CFC Cruises Rebrands as Ambassador Cruises: A New Identity to Strengthen Its Ambition in the French Market


What stays the same: the Francophone experience aboard Renaissance

Renaissance sous les couleurs d’Ambassador Croisières. © Andy Humbert

Climats du Monde


It is perhaps the essential takeaway: becoming Ambassador Croisières does not mean giving up what defines the identity of Compagnie Française de Croisières.

French‑speaking guests will again encounter aboard Renaissance its distinctive atmosphere, its traditional décor, a warm, convivial ambience, and the high standard of the cuisine and the crew’s service. The company will also continue to offer a cruising approach that is distinct from the largest ships, leaning more toward destination discovery, the quality of calls at ports that are sometimes out of reach for the biggest vessels, and the pleasure of taking one’s time, all within a Francophone setting.

Ambassador Croisières will maintain its European North and Mediterranean itineraries, exclusively departing from the French ports of Dunkerque and Marseille, allowing travelers to reach Renaissance without necessarily flying before the start of their cruise. Winter Caribbean sailings designed for an international clientele, offered aboard Renaissance from Pointe‑à‑Pitre since 2025, remain on the programme for upcoming seasons as well.


2028: an expanded lineup and new destinations

Another important development: the new itineraries for 2028 will soon be available for sale. This refreshed schedule aims to preserve the carrier’s DNA by continuing to visit its flagship destinations: Norway, Iceland, the Baltic, as well as Greece, the Adriatic, Spain, and the Caribbean, while introducing several new options and particularly appealing itineraries.

Among the highlights announced, Egypt will join the program with a 14-night cruise from May 28 to June 11, 2028, including notably a two-day stop in Alexandria to explore the legendary pyramids of Giza.

Ireland will make a strong comeback with an itinerary from July 16 to 24, 2028 that blends British and Irish coasts and offers the chance to visit Cork, Dublin, Liverpool and the Isles of Scilly.

Finally, from September 28 to October 4, 2028, travelers will be able to explore the south of Norway, with its iconic capital Oslo and the northern Denmark region in just six nights.

With this 2028 schedule, Ambassador Croisières intends to continue a strategy that combines enduring classics—those that helped drive CFC’s success—with new propositions, featuring itineraries crafted to emphasize the richness of the ports of call and the discovery of destinations.


New tools for travel professionals

Along with this new brand, the entire ecosystem aimed at travel professionals is evolving as well. To assist travel agencies in discovering and promoting the offer, new tools and sales materials will be rolled out progressively.

The 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 seasons will notably benefit from new brochures, crafted in an elegant Italianate format, more immersive and richly illustrated. Intended as true invitations to travel, they will let readers dive into the Renaissance experience both on board and at the proposed destinations, while equipping advisors with the essential keys to present the offer to their clients.

This new identity will also be accompanied by a range of point-of-sale materials designed for shop floors: small countertop stands, easy to set up, and a large-format Tribeca-style totem to boost the brand’s visibility within agencies.

Through these new aids, Ambassador Croisières seeks to empower professionals to better promote the brand, enhance its positioning, and ignite the desire to travel. This approach reflects the company’s commitment to strengthening its ties with French and Francophone distribution networks and to making travel agencies a key partner in its growth.


A new identity, the same commitment

With this new identity unveiled at the IFTM trade show in Paris, Ambassador Croisières opens a fresh chapter of its development in France, built on the foundations laid by CFC Croisières and reinforced by the strength of an international group. This evolution clearly signals an ambition: to offer Francophone travelers an ever richer and more distinctive cruising experience, while strengthening closeness with its sales partners. Stay tuned over the coming weeks to discover the new 2028 lineup and the many innovations that will enrich Ambassador Croisières’ offering.

“This evolution is fully in line with CFC’s continuity, at sea as on land, with the same ambition and the same teams to carry it forward. The name change to Ambassador Croisières does not compromise our presence in France: our French office remains at the heart of our development and our teams continue to support our passengers, our partners and our agencies daily. We preserve what defines our identity and uniqueness, while benefiting from the group’s strength to sustain growth and open new opportunities. It is a new chapter in our history, but above all a step forward that lets us face the future with confidence.” — Maëlysse Pierrot-Guibourt, President of Ambassador Croisières.


Contact Ambassador Croisières


CFC Croisières devient Ambassador Croisières : une nouvelle identité pour une ambition renforcée sur le marché français
Information and reservations at 04 84 89 02 90 and on www.ambassadorcroisieres.fr


CFC Rebrands as Ambassador Cruises: Name Change, Same Direction


Renaissance change de couleurs, mais Ambassador Croisières promet de conserver l’ADN français de CFC @CFC

Climats du Monde


As of September 15, the Compagnie Française de Croisières will adopt the name Ambassador Croisières, marking a new step in its integration into the British Ambassador group.

A evolution likely to raise concerns about diluting its French identity. Maëlysse Pierrot-Guibourt, president of Ambassador Croisières, wants precisely to put an end to this worry.

« We change our name, we change our color, but we do not change our vision of cruising », she assures at the IFTM show where the company has a stand. « Our fundamentals remain the same, we change the name but not the course »

The leader acknowledges that the rapprochement with Ambassador, which occurred in 2025, had already raised questions. Some feared then that CFC « would become English ». « We have shown that this is not the case », she recalls.


Renaissance changes colors, not its mission

The change will be clearly visible. Renaissance completes its transition to the colors of its parent company.

After a gradual transformation of its visual identity, its emblem abandons notably the CFC acronym in favor of Ambassador’s “A”.

But the ship will preserve its Francophone positioning, its ambiance, its gastronomy and a largely Francophone hotel crew. The company also aims to continue distinguishing itself from the very large ships, with calls sometimes inaccessible to the biggest units and more time devoted to destinations.

Not a question either of reconsidering French departures: Marseille will remain the gateway to the Mediterranean, Dunkirk the gateway to Northern Europe and Pointe-à-Pitre the gateway to the Caribbean.

The new branding chosen by the company sums up this positioning: « Voyager. Au plus près ».

« A journey isn’t necessarily about going far. It’s also about getting closer. », explains Maëlysse Pierrot-Guibourt. Destinations and cultures, but also the other passengers, the common French language aboard should foster encounters.


90% occupancy in 2026

Ambassador Croisières approaches this brand change with encouraging results. “We had a very good year in 2026. We are averaging a 90% occupancy rate to date,” announces its president.

Dunkirk, in particular, has found its audience. The occupancy rate there also reaches about 90%, or slightly more depending on the executive.

The northern port has allowed the company to reach new customers, some of whom had never taken a cruise, and also to move closer to the Belgian market.


Travel agencies account for 60% of bookings

The next step will come very quickly. The 2028 program will be unveiled at the end of September, one month earlier than last year, with its long list of novelties including Egypt entering the program and Ireland making a comeback, with an itinerary including Cork and Dublin.

The move to the Ambassador brand will finally be accompanied by a significant communication effort.

Ambassador Croisières will thus launch a television campaign in October, aimed at quickly establishing its new identity with the general public. Specific materials will be offered to agencies to facilitate the transition from CFC to Ambassador and to improve the brand’s visibility at points of sale.

New brochures in Italianate format, counter stands, or large-format totems are expected to appear in agencies.