Norwegian Cruise Line vs Ambassador Cruise Line
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Norwegian Cruise Line 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 Norwegian Cruise Line if you want…
- Flexible, no-rules cruising
- Solo travellers (studio cabins)
- Broadway entertainment
- Modern ship design
Norwegian Cruise Line may not suit you if…
- Those wanting traditional cruise formality
- Budget travellers
- UK-departure-only preference
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.
Norwegian Cruise Line Fleet (19 ships)
Norwegian Prima
Built 2022 · 3,215 guests
Norwegian Viva
Built 2023 · 3,215 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.
Norwegian Cruise Line Sailings
Save 3%3 NIGHTSBahamas
Save 3%9 NIGHTSAlaska
7 NIGHTS7-Day Bermuda Round-Trip Philadelphia
Ports: Philadelphia · Royal Naval Dockyard · Halifax · Philadelphia
Save 3%3 NIGHTSBahamas
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italy, Croatia & Greece
7 NIGHTS7-Day Bermuda Round-Trip New York
Ports: Royal Naval Dockyard
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
7 NIGHTS7-Day Hawaii Inter-Island from Honolulu
Ports: Kahului · Hilo · Kona · Nawiliwili
Save 3%7 NIGHTSCaribbean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSFrance & Italy from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Nice (Villefranche Sur Mer) · Florence & Pisa (Livorno) · Messina · Salerno · Rome (Civitavecchia)
Save 3%11 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Ports: Reykjavik · Iceland
Save 2%11 NIGHTSBritish Isles from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Invergordon · Newhaven (For Edinburgh) · Stornoway, Isle of Lewis · Belfast · Dublin (Dun Loaghaire)
10 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 10-night Alaska & Hubbard Glacier
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
9 NIGHTSIceland & Scotland from Reykjavik with Stay
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Lerwick, Shetland Islands · Newhaven · Southampton
15 NIGHTS7-night Waikiki Beach Honolulu Stay with Tours & 7-night Inter-Island Cruise of Hawaii
Ports: Honolulu, Oahu · Kahului, Maui · Hilo, Hawaii · Kona, Hawaii · Nawiliwili, Kauai
Save 14%7 NIGHTSIceland & Scotland from Reykjavik
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Lerwick, Shetland Islands · Newhaven (For Edinburgh) · Southampton
11 NIGHTSPortugal & Spain from Southampton to Barcelona
Ports: Southampton · Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) · Zeebrugge · Le Havre (Paris) · Vigo · Lisbon
7 NIGHTS2-night Lisbon & 7-night Spain & Portugal
Save 7%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
7 NIGHTS7-Day Greek Isles from Venice to Athens: Santorini, Mykonos & Croatia
Ports: Venice (Ravenna) · Dubrovnik · Kotor · Corfu · Olympia (Katakolon) · Mykonos
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Lisbon to Barcelona: Spain & Portugal
Ports: Lisbon · Portimao · Cadiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza
7 NIGHTS7-Day Caribbean Round-Trip Orlando: Great Stirrup Cay & Dominican Republic
Ports: Orlando · Puerto Plata/Dominican Republic · St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) · Tortola · Great Stirrup Cay
7 NIGHTS7-Day Alaska Round-Trip Seattle: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau
Ports: Seattle · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Victoria
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Rome to Venice: Italy, Greece & Croatia
Ports: Rome · Salerno · Catania · Corfu · Kotor · Split
11 NIGHTS11-Day Northern Europe from London to Reykjavik: Iceland, Scotland & Norway
Ports: Southampton · Newhaven · Kirkwall · Bergen · Alesund · Akureyri
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Barcelona to Rome: Nice, Florence & Amalfi Coast (salerno)
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Cannes · Florence/Pisa · Sicily · Salerno
Save 4%11 NIGHTSBaltic Cities with Helsinki & Copenhagen Stays
Ports: Helsinki · Tallinn · Stockholm (Nynashamn) · Riga · Berlin (Warnemunde) · Kiel
Save 1%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Boston & 7-night New England & Canada
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
Save 16%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Save 18%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Hot deal7 NIGHTSMediterranean: Nice, Florence & Salerno
Ports: Civitavecchia · Salerno · Catania · Livorno · Villefranche-sur-Mer · Marseille
9 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 9-night Joy of Alaska
Save 4%12 NIGHTSNiagara Falls, Canada & New England from New York with Stays
Ports: New York · Halifax · Saint John, Bay Of Fundy, Canada · Boston · Portland, Maine · Newport
7 NIGHTS3-night New York & 7-night Boston & Halifax
10 NIGHTSIceland, Scotland & Norway from Reykjavik
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Maloy · Leirvik · Invergordon
Save 10%7 NIGHTS3-night Miami & 4-night Great Stirrup Cay & Nassau
11 NIGHTSSpain & Portugal Explorer with Lisbon and Barcelona Stays
Ports: Lisbon · Portimao · Cadiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza Town, Ibiza
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Italy & France
Save 19%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
7 NIGHTSAlaska: Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka & Victoria
Ports: Seattle · Sitka · Juneau · Endicott Arm · Icy Strait Point · Ketchikan
Save 3%11 NIGHTSCanada & New England: Boston, Bar Harbor & Halifax
Ports: Philadelphia · Boston · Bar Harbor · Saint-John · Halifax · Sydney
7 NIGHTSCaribbean: Great Stirrup Cay, Dominican Republic & Tortola
Ports: Miami · Puerto Plata · Saint Thomas · Road Town · Great Stirrup Cay · Miami
Save 3%12 NIGHTSNiagara Falls, Canada & New England from New York with Stays
Ports: New York · Halifax · Saint John, Bay Of Fundy, Canada · Boston · Portland, Maine · Newport
10 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 10-night Joy of Alaska & Glacier Bay
9 NIGHTSNew York Yankees Vs New York Mets Baseball Game with Bermuda from New York
Ports: New York · Royal Naval Dockyard (King's Wharf)
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
Norwegian Cruise Line vs Ambassador Cruise Line: the bottom line
Choosing between Norwegian Cruise Line 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.
Norwegian Cruise Line, founded in 1966 and headquartered in Miami, USA, operates a fleet of 19 ships. It is categorised as a contemporary cruise line and scores 4.4/5 overall based on 13,800 reviews. The line is particularly strong for flexible, no-rules cruising and solo travellers (studio cabins), 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, Norwegian Cruise Line scores 7/10 compared to Ambassador Cruise Line's 6/10. For entertainment, Norwegian Cruise Line comes in at 8/10 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.
Norwegian Cruise Line vs Ambassador Cruise Line — FAQ
Explore More Comparisons
Norwegian Cruise Line Cruises
Browse all Norwegian Cruise Line sailings
Ambassador Cruise Line Cruises
Browse all Ambassador Cruise Line sailings
Norwegian Cruise Line vs Avalon River Cruises
Head-to-head comparison
Norwegian Cruise Line vs Azamara
Head-to-head comparison
All Cruise Lines
Browse every cruise line
Mediterranean Cruises
Most popular destination