Two cruise lines, one catering to the UK market and the other to the French market, are merging to form a new European brand with a three-ship fleet of mid-size vessels.
The UK-based Ambassador Cruise Line, with two ships, and Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC), headquartered in Marseille, France, and operating one ship, are known for their no-fly cruises. Both sail from multiple UK and European ports and appeal to guests who wish to avoid flying to an embarkation port.
However, the merged company, to be called Ambassador Group, will launch a Caribbean cruise program in October 2025. Using source markets from the UK, France, and the Netherlands, the Caribbean series will be operated in partnership with Corendon, a travel operator based in the Netherlands.
Corendon also operates Corendon Airlines, a company unit that likely will form the core of the cruise brand’s fly-cruise packages. Few details of Ambassador Group’s Caribbean plans have been revealed, but the brand intends to have multiple embarkations ports, including Barbados, Martinique, and Curaçao.
The new Ambassador Group will include Ambassador Cruise Line ships Ambience and Ambition, and CFC’s Renaissance.
“CFC is a new and growing French brand, and this merger with Ambassador, a successful, ambitious British brand that wants to grow markets and destinations, is extremely positive for both businesses, maximising synergies to create a formidable force in the cruise industry,” said Maëlysse Pierrot-Guibourt, CEO of Compagnie Française de Croisières.
The 1,200-guest Renaissance was recently refurbished, but will enter dry dock in January 2025 to complete the installation of IMO Tier III environmental technologies, the companies said in their January 9, 2025 merger announcement.
IMO Tier III refers to the International Maritime Organization’s emission standards for nitrogen oxides. The two Ambassador ships already are IMO compliant.
With the merger of the two cruise lines, the new brand sees an opportunity to tap into the growing European cruise market, which is expected to increase about 12% in the coming five years.
“The combination of Ambassador and CFC is a bold step towards our shared vision for the cruise industry. By uniting our strengths, we are creating an organisation that delivers exceptional experiences to our guests while upholding sustainable practices,” said Christian Verhounig, CEO of Ambassador Cruise Line.
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According to Cruise Lines International Association Europe, in 2023 8.2 million Europeans cruised, reflecting a 6.5% jump from pre-pandemic 2019. The biggest source market was Germany, providing about 31% of the total number, followed by the UK and Ireland, with a 28% share of the market.
Three-Ship Fleet to Offer Mid-Size Experience
Both CFC and Ambassador Cruise Line are fairly new companies, having launched just two years ago. CFC began operations with its solo vessel, Renaissance.
The ship was built by Holland America Line and entered service in 1993, sailing under the name Maasdam. The ship underwent a substantial renovation before launching as Renaissance under the CFC brand.
RENAISSANCE Cruise Ship (Photo Credit: Alexandre Prevot)
Ambassador Cruise Line launched operations with its first ship, Ambience, in 2022, christening the vessel in April of that year. Ambience was built in 1991 and accommodates 1,400 passengers.
The ship formerly sailed for P&O Cruises Australia before being sold to Ocean Builders, an outfit that eventually sold her to Ambassador.
Ambassador purchased the 1,248-guest Ambition from AIDA Cruises in 2022 and the ship began sailing under the Ambassador brand in 2023. Formerly named AIDAmira, the vessel had entered service in 1999 as Mistral for Festival Cruises, and operated as Grand Mistral with Ibero Cruises, and as Costa neoRiviera for Costa Cruises.
Each of the three ships offers a traditional French or British product and onboard experience, and their unique features will be retained following the merger, which is expected to close by the end of January 2025.
Source: Cruisehive.com
