18 MARKETWATCH Ambassador Cruise Line merges with Compagnie Française de Croisières British brand Ambassador Cruise Line has merged with French cruise operator Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC) to form the Ambassador Group, a “leading European premium affordable value cruise line” targeted at the “no-fly silver market”. Ambassador Group will operate a fleet of three small to mid-sized vessels, including Ambassador’s 1,400-guest Ambience and 1,200-passenger Ambition and CFC’s 1,200-guest Renaissance, which has recently undergone a multimillioneuro refurbishment. Ambience and Ambition will continue to offer a traditional British cruise product, while guests sailing on Renaissance will be able to enjoy a French cruise experience. The merger will enable Ambassador Group to enter the fly-cruise market with a joint fly-cruise Caribbean programme in winter 2025-2026 in partnership with European travel operator Corendon. Targeted at guests from the UK, France and the Netherlands, the itineraries will be offered from October 2025 and sail from homeports in Barbados, Martinique and Curaçao. Photo: Ambassador Cruise Line Celebrity Cruises to launch new river cruise brand in 2027 Celebrity Cruises has ordered 10 vessels for its new Celebrity River Cruises brand. The ships will visit cities on the world’s “most iconic” rivers and will begin sailing in Europe in 2027. The brand, which will begin taking bookings in 2025, will offer guests Celebrity Cruises’ signature hospitality and destination-rich itineraries. To be built in the Netherlands by TeamCo, the ships will “elevate” the design of Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-series ocean ships and provide 360-degree views. “With about half of our guests having experienced or intending to vacation on a river cruise, we know they will enjoy Celebrity’s elevated offering on the river,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, which owns Celebrity Cruises. “We are the best in the world at delivering the vacation of a lifetime, and this is the latest example of how we are building the capabilities to deliver a lifetime of vacations.”
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