Ambassador Cruise Line has renewed its partnership with ORCA, the marine conservation charity, and announced that the 120-day World Cruise will include 14 itineraries dedicated to ocean conservation and guest interaction.
Following the success of Ambassador’s inaugural season in partnership with ORCA, ocean conservationists will join guests aboard Ambience on seven itineraries departing from London Tilbury’s homeport, while its sister ship, Ambition—entering service in May and offering additional sailings from Newcastle, Dundee, Liverpool, Belfast, Bristol, and Falmouth—will host another seven. With a total of nearly 500 days at sea in 2023/24, these cruises will feature a wide variety of destinations and itineraries. On these cruises, ORCA experts will gather vital scientific data aimed at protecting marine life, including whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and invite passengers to learn more about ocean conservation onboard.
On the Ambience Grand World Cruise, ports of call will include the blue whale migration routes around Australia and the eastern Indian Ocean; the threatened habitats of the pygmy blue whale in Sri Lanka and the southern right whale breeding grounds in the eastern Indian Ocean; the southern right whale breeding grounds in South Africa; the migration routes of the endangered subpopulation of humpback whales in Oceania near the Cook Islands; and the Panama Canal, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, where animals face a high risk of collision with vessels.
All ORCA cruises will feature an interactive educational program designed to offer passengers the opportunity to learn more about the marine environment. Both ships will house enrichment areas with various activities and educational materials focused on whales and dolphins.
With the continuation of the partnership, Ambassador and ORCA will reaffirm their commitment to a joint campaign against whaling, first launched in 2022.
Christian Verhounig, CEO of Ambassador Cruise Line, said: “I am incredibly proud that we will once again be working in partnership with our charity partner ORCA for the upcoming season.”.
Since ORCA's first outing with Ambassador in June 2022, ocean conservationists have recorded and tracked many different animal species: 509 sightings of common dolphins, 247 sightings of white-beaked dolphins; 63 sightings of harp seals; 15 sightings of loggerhead turtles; 59 sightings of humpback whales; 78 sightings of fin whales; and 24 sightings of blue whales.
