Saga Cruises’ Spirit of Discovery has returned to the ocean from Tilbury Docks on its first round Britain tour since the UK was locked down in March last year.

The ship will call first at Portsmouth today, Portland on June 29th, the Isles of Scilly on June 30th and Falmouth on July 1st.

Saga follows MSC Cruises in its return to the UK market.

Nigel Blanks, chief executive of Saga Cruises, said: “Our guests are so excited to be back cruising again and our crew members are all looking forward to giving them an incredible experience onboard.

“We have a great itinerary, taking in some of the most stunning parts of the West Country.

“There really is no better place to see our beautiful coastline than from the sea.”

He added: “We work to the highest standards and every detail has been thought-through to respect current social distance rules from the onboard entertainment to the dining experience, spa and fitness facilities and personalised customer service.

“All our guests can board knowing we take their health and well-being incredibly seriously.

“In addition to the observance of strict safety protocols, guests must have had both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine prior departure and all our crew onboard have also been fully vaccinated.”

Spirit of Discovery and its brand-new sister ship, Spirit of Adventure, which will leave on its inaugural cruise on July 26th, are both small by contemporary ship standards but clever design and the limited number of guests combine to give a real feeling of space and comfort.