P&O Cruises vs Ambassador Cruise Line
A detailed side-by-side comparison of P&O 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 P&O Cruises if you want…
- UK departures (no-fly)
- Families with children
- Traditional British cruising
- Food lovers (Marco Pierre White)
P&O Cruises may not suit you if…
- Ultra-luxury seekers
- Mega-ship thrill rides
- Non-English speakers
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.
P&O Cruises Fleet (7 ships)
Iona
Built 2020 · 5,200 guests
Arvia
Built 2022 · 5,200 guests
Britannia
Built 2015 · 3,647 guests
Azura
Built 2010 · 3,100 guests
Ventura
Built 2008 · 3,078 guests
Arcadia
Built 2005 · 2,094 guests
Aurora
Built 2000 · 1,874 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.
P&O Cruises Sailings
Save 2%7 NIGHTSCanary Islands
Save 2%14 NIGHTSCanary Islands & Spain
Save 2%19 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 17%14 NIGHTS14 Night Eastern Caribbean
Ports: Barbados · St Lucia · Antigua · St Kitts
Save 4%14 NIGHTSSpain, Portugal and Canary Islands cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Santa Cruz, Tenerife · Las Palmas, Gran Canaria · Arrecife, Lanzarote · Cádiz · Lisbon
Save 3%14 NIGHTSSpain Portugal and Morocco
Ports: Southampton · Funchal · Agadir · Casablanca · Tangier · Lisbon
Save 8%4 NIGHTS4-night Belgium And France fr Southampton
Save 15%3 NIGHTS3-night Belgium fr Southampton
18 NIGHTSSpain, Portugal and Cape Verde cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Funchal · Praia · Mindelo · Sao Vincent · Arrecife
14 NIGHTSSpain, Portugal and Canary Islands cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Santa Cruz, Tenerife · Las Palmas, Gran Canaria · Arrecife, Lanzarote · Cádiz · Lisbon
Save 3%4 NIGHTSRotterdam City Break
Ports: Rotterdam · Southampton
Save 3%14 NIGHTSChristmas Baltic Cities cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Copenhagen · Gdynia · Oslo · Hamburg · Zeebrugge
14 NIGHTS14 Night Eastern Caribbean
Ports: Barbados · St Lucia · Antigua · St Kitts
Save 3%16 NIGHTSSpain Portugal and Canary Islands
Ports: Southampton · Vigo · Lanzarote · Fuerteventura · Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Santa Cruz de La Palma
Save 3%18 NIGHTSSpain and Canary Islands Fly-Cruise
Ports: Málaga · Barcelona · Cartagena · Gibraltar · Lanzarote · Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
14 NIGHTSEastern Caribbean Islands Fly-Cruise
Ports: Barbados · Fort de France · Basseterre · Tortola · Philipsburg · Antigua
14 NIGHTSEastern Caribbean Islands Fly-Cruise
Ports: Barbados · Fort de France · Basseterre · Tortola · Philipsburg · Antigua
35 NIGHTSCaribbean Grand Voyage cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Santa Cruz, Tenerife · St. Kitts · Bridgetown, Barbados · St. George's, Grenada · Castries, St. Lucia
Save 3%106 NIGHTS106-night Western Circumnavigation World Cruise fr Southampton
15 NIGHTSEastern Caribbean from Barbados
Save 2%7 NIGHTSWestern Europe
4 NIGHTS4-night Amsterdam fr Southampton
5 NIGHTSBelgium France and Netherlands
14 NIGHTSCanaries Madeira and Morocco Fly-Cruise
Ports: Tenerife · Madeira · Gran Canaria · Lanzarote · Casablanca · Agadir
14 NIGHTSEastern Caribbean Islands Fly-Cruise
Ports: Barbados · Fort de France · Basseterre · Tortola · Philipsburg · Antigua
14 NIGHTSSpain Portugal Canary Islands and Morocco
Ports: Southampton · Madeira · La Palma · Lanzarote · Casablanca · Tangier
7 NIGHTSNorthern European City Escape
Ports: Southampton · Hamburg · Rotterdam · Zeebrugge
Save 1%68 NIGHTSSydney Stay, Hunter Valley Vineyards, Australia, Asia, Indian Ocean and South Africa to Southampton
Ports: Sydney · Newcastle · Brisbane · Cairns · Alotau · Manila
27 NIGHTSSydney, Australia and Philippines to Hong Kong with Stays
Ports: Sydney · Newcastle · Brisbane · Cairns · Alotau · Manila
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
26 NIGHTSBrisbane, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Hong Kong to Singapore with Stays
Ports: Brisbane · Cairns · Alotau · Manila · Hong Kong · Singapore
Save 2%21 NIGHTSMediterranean
15 NIGHTSEastern Caribbean from Barbados
Save 10%15 NIGHTSCaribbean Transatlantic from Barbados
Ports: Bridgetown, Barbados · Martinique · St. Kitts · Philipsburg, St. Maarten · Santa Cruz, Tenerife · La Coruna
14 NIGHTSCaribbean Transatlantic from Barbados
Ports: Bridgetown, Barbados · Castries, St. Lucia · St. Kitts · St. John's, Antigua · Ponta Delgada, Azores · Southampton
3 NIGHTSBelgium
Save 6%7 NIGHTSEaster Spain and France cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Gijon · La Coruna · Vigo · Cherbourg · Southampton
Save 3%7 NIGHTSEaster Norwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden · Nordfjord · Alesund
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
3 NIGHTSBelgium
4 NIGHTSBelgium And France
4 NIGHTSRotterdam
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Stavanger, Norway · Skjolden · Alesund · Haugesund
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
14 NIGHTSBaltic Cities cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Andalsnes · Oslo · Copenhagen
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Stavanger, Norway · Kristiansand, Norway
Save 9%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
7 NIGHTSBaltic Cities cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Skagen · Copenhagen · Oslo · Zeebrugge
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Haugesund · Olden · Innvikfjorden (Scenic Cruising) · Flam · Aurlandsfjord (Scenic Cruising)
Ambassador Cruise Line Sailings
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
Save 5%8 NIGHTSSpringtime Shores: Hebrides & Isle of Man Discovery from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Belfast · Tobermory · Isle of Mull · Stornoway · Isle of Lewis
Save 2%4 NIGHTSBritish Isles
11 NIGHTSNatural Wonders & Wildlife of Iceland from Liverpool
Ports: Liverpool · Belfast · Runavik · Seydisfjordur · Akureyri · Isafjordur
Save 2%6 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
12 NIGHTSGlaciers, Geysers & Waterfalls of Iceland from Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Runavik · Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Seydisfjordur
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Hot deal5 NIGHTSDutch & Belgian Delights in Five Nights
Ports: Zeebrugge · Rotterdam · IJmuiden · Tilbury
7 NIGHTSFjordland Landscapes & Nordic Traditions from Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Austefjorden · Flam · Sognefjord · Aurlandsfjord · Haugesund
14 NIGHTSScandinavian Cities & Baltic Discoveries from Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Copenhagen · Gdynia · Stockholm · Helsinki · Tallinn
11 NIGHTSIceland's Land of Ice & Fire from Dundee
Ports: Dundee · Klaksvik · Runavik · Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri
8 NIGHTSExploring Norway's Hidden Fjords from Newcastle
Ports: Newcastle (Port of Tyne) · Alesund · Maloy · Flam · Sognefjord (Scenic Cruising) · Austefjorden
12 NIGHTSBordeaux & Beyond: A Journey Through Western France from Newcastle
Ports: Newcastle (Port of Tyne) · Honfleur · Cherbourg · St. Malo · Bordeaux - Overnight onboard · Brest
5 NIGHTSAutumnal Landscapes of Norway's Fjords from Newcastle
Ports: Newcastle (Port of Tyne) · Flam · Sognefjord (Scenic Cruising) · Austefjorden
17 NIGHTSAutumn Mediterranean & Iberia Sailing from Newcastle
Ports: Newcastle (Port of Tyne) · St. Malo · El Ferrol · Cadiz · Malaga · Almeria
15 NIGHTSScenic Isles of the Azores & Portugal from Tilbury
Hot deal3 NIGHTSBattle of the Bands from Newcastle
Ports: Newcastle (Port of Tyne) · Bristol
Save 2%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
16 NIGHTSAurora Borealis & Arctic Norway Discovery from Tilbury
Ports: London Tilbury · Haugesund · Molde · Trondheim · Tromsø · Alta
Save 2%17 NIGHTSMediterranean
P&O Cruises vs Ambassador Cruise Line: the bottom line
Choosing between P&O 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.
P&O Cruises, founded in 1837 and headquartered in Southampton, UK, operates a fleet of 7 ships. It is categorised as a premium cruise line and scores 4.5/5 overall based on 12,400 reviews. The line is particularly strong for uk departures (no-fly) and families with children, 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, P&O Cruises scores 8/10 compared to Ambassador Cruise Line's 6/10. For entertainment, P&O Cruises comes in at 7/10 versus Ambassador Cruise Line's 5/10. Value for money favours P&O Cruises 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.
P&O Cruises vs Ambassador Cruise Line — FAQ
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