Saga Cruises has had to amend the maiden sailing of new ship Spirit of Adventure due to lockdown restrictions in Scotland.
The vessel is set to depart from Tilbury on July 26 but will no longer make any calls in Scotland where it had been due to makes calls into Edinburgh, Dundee, Kirkwall, Ullapool, St Kilda and Greenock.
The revised itinerary now includes stops in Newcastle, Belfast, scenic cruising off the Isle of Man, Liverpool, Holyhead, Bristol, Isles of Scilly and Falmouth before returning to the London port on August 10.
In a message to passengers booked on the inaugural, 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.
“I appreciate this may come as disappointing news, however, we are confident that we will still be able to provide the first class experience that you expect from us.”
Saga Cruises has also made alterations to a Spirit of Discovery departure from Tilbury on July 25 which will no longer sail to the northern isles and Norwegian fjords.
Instead, the ship will now operate a ‘Coastal Landscapes of the West’ itinerary covering Portsmouth, Falmouth, Holyhead, Isles of Scilly and Portland.
A Sprit of Discovery cruise on August 2 has been amended but is planned to make five Scottish calls from August 9 when restrictions on cruise calls in the country are due to be relaxed. The ship is now due into Ullapool on August 9, followed by Kirkwall, Lerwick, Scrabster and Invergordon after calls in Falmouth, the Isle of Man and Belfast.
A sailing, which departed from Tilbury on Sunday, also had to be altered to switch away from Scottish ports.