Saga’s new Spirit of Adventure won’t debut in August, according to a statement from the company.

A Saga spokesperson said: “The Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, which is building the Spirit of Adventure, has informed us that the ship will not now be delivered in time for our planned maiden voyage. Progress has been severely impacted by the workplace and travel restrictions in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have written to our customers to let them know and offered them the chance of amending over to the new date once confirmed or to receive a full refund. An inaugural cruise is a very special event and we expect the majority of our guests will want to amend their bookings to the later date. We will continue to work with Meyer Werft on finalising a new delivery date.”