Your December 2024 Update from Michael Wilson

Hello and welcome to my December update!

I began writing this festive update while flying at 38,000 feet with British Airways on my way to Barbados! I am making this particular journey on one of their latest Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, and my experience so far has been fantastic. This is my first time on board this particular aircraft type, and I must say, it’s fabulous! Normally, I wouldn’t be thinking about work at this point but, while queuing to board the aircraft, I noticed a couple of passengers with Seabourn gold luggage labels on their hand luggage. They were on their way to board Seabourn Ovation, a ship I have travelled on several times before, and no doubt also in search of some winter sun!

Once in Barbados, my thoughts turned to the numerous ships that would be in port and, before long, while enjoying my first sundowner, I saw the SeaDream I cruise ship pass across the horizon. Formerly known as Sea Goddess under the Cunard flag, this was one of the first ships I sailed on with my wife some 30 years ago. How time flies! Those early Sea Goddess cruises with Cunard hold some of my fondest cruise memories.

As I left the UK, the Black Friday season was well underway; the sceptic in me says this marketing event is often overhyped, as we frequently see publicised in the media across other industries. However, I am delighted to see there were some great offers available, and that many of you used the opportunity to secure your holidays for the coming year.

Even now the Black Friday rush has come to an end, we are still seeing some incredible deals that are not to be missed. I recently noticed a seven-night Northern European break on board Iona for less than £400 per person, departing on 22 February 2025. This falls during the school holidays in many parts of the country and is a really great deal at under £57 per person, per night. I expect this offer won’t be around for long, so click here to see the full details.

One of the trends we have certainly seen this year has been that of limited availability, especially in relation to 2025 sailings. I know that many of the cruise lines we work with are already approaching maximum capacity for next year, especially when it comes to sailings from the UK. I’d therefore like to stress that if you have your eye on a particular cruise for 2025, please contact us to make your booking as soon as possible. This is the only way in which we can guarantee availability and that you will not be disappointed.

Over the past month, we have made further improvements at Bolsover Cruise Club, which includes a new online web chat integrated with our phone system. Chats will be handled separately for new enquiries and support for existing bookings and should be live by the time you read this update. The main advantage is that these chats are presented as if they are calls, with staff from our Sales or Support teams handling them alongside incoming enquiries. I expect this to streamline the process significantly and bring major efficiencies for both clients and our Cruise Experts alike. Another significant development since my last update has been the introduction of online Cruise & Stay bookings. A selection of holidays is now ready to book via our website, and we hope that in the longer term we will be able to offer you the ability to create your own bespoke packages online. For the time being, head to the Cruise & Stay section of our website to see what is currently available.

I am also excited to reveal that it will be possible for you to book Fred. Olsen cruises online with us in the coming days, and that Ambassador Cruise Line’s sailings and ship information are already available to browse. This is a significant step for the Bolsover Cruise Club website, which we launched just over a year ago. Do take a look at these latest additions and, as always, please get in touch if there is anything we can help you with.

You might recall from my last update that we were eagerly awaiting images of the P&O Cruises ship Arcadia after her extensive refit. I am happy to report that the ship is looking great, with several new carpets, furnishings and upholstery having been installed throughout. This adult-only ship is a favourite among our Cruise Club Members and I know many of you will be eager to see the refit for yourselves – visit our blog where you can see a selection of images.

This isn’t the only refit to be aware of, as it was announced only a few days ago that Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth would also benefit from an extensive refurbishment. The work is scheduled to be carried out from 25 February to 13 March 2025 and will see several key spaces including the Grills experience, Queens Room and Pavilion Pool area undergoing a complete refresh. We will, of course, share any news of this as we receive it, but there are already some renderings available for you to look at on our website. As soon as Queen Elizabeth emerges from her refit, she will embark on roundtrip Caribbean sailings from Miami, making this the first time in history that one of the Cunard fleet will spend a full season in the region. Queen Elizabeth will also make her debut sailing out of Seattle for a series of Alaska cruises, ranging from seven to 11 nights.

We are currently in awards season so I thought I would update you on some of our recent successes. You may recall an appeal for votes in the Wave Awards earlier this year, and I am delighted to reveal we were Highly Commended for Best Specialist Cruise Agent at the prestigious event. Many of our partners also came away with accolades, including P&O Cruises, which was named Best Ocean Cruise Line.

It has also recently been announced that we are finalists in the TTG Luxury Travel Awards, where we are in the running for Luxury Cruise Agency of the Year. The results of this will be revealed at the end of February, so keep an eye on future updates to find out whether we are successful.

As the festive season is fast approaching, please be aware that we will be operating slightly different hours with a full closure on Christmas Day and Boxing Day – you can view the full schedule of our opening times on our website. If you intend to visit our Cruise Bureau over this period, then, as always, I would recommend that you call ahead to book an appointment to ensure we are open and have staff available.

This will be my final message for 2024, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you all for your continued support over the past 12 months, and for those of you who are travelling over the coming weeks, bon voyage and have a great holiday.