Ambassador Cruise Line, Ambience, Northern Europe Review

Ambience, Northern Europe

Pre-departure covid procedure was good, but at embarkation and on-board there were virtually no safety procedures in place.
The ship was not really ready to cruise. Through a series of events outside the control of the company, there had not been time to get it fully operational. Toilets were frequently out of action in cabins and public areas, some cabins had no heating and some public areas either had not been finished and were not available or were still being worked on while guests were using them. Cabins were well supplied with wardrobes and drawers, but in a large number of them, there were bunk beds over the single beds, which were dangerous for anyone sitting up at night or made it difficult to get into or out of a double bed. On the plus side the food in the restaurants was very good and the waiting staff excellent, as were the cabin stewards and bar staff. However, guest service staff did not seem to be up to the task of dealing with the numerous problems which arose.
On our last day in Norway, we were visited by medical staff who said that someone on board had tested positive for covid and had named us as close contacts. We were therefore to be confined to our cabin for the remainder of the cruise, even if we tested negative. We were also told that, if we tested positive, we would be the last to disembark, but that the company would provide transport home for us. This was repeated to us three times on the last three days we were onboard. On the last day, when we were due to disembark, my partner did test positive and this information was repeated. However, just before we were due to leave, we received as short phone call to the effect that we had to get off immediately and that there would be no transport provided - no explanation why. On leaving, my partner asked (who we were told was) the guest services manager why we were not getting the promised transport. Instead of an explanation or an apology, the answer was "we are not a taxi service". We both found this insulting and uncalled-for, although it did go some way to explaining why on-board guest services were so poor. It left a sour taste.
We had accepted the deficiencies in readiness to sail as being outside the control of the company, and were offered a 10% discount on a future cruise to compensate, but we cannot accept the deliberate rudeness of a senior member of staff and we are still awaiting an apology from the company for this lapse in accepted standards.