Ambassador Cruise Line completes first sailing in partnership with ORCA

Ambassador Cruise Line has partnered with marine conservation charity, ORCA as part of the cruise line’s continued investment into sustainable cruising. The partnership includes the launch of the first ever cruise line “Anti-Whaling Campaign”. The pledge includes ORCA placing two Ocean Conservationists onboard Ambience in 2022 and 2023, on 11 sailings totalling over 200 days. Two of the 11 cruises will be Ambassador’s multi-generational cruises in summer 2022 ORCA will work with families to teach them about the marine environment and involve them in conservation projects on the ship.

The first ORCA sailing has now been completed (7 June 2022). The team onboard enriched the guest experience, assisted with wildlife spotting and educated guests on the threats facing the marine environment. The team noted the overwhelming interest in the lectures, workshops, deck watches and excursions, and recorded four different species during the sailing, including a flurry of humpback whales near Iceland. The ORCA team were able to give guests real insight into the reasons behind the unique anti-whaling policy and help them better understand the role tourism can have in helping to protect marine life for future generations.

Sally Hamilton, ORCA CEO attended the first ORCA sailing and said: “This is a very special partnership, and it was a real privilege to be on the first ORCA-Ambassador cruise. We are collaborating in a multitude of ways, from training the team at Ambassador Cruise Line’s head office, working on their first ship, and helping this new company make ethical and positive choices. The first sailing showcased the potential to reach thousands of people as part of the mission to help protect whales and dolphins and we look forward to many more educational cruises together”.

Ambassador’s CEO Christian Verhounig added: “We are thrilled to have launched our first ORCA-Ambassador cruise. Our partnership brings together incredible experiences and insights for guests along with credible research work to the benefit of marine conservation. As part of the partnership, ORCA will have a permanent presence on Ambience with a dedicated enrichment area including a range of fun and exciting activities about whales and dolphins”.

The enrichment area includes:

• Educational material focussed on whales and dolphins, including the ORCA OceanWatchers app so guests can try their hand at being an Ocean Conservationist
• Models of whales, dolphins and porpoises, and replica whale and dolphin bones
• Information about ORCA’s conservation programmes and how they are working to protect whales and dolphins around the world

The next ORCA cruise is the 11-day British Isles Discovery sailing on 12 July 2022. The team will have the opportunity to explore and celebrate the diversity of wildlife around the UK, showing guests how rich the waters, so close to home, can be.

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