TUI has revealed that it will be offering a range of domestic cruise holidays for Brits later this year.
Its cruise line Marella Cruises will be hosting the sailings, although the firm is remaining tight-lipped about exactly what will be on offer.
On its Facebook page it teased fans with the news: "We’re really pleased to announce we’ll be offering domestic cruises sailing from the UK this year. We can’t wait to welcome you back onboard. More details will be revealed soon."
That's all of the info they've shared for now - but watch this space! Marella will be joining a line-up of cruise lines launching domestic sailings including the likes of P&O Cruises, MSC Cruises and Viking Cruises.
Most are planning sailings for the summer months from June through to September. For some cruise lines such as P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises, the sailings will only be opened to Brits who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (meaning having received the second dose at least seven days before travel).
Still, it's clear that Brits have been missing cruise holidays. Within hours of opening bookings, P&O Cruises saw an 'overwhelming' number of UK holidaymakers trying to book onto the sailings - including a maiden voyage for new ship Iona - which even caused its website to face some technical issues.
The company's 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".
It's hoped that domestic cruises could resume from May 17 under England's lockdown roadmap.
When Boris Johnson announced the roadmap, he didn't specifically mention whether cruises would be included alongside travel restrictions being lifted.
At the time of writing the Foreign Office continues to advise against cruise ship travel during the pandemic.
Are you hoping domestic cruises will restart from May? Let us know in the comments below.
