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id: 7414 title: "Cruise Ship Extends Bordeaux Stay to Dodge Rough Seas After Illness Outbreak" date: "2026-05-14" updatedDate: "2026-05-14" excerpt: "Ambassador Cruise Line's Ambition will remain in Bordeaux for an extra night to avoid rough weather in the Bay of Biscay and provide additional recovery time for guests and crew affected by a norovirus outbreak. The ship's itinerary has been adjusted accordingly, with the next port visit in El Ferrol extended to ensure guests have a full day to enjoy the city." coverImage: "https://images.nomadlawyer.org/images/blog/cruise-news/2026/05/cruise-ship-extends-bordeaux-stay-to-dodge-rough-seas-after-illness-outbreak.jpg" coverImageAlt: "Ambassador Ambition cruise ship docked in Bordeaux port with extended stay announcement" coverImageCaption: "Image generated by AI" tags:
- cruise-news
- ambition
- bordeaux
- norovirus
- ambassador-cruise-line
- itinerary-changes
- bay-of-biscay slug: "cruise-ship-extends-bordeaux-stay-to-dodge-rough-seas-after-illness-outbreak" category: "cruise-news" author: "Raushan Kumar"
Key Aspects
- Ambition will remain in Bordeaux for an extra night due to rough weather in the Bay of Biscay
- The ship's next port visit in Spain has been adjusted to account for the brief delay
- Illness protocols remain in effect onboard, but the ship's itinerary will continue as planned
Extended Port Stay in Bordeaux
Ambassador Cruise Line's Ambition has been cleared by French health authorities and guests are permitted to debark and explore the historically-rich city of Bordeaux, but the ship will now be remaining in port longer than originally expected. Ambition was supposed to depart at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 following an overnight stay in the port.
While the ship did arrive on time early on Wednesday morning, an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness onboard led French authorities to deny debarkation until health testing was complete. Testing was finished and guests permitted to debark later in the day on Wednesday, following the loss of several hours of port visit time. This led to all of Wednesday's tour opportunities being cancelled.
Now Ambition will remain overnight in Bordeaux until late Friday, but not entirely due to the illness outbreak.
"In the interests of guest comfort and crew wellbeing, Ambition will remain in Bordeaux overnight before continuing her sailing on a revised itinerary from tomorrow, Friday 15 May 2026," the cruise line announced on Facebook. "This will allow the ship to avoid forecast unsettled weather conditions in the Bay of Biscay this evening which would be less than ideal for guests and crew recovering from gastrointestinal illness while also providing valuable additional time for crew who have worked exceptionally hard in challenging circumstances over recent days."
Navigating the Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is off the southwestern coast of France. As Ambition sails from Bordeaux to her next port, El Ferrol in northwestern Spain, she must completely cross the southern portion of the bay. According to Windy.com, winds across the Bay of Biscay are forecast to be 25-30 miles per hour from the north-northwest at the time Ambition was to have been sailing toward El Ferrol on Thursday.
By leaving on Friday instead, winds should slow to just 15-20 miles per hour, which will be a much smoother passage for guests and crew still recovering from the illness outbreak.
El Ferrol Time Revised
The 48,200-gross-ton ship was originally planned to arrive in El Ferrol at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 16 and depart at 6 p.m. On the revised schedule, the ship will now arrive at 10:30 a.m. and her visit has been extended until 8 p.m. to ensure all guests have a full day to enjoy the city and any tours or excursions planned.
Itinerary Overview
At this time, there are no further changes to Ambition's itinerary. The ship departed Belfast on Friday, May 8 for the 14-night sailing. After El Ferrol, her remaining port visits are:
- Gijon, Spain
- Bilbao, Spain
- La Rochelle, France
- Lorient, France
The ship will arrive back in Belfast on Friday, May 22.
Illness Protocols Continue
Though Ambition is able to continue on her journey after the weather-related adjustment, the gastrointestinal illness outbreak remains onboard. The Agence Regionale de Sante Nouvelle-Aquitaine has confirmed the outbreak as norovirus, but no serious cases have been reported.
Ambassador Cruise Line is continuing to provide free medical consultations onboard for any gastrointestinal illness symptoms and enhanced surface cleaning and other sanitation protocols remain in effect.
"Throughout this period, the health, safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew has remained our highest priority," the cruise line said. "We would like to thank guests and crew for their patience, understanding and cooperation while precautionary health and safety measures remain in place."
Ambition can hold 1,248 guests at double occupancy, but no numbers have been confirmed about how many guests or crew members have reported illness.
FAQ
Q: How long is the extended stay in Bordeaux? A: Ambition will remain in Bordeaux until late Friday, May 15, instead of departing Thursday evening, providing an additional night in port.
Q: What caused the initial debarkation delay in Bordeaux? A: An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness onboard led French authorities to deny debarkation until health testing was completed on Wednesday.
Q: What is the confirmed illness affecting the ship? A: The Agence Regionale de Sante Nouvelle-Aquitaine has confirmed the outbreak as norovirus. No serious cases have been reported.
Q: Will the remaining itinerary be affected? A: No further changes have been announced to Ambition's remaining port visits beyond the El Ferrol schedule adjustment.
Q: What health measures are in place? A: Ambassador Cruise Line is providing free medical consultations for any gastrointestinal illness symptoms and has enhanced surface cleaning and sanitation protocols in effect.
Q: Why is the ship staying longer if the main reason is weather? A: The extended stay serves dual purposes: avoiding rough seas in the Bay of Biscay while also providing additional recovery time for guests and crew affected by the norovirus outbreak.