Rumor Mill: What Happened…

Ah, Edinburgh. Scotland's capital is famous for countless solemn reasons; Sir Sean Connery, Greyfriars Barbie, stunning UNESCO World Heritage architecture, the inspiration for Rowling's Harry Potter books, haunted secret dungeons – the list is endless. Sort of like a mandate for the Scottish National Party.

Yet, of all the things that Edinburgh is proud of, Fringe Festival The Fringe is undoubtedly the city's most enduring attraction. Billy Connolly called it “the best festival on earth”. Eddie Izzard got his start here. Rowan Atkinson, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams, Robbie Coltrane – they all made their names at the Fringe.

For three weeks in August, Edinburgh welcomes millions of people to a celebration of arts, culture, comedy and community spirit. Cobbled streets of Auld Reekie The world's biggest party, hundreds of thousands of people travel across the globe to witness history come alive. Over three million tickets, 2,500 performers and 288 venues come together to create the biggest festival of its kind.

But there's a problem. Edinburgh's 136 hotels are full before you can even say “reserve” Hyde“”.
The accommodation industry faces overbooking issues, so hotel chains and landlords are pushing prices sky-high to profit from demand.

That is Ambassador's ambition offers a clever and ingenious solution – and explains why the ship recently sat on the Leith skyline, having sailed from Edinburgh on August 16 after the “hotel contract” ended.

This kind of behavior caused a lot of confusion on the forum. Here is what happened.

Fringe Festival Ambassador Ambition

Despite being a “new cruise company”, ambassador Ambition has a proud tradition in humanitarian affairs. In September 2022, Ambition docked on the River Clyde in Glasgow to provide accommodation for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion. Over 1,100 displaced people made Ambition their home for six months.

There is also a trend for cruise ships to double as floating hotels, such as MSC Cruises’ Poesia and Opera’s efforts during the 2022 World Cup in Doha, Qatar. Taking all these factors into account, it’s no surprise that Ambition has been awarded the contract to provide accommodation and entertainment space during the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Soon, Ambition was dubbed the ‘Edge Ship.’ In April, Ambition was first announced as a venue/luxury edgy hotel, planned to be docked near the Britannia in the historic port of Leith.

Thanks to an enviable bus and tram network, it takes less than 15 minutes to get from Leith Cruise Terminal to the heart of the action. It's the perfect recipe for success; offering stylish accommodation away from the city centre, entertainment and onboard dining (all included in the price) provides a level of exclusivity that others can't get. Who wouldn't want that?

It turns out there were a lot of people. If you dig deeper into the headlines, you’ll see that all 1,300 seats on the Ambition were packed. As the Fringe reached its final climax, there were still hundreds of rooms available. At times, the ship was less than a third full.

As Reporter The Scotsman newspaperDespite exclusive performances on board and a free shuttle service to Edinburgh city centre, the project fell through. Although cabin costs were slashed, it was too late. Playbill – the US company behind the project, which contracted the rights to Ambition – later admitted it had suffered huge losses.

But so what? Not everything becomes popular immediately, even if it's made of gold. The first Bond movie didn't top the box office when it was released in 1962, but 007 has conquered the world. Give Fringe Cruises some time and it will receive a lot of praise and cash. It's also a great brand promotion for the cruise line.

Playbill is aware of this and has promised to bring Ambition back. Maybe not next year, but certainly in the years after that. Stay tuned. The Purple Chimney will soon make its home in the Port of Leith every August.

Has the Ambassador abandoned Edinburgh?

So what will become of the relationship between Ambassador Cruises and Old Edinburgh? For those who enjoy drama, look away now – because the relationship has not changed. Ambassador Cruises and the Scottish capital have a close working relationship; despite recent rumours.

At present, the rumor on the street may be about Ambassador Company and leaving the main port of Auld Reekie forever, but this sentiment is untrue. Ambassador's ambition was to serve as a one-time accommodation for Fringe, which is not a bad end to the business relationship. The ship is usually operated elsewhere.

Those with “keyboard warriors” in their titles have successfully spread the notion that the cruise line and the Port of Leith have somehow fallen out. There has been an internal dispute, they are parting ways, and the Ambassador will be taking up residence elsewhere – taking the cutlery with her.

Again, this is pure fiction. Ambassador does not normally sail from Leith, and the recent sailing from Leith to Newcastle was purely to use the Ambition to sail to the next itinerary point – where new passengers board the first post-Fringe ship.

“After speaking to Ambassador Cruises' head of communications Ian Benjafield, the company remains committed to including Edinburgh in its inventory, but Leith remains a rare place to visit. Therefore, the cruise lines will not be packing up and rushing outside the port walls. All tableware is safe.”

To answer your next burning question: when the Ambassador travelled to the capital it would normally have used the facilities of Rosyth (the port on the Firth of Forth which then served Edinburgh).

And, as expressed, the ship will return to the Fringe Festival in the next few years. Has Ambassador given up on Edinburgh? Don’t worry. Cruises to the city will still go ahead, and Ambition will return to Leith as a Fringe Festival ship in (approximately) August 2026.

Dundee: The main Scottish port of ambassadors

main Ambassador's departure point in Scotland is currently Dundee – Scotland's fourth largest city and a treasure of Caledonian culture. To reiterate and quell the rumors, Ian Benjafield sent Cruising the World The document outlines an exciting second season of cruises departing from the port of Dundonia, with the first sailing of the season departing on 22 August.

How committed are they? Ambassador has 10 sailings departing from the Forth Harbour in the coming period. Last year, Ambassador welcomed nearly 9,000 guests from the region and thousands more are expected to enjoy the convenience of sailing closer to home.

Ambassador CEO Christian Verhounig explained: “After a successful inaugural season, we are very much looking forward to sailing from Dundee Forth Port this year, when our second ship, Ambition, will set sail. The demand for sailings in the region is very strong.”

Of course. As the stereotype goes (I’m from Edinburgh so understandable), Scots love a discount. We all do and Ambassador offers plenty of them – whether Dundee or Edinburgh is your first stop.

Rest assured, Ambassador will not be abandoning any of its Scottish destinations any time soon. AldridgeAs for the Fringe Festival, we heartily encourage you to give it a try too. If you're attending in 2026, the 'Fringe Festival Boat' will be at your service – you heard about it here for the first time!

Special thanks to Gillian Carmoodie for her photography contribution. Thanks also to Samantha Prendeville for her assistance with this story.