MS Ambition

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Cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line

title: "MS Ambition" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1999-ships", "ships-of-aida-cruises", "ships-of-costa-cruises", "cruise-ships-of-italy", "ships-built-by-chantiers-de-l'atlantique"] description: "Cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line" topic_path: "geography/italy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Ambition" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox ship"]

FieldValue
section1{{Infobox ship/image
imageCroisière AMBITION au port à Casablanca.jpg
image_captionMS Ambition at Casablanca in 2023
section2{{Infobox ship/career
name*1999–2003: Mistral
operator*1999–2003: Festival Cruises
registry*France Mata Utu
ordered1996
builder*Chantiers de l'Atlantique
yard_numberJ31
launched2 January 1999
christened25 June 1999
maiden_voyage17 July 1999
in_service1999–present
identification*Call sign: C6FL6
statusIn service
section3{{Infobox ship/characteristics
class
tonnage
length216 m
beam28.8 m
depth6.8 m
decks8 passenger decks
poweremissions standard IMO Tier III
speed19.5 kn
capacity1,248 passengers (double occupancy)
crew670
notesWhen docked can plugin to external power and turn-off engines
::

| infobox_caption = | display_title = |section1={{Infobox ship/image | image = Croisière AMBITION au port à Casablanca.jpg | image_caption = MS Ambition at Casablanca in 2023

|section2={{Infobox ship/career | hide_header = | country = | flag = | name = *1999–2003: Mistral

| fate = | status = In service | notes =

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics | hide_header = | header_caption = | class = | tonnage = | displacement = | length = 216 m | beam = 28.8 m | height = | draught = | draft = | depth = 6.8 m | decks = 8 passenger decks | deck_clearance = | ramps = | ice_class = | power = emissions standard IMO Tier III | propulsion = | speed = 19.5 kn | capacity = 1,248 passengers (double occupancy) 1,727 passengers (maximum capacity) | crew = 670 | notes = When docked can plugin to external power and turn-off engines 'MS Ambition* is a cruise ship operated by Ambassador Cruise Line. Completed in France as Mistral for Festival Cruises in 1999, she sailed between 2005 and 2019 as Grand Mistral with Ibero Cruises and Costa neoRiviera with Costa Cruises. The ship was in service as AIDAmira with AIDA Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc, until her sale in 2022 to Ambassador Cruise Line, who renamed her ***Ambition''''', commencing sailing in May 2023.

It and its sister ship "Ambience" featured as the location of the third series of the television show "The Cruise: Fun-Loving Brits at Sea"

History

''Mistral''

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Mistral_Kiel2003.jpg" caption="''Mistral'' in [[Kiel]] Harbour, May 2003"] ::

The ship was originally ordered by Renaissance Cruises in mid 1996, but the order was later withdrawn. The yard and bankers together held ownership of the ship through a company called Auxiliaire Maritime. During construction at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, the order was taken over by Festival Cruises, which would receive its first new-build vessel.

Festival Cruises chartered the ship for the first 12 years, with the option to purchase the ship after the first six years. The ship was floated out on 2 January 1999 from the shipyard and was christened on 25 June 1999 by Claude Deschamps, wife of French football player Didier Deschamps. Mistral sailed on her maiden voyage on 17 July 1999, a seven-day cruise from Genoa to the Greek islands. She was deployed to Guadeloupe in the Caribbean after her inaugural Mediterranean season and later operated primarily from Cuba. Festival Cruises collapsed in 2004 and most of the company's fleet, including Mistral, was sold off.

''Grand Mistral''

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Grand_Mistral_in_Malta_Harbor_12_May,2006(2)_(cropped).jpg" caption="''Grand Mistral'' in [[Malta]], 2006" alt=""] ::

Mistral was initially sold back to Alstom Group, parent of her builders, and chartered to Viajes Iberojet and operated by Ibero Cruises, having been marketed as Iberostar Mistral. Mistral was officially sold to Iberojet at an auction and subsequently renamed Grand Mistral, debuting for the cruise line on 30 May 2005.

In 2007, Carnival Corporation & plc formed a joint venture with Orizonia Corporation under the latter's Iberojet Cruceros brand, with Carnival owning 75% and Orizonia owning 25% of the company. With this, Grand Mistral would now be owned and operated by the new joint venture company. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Grand_Mistral_IMO_9172777_in_Tallinn_22_May_2012.JPG" caption="''Grand Mistral'' with new livery, at Tallinn on 22 May 2012"] ::

In August 2013, it was announced that Grand Mistral would be transferred to Costa Cruises in November, and her intended South American itineraries from Santos, Brazil would be cancelled.

''Costa neoRiviera''

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Croisière_COSTA_NEORIVIERA_au_port.jpg" caption="''Costa neoRiviera'' at [[Casablanca]], 2019" alt=""] ::

In September 2013, Costa Cruises announced that the transferred ship, which would be renamed Costa neoRiviera, would take a central role in launching a new sub-product that would focus on smaller ships with longer port calls, more overnights, and new exotic locales among the offered itineraries. In October 2013, Costa revealed that she would be based in Dubai, with her debut set for 24 November 2013.

Costa neoRiviera left Costa's fleet in October 2019 after it was announced on 25 May 2018 that the ship would be transferred to sister brand, AIDA Cruises.

''AIDAmira''

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/At_Playa_de_Las_Teresitas,Tenerife_2021_018(cropped).jpg" caption="''AIDAmira'' at [[Tenerife]] in 2021" alt=""] ::

Costa neoRiviera entered dry dock at the San Giorgio del Porto shipyard in Genoa on 30 October 2019 for a $55 million transformation to integrate her into the AIDA fleet. She departed the shipyard on 28 November 2019 and arrived in Palma de Mallorca on 29 November 2019 for her christening. AIDAmira was officially christened by Franziska Knuppe on 30 November 2019 in Palma de Mallorca.

AIDAmira was the fourth ship to be in AIDA's "AIDA Selection" program, along with , , and , utilizing the fleet's smaller ships to perform longer itineraries calling in exotic locales. Her inaugural cruise was scheduled to leave on 4 December 2019 to Sète and Barcelona, but was cancelled at the last minute due to continued renovations requiring her to stay in Palma de Mallorca until 4 December. The ship left for her maiden season in South Africa, offering 14-day cruises from Cape Town.

In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, six passengers were quarantined on AIDAmira, after they had flown on a plane with another guest who had later tested positive for COVID-19. Ultimately, more than 1,700 passengers were held, pending their test results, while the ship was docked at Cape Town. By 19 March, all tests returned negative, and passengers were allowed to disembark. She was scheduled to return to the Mediterranean from May to September 2020, sailing within the Eastern Mediterranean region from Corfu, but the pandemic caused AIDA to suspend its operations through the summer.

After being laid up since 2020, AIDA Cruises sold the ship in January 2022 to Ambassador Cruise Line.

''Ambition''

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Ambition-cruisevessel2-lloyd_hg.jpg" caption="''Ambition'' in drydock in April 2023"] ::

Ambassador Cruise Line renamed the ship Ambition and in April 2022 sent her to Bar, Montenegro to await an extensive refit prior to commencing service in March 2023. In September 2022, the ship began a six-month charter to the Scottish Government to provide accommodation on the River Clyde in Glasgow for refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, delaying commencement of her cruise program.

In April 2023, a four-week refit took place at the Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany. Ambition was upgraded to comply with the International Maritime Organization's Tier III emission standards, which required a reduction in the ship's production of nitrogen oxide. The dock work at Lloyd Werft also included maintenance work on the propulsion units, rudders and stabilizers, as well as a new coat of paint in the shipping company's colors. Ambition left Bremerhaven on 8 May 2023 before travelling to Port of Tyne in Newcastle on 11 May for the naming ceremony. Former sailing champion and double Olympic Gold medalist Shirley Robertson christened and was named godmother of the ship. The first stop on the ship's maiden voyage was from Newcastle to Dundee, Robertson's birth place.

References

References

  1. "The Cruise: Fun-Loving Brits at Sea {{!}} Meet the Cast & Episodes {{!}} Ambassador Cruise".
  2. Mazorra, Arturo Paniagua. (1999-12-14). "Festival Cruises' Mistral".
  3. "Grand Mistral".
  4. Smith, Peter C.. (2010). "Cruise Ships: The World's Most Luxurious Vessels". Pen & Sword Maritime.
  5. Cogswell, David. (2007-02-08). "Carnival to partner with Iberojet Cruceros in joint venture".
  6. Norton, Theresa. (2013-10-01). "Iberocruceros' Grand Mistral to Become Costa neoRiviera". [[TravelPulse]].
  7. (2013-08-29). "Grand Mistral South America Season Cancelled, Ship Transferred to Costa".
  8. (28 September 2013). "Overnights and Unusual Destinations Mark New Costa Project".
  9. Capella, Daniel. (9 November 2013). "Costa investe mais de 10 milhões de euros na renovação e manutenção de sua frota".
  10. (25 May 2018). "Costa neoRiviera to Become AIDAmira in 2019".
  11. Kalosh, Anne. (2018-05-25). "Costa neoRiviera is transferring to become AIDAmira".
  12. Mathisen, Monty. (2019-09-25). "Costa neoRiviera to Become AIDAmira After $55 Million Drydock".
  13. (2019-12-01). "AIDAmira Christened".
  14. Erdmann, Frederik. (2019-12-02). "First AIDAmira cruise canceled last minute".
  15. (18 March 2020). "1,700 trapped on Cape Town cruise ship in Covid-19 drama".
  16. (19 March 2020). "AIDAmira cleared of Coronavirus in Cape Town as SA shuts down cruise operations". Cruise Arabia & Africa.
  17. Kalosh, Anne. (27 May 2020). "May 27 updates: Costa/AIDA delay, Victory won't operate in 2020, new AQSC timeline". Seatrade Cruise News.
  18. (2022-01-26). "AIDA Cruises baut Selection-Programm aus".
  19. (5 April 2022). "Former AIDAmira Arrives in Bar City, Montenegro". Cruise Industry News.
  20. (27 January 2022). "Ambassador purchases AIDAmira, will enter service next year as Ambition". Seatrade Cruise News.
  21. (2022-04-06). "Ex AIDAmira llega a Montenegro a la espera de remodelación".
  22. (2022-08-16). "Ambassador Cruise Line Charters Ship to the Scottish Government".
  23. (16 August 2022). "Ambition will join Tallink-owned cruise ferry in Scotland to house Ukrainian refugees". TradeWinds.
  24. "Kreuzfahrtschiff "Ambition" verlässt Bremerhavener Lloyd Werft".
  25. "Shirley Robertson OBE to christen Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

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