Saga’s Spirit of Adventure will sail its first voyage in November, the company has revealed.

The ship, which is the second new build in the fleet following Spirit of Discovery, will depart Southampton on 5 November to sail the Mediterranean.

Saga was forced to suspend a special trade preview of Spirit of Adventure due to lockdown restrictions. Saga Cruises head of trade sales Iain Powell said it was “unclear” if the line would be able to reschedule the event.

Saga Cruises MD Nigel Blanks said: “We are delighted to announce the planned inaugural sailing of the Spirit of Adventure, our new luxury cruise ship. For her first voyage, Spirit of Adventure will leave Southampton on 5 November to sail the Mediterranean, before returning to the UK.

“My team is in the process of calling all passengers booked on the inaugural cruise to update them with this latest development and we look forward to welcoming them on board.

“We have been working with the industry and government to put in place state-of-the-art appropriate health protocols, putting guest safety first to ensure a return to service in the autumn.”

Saga has previously announced 39 new itineraries on Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure as part of its 2021 boutique collection, all of which are available to book now.

Spirit of Adventure will feature a number of speciality restaurants and according to Saga new-build director David Pickett, she will be “a true representation of the best of British innovation and flair”.

The company also revealed that it has refunded a total of £44m to customers for cancelled holidays up until August.

For cruise, “customer loyalty has been exceptional”, Saga said, with advance receipts at the end of May standing at £43m. This is £5m lower than at the end of March but “well ahead of expectations”.