Ambassador Cruise Line names ORCA as charity partner for a third year with 23 dedicated itineraries announced for 24/25 season totalling almost 600 days at sea. Over 8,000 sea life sightings recorded onboard in 2023 as educational guest experiences continue into new season.
Ambassador and marine conservation charity ORCA, continue to champion industry’s only anti-whaling campaign. Following a hugely successful past year which saw 8,062 sea life sightings recorded by ORCA on Ambassador sailings, the coming season will see ocean conservationists joining guests onboard Ambience for 12 itineraries, with her sister ship, Ambition set to host a further 11 sailings.
Totalling 585 days at sea in 2024, the highest number of dedicated ORCA sailings since the partnership with Ambassador began* will take in a host of destinations and itineraries including the no fly, premium value cruise line’s multi-generational cruises. Each sailing will see a minimum of two Ocean Conservationists join guests onboard to collect important scientific data aimed at protecting sea life including whales, dolphins and porpoises as well as invite travellers to learn more about ocean conservation while onboard through an interactive education programme.
2024/25 ORCA itinerary highlights
Ambassador itineraries will visit various ports of call that are of great significance and value to ORCA, helping them plug vital gaps in the monitoring of sea life populations and offering vital insights to further its work to protect sea animals.
Multigenerational Iberian Treasures & North Africa – 10/08/24 – 22/08/24
This trip exploring the Iberian coast is the perfect way for younger guests to learn about whales and dolphins. From fin whales migrating through the Bay of Biscay to acrobatic common dolphins, elusive beaked whales, shy harbour porpoises and plenty of other incredible species, this itinerary will offer ORCA the chance to visit a number of important hotspots when crossing one of the most diverse sea life location on the planet.
British Isles & Ireland Discovery – 30/06/24 – 14/07/24
With 25 species spotted in UK waters, the British Isles boasts an incredible diversity of whales, dolphins and porpoises right on our doorstep, including ‘slinky’ minke whales, orcas and the largest bottlenose dolphins in the world, reaching up to 4m in length. This itinerary will take in a number of protected areas so the sightings ORCA record will play a direct role in helping to monitor the whales and dolphins around our coast.
Canaries, Cape Verde & Morocco – 15/11/24 – 05/08/24
Crossing the Bay of Biscay, this sailing will see ORCA collect important winter data to help better understand the migrations of whales and dolphins. After reaching the Canary Islands, Ocean Conservationists will show guests how important it is to enjoy whales and dolphins in the wild, with Ambassador’s anti-captivity pledge being incredibly important in an area with a number of captive marine mammals.
Springtime Azores, Madeira and North Africa – 21/03/25 – 11/04/25
Spring time in the Azores sees a combination of incredible deep diving sperm whales and migrating giants like blue whales, meaning that it’s the perfect place to go to see all sorts of incredible animals. After leaving the Azores, the sailing will take in the north African coastline, an area that the charity has very limited data for, taking in Madeira, Morocco and the Strait of Gibraltar, a vital area of study.
Interactive Guest Education Programme
Each ORCA sailing with Ambassador will feature an interactive education programme aimed at offering guests the opportunity to learn more about the marine environment. Ocean Conservationists activities range from lectures and Q&As to simply spending time on deck to help travellers spot and identify the incredible range of life that can be seen at sea.
Throughout 23 sailings across the 2024/25 season, Ambience and Ambition will feature dedicated enrichment areas and a range ofeducational materials focussed on whales and dolphins. These include the ORCA Ocean Watchers app, which allows guests to try their hand at being an Ocean Conservationist, and information about ORCA’s conservation programmes detailing how they are working to protect sea life around the world.
Third year of ORCA itineraries follow record-breaking sightings in 2023
A full year of sailing with Ambassador in the 2022/23 season saw a significant increase in sea life sightings and further enhanced ORCA’s research efforts, yielding a total of 8062 sightings..
Since ORCA’s first sailing with Ambassador in June 2022, the charity’s experts have recorded and tracked many different species of animal. The common dolphin was sighted 1,100 times, with a further 457 sightings of the white beaked dolphin; 380 striped dolphin sightings; 48 Loggerhead Turtle sightings; 92 Humpback Whale sightings; 78 Fin Whale sightings; and 12 Blue Whale sightings.
Industry First Anti-Whaling Campaign
Ambassador Cruise Line was founded in 2021 and sailed its first itinerary in April 2022. Since this time, the company has been working with ORCA on a joint Anti-Whaling Campaign that positions Ambassador as the industry leader on the issue of commercial whaling and unnecessary dolphin hunts, with Ambassador’s support of ORCA’s education work is helping move towards an end to commercial whaling.
With tourism accounting for a significant proportion of whale meat consumption in some whaling nations, ORCA’s onboard talks provide an overview of the whaling industry, the impact it has on the marine ecosystem and the myths that surround it. Furthermore, none of Ambassador’s 24/25 itineraries will feature destination experiences that incorporate any form of whaling or offer the option to consume whale and dolphin products (e.g. restaurants serving whale meat), including not offering experiences to dolphinariums or other destinations that feature captive marine mammals.
Steve Jones, Director of Fundraising & Operations at ORCA said: “The last two years with Ambassador have given us the opportunity to reach more important habitats and engage with more guests than we would have ever thought possible. Working aboard Ambience and Ambition is giving our Ocean Conservationists the chance to collect vital data about vulnerable habitats around the world, all whilst teaching guests about the role they can play themselves in keeping whales and dolphins safe. We’re so proud to be continuing our partnership for another year and can’t wait to hear about the incredible encounters the guests and crew have during their voyages across the world.”
Christian Verhounig, CEO, Ambassador Cruise Line, said: “I’m incredibly proud that we will be continuing our collaboration with our nominated charity partner ORCA for a third successive year. Sustainability is and will remain one of Ambassador Cruise Line’s core values, and the 23 dedicated ORCA itineraries in the 24/25 season will see marine conservationists conduct essential research. With ORCA’s interactive education programme continuing to be well-received by our guests, I’m delighted that ORCA and Ambassador will again work together to help guests understand the opportunity they have to help us in our joint mission to protect the oceans we sail in.”
Guests looking to book any of Ambassador’s dedicated ORCA itineraries for 2024/25 can find further details on https://www.ambassadorcruiseline.com/cruise-types/orca:
Ambition
Ambition – A22406BR – Iberian Treasures & Seville Fiesta
Ambition – A22408BR – Hidden Gems of France, Spain & Portugal
Ambition – A22409BR – Springtime Fjordland
Ambition – A22410BR – Round Britain & France Discovery
Ambition – A22414LV – Northern Isles & Fjordland Adventure
Ambition – A22415LV – Iceland’s Land of Ice & Fire
Ambition – A22416LV- Hidden Gems of France, Spain & Portugal
Ambition – A22417LV – UK & Ireland Getaway
Ambition – A22418LV – Scottish Islands & Edinburgh Festival
Ambition – A22422NC – British Isles & Ireland Discovery
Ambition – A22429NC – Norway’s Land of the Northern Lights
Ambience
Ambience – A12402 – British Isles Discovery
Ambience – A12404 – Iceland’s Land of Ice & Fire
Ambience – A12407 – British Isles & Ireland Discovery
Ambience – A12409 – British Isles Discovery
Ambience – A12411 – Multi-Generational Iberian Treasures & North Africa
Ambience – A12415 – Hidden Gems of France, Spain & Portugal
Ambience – A12417 – Jewels of the Mediterranean
Ambience – A12420 – Norway’s Land of the Northern Lights
Ambience – A12421 – Canaries, Cape Verde & Morocco
Ambience – A12427 – Christmas & New Year Canary Islands & Madeira
Ambience – A12504 – Norway’s Land of the Northern Lights
Ambience – A12506 – Easter Multi-Generational Getaway
Some images supplied. Other images courtesy of unsplash.com and pexels.com
