Will Ambassador Cruise Line EXPAND to Mega Ships?

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  • Опубликовано: 2 янв 2025
  • In this episode of the Sail Away: Uncensored cruise podcast, we have an exclusive chat with Christian Verhounig, the CEO of Ambassador Cruise Line, who takes us through his remarkable journey from starting as a bartender aboard cruise ships to becoming the driving force behind one of the UK's most beloved cruise lines. Christian opens up about the challenges he and Ambassador faced during their early days, including the obstacles of launching a new cruise line amidst stiff competition and a global pandemic.
    Christian provides unique insights into what sets Ambassador Cruise Line apart in an industry dominated by major players, from their focus on affordable, no-fly cruises to creating a more sustainable and environmentally conscious operation. We discuss the company’s emphasis on offering an authentic, relaxed cruising experience tailored for British guests, and the growing importance of catering to the over-50s market, something Ambassador has made its speciality.
    For anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes of cruise line operations, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Christian’s story is a testament to resilience, hard work, and innovation, making this episode a must-listen for anyone passionate about the cruise industry.
    #SailAwayUncensored #CruisePodcast #ambassadorcruiseline #cruiselife #cruising
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Комментарии • 44

  • @sailawaymag
    @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад

    Have you heard about Sail Away? It's the cruise magazine written by cruise lovers, for cruise lovers! Subscribe today for £3.95 every two months! sailawaymagazine.com/cruise-magazine/

  • @richardpiper4828
    @richardpiper4828 2 дня назад +1

    I dived straight in at the deep end for my first cruise. Grand Round World Cruise on Ambience. A wonderful, wonderful experience made all the better by all the crew and passengers being so friendly. I travelled Solo but it was so easy to mix with fellow guests. Food and entertainment absolutely excellent. Overall great value. Only downside was my (very large) inside cabin was perhaps a bit tired but it was clean. No grumbles as this was the small trade off and my choice for the price.

  • @martinschoenbeck7590
    @martinschoenbeck7590 2 месяца назад +2

    Loved this interview and hearing from the CEO -
    I’m a big fan of Ambassador - and enjoyed five cruises so far and hope they continue to go from strength to strength 🚢❤

  • @TomandDomTravel
    @TomandDomTravel 2 месяца назад +3

    An informative and engaging conversation. We really enjoyed hearing from Christian. Ambassador is a great product and we can’t wait to see what they have planned for the future.

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад

      Thanks for watching guys! We're excited to see what ship they buy next, we suspect we won't have too long to find out either.

  • @sistersontheseas
    @sistersontheseas 2 месяца назад +4

    This was a great listen. Will be very interesting to see how Ambassador develop going forward. We suspect that 3rd ship isn’t too far away!

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад

      Thanks for watching guys! Maybe we can do that next ship together...whenever it arrives :)

  • @annabuttimore6819
    @annabuttimore6819 2 месяца назад +2

    LOVE Ambassador, and I love them even more having watched this. What a nice guy, and very clever too.

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад

      Thanks for watching Anna. Ambassador have come along way, and much of it is owed to Christian. A very humble and intelligent man!

  • @TravellingLightLisa
    @TravellingLightLisa 2 месяца назад +1

    As you guys know, we have been Ambassadors for Ambassador after our time on Ambition What Christian said about the destinations being the destination and not the ship, really resonated with us. No fly cruises really appeal to a lot of our subscribers, and there is definitely demand for more. Thanks for this interview. It was a fascinating insight into the company.

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад

      Thanks for watching guys! It resonated with us too. Particularly with the larger, more corporate cruise lines, the ship becomes the soul focus and the destinations get lost!

  • @LucysMum-j1m
    @LucysMum-j1m 2 месяца назад +3

    Well done, Ambassador. I totally agree with its smaller-ship concept. CMV born again, which made cruising approachable for a single mother like me. The latter’s Ambience was the former’s would-be last ship, Amy Johnson, which had to cancel my booking when the pandemic. When I finally made ourselves to Ambience, it ended up as 1 of their dinner-and-show-with-overnight stay due to a lifeboat issue. It didn’t stop me rebooking on Ambience after housing Ukrainians in Scotland in the following year. 1 of her buffet waiters showed me a photo of his dog at home and told me how much he missed it after seeing my Lucy (on my profile pic). I can’t wait for the 3rd ship. Mr V suggested Amber or Amethyst, which the former easier to say but the latter would represent Ambassador purple. June

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад +1

      Thanks for watching and commenting, June :)

    • @LucysMum-j1m
      @LucysMum-j1m 2 месяца назад

      @@sailawaymag Correction, it was Ambition I actually cruised on last year. I’m impressed Mr V’s promotion which makes him understand about crew. Moreover thanks to both Dan and Jay for letting me know about this CEO. June

    • @ramblingrob4693
      @ramblingrob4693 Месяц назад +1

      CMV was doing really well an a good fleet til Covid. So in 5 years time Ambassador might have 4 ships

  • @luton10town10
    @luton10town10 2 месяца назад

    Sailing with my grandparents for the Easter getaway in April 2025 and this interview makes me feel confident we've booked on a good cruise line! The way Christian speaks shows he cares about the customers; very much hoping to see this is the case when we sail in April.

  • @cruisingwiththe4bs
    @cruisingwiththe4bs 2 месяца назад +1

    Really interesting interview. You can see he loves the product and does a great job at targeting a part of market that has been left behind by others.
    Hopefully the summer multi generation cruises will continue and we can get onboard.

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад +1

      Thanks for watching guys! Hope you can get onboard soon, they are definitely worth a try!

  • @jackmchammocklashing224
    @jackmchammocklashing224 2 месяца назад

    An honest and open Interview, thank you Sir

  • @jackmchammocklashing224
    @jackmchammocklashing224 2 месяца назад +1

    I would like to see a limited ala carte resteraunt introduced, rather than just PUB GRUB, So a small alternative resteraunt with a better selection of food

  • @stusmodels
    @stusmodels 2 месяца назад +1

    I hope they look into buying the old P&O Oceana. I think it was another old P&O favourite and help Ambassador and fit in nicely.

  • @gailatkinson8466
    @gailatkinson8466 2 месяца назад +3

    This man is impressive. Taking a cruise company & turn it into a viable operation. He should be commended. I hear tell Ambassador are excellent. Much better than P&O. I'm going to try from Liverpool. He should be in government.

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад +1

      Thanks for watching Gail. Ambassador are definitely worth a try, and offer incredible value for money. Christian is a very intelligent and humble man, and it was a pleasure to speak with him.

    • @annabuttimore6819
      @annabuttimore6819 2 месяца назад

      @@gailatkinson8466 I love Ambassador. I’ve been on eight cruises and yes, they are better than P&O. There’s a genuine sense on board that everyone is very happy to be there including the crew. It’s been over a year since I was on Ambience and I still remember the fun chats my mum and I had with Rusti, our cabin steward.

  • @YoungatSea
    @YoungatSea 2 месяца назад +1

    Really great podcast was really interesting to hear the story of how Ambassador came about them sailing from the regional ports is definitely something we look for in a cruise with southampton being about 200 miles away 😂

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад +1

      Thanks for watching, guys! Hope you manage to try them soon :)

  • @markwright349
    @markwright349 2 месяца назад +1

    I wonder if they'll buy Pacific Explorer when P&O Australia close....

  • @matthew.a4694
    @matthew.a4694 Месяц назад +1

    Surely P&O Australia's Pacific Explorer would be the natural fit, still a small ship and her interior would match Ambience given they were both refurbished by P&O Australia at a similar time.

  • @jackmchammocklashing224
    @jackmchammocklashing224 2 месяца назад

    This is to be my Fourth trip on Ambition (previously three on Costa when she was Romantica then stretched to Neu Romantica) Nice ship, and not overcrowded like the new giants

  • @smvsspould
    @smvsspould 23 дня назад

    I get such good vibes from ambassador.

  • @jackmchammocklashing224
    @jackmchammocklashing224 2 месяца назад +1

    I would mutch better cruise from a UK port than spend almost a day and a half to fly before the cruise (better time spent on the ship) a Great invention, cater to your passengers
    Off to Northern lights on the 8/11/2024 two weeks hurrah

  • @davidjames-maddaford4531
    @davidjames-maddaford4531 2 месяца назад +1

    What is FINALLY a brilliant business acumen.. And my most pleasant cruise was aboard the QE2 PRE The Falklands' War: If I could have ordered lark's-tongues upon toast they would've just said yes Mr. James. Just superb service from then the REAL Cunard/White Star. Not like the americanised line it is now.

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад +1

      Thanks for watching David.

  • @jackmchammocklashing224
    @jackmchammocklashing224 2 месяца назад +1

    This CEO has the nowse to realise, it is better for the passenger to be able to get on the ship without a £120 pound overnight stay at a hotel to board the ship in the morning
    When you can pick a cruise nearer home, and the same on your return thus saving almost £400 from hotel and meals
    Way to go, Why pay £500 return to fly to Barcelona/Genoa £500 then hotel and transfers to your ship, When you go from home for the price of a Taxi

  • @djt_Art_Travel
    @djt_Art_Travel 10 дней назад

    Correct me if I'm incorrect, but wasn't Ambassador Cruises the metamorphosis of the failed CMV? They folded due to lack of financial reserves pre Pandemic. Even with the same Executives? And completing the purchase of ships actually destined for the failed CMV
    - hopefully they will be able to build up reserves and not go the same way as CMV. The two ships are getting old and more costly to maintain
    - a fair and interesting interview. Well done
    = but I wish Ambassador well

  • @jackmchammocklashing224
    @jackmchammocklashing224 2 месяца назад

    If you go for American then you will have to go for Steaks and Burgers, which are MORE EXPENSIVE to provide, So would need to take this into account

  • @keith6400
    @keith6400 8 дней назад

    They will have to buy more ships handed down by other cruise lines which will tend to be bigger as time goes by. I do not see them commissioning new builds.

  • @AcerDyan
    @AcerDyan Месяц назад

    I’ve booked four cruises with ambassador and three of which have been cancelled so I just hope they look after their ships and their future cruise ships are a bit more reliable

  • @amitraina2
    @amitraina2 2 месяца назад

    Did anyone take a shot ever time he said "yeah"!

    • @sailawaymag
      @sailawaymag  2 месяца назад

      Should we promote this podcast as the Ambassador drinking game, “yeah” 😉

  • @rabnesbitt9955
    @rabnesbitt9955 2 месяца назад

    From house in Dundee to Cabin on Ambition in 10 mins.

  • @ramblingrob4693
    @ramblingrob4693 Месяц назад

    Ambassador Cruise Line EXPAND, Tilbury is home port so they wouldn't get a ship bigger than 100000t