia from Rome
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) · Florence & Pisa (Livorno) · Salerno · Messina, Sicily · Kotor · Dubrovnik
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSAlaska Dawes Glacier Cruise
Save 1%12 NIGHTSBest of Scandinavia Cruise
Ports: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
11 NIGHTS11 Night Italy & Greek Islands
Ports: Naples · Santorini · Athens · Dubrovnik
Save 1%7 NIGHTSBest of Greece Cruise
Save 1%10 NIGHTSGreek Isles & Turkey from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Messina, Sicily · Athens (Piraeus) · Thira, Santorini · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Mykonos Town, Mykonos
Save 1%7 NIGHTSTortola, St. Kitts, Puerto Plata
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
Save 1%12 NIGHTSBest of Japan Cruise
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Italy, Spain & French Riviera
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
10 NIGHTSBest of Greece from Athens with Stay
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Rhodes Town · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Thira (Santorini) · Mykonos Town · Thessaloniki
Save 4%7 NIGHTS7 Night Italy & French Riviera
Ports: Barcelona · Villefranche-sur-Mer · Portofino · La Spezia · Civitavecchia · Naples
Save 4%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Stavanger, Norway · Nordfjordeid · Geiranger, Norway · Bruges (Zeebrugge)
7 NIGHTS7 Night Best Of Greece Cruise
Ports: Rhodes · Kusadasi · Santorini · Hydra · Mykonos
7 NIGHTS7-night Grand Cayman, Mexico & Perfect Day
Ports: Miami · Perfect Day CocoCay · Cozumel · George Town · Nassau
Save 1%9 NIGHTSItalian Riviera & France
9 NIGHTSItaly, Spain & French Riviera from Barcelona with Stay
Ports: Barcelona · Nice (Villefranche) · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Santa Margherita · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples
8 NIGHTSMediterranean Masterpieces
Save 3%14 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords and Arctic Circle cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Stavanger, Norway · Alesund · Olden · Tromsø, Norway · Honningsvåg, Norway
Save 1%12 NIGHTSBoston Maine Canada Cruise
Hot deal15 NIGHTSLake Garda & Venice with Best Of Italy & Croatia Cruise
Ports: Ravenna · Zadar · Dubrovnik · Kotor · Messina · Salerno
14 NIGHTSMediterranean, Italy and Spain cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Seville (Cadiz) · Cagliari, Sardinia · Rome (Civitavecchia) · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Nice (Villefranche Sur Mer)
15 NIGHTSAlaska with Dawes Glacier from Vancouver & Banff, Toronto & Niagara Falls with Stays
Ports: Vancouver · Icy Strait Point · Skagway · Juneau · Ketchikan
Hot deal8 NIGHTSGreece, Malta & Turkey from Athens
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thira · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Mykonos Town · Rhodes Town · Valletta
14 NIGHTSHawaii with Vancouver and Waikiki Beach Stays
Ports: Vancouver · Hilo, Hawaii · Kailua Kona, Hawaii · Honolulu, Oahu
Hot deal12 NIGHTSAdriatic & Greek Isles from Athens with Stay
Ports: Athens · Thira · Rhodes Town · Ephesus · Mykonos Town · Dubrovnik
Save 19%11 NIGHTSAdriatic & Greek Isles from Athens with 1-night Stay
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thira · Santorini · Rhodes Town · Rhodes · Ephesus (Kusadasi)
Save 2%10 NIGHTSAdriatic & Greek Isles from Athens
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thira, Santorini · Rhodes Town, Rhodes · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Mykonos Town, Mykonos · Dubrovnik
10 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami · Perfect Day at Cococay · Cozumel · George Town, Grand Cayman · Nassau
11 NIGHTSItalian Riviera & France from Rome with Stay
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples · La Spezia · Portofino · Nice (Villefranche Sur Mer) · Marseille (Provence)
15 NIGHTSSwiss Alps, Bernina Red Train and Greece & Turkey Explorer with Milan and Rome Stays
Ports: Rome · Souda Bay · Thira · Ephesus · Istanbul · Mykonos Town
13 NIGHTSGreece, Turkey & Italy from Rome with Stay
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) · Souda Bay (tours to Chania), Crete · Thira, Santorini · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Istanbul · Mykonos Town, Mykonos
Save 1%11 NIGHTSCanaries Portugal Cruise
Save 3%9 NIGHTSBest of Greece from Athens
Ports: Athens · Rhodes · Ephesus · Thira · Mykonos · Kavala
21 NIGHTSTreasures of Tahiti & Fiji from Honolulu with Waikiki Beach Stay
Ports: Honolulu, Oahu · Papeete, Tahiti · Moorea · Raiatea · Suva · Lautoka
Save 4%7 NIGHTS7-night Tortola, St. Maarten & Puerto Plata
Ports: Miami · Puerto Plata · Tortola · Philipsburg · Miami
Save 2%11 NIGHTSGreece, Turkey & Italy from Rome
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) · Souda Bay · Thira (Santorini) · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Istanbul · Mykonos Town
Hot deal11 NIGHTSItaly, Spain & French Riviera from Barcelona with 1-night Stay
Ports: Barcelona · Naples · Messina · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Portofino · La Spezia
11 NIGHTSGreece & Turkey from Athens with 1-night Stay
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thessaloniki · Istanbul · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Thira (Santorini) · Rhodes Town
10 NIGHTSGreece & Turkey from Athens
Ports: Athens (Piraeus) · Thessaloniki · Istanbul · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Thira (Santorini) · Rhodes Town
Ambassador Cruise Line Sailings
Save 2%11 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 8%4 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 8%13 NIGHTSEscape to Spain & Portugal
1 NIGHTSParty Night with Ambassador
Ports: Dundee · Newcastle
Save 9%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 4%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 4%3 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 4%10 NIGHTSTreasures of the British Isles from London Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Kirkwall · Orkney Islands · Stornoway · Isle of Lewis · Tobermory
7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 4%12 NIGHTSIceland's Land of Ice & Fire from London Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Runavik · Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Seydisfjordur
Save 2%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 4%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 2%9 NIGHTSAutumn Fjordland
Ports: Tilbury · Bergen · Flåm · Nordfjordeid · Åndalsnes · Sandnes
Save 4%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 2%7 NIGHTSExclusive Cruise with Jane McDonald & Friends from London Tilbury
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 4%16 NIGHTSNorway's Land of the Northern Lights
Ports: Tilbury · Stavanger · Kristiansund · Trondheim · Tromsø · Alta
25 NIGHTSAtlantic Horizons and Caribbean Discovery from Tilbury to Barbados
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 4%31 NIGHTSGems of the Adriatic & Mediterranean Autumn Sun from London Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Ceuta · Malaga · Valencia · La Goulette · Argostoli
4 NIGHTSBritish Isles
15 NIGHTSTropical Treasures from Barbados | London Heathrow Flights Included |
Save 4%4 NIGHTSWeekend Escape to Holland & Belgium
Ports: Tilbury · Zeebrugge · IJmuiden · Rotterdam
Save 4%4 NIGHTSOne More Dream – Hamburg's Festive Delights
Ports: Hamburg · Tilbury
Save 14%15 NIGHTSIsland Rhythms and Blue Horizons from Barbados
Save 4%2 NIGHTSDutch Festive Getaway
Ports: IJmuiden · Tilbury
Save 4%5 NIGHTSBelgium & Holland from Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) · Antwerp · Bruges (Zeebrugge)
Save 4%5 NIGHTSCricket Legends Festive Getaway
Ports: Bremerhaven · IJmuiden · Zeebrugge · Tilbury
Save 4%3 NIGHTSChristmas Markets of Holland & Belgium
Ports: IJmuiden · Zeebrugge · Tilbury
Save 4%3 NIGHTSChristmas Markets of Holland & Belgium
Ports: IJmuiden · Zeebrugge · Tilbury
Save 4%14 NIGHTSChristmas & New Year Sailing to Spain & Portugal
Ports: Tilbury · Leixões · Lisbon · Almería · Málaga · Gibraltar
15 NIGHTSSecrets of the Caribbean from Barbados | Manchester Flights Included |
42 NIGHTSSupercraft Gems of the Caribbean Sea from Tilbury
Hot deal15 NIGHTSCaribbean Explorer - Tropical Isles from Barbados
Ports: Bridgetown, Barbados · Kingstown, St. Vincent & Grenadines · Castries, St. Lucia · Oranjestad, Aruba · Willemstad, Curacao · Kralendijk, Bonaire
Save 6%15 NIGHTSTropical Horizons - A Carribean Adventure from Barbados
Ports: Bridgetown · Willemstad · Kralendijk · Pointe-à-Pitre · Roseau · Fort de France
Save 2%20 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Hot deal14 NIGHTSEaster Voyage to France, Spain & Portugal from Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Honfleur · Le Verdon · Vigo · Seville (Cadiz) · Malaga
Save 10%2 NIGHTSA Tribute to the 90's from Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Portsmouth
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 4%13 NIGHTSBritish Isles Discovery and French Charms
Ports: Invergordon · Kirkwall · Belfast · Liverpool · Cobh · Saint Mary's
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
7 NIGHTSNordic Neighbors: A Journey Through Sweden & Denmark from Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Gothenburg · Copenhagen · Malmo · Aalborg
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Hot deal4 NIGHTSBritish Isles
12 NIGHTSClassic French Escapes: Bordeaux, Brest, Cherbourg & Honfleur from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Belfast · Brest · Bordeaux · Cherbourg · Honfleur
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Hot deal2 NIGHTSDutch Escape from Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Ijmuiden · London Tilbury
11 NIGHTSFjordland Landscapes & Nordic Traditions from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Belfast · Geiranger · Alesund · Maloy · Flam
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Celebrity Cruises vs Ambassador Cruise Line: the bottom line
Choosing between Celebrity Cruises and Ambassador Cruise Line ultimately comes down to what kind of holiday you are looking for. Both are well-established cruise lines with loyal followings, but they cater to different preferences and budgets.
Celebrity Cruises, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Miami, USA, operates a fleet of 17 ships. It is categorised as a premium cruise line and scores 4.7/5 overall based on 11,200 reviews. The line is particularly strong for food and dining enthusiasts and modern luxury seekers, making it a natural choice for cruisers who value those attributes.
Ambassador Cruise Line, established in 2022 from Essex, UK, has a fleet of 2 ships. As a value line rated 4.2/5 from 2,800 reviews, it excels at no-fly uk port departures and value-conscious cruisers. If those are your priorities, Ambassador Cruise Line deserves serious consideration.
On food, Celebrity Cruises scores 10/10 compared to Ambassador Cruise Line's 6/10. For entertainment, Celebrity Cruises comes in at 7/10 versus Ambassador Cruise Line's 5/10. Value for money favours Ambassador Cruise Line with a score of 8/10.
Our recommendation: browse the available sailings above and compare itineraries, dates, and total cost including what is bundled in the fare. The best cruise line is the one that matches your specific needs, budget, and travel dates. Use the scores as a guide, but remember that individual ship and itinerary matter just as much as the cruise line brand.
Celebrity Cruises vs Ambassador Cruise Line — FAQ
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