Ambassador Cruise Line, Ambience, Northern Europe Review

Ambience, Northern Europe

First time on a proper cruise for us! Always wanted to see the Norwegian Fjords and we were not disappointed. A bit anxious about sailing per se, (previous bad experiences) but had some excellent tips & choose a mid ship cabin. Sailing into the fjords, absorbing the ambience (did ya see what I did there?) was fantastic. Highlight of the week was definitely the Flam train journey & the hike down the mountain. Low point was Bergen - (but we’re not really city folk) it was ok. It was very expensive even the public toilets cost the equivalent of £1! The evening food and service on the Ambience in the Buckingham was very good. Tasty, varied & hot when it should be hot. I’ve never eaten so much. Ever. Our Waiter Ravi, was a total professional. He delivered excellent service consistently with a smile and good humour. Setting the bar so high made breakfast a tad disappointing. The food was ok, but often not hot enough with the service a little slow. Meanwhile, eating in the Borough Market was a whole new bun fight - first task was find an empty table! Breakfast & afternoon tea was a sea of frenetic limbs moving in every direction contrasted with queues of drooping plates waiting patiently for scones & jam. Lesson learned: The early bird catches the table. Entertainment was a mixed bag. The shows & events in the palladium did not disappoint. We were treated to some outstanding shows delivered by some talented performers. The Purple Turtle was ok if quizzing is your thang girlfriend. But often the PA was TOO loud, the sets over performed with target audience amnesia. The musicians were accomplished and delivered a melodic selection of genres (though no Death Metal or Grime… I wonder why? We had a some great evenings daft dancing in the observatory - you’ve never danced till you’ve made some horizontal shapes on ship sailing choppy waters. The range of activities was broad. The timing of some events, like yoga was always at the same time with a 20 place limit. It was very VERY popular. So I never actually managed to get a slot. Why, I wondered don’t they run more than one slot a day? It’s not the newest, or biggest or the most sophisticated. But it was friendly with great food . Would we go again? Yes. Already booked.