Gems of the English Channel

Ambassador Cruise Line is pleased to advise that pre-departure Covid-19 testing will not be required on most sailings* from 3 April onwards. The company’s policy remains to follow the guidance set out by the EU Healthy Gateways recommendations, and it has made this change after careful consideration and discussions with its independent advisors and London Port Health Authority.

Ambassador continues to have very low rates of Covid-19 cases on board and believe the time is right to relax the requirement to conduct tests prior to sailing. In line with the updated policy, adult guests who have received two doses only of a UK-approved vaccine will now be able to freely travel, with no requirement for guests under the age of 18 to have been vaccinated. Guests displaying Covid-19 symptoms within 72 hours of departure are encouraged to take a test at home as a courtesy to their fellow travellers and to contact their travel insurance provider if results are positive.

Ambassador remains one of the most Covid-conscious cruise lines in the industry, and light-touch preventative measures will continue to be enforced onboard. Guests testing positive will be required to self-isolate until they have tested negative for two consecutive days, and, while social distancing and mask-wearing remains at our guest’s discretion, the cruise line politely requests that measures continue to be respected and adhered to where possible.

Ambassador will closely monitor cases on board and reserves the right to update the conditions of travel including the re-introduction of pre-departure testing if it has any concerns. For full terms and conditions, please visit www.ambassadorcruiseline.com/before-you-sail/covid-reassurance/

All guests should have adequate travel insurance in place before travelling. Details should be provided at time of booking.

As a sustainable cruise line, all cruise information and documentation will be available through the ‘My Ambassador Sailing’ page on the website or through the Ambassador App. You will need an email address to be able to update your information, book destination experiences, drinks packages, car parking or coaching, as well as check-in for your cruise. Please note we do not offer any printed documentation.

If there is no Solos Tour Leader on board, don’t worry you will be looked after by Ambassador’s Guest Services. There will be meet up points so you can meet all the other solo guests on the ship. Details of these meetings will be placed in your cabin or in the daily newsletter.

The embarkation procedures at UK ports normally commence four hours before the published sailing time. For final disembarkation, you should allow approximately 90 minutes from the scheduled arrival time before disembarkation will commence. The full embarkation procedures and timings will be confirmed with your cruise documentation, usually 72 hours before sailing.

All cabins feature 110v and 220v current and have an electrical socket to allow small appliances such as electric shavers, electric rollers and hair stylers to be used. All cabins have UK 3 pin sockets. For safety reasons, irons and water heating devices are not permitted to be used onboard.

Ambassador operate an automatic system whereby an amount of £7.00 per person per night (this amount reduces to £6.00 per person per night for cruises of 16 nights or more in duration) and is automatically added to your onboard account. This also includes all service charges for drinks. All monies are collated, so a portion goes to each crew member, who helps to make your cruise special. This is not only distributed to your cabin steward and your waiter or bar attendant; it is also between the hidden stars behind the scenes, such as laundry operatives and kitchen staff, who you might never get to meet in person. If you notice an issue that makes you think twice about our service charge, be sure to speak with the Guest Services desk who will try to resolve the matter before removing gratuities becomes necessary. Even if you had a negative experience with a particular employee, seriously consider whether it warrants removing your gratuities altogether, keeping in mind that because of one crew member the whole team is affected.

All prices onboard are quoted in sterling. A cashless system is in operation for all your onboard purchases. An account is opened for you at the start of your cruise for purchasing goods and services on board. All purchases are charged to your shipboard account and a final invoice is presented at the end of the cruise itemising all charges. This can be settled by MasterCard or Visa credit cards, or by Visa debit cards. Guests who prefer to pay by cash may top-up their cruise card by visiting reception.

Guests wishing to charge onboard expenditure to their credit card must register their chosen card during the embarkation process. Your card will be pre-authorized for £150. This pre-authorization will appear on your bank statement as a pending transaction until the end of your cruise.

During your cruise Ambassador will top-up your pre-authorised or pending amount in line with your account activity. You can check your account balance at any time using the ALL ABOARD APP, or at the self-service kiosks located around the ship. Your account will be closed at 0300 hrs on the day of disembarkation, at which point your onboard balance will be settled automatically and any remaining pre-authorised amount will be cancelled within 24 hours. Please note any purchases made after this point must be cash only. Please allow 3-5 days for this to be reflected in your bank account.

The services of the qualified medical staff are available to you onboard in the event of ‘mal de mer’ or an emergency. It should be noted that the NHS does not cover treatment on the ship and there is a scale of charges for surgery visits and medical treatment. Such charges, which are usually claimable under your travel insurance policy, less any excess amounts, must be paid in full before your final disembarkation. Seasickness tablets are available from Reception at a nominal charge.

DUTY-FREE SALES

The onboard shops are open daily when the ship is at sea, but local customs regulations do not permit the sale of duty-free goods whilst a ship is in port. It should be noted that alcohol and tobacco products purchased will only be delivered to your cabin on the last day of the cruise. If alcohol and tobacco products are purchased ashore, these will be taken from you at the gangway and stored until the last night of the cruise. Drink and tobacco may of course be purchased throughout the cruise from the ships’ bars at the listed shipboard prices.

A passport is essential for all cruises, including mini-cruises and sailings around the British Isles and Republic of Ireland and all British Citizens, must hold a full ten-year passport. For travel to an EU country (except Ireland), or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City, you must meet the Schengen area rules. Your passport must meet 2 requirements. It must be: 1. less than 10 years old on the day you enter (check the ‘date of issue’) 2. valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’). For travel outside of the EU your passport should be valid for 6 months after the date of your return.

If you do not hold a valid 10-year British passport, please note it can take up to twelve weeks to obtain a new one. It is the responsibility of holders of non-British passports to check with the relevant consular authorities of the countries to be visited to ascertain if there are any specific restrictions or requirements for their planned itinerary. Any guest arriving at the departure port without a passport, or with incorrect documentation, will not be allowed to embark. Such circumstances are not covered by insurance and no refund claims will be entertained.

Shortly before the ship sails, or if this is not possible within 24 hours of departure, a full safety drill will be held, and this compulsory exercise will give guests precise information of what to do and where to muster in the event of an emergency on board as well as important instructions about life jackets and the emergency procedures in place. In the event of adverse weather or sea conditions, it is important to take extra care moving around the ship, making use of the handrails and heeding any special instructions given over the P.A. system. In certain sea conditions, use of the guest lifts may be suspended for the duration and outside cabins on the lower decks may have protective covers, known as deadlights, placed over their portholes. These covers will therefore exclude natural light from the cabins affected. Such restrictions will be lifted as soon as it is practicable

For your complete security and peace of mind, there are stringent security measures in force, particularly at UK ports. All cabin baggage will be electronically screened, hand baggage may be examined, and you will be required to pass through an X-Ray arch before boarding the vessel. At embarkation, the barcode on your boarding pass will be used for gangway control purposes and will validate you as a bona fide guest. Once onboard, you will find your personalised ID cruise card in your cabin and this will be used for all onboard purchases and also, as security each time to leave and re-join the vessel.

Smoking is not permitted inside the ships. Consequently, all internal areas, comprising cabins, lounges, restaurants and other public rooms are non-smoking areas. Designated areas for smokers are available externally in selected areas of the open decks. Ambassador reserve the right to alter their smoking policy during the cruising season and should new national or international maritime legislation subsequently affect this policy, guests will be informed on board accordingly. E-cigarettes or similar are only permitted to be used in designated smoking areas.

If you have a particular dietary requirement, the following dietary options can be offered: Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free, Low Cholesterol, Low Fat, Low Salt, Vegan and Vegetarian Meals. If you have not done so at the time of booking, please advise any requirements no later than four weeks before departure.

Each cabin has the facility of a personal safe for your valuables and important papers. The Company is not responsible for any theft or loss of any items not kept in the safety boxes. The Company does not accept responsibility for loss or theft of cameras, video cameras, chargers and other valuable electrical items which are your responsibility at all times

Due to the stringent security measures in force, it is regretted that it is not possible to allow visitors onboard our vessels at any port of call.

A few of the commonly used terms to get you ready to set sail.

Aft – the back or near the back of the ship
Atrium – the central court (or centre area) of a cruise ship, usually rising through more than one story of the ship’s interior
Berth – a built-in bed or bunk, as in a ship’s cabin or stateroom
Bow – the very front of the ship
Bridge – the navigational control centre
Cabin Steward – a person whose work is to take care of the guests aboard a ship.
Captain – the person in command of a ship
Deck Plan – an overhead diagram of the cabins and the public rooms
Disembark – to unload (passengers or goods) from a ship
Dock – where your ship ‘parks’ when in port
Forward – faces the front of the boat
Gangway – allows you access on and off the ship
Knot – a nautical mile (see Nautical below)
Midship – the middle of the ship
Muster – to come together or assemble aboard ship for inspection or roll call
Muster Station – a specific location on ship to gather, based on stateroom assignment
Nautical – of or having to do with sailors, ships, or navigation. A unit of speed of one nautical mile (6,076.12 feet or 1,852 metres) an hour: abbrev. kn or kt [to average a speed of 10 knots]
Pier – a structure built out over the water and supported by pillars or piles: used as a landing place.
Port – the left-hand side of a ship as one faces forward: opposed to starboard. Port – so named because the side toward the port (dock), since the steering oar (see starboard) prevented docking to the right.
Port of Call – regular stopover(s) on a cruise itinerary.
Purser – a ship’s officer in charge of accounts, freight, tickets, etc., esp. on a passenger vessel. Important to you – a Purser takes responsibility for all money, transactions.
Port – the left hand side of the ship whilst facing forward (bow). Easy to remember since “port” and “left” each have four letters.
Ship – You always cruise on a “ship”, never a “boat”
Starboard – the right side of the ship whilst facing forward (bow).
Stern – the very back of the ship
Tender – a boat for carrying passengers to or from a ship close to shore.

You will find a 24-hour room service menu in your cabin, offering a range of drinks and snacks, both hot and cold. Room service costs will be charged to your onboard account.

In all cabins, there are beach towels for your use around the pools and open decks. If you should take them ashore, please ensure you bring these back to the ship or you may be charged for a replacement.

Yes, Ambience has a self-service laundrette that guests can use for a small charge.