Your February 2025 Update from Michael Wilson

Hello and welcome to my February update!

After a quieter start to January, I am delighted to say that bookings increased dramatically towards the end of the month and have continued to remain strong as we move into February. As I previously anticipated, reduced availability on 2025 sailings, particularly from the UK, has clearly been evident, and figures have confirmed my prediction that this reduced availability would push prices upwards. It has also been great to see many clients travelling on current world cruises and rebooking on board.

If you have yet to book your next holiday, two of our most popular cruise lines, P&O Cruises and Cunard, are currently offering extra onboard spending on selected sailings. For P&O Cruises, this promotion applies to certain Select Price holidays when booked by 3 March. If you have your sights set on a Cunard voyage, you can secure triple onboard spending on a collection of 2025 and 2026 cruises. However, there are just a few days left on this offer, which is only available until 17 February. As always, our Cruise Experts are on hand to help with any queries you might have.

On a personal note, I’m absolutely delighted to share that I received the Outstanding Contribution award for a “long-standing reputation for excellent customer service and commitment to innovation”, at the Carnival UK group of companies’ annual awards event held at the prestigious Pelligon, London. As you know, Carnival UK represents some of the biggest names in cruising – P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard, Seabourn, Carnival, and Holland America Line – so this recognition is a huge honour, and I’m incredibly proud. What makes this particularly poignant is that my father received the same award back in 2016 as referenced by Paul Ludlow, Carnival UK and P&O Cruises President, in his introduction. Furthermore, my daughter was alongside me at the event, representing the next generation of Bolsover Cruise Club as our Chief Operations Officer. Please be assured I am still very much involved and continue to enjoy the challenge of taking the business onwards and upwards!

This wasn’t our only awards win on the night, as we also came highly commended in the Partnership Achievement category for both Princess Cruises and Seabourn. It really was an incredible night and my thanks go out to you, our customers, for your continued support, which has helped make Bolsover Cruise Club what it is today.

Elsewhere in the business, we are continuing to enhance our website, and have now made Ambassador Cruise Line fully bookable online. Ambassador has two lovely ships, Ambience and Ambition, and is a true UK cruise line with sailings from Tilbury, Liverpool, Belfast, Dundee and Newcastle upon Tyne. Although a relative newcomer to the cruising industry, Ambassador has grown in popularity among our Cruise Club Members, with bookings increasing month on month. They refer to themselves as an ‘affordable quality’ cruise line, and the feedback I have heard from anyone who has been on board is that this is very much the case! To coincide with our launch, we are offering double cashback on online bookings until 28 February 2025. You can browse the Ambassador sailings online right now by following this link.

You may recall in a previous update that I mentioned a selection of our Cruise & Stay holidays are now available to book via our website. I am delighted that so many of you have been doing so, and we are working towards eventually making it possible for you 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.

Another great source of inspiration is our latest Cruise & Stay Collection, which many of you will have received through your letterbox over the past few days. This includes a wide selection of holidays we have created in conjunction with our cruise line partners, and there truly is something for everyone, covering every corner of the globe. If you haven’t received your copy, you can browse the brochure here. 

As I write this update, our best-selling Cruise & Stay holiday is Asian Horizons, which includes stays in both Singapore and Hong Kong, and an excellent cruise around Southeast Asia on Celebrity Silhouette. Those of you who follow our Facebook page will no doubt have seen that some members of our team were recently invited on board the Celebrity Cruises ship for the day. They spoke incredibly highly about their time on board – make sure you take a look on Facebook for some exclusive images.

In other news, the Port of Southampton has solidified its position as the UK’s cruise capital, handling a record-breaking three million cruise passengers in 2024 and managing an impressive 85% of all UK cruise passenger traffic! Another significant milestone was the port achieving a 50% increase in cruise ships utilising Southampton’s shore power, demonstrating its commitment to green initiatives. Plans are in place to increase this number significantly, which is exciting news for the entire cruise industry and underscores the growing popularity of cruising. Demand for cruises sailing directly from the UK remains strong among our Cruise Club Members; many of you are opting for the convenience of no-fly cruises, and this is a trend we expect will continue over the coming years.

I recently read that Cunard will be celebrating a significant milestone later this year, as the cruise line prepares to celebrate its 185th anniversary. A number of special events have been announced over the coming months, which include a special exhibition to be held in Liverpool’s iconic Liver Building. The ‘Sea of Glamour’ exhibition will feature a series of images taken on board Cunard ships over the years, and previous guests are invited to submit their own to be included in the showcase. I know that many of you have sailed with the iconic cruise line, so if you have any photographs of your own that you would like to see featured, please do submit them. 

This isn’t the only event on the cards for Cunard’s 185th anniversary. Each member of the four-strong fleet will be hosting its own onboard celebrations, which include special guest speakers, Anniversary Gala Dinners, and much more. You can see more details on all the anniversary celebrations by heading to our website.

There was some interesting news for the river cruise market as January drew to a close. Celebrity Cruises announced they would be launching a fleet of 10 new river ships in 2027, in what will be their first move into this market. This decision was apparently made in response to guest demand, so it will be fascinating to see what they bring to the industry. We will share any further updates when we receive them.

Thank you all for your continued support and for those of you who are travelling over the coming weeks, bon voyage and have a great holiday.