Ambassador extends partnership with ORCA to 2025/26

It will be Ambassador’s fourth year partnering with the marine conservation charity. 

The coming season will see ocean conservationists joining passengers on board Ambience for 11 itineraries, with sister ship Ambition set to host a further 10 sailings.

Last season, a total 8,062 sea life sightings were recorded by ORCA on Ambassador sailings. 

Striving to protect marine life

‘We are exceptionally proud to be continuing our partnership with ORCA, a charity that shares our deep commitment to ocean conservation, as we think ahead to our 2025/26 season,’ said Christian Verhounig, CEO, Ambassador Cruise Line, which has been working with ORCA since 2022 when the line operated its first itinerary.  

‘Working alongside ORCA has been incredibly rewarding, as it has allowed us to not only support vital research but also to raise awareness among our guests and crew about the importance of protecting marine life. I look forward to seeing our collaboration grow as we embark on a fourth year in our joint mission to preserve our oceans.’ 

Interactive and educational

Spanning nearly a full year at sea (361 days), Ambassador’s no-fly itineraries will visit key ports of call that hold significant value to ORCA. These voyages will help fill crucial gaps in sea life population monitoring, providing essential data to further ORCA's efforts in protecting marine animals.

Each sailing will see a team of two ocean conservationists join passengers to collect important scientific data aimed at protecting sea life including whales, dolphins and porpoises. Their activities range from lectures and Q&As to spending time on deck to help travellers spot and identify the range of life that can be seen at sea.

Passengers will also be invited to learn more about ocean conservation through an interactive education programme during the cruise. Both Ambience and Ambition will feature dedicated enrichment areas and a range of educational 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.

Steve Jones, director of fundraising & operations at ORCA, commented, ‘Our partnership with Ambassador over the past three years has allowed us to extend our reach to more critical habitats and engage with more guests than we ever could have imagined. 

‘Operating aboard Ambience and Ambition provides our ocean conservationists with invaluable opportunities to gather crucial data on vulnerable ecosystems worldwide, all while educating guests on how they can contribute to the protection of whales and dolphins. 

‘We’re pleased to be continuing this collaboration for another year and are looking forward to the incredible experiences that both guests and crew will share during their global journeys.’

Anti-whaling campaign

Ambassador and ORCA continue to champion the industry’s only anti-whaling campaign that includes calling for an end to dolphin hunts. With tourism accounting for a significant proportion of whale meat consumption in some whaling nations, ORCA’s on board talks provide an overview of the whaling industry, the impact it has on the marine ecosystem and the myths that surround it. 

None of Ambassador’s 2025/26 itineraries will feature destination experiences that incorporate any form of whaling or offer the option to consume whale and dolphin products, nor will the cruise line offer excursions to dolphinariums or other locations that feature captive marine mammals.

2025/26 ORCA itinerary highlights

Highlights include the ‘Iberian Multigenerational Adventure’ from August 10-August 22, 2025. From fin whales migrating through the Bay of Biscay to common dolphins, beaked whales, harbour porpoises and plenty of other species, this itinerary will offer ORCA and Ambassador passengers the chance to visit a number of important hotspots when crossing one of the most diverse sea life locations on the planet.

One of the top places to go whale watching in the world, the Bay of Biscay has some of the largest species in the world, such as fin whales. The ‘Gems of Spain and Portugal’ itinerary will stop at a number of Important Marine Mammal Areas - IMMAs, and sightings could include common dolphins to the deep-diving Cuvier's beaked whale.

The ‘Classical Mediterranean’ programme runs from February 19-March 22, 2026. The Med is home to around 10 species of whales and dolphins, including sperm whales, bottlenose dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, striped dolphins, and long-finned pilot whales. It is also an area of interest for conservationists with a number of protected areas – and a key area for monitoring and contributing to ORCA's ship strike work.

There will be chances to encounter whales and dolphins, including orcas, humpback whales, minke whales, and white-beaked dolphins, during the ‘Land of the Northern Lights’ sailing to Norway. Taking place March 22-April 4, 2026 passengers can visit an area that is highly important to monitoring the health of minke whale populations and observing the impact of commercial whaling on minke whales in Norwegian waters.