Passengers on the MV Van Gogh were in the Portuguese island port of Funchal from Tuesday as a result of a legal dispute.

They got under way on the last leg to the UK on Thursday after the boat's owners reached agreement with administrators.

A spokesman for Van Gogh Cruises said: "We are delighted to say the ship is on its way to Falmouth, Cornwall, and we still expect it to arrive between 7pm and 9pm. The passengers are in good spirits and enjoying their last couple of nights."

Coach travel booked by passengers will be available from around 8.30am on Monday but anyone who wants to disembark and make their way home independently can do so.

The cruise liner set sail on January 4 for a round-the-world trip costing its 460 passengers anything up to £9,000.

It took in the Mediterranean, Egypt, the Caribbean, Ecuador, Tahiti, New Zealand, Sydney, Mauritius and Cape Town.

Passengers were due to arrive in Falmouth on Saturday. But a dispute between the administrators of Travelscope, the previous operator, and current owners Dutch-owned Club Cruise resulted in a court order detaining the vessel in Funchal.

Receivers had the MV Van Gogh impounded while trying to claw back £1.5 million from the current owners.

The cruise was originally booked through Travelscope but, after it went into administration, Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) arranged for the Van Gogh trip to go ahead in a one-off arrangement.