Saga Cruises Spirit of Adventure docked in Portsmouth today with passengers disembarked for excursions around the UK south coast city, while caterers arrived quayside to serve up a well-deserved BBQ lunch for the ship’s crew.

Organised by the ship’s master, Captain Kim Tanner, the event provided the crew with a different kind of lunch break. Burgers, hot dogs and fries proved popular as The Great British Sausage Co. sizzled in the shade of the ship.

Captain Tanner said “I am always looking for a chance to do something special for our crew. Due to Covid restrictions, we are all currently confined to the ship so today was a great opportunity to let them off onto the quay and give them a chance to catch up and socialise in a more relaxed setting.

A lot of the crew spent lockdowns onboard, so to be out sailing again and hosting our passengers is a great relief, it is what we do best!”

Spirit of Adventure’s crew are all part of a controlled Covid ‘bubble’, and are continuing to follow strict guidelines to keep passengers safe.

Andrew Williamson, passenger operations manager at Portsmouth International Port added "It is always a pleasure to host Saga at the port, and we are really pleased to be able to support the seafarers who work so hard to ensure that passengers have a fantastic experience onboard."

Today marked Spirit of Adventure’s final passenger call of the summer into Portsmouth, after the port successfully hosted the naming ceremony for the new vessel in July.

Afloat adds the brand new boutique cruiseship made its first call to Belfast Harbour on 30 July and as of this afternoon, departed the English Channel port with Falmouth as the next call.

A sister, Spirit of Discovery entered service in 2019 with a first call to Dublin Port as Afloat reported. The cruiseship having made its maiden cruise from the Port of Dover. 

Currently, this cruiseship is in Scottish waters having departed Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.