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
10 NIGHTSGreek Isles & Turkey Fly Cruise from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Valletta · Athens (Piraeus) · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Thira, Santorini · Mykonos Town, Mykonos
Save 1%7 NIGHTSAlaska Dawes Glacier Cruise
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSAlaska Southbound Glacier
Save 1%7 NIGHTSAlaska Dawes Glacier Cruise
Save 4%10 NIGHTSPRICE DROP! Italy, Greece & Croatia Cruise
Ports: Civitavecchia · Corfu · Katakolon · Bar · Dubrovnik · Split
Save 1%7 NIGHTSBest of Greece Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSItaly French Riviera
Save 1%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSMexico Belize Perfect Day
Save 1%3 NIGHTSKey West Bahamas Cruise
Save 1%11 NIGHTSBest of Italy Croatia Cruise
Save 1%12 NIGHTSBritish Isles Cruise
Save 1%7 NIGHTSIceland Intensive Cruise
Ports: Reykjavik, Iceland
Save 4%7 NIGHTS7 Night Italy & France Cruise
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Portofino · La Spezia · Civitavecchia · Naples
12 NIGHTSGreece, Turkey & Italy from Rome with 1-night Stay
Ports: Rome (Civitavecchia) · Souda Bay · Thira, Santorini · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Istanbul · Mykonos Town, Mykonos
Save 4%7 NIGHTS7 Night Galapagos Inner Loop Cruise
Ports: Baltra Island · Rabida Island · Puerto Egas · Elizabeth Bay · Tagus Cove · Bartolome Island
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Greece, Malta & Turkey
Save 1%7 NIGHTSGreece, Malta & Turkey
9 NIGHTSItaly, Spain & French Riviera from Barcelona with Stay
Ports: Barcelona · Nice (Villefranche) · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Santa Margherita · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples
7 NIGHTSIceland Intensive from Reykjavik
Ports: Reykjavik · Seydisfjordur · Akureyri · Isafjordur
11 NIGHTSItalian Riviera & France from Barcelona with Stay
Ports: Barcelona · Rome (Civitavecchia) · La Spezia · Portofino · Nice (Villefranche) · Marseille (Provence)
Hot deal14 NIGHTSTotal Solar Eclipse, Med, Spain and Portugal cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Porto (Leixoes) · Lisbon · Palma De Mallorca · Barcelona · Ibiza Town, Ibiza
7 NIGHTSItaly, Spain & French Riviera from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille (Provence) · Portofino · La Spezia (tours to Florence/Pisa) · Rome (Civitavecchia) · Naples
11 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 11-night Best of Italy & Croatia
11 NIGHTS11 Night Italy & Greek Islands
Ports: Naples · Santorini · Athens · Dubrovnik
Hot deal10 NIGHTSGreek Isles & Turkey from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Messina, Sicily · Athens (Piraeus) · Thira, Santorini · Ephesus (Kusadasi) · Mykonos Town, Mykonos
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Italy, Spain & French Riviera
Save 4%7 NIGHTS7 Night Italy & French Riviera
Ports: Barcelona · Villefranche-sur-Mer · Portofino · La Spezia · Civitavecchia · Naples
Save 1%9 NIGHTSItalian Riviera & France
8 NIGHTSMediterranean Masterpieces
Hot deal15 NIGHTSLake Garda & Venice with Best Of Italy & Croatia Cruise
Ports: Ravenna · Zadar · Dubrovnik · Kotor · Messina · Salerno
Save 1%11 NIGHTSCanaries Portugal Cruise
Save 3%11 NIGHTSCanaries Portugal Cruise
20 NIGHTSBest of Thailand & Vietnam fr. Hong Kong to Singapore with Stays
Ports: Hong Kong · Hanoi · Chan May (tours to Hue or Da Nang) · Ho Chi Minh (Phu My) · Bangkok (Laem Chabang) · Koh Samui
18 NIGHTSWaves, Wonders & New Zealand's Whispers, including FREE Sydney stay and Celebrity Edge cruise
17 NIGHTSTreasures of Thailand & Vietnam
19 NIGHTSSingapore, Malaysia, Thailand & Balinese Delights with Stays
Ports: Singapore · Phuket · Langkawi · Penang · Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) · Celukan Bawang
Save 13%10 NIGHTSSt. Thomas, Antigua & Bahamas with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami · Nassau · Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands · St. John's, Antigua
19 NIGHTSBalinese Delights & Southeast Asia with Stays
Ports: Benoa · Lombok · Celukan Bawang · Kuala Lumpur · Penang · Langkawi
12 NIGHTSBest of Southern Caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale with 1-night Stay
Ports: Fort Lauderdale · St. John's, Antigua · Castries, St. Lucia · Bridgetown, Barbados · Roseau · Basseterre, St. Kitts
Save 5%18 NIGHTSSouthbound Asian Allure fr. Hong Kong to Singapore with Stays
Ports: Hong Kong · Ha Long Bay · Chan May · Ho Chi Minh (Phu My) · Bangkok (Laem Chabang) · Koh Samui
Save 4%12 NIGHTS12 Night Madeira, Canaries & Morocco
Ports: Barcelona · Lanzarote · Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Tenerife · Funchal · Tangier
Save 4%12 NIGHTS12 Night Thailand & Vietnam Cruise
Ports: Singapore · Ko Samui · Laem Chabang · Phu My · Chan May · Ha Long Bay
22 NIGHTSIguazu Falls & Argentina to Barcelona Transatlantic with Stays
18 NIGHTSSnow Monkeys, Nagasaki's Blossoms, Peace Park, Tokyo Stay & Mt. Fuji
22 NIGHTSSouth America Transatlantic with Buenos Aires and Barcelona Stays
17 NIGHTSNagasaki's Blossoms, Atomic Bomb Museum, Tokyo Stay & Mt. Fuji
Ports: Yokohama (tours to Tokyo) · Kobe · Kyoto (Osaka) · Kochi · Busan · Nagasaki
17 NIGHTSTokyo, Mt. Fuji, Osaka Castle's Spring Blossoms & Nagasaki
Ports: Tokyo · Kyoto (Osaka) · Osaka · Kochi · Busan · Nagasaki
15 NIGHTSUltimate Southern Caribbean with Miami Beach Stay
Ambassador Cruise Line Sailings
Save 2%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Hot deal6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Hot deal11 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 4%4 NIGHTSBritish Isles
11 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 4%4 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 4%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 4%4 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 2%11 NIGHTSWestern Europe
Save 2%4 NIGHTSBritish Isles
Hot deal13 NIGHTSEscape to Spain & Portugal
Save 4%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 4%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Save 4%3 NIGHTSBritish Isles
10 NIGHTSTreasures of the British Isles from London Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Kirkwall · Orkney Islands · Stornoway · Isle of Lewis · Tobermory
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
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 4%9 NIGHTSAutumn Fjordland
Ports: Tilbury · Bergen · Flåm · Nordfjordeid · Åndalsnes · Sandnes
Save 4%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
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
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
4 NIGHTSBritish Isles
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 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 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
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
Explore More Comparisons
Celebrity Cruises Cruises
Browse all Celebrity Cruises sailings
Ambassador Cruise Line Cruises
Browse all Ambassador Cruise Line sailings
Celebrity Cruises vs Avalon River Cruises
Head-to-head comparison
Celebrity Cruises vs Azamara
Head-to-head comparison
All Cruise Lines
Browse every cruise line
Mediterranean Cruises
Most popular destination