Saga Cruises had to amend the maiden voyage of their new ship Spirit of Adventure due to Scotland's lockdown restrictions.
The ship is scheduled to depart from London-Tilbury, England on July 26 but will no longer call in Scotland where Spirit of Adventure had been due to visit Edinburgh (Newhaven), Kirkwall (Orkney Island), Dundee, Ullapool, St Kilda, Greenock-Glasgow.
The revised itinerary now features stops in Belfast (Northern Ireland), Newcastle upon Tyne (England), scenic cruising off the Isle of Man (Peel-Douglas, UK), Holyhead (Isle of Anglesey, Wales), Liverpool (England), Bristol (Avonmouth, England), Isles of Scilly, Falmouth (England), prior to returning to London-Tilbury on August 10.
Spirit of Adventure will be named at an official ceremony in Portsmouth UK (England) on July 19 when COVID restrictions are lifted.
In a message to guests booked on the inaugural voyage, the company said:
“You may already be aware that the Scottish government’s roadmap out of lockdown differs from other parts of the UK.
“At present Scotland is not permitting cruise ships to call to its ports, and it will continue to enforce some restrictions until August 9 which will prevent us from operating the cruise as planned.”
Saga Cruises also made alterations to its Spirit of Discovery departure from London-Tilbury on July 25 which will no longer sail to the Norwegian fjords and northern isles. Instead, the vessel will operate a ‘Coastal Landscapes of the West’ itinerary visiting Portsmouth, Holyhead, Falmouth, Isles of Scilly, Isle of Portland.
A Sprit of Discovery sailing on August 2 was amended but is scheduled to make five Scottish calls from August 9, 2021, when restrictions on cruise ship calls in the country are expected to be relaxed. The vessel is now due to arrive at Ullapool on August 9, followed by Kirkwall, Lerwick, Scrabster, Invergordon after calls in Falmouth, the Isle of Man, Belfast.