Your December 2023 Update from Michael Wilson

Hello and welcome to my December 2023 update!

This will be my final message in 2023, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Whilst Christmas is still a short time away, this is an ideal opportunity to let you know that we will be open for the majority of the festive period, with just a full closure on Christmas Day. A schedule of our opening times is available on our website, and if you intend to visit the Cruise Bureau in person, please call ahead to book an appointment to ensure we are open and have staff available.

Staying on the subject of our website, I mentioned previously that we have been building a new version, which I am happy to announce will be live by the time you are reading this update. This represents the most significant website upgrade in our history and completely replaces our previous site. Packed with new content, the site includes a new search function which I am confident you will find very user-friendly, and a great tool to research and book online. Yes, I did say book online! Online bookings will initially be available for select operators; as the online booking system is by far the most complex part of the programming for our team, we will introduce further operators over time, and I will ensure you are regularly updated. Unlike other online agents, we offer our regular support for online bookings, so no lengthy queues waiting for an email reply. Our Sales Support Department will be available to answer any queries you might have, giving you the personal touch when you reach out for help.

What’s more, all online bookings will follow a detailed checking process by the Sales Support Team so we can double-check the finer details. All operator documentation will also be checked by our Administration Department in precisely the same way regular bookings are handled. I hope this demonstrates online bookings with us do not compromise the service and expertise you have come to expect from the UK’s favourite cruise agent. Why settle for anything less? 

I would like to conclude with a special mention for Matt Rose who has managed this project and has worked tirelessly over the past six months and more to launch this before the New Year. Matt has also been ably assisted by Danny and his Marketing Team who have supported this project in building a huge amount of content for the website.

I am very proud to announce that, in November, my daughter Katie took over the day-to-day operation of the business after being promoted to Chief Operations Officer. Katie has been a major part of the business over the past five years, building our Cruise & Stay Department from scratch and growing this to form a major part of our business. Whilst Katie will still manage our Cruise & Stay Department, she will also be responsible for day-to-day operations, in particular ensuring our various teams work together seamlessly. Katie represents a fourth-generation Wilson in this business; our strong family roots really do set us apart from our competitors with passion and dedication still at the heart of everything we do. Part of the changes implemented by Katie in November included the appointment of Wendy Flegg as our Head of Sales. A post with significant importance, Wendy brings an immense amount of experience to this role, being a true Bolsover team player since 2002, working the majority of her time with us in Sales and more recently as Customer Relations Manager. Congratulations to both Katie and Wendy, and I wish them every success.

Since my last update, I am proud to announce that we have added another award to our name, this time from the British Travel Awards. We were handed the Bronze Award for Best Travel Agency for Cruise Holidays, which is an accolade myself and my team are extremely proud of. As I have said before, it is the unwavering support of you, our valued customers, that ensures our success at events such as this, so it is extremely humbling that we have once again been recognised in this way. The British Travel Awards are the largest consumer-voted travel awards in the UK, so I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for us.

I’d also like to share the success of one of our Cruise Experts, Jess, who came away with a coveted Cruise Stars award last week. Jess was named National Travel Agent Sales Star in recognition of the exemplary service she continues to provide our customers, beating off competition from 25 other agents in her category. I’m sure you will join me in offering my congratulations to Jess on this incredible achievement.

In the wider cruising industry, it has certainly been a busy few weeks for new ship christenings, which is something that looks set to continue early in 2024. Both Norwegian Viva, the latest from Norwegian Cruise Line, and Celebrity Ascent have officially been welcomed to their respective fleets, each of which will be based out of the USA for their inaugural seasons. Looking ahead to next year, the latest Princess Cruises ship, Sun Princess, is due to launch in February, while the highly anticipated Queen Anne – Cunard’s first new ship in over a decade – will follow in May. As always, make sure you are following our social media channels and signed up for email updates for all the latest information on these new ship launches, and much more.

There’s just a matter of weeks until the biggest ship in the world, Icon of the Seas, sets sail for the first time. Royal Caribbean recently took delivery of the 7,600-passenger ship, which will now head to Miami for her inaugural season which starts next month. There’s certainly no doubt that ship design has come a long way over recent years, and Icon of the Seas will pave the way for her brand-new sister ship, Star of the Seas, which will be based out of Port Canaveral in Florida from August 2025. Sailings on board both these Royal Caribbean ships are on sale now, so I’d recommend looking at our website to see if any of the sailings on board these brand-new ships can tempt you!

Themed cruises have always been popular among our customers, so I was interested to see that both Cunard and Princess Cruises are offering extra-special sailings in 2024. Cunard’s British Isles Festival will be departing Southampton on 24 May on board Queen Anne, in what will be her first sailing around these shores. Guests are promised the very best of British and Irish entertainment, as well as the chance to enjoy talks with expert guest speakers. Full details of this special 14-night voyage can be found on our website.

Later in the year, Princess Cruises will host its Good Food cruise aboard Sky Princess on 2 November. Also departing from Southampton, the two-week cruise visits Spain and Portugal and includes cookery demonstrations by celebrity chefs, cocktail classes, hands-on workshops and more. You can find out more here.

Once again thank you for following my updates and I wish everyone travelling over the next month Bon Voyage and have a great holiday.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Wilson