Saga has been forced to cancel a 35-day cruise on Spirit of Adventure halfway through the itinerary due to a Covid outbreak on board.
The 999-passenger vessel was forced to turn back after calling into Ponta Delgada, Azores – the first stop-off in the itinerary.
After visiting Ponta Delgada, the vessel had been scheduled to call into St Lucia, Jamaica, Grand Turk Island and Bermuda. The ship departed from Southampton on February 22.
A Saga spokesperson confirmed a “limited number of guests” had Covid but were either asymptomatic or had very mild symptoms.
The line blamed the “strict entry requirements in the Caribbean” for the decision to bring the ship back to the UK. All passengers onboard have been offered a full refund.
The spokesperson said: “Sadly, we have been unable to continue with our current cruise to the Caribbean.
“We want to thank all our guests, who have been very understanding of the decision we have taken and appreciative of the levels of service we have maintained, thanks to the hard work of our crew.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority and we value the long-term relationship we have with them.”
The spokesperson added: “We, like everyone else in the cruise industry, are learning to live with Covid and we look forward to welcoming our guests back on another cruise in the near future.”