Ambassador Cruise Line has unveiled plans to launch a brand-new Trade Portal this autumn, representing a significant advance in the way its trade partners search, book and manage Ambassador sailings.
*All details correct at time of publish (27 July 2026)
The announcement marks the start of a phased rollout ahead of the portal becoming available to all Ambassador trade partners in September.
Over the coming weeks, Ambassador says it will work directly with high street agents, homeworkers, independents and consortia to create individual user accounts, replacing shared logins and ensuring every agent has secure access to the platform from day one.
Agent partners attending the company’s ship visit were also informed by Karen Cameron, Ambassador’s Deputy Head of Trade, that the onboarding period will allow them ample time to complete training modules and familiarise themselves with the new system ahead of launch.
Making it quicker, easier and more intuitive for travel agents to do business with Ambassador, the Team chose to rethink the entire trade experience throughout the development phase with four key priorities:
Speeding up the booking journey, bringing previously separate systems together, making campaigns easier to access and creating a platform capable of growing alongside Ambassador’s expanding trade business.
Replacing multiple systems with a single, intuitive platform, the new Portal combines cruise search, booking management, live campaigns, trade incentives, training, downloadable marketing assets, ship visit requests and business support in one place.
Building on the day-to-day insight gathered by the Trade Team into what agents valued most – and where the existing platform could be improved – Ambassador undertook a dedicated test phase, inviting partners to share direct feedback on the existing platform and where enhanced features and functionality would make the greatest difference.
Alongside this, specialists at ROL Cruise have worked closely with Ambassador’s development team since February, helping to test and refine the portal at every stage.
Combined with additional feedback from Ambassador’s wider trade network, this collaborative approach was conceived to ensure the new platform reflects the way agents actually search, quote, book and manage cruises.
The result is a portal built around the needs of travel agents from the outset, rather than simply updating the existing system.
The enhanced cruise search mirrors the customer booking journey, allowing agents to search sailings using the same intuitive filters available on Ambassador’s consumer website and quickly identify applicable offers with fewer clicks than before.
Agents will also benefit from a personalised dashboard displaying the latest campaigns, promotions and commercial incentives relevant to their business.
Agency-specific offers will automatically appear alongside national campaigns, ensuring partners always have visibility of the opportunities available to them without relying solely on email communications.
For the first time, agents will also be able to access a wide range of day-to-day trade resources from the same platform, including downloadable marketing assets, training materials, FAQs, group information, Team contact details and online ship visit requests, removing the need to move between multiple systems or websites.
The Trade Portal has also been built with future development in mind. Following the initial launch, further functionality will allow designated agency administrators to create, manage and remove users directly within the platform, reducing administration while giving larger agency groups greater control over access for their teams.
Nicola Harper, Head of Distribution at Ambassador Cruise Line, said: “Our valued trade partners continue to be a vital part of our success at Ambassador, so whenever we invest in technology it has to make a genuine difference to the way they work every day.
“Rather than simply updating our existing trade portal, we took a step back at the beginning of the year and looked at the whole journey from an agent’s perspective so that we could create something new that would fully serve our partners’ needs.
“We wanted to create a genuine one-stop shop where agents could search for cruises, make and manage bookings, access campaigns, request ship visits, download marketing assets and find the information they need, all without moving between different systems.
“Working alongside ROL Cruise throughout the development process has been invaluable. Their teams use cruise booking platforms every day, so their feedback has helped us build something that’s practical, intuitive and genuinely reflects how agents work.”
Karen Cameron, Deputy Head of Trade, adds: “Announcing the portal today gives us the opportunity to onboard our trade partners in good time ahead of the September rollout.
“Rather than asking agencies to share logins, every consultant will have their own secure account from day one, allowing them to access personalised campaigns and making it easier for us to recognise, support and reward the individuals and businesses helping to grow Ambassador.”
Billy Rusbridge, Senior Cruise Consultant at ROL Cruise, said: “The introduction of Ambassador’s new trade portal has been a breath of fresh air. It is one of the most user-friendly systems I have come across, which not only helps the agent, but also helps with the flow of communication with customers.
“New features such as the ‘Manage Bookings’ feature means it is now effortless to help with new and existing bookings alike. 10/10 from me.”
The phased onboarding programme will begin following this announcement, with Ambassador inviting agency partners to submit user details by emailing trade@ambassadorcruiseline.com before the Trade Portal is introduced across its distribution network in September.
To find out more about Ambassador Cruise Line ahead of the September rollout of the new trade portal, agents should visit Ambassador’s current agent website: Welcome to our Trade Partners/Travel Agents | Ambassador (ambassadorcruiseline.com) or call Trade Support – 0330 162 0222 / Trade Reservations – 0330 029 0171.
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