Spirit of Adventure accidents and incidents

01 April 2026Coast Guard Medevacs

Shortly before midnight on April 1st, 2026, a medical evacuation of a male crew member was carried out from the ship off Spain's northern coast, approximately 63 mi/100 km from the headland of Estaca de Bares.

According to maritime authorities, the shipboard medical officer determined that the man was in a serious condition requiring immediate treatment ashore. Following this assessment, the Spanish Maritime Rescue organization (SASEMAR, aka Salvamento Marítimo) coordinated a medevac. The ship was directed to alter course toward La Coruna to allow interception with a rescue aircraft at sea.

For the medevac, the Helimer 402 (search and rescue helicopter) was dispatched. The man was airlifted from the ship and flown to the A Coruna Airport, from where he was ambulanced to Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruna (CHUAC, the city's University Hospital Complex) for further medical evaluation and treatment. The man's nationality and the precise nature of the medical emergency were not released.

The incident occurred during the 14-day "The Canary Islands and Ponta Delgada Cruise" (itinerary March 20-April 3, roundtrip from Portsmouth, England) visiting the Azores (Ponta Delgada), Madeira (Funchal), the Canaries (Santa Cruz de la Palma, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Arrecife), and Lisbon.

March 2022Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

The 35-day "A Caribbean Spring" voyage (roundtrip itinerary from the UK to the Caribbean) was canceled due to an unspecified number of COVID-positive cases on the ship.

The Caribbean cruise was canceled in the mid-Atlantic Ocean (on March 3rd), with the Azores (Ponta Delgada) being the only visited destination. Saga Cruises' announcement said, "While the limited number of guests with Covid are asymptomatic or have only very mild symptoms, the strict entry requirements in the Caribbean meant we took the difficult decision to return to the UK."

Next table shows the canceled itinerary's call ports and times.

All guests were offered a full refund.

March 2021Other Incidents

In early-March 2021, Saga cancelled 4 more departures (May 4 through June 10), all of which were Dover roundtrips.

• (May 4) 16-day "Inaugural Cruise"
• (May 20) 14-day "Treasures of the British Isles"
• (June 3) 7-day "Majestic Norway"
• (June 10) 16-day "North Cape Explorer"

In May 2021 were cancelled 5 more departures (June 26 thru August 10), all Dover roundtrips.

• (June 26)  7-days"Fjordland Focus"/Maiden Voyage
• (July 3) 16-day "Inspirational Iceland"
• (July 19) 15-day "Baltic Symphony"
• (Aug 3) 7-day "Idyllic Norway August"
• (Aug 10) 19-day "Greenland and the Midnight Sun"
• (Aug 29) 15-day "Postcards from the Baltic August"

The Maiden Voyage was rescheduled for August 29th (15-day "Postcards from the Baltic August"/Dover roundtrip).

November 2020Other Incidents

In early-November 2020, Saga Cruises cancelled 7 more departures planned for Spirit of Adventure in 2021 (February 5 through May 5).

• (February 5) 14-day "Spirit of Adventurers"/ Inaugural Cruise
• (February 19) 16-day "A Norwegian Aurora"
• (March 7) 15-day "A Taste of the Mediterranean"
• (March 22) 7-day Southampton to Dover
• (March 29) 16-day Dover to Southampton
• (April 14) 14-day Southampton to Dover
• (April 28) 7-day "Idyllic Norway"

September 2020Other Incidents

In late-September 2020, Saga canceled 7x additional Spirit of Adventure cruises, originally scheduled departures November 5, 2020, through and including February 4, 2021.

The ship's inauguration was rescheduled for February 19, 2021, with a roundtrip from Southampton to the Norwegian Fjords ("A Norwegian Aurora" itinerary). Next tables show the 7 canceled (due to Coronavirus) out of the UK itineraries.

17-day "The Inaugural Cruise"

(2020) 14-day Colours of the Canaries"

(2020) 14-day "Canaries The Sunshine Isles"

(2020) 16-day "Canary Island Christmas"

(2021) 14-day "Constellations of the Canaries"

(2021) 16-day "Exotic Morocco and the Canaries"

(2021) 15-day "The Beautiful Canaries"

June 2020Structural and Technical Issues

In late-June, Saga Group announced that the Spirit of Adventure's delivery is planned for October 2020 (pushed back from July due to the Coronavirus pandemic / for more details see the "April 2020" accident report below).

The cruise ship's inauguration will be in early-November (maiden voyage date is yet to be confirmed) with roundtrip from Southampton to the Mediterranean itinerary.

Next tables show the other 4 canceled (due to delayed delivery) out of the UK itineraries.

14-day "This Sceptred Isle"

7-day "A Norwegian Canvas"

12-day repositioning from Dover to Southampton

22-day "Tales from the Ancient Mediterranean"

April 2020Structural and Technical Issues

The vessel was initially scheduled for launch in July 2020. Its christening ceremony (inauguration) was planned for August 19, 2020, to be held in Portsmouth (England UK). However, as the global Coronavirus pandemic affected the shipbuilder's activities (shipyard closure, then limited workforce), in early-April Saga Plc (future shipowner) announced that the delivery from Meyer Werft will be delayed, but still taking place within the next 12 months.

The inaugural cruise was planned for August 21, 2020.

Next table shows the 17-day itinerary's ports and times as originally scheduled.