The group will be majority owned by Ambassador’s existing shareholders, Njord Partners, with investment management firm Cheyne Capital taking a minority stake.
Its fleet will comprise of the Ambience, Ambition and Renaissance ships offering sailings mainly to the “no-fly silver market”. The ships’ capacities range from 1,200 to 1,400 passengers.
Renaissance will enter dry dock this month to undergo a series of environmental upgrades to make the vessel IMO Tier III compliant with sister ships Ambience and Ambition. It will become IMO Tier III complaint from April 2025.
The group will “leverage its premium and highly regarded offering to establish new destinations while delivering authentic and sustainable cruise experiences to a wide audience”.
Each vessel will continue to be a traditionally British or French product to their respective markets to “ensure all guests travelling with the combined operator enjoy an unrivalled onboard experience in line with their expectations”.
Despite the group’s efforts to position itself as a “no-fly” cruise operator, it will offer a fly-cruise Caribbean programme in October in partnership with European travel operator Corendon Group.
The Caribbean sailings will depart from Barbados, Martinique and Curacao and will run through the 2025/26 winter season.
The programme will be sold through the UK, French and the Netherlands source markets, marking the group’s entry into the fly-cruise market and enhancing its year-round offerings.
More details about the programme will be announced “in the coming days”, the group said.
“The combination of Ambassador and CFC is a bold step towards our shared vision for the cruise industry,” said Christian Verhounig.
“By uniting our strengths, we are creating an organisation that delivers exceptional experiences to our guests while upholding sustainable practices.
“Together, we will lead the way in offering affordable, high-quality, authentic and environmentally responsible cruises.”
Maelysse Pierrot-Guibourt, CFC chief executive, said the “exciting” merger underlined the “collective confidence” in the cruise industry’s future.
“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,” she added.
“CFC, with its highly impressive levels of guest satisfaction and repeat business, offers authentic and unique premium French cruise experiences which will not only be retained but further enriched.”
It comes after Ambassador expanded its trade team with the appointment of Peter Green to the newly created role of strategic accounts manager.
The former trade training executive at the Malta Tourism Authority is responsible for growing and strengthening relations with key partners to maximise sales generation through trade events and marketing campaigns. He will report into Karen Cameron, deputy head of trade.
