Tourism

What is the Ambition cruise ship and when does it visit Gibraltar?

The cruise ship Ambition
Photo: Pjotr Mahhonin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Short answer

Ambition is an Ambassador Cruise Line ship for up to 1,200 guests, sailing no-fly cruises from UK ports. Its upcoming visits to Gibraltar, with times and expected passengers, are listed on this page.

Upcoming visits to Gibraltar

  • Thursday 31 December 2026, in port 12:00–18:30, about 1,244 passengers expected

  • Wednesday 31 March 2027, in port 08:00–20:00, about 1,244 passengers expected

  • Monday 2 August 2027, in port 08:00–19:00, about 1,244 passengers expected

    Also in port: AIDAcosma.

  • Tuesday 5 October 2027, in port 08:00–18:00, about 1,244 passengers expected

    Also in port: Balmoral. Combined: about 2,594 passengers where known.

  • Sunday 14 November 2027, in port 08:00–18:00, about 1,244 passengers expected

  • Friday 24 December 2027, in port 12:00–18:00, about 1,244 passengers expected

    Also in port: Balmoral. Combined: about 2,594 passengers where known.

From the Port of Gibraltar schedule, last checked 15 October 2026.

Detailed answer

Ambition is operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, a British line. It was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire in France and entered service in 1999 as Mistral, later sailing as Grand Mistral, Costa neoRiviera for Costa Cruises and AIDAmira for AIDA before joining Ambassador in 2022. Ambassador gives a gross tonnage of 48,123, a length of 216 metres and up to 1,200 guests in 680 cabins; Wikipedia gives a crew of 670. Its last refit was in 2023. Ambassador sells it to British travellers as a smaller, more relaxed ship, and from the 2027 to 2028 season all its cruises are adults-only. On board are two main restaurants, a bistro-style café, four bars and a pub, a tiered theatre, a library, a craft studio and two pools.

How busy will town be?

The upcoming visits listed on this page show the passengers expected on each call and any other ships in port the same day. Town is busiest when several ships are in at once or a large ship arrives at a weekend. A ship carrying a few hundred passengers makes little difference on its own.

Can you sail on it from nearby?

No. Ambition's listed departures from October 2026 to 2027 are all from UK ports: Bristol Avonmouth, London Tilbury, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Belfast, Dundee and Newcastle. None start or end in Spain, Portugal or Southampton.