P&O Cruises says it saw an 'overwhelming' number of bookings for its domestic cruises this summer.
In fact, demand was so high that the cruise line's website faced a technical glitch after the new holidays went on sale this morning.
The cruise line experienced 'technical difficulties' on its website, which it said was due to the "incredible demand" from holidaymakers hoping to be onboard the series of cruises sailing on a roundtrip from Southampton.
A statement from the brand said: "We are so sorry if our guests experienced difficulty booking our new UK getaways via our website this morning. This was due to the incredible demand we experienced for these cruises. We immediately made a number of changes on the technical side to allow more guests to book online and the issue was rectified very swiftly."
The cruises will only be open to vaccinated Brits, and will include a range of three- and four-night sailings.
That includes a maiden voyage for the company's new ship Iona in August, with an itinerary which fittingly features the island which is her namesake, as well as the Inner Hebrides. The company will also offer a series of sailings on board Britannia between June and September.
P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said in a statement that "many thousands of guests have already made bookings" and that Iona's maiden voyage is "already very well sold and will be a very special cruise".
You can find out more on pocruises.com.
It's hoped that domestic cruises could resume from May 17 when restrictions on travel could lift as part of England's lockdown roadmap. As a result, a number of cruise lines have unveiled new domestic sailings for the summer (we have a full list here).
Due to ongoing travel restrictions around the world, most cruise lines have extended their cancellations for international sailings, with most aiming for a restart between June to September - we've got a guide with key dates for individual cruise lines.
At the time of writing, the Foreign Office continues to advise against cruise ship travel during the pandemic.
Are you planning to book a domestic cruise for the summer holidays? Let us know in the comments below.
