Who: The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) and Ambassador Cruise Holidays Ltd (Ambassador Cruises)
Where: United Kingdom
When: 27 August 2025
Law stated as at: 23 September 2025
What happened:
An email from Ambassador Cruises promoted a 30% discount for second guests in the subject line and body of the email. The subject line stated “Set Sail & Save – 30% Off Your Second Guest” and the body of the email further clarified that the offer was applicable to bookings for a second guest on selected 2025/26 and 2026/27 sailings for destinations including the Norwegian Fjords, the Mediterranean and more.
The complainant challenged whether the ad was misleading, believing the promotion discounts did not represent genuine savings. The allegation was based on two images of the Norwegian Fjord cruise on Ambassador Cruises’ website, which showed the price before and after the promotion was launched. Before the promotion, the individual price per person was stated to be “From £879 per person” and after launch of the promotion, it appeared as “From £1,009 first person £709 second person”.
Ambassador Cruises confirmed that an administrative error had been made and that the Norwegian Fjords cruise should not have been included in the promotional offer. Although the Norway cruise was initially part of the “30% Off” campaign, following an internal review, the fares for that particular cruise were reduced. Despite this, the Norwegian cruise was not immediately removed from the promotion.
The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) states that price statements should not mislead by omission, undue emphasis or distortion.
The ASA acknowledged Ambassador Cruises’ response, but found that Ambassador Cruises did not hold evidence that the £1,009 price was the usual price of an individual ticket, and that the price reduction represented a genuine saving for consumers. The ASA therefore concluded that the ad was likely to mislead.
Why this matters: The ruling highlights the importance for marketers to systematically review whether price savings claimed on promotions are reflected in reality and ensure that, when internal reviews of ongoing promotions are undertaken, any changes to a live promotion are communicated to the relevant teams so that adjustments can be considered and made if appropriate.
