Marella has been forced to cancel a second cruise on Marella Discovery, which was due to depart from Barbados at the weekend.

It follows the cancellation of Discovery’s 2 January cruise after a small number of people onboard tested positive for COVID.

The cruise line had initially planned to send those infected to a quarantine hotel in Barbados, where it was docked, but it is understood that authorities on the island have prevented passengers from disembarking.

A TUI spokesperson said: “We can confirm that following changes in local guidance in Barbados, we have unfortunately had to cancel Marella Discovery’s next sailing on 9 January.

“We have contacted all impacted customers to discuss their options, which include amending their holiday with a booking incentive or receiving a full refund.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely and any customers impacted by changes to their holiday will be contacted directly as soon as possible.”

Guests currently on the ship have been told their cruise has been cut short and they will be flown home early, but some have complained on social media that they aren’t being flown back to their local airports.