Hundreds of people gathered to watch the spectacular cruise ship Azura leave the Tyne after five months.
The 290m-long P&O cruise liner had been docked at the Port of Tyne in North Shields since January 21.
Usually, the Azura sails the sunny Caribbean and Mediterranean seas but it has been anchored in the North East due to the pandemic.
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P&O said the Azura's home port of Southampton did not have space for all its ships, so its fleet was moved around UK ports for essential maintenance.
Since January 21, the Azura has been berthed in the Port of Tyne.
A P&O spokesperson previously said: "Our home port of Southampton does not have berth availability for all our ships at the moment.
"As a result, to enable essential maintenance to be undertaken, Azura will be berthed in the Port of Tyne as part of our ongoing preparations to return to service. We would like to thank the Port of Tyne for its assistance and the welcome extended to the ship.
"We are very much looking forward to Azura being back in service, alongside the rest of our fleet, delivering future holidays for our guests."
The ship left Northumbrian Quay in North Shields at around 6.45pm to head to Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The vessel will remain in Belfast until it is called back into service.
As it left the Tyne it could be seen from vantage points north and south of the river including
North Shields Fish Quay, Tynemouth ’s Collingwood Monument, Tynemouth and Littlehaven Beach in South Shields.
