Ambassador Cruise Line has acquired Oceania Sirena from Oceania Cruises expanding its fleet from three to four ships. The 30,200-ton vessel accommodates 670 guests and will continue sailing for Oceania Cruises under a leaseback agreement until spring 2028. It will then be renamed Ambella and become the first ship of Ambassador Kreuzfahrten, the group’s new German cruise brand.
The launch of Ambassador Kreuzfahrten marks a new stage in Ambassador’s European strategy from summer 2028. The brand is being developed specifically for the German market and will offer an adults-only cruise experience with a fully German-speaking onboard service. Bremerhaven and Kiel will serve as Ambella’s homeports, while personalised service, high-quality dining and destination-focused itineraries will form key elements of the product. Ambassador says the brand will target quality-conscious German couples, experienced cruise travellers and river-cruise guests looking to discover ocean cruising.
Germany represents a logical next market for Ambassador. According to the cruise line, the country attracts more than 2.8 million cruise passengers each year, making it Europe’s largest cruise source market. The relatively compact Ambella will also allow Ambassador to offer a different type of experience from the larger ships increasingly dominating the industry. Its size provides greater flexibility in itinerary planning and enables the ship to call at ports that are less suitable for larger vessels.
From Bremerhaven and Kiel to Northern Europe
Ambassador Kreuzfahrten’s inaugural programme is scheduled to operate between May and September 2028. From Bremerhaven and Kiel, the programme will include two repositioning voyages and eleven destination-focused itineraries. The routes will concentrate on Northern Europe and the Baltic region, complemented by selected itineraries to Southern Europe.
Further details about the full programme, individual itineraries and onboard offering will be announced ahead of the launch. Ambassador has confirmed that the cruises will go on sale in the German market in November 2026. Guests will be able to book through German travel agencies, leading online cruise specialists and directly through Ambassador Kreuzfahrten.
The arrival of Ambella forms part of a broader European development for Ambassador. The cruise line was founded in 2021 and welcomed its first guests aboard Ambience in April 2022, followed by Ambition in 2023. The January 2025 merger with French cruise operator Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC) brought Renaissance into the group, giving Ambassador three existing ships before the addition of Ambella takes the fleet to four.
Ambience and Ambition remain at the heart of Ambassador’s British adults-only cruise programme, operating from the UK without the need for air travel. Renaissance serves the French market during the summer and is used during the winter for Ambassador’s Caribbean fly-cruise programme for British, French and Dutch guests.
The integration of CFC has now entered another phase. On September 15, 2026, the French company was officially renamed Ambassador Croisières. The French operation is therefore now positioned under the wider Ambassador structure while retaining its own identity and the French character of cruises departing from ports including Dunkirk and Marseille. According to Ambassador, the integration has also strengthened the group’s operational and financial platform through greater scale, knowledge sharing and closer cooperation.
From Sirena to Ambella
For Oceania Cruises, however, Sirena will remain part of the fleet for the time being. The ship was originally built for Renaissance Cruises and entered service in 2000. Following the collapse of Renaissance, it joined the Princess fleet as Tahitian Princess and later Ocean Princess. In 2016, the ship moved to Oceania Cruises as Sirena following an extensive refurbishment.
The ship will continue sailing for Oceania under the leaseback arrangement until spring 2028. Its next chapter as Ambella will then begin, giving a vessel with almost three decades of history a new role within the European cruise industry and making it the foundation of a brand dedicated to German travellers.
There is also a second, very different role in store for Ambella. Outside its German summer season, the ship will be used for Semester at Sea, the international educational programme operated by the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE). Students combine academic study with international travel, using the ship as a floating campus while visiting destinations around the world.
The first Semester at Sea programme aboard Ambella is scheduled to run from September 2028 through April 2029. Ambassador and ISE have announced an initial 10-year partnership. Under the agreement, Ambella will host Semester at Sea programmes for approximately eight months each year following its German summer season. Founded in 1963, the programme has welcomed more than 73,000 participants, primarily students from U.S. colleges and universities alongside international students.
For Ambassador, the acquisition of Sirena therefore represents more than a fleet expansion. From 2028, the ship will have two distinctly different roles: an adults-only, German-speaking cruise ship for Ambassador Kreuzfahrten during the European summer and a floating campus for Semester at Sea for much of the rest of the year. Until then, Sirena will continue sailing under the Oceania Cruises brand.
Pictures courtesy of Ambassador Cruise Line
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