Your September 2024 Update from Michael Wilson

Hello and welcome to my September update!

I was delighted to see business bounce back strongly in August after a quieter period over the early summer. In particular, our Bank Holiday Up to Triple Cashback event was a huge success. Continuing the positive trend, Cunard has remained exceptionally popular among our Cruise Club Members, achieving over a 50% year-on-year increase in bookings throughout August. Likewise, Royal Caribbean enjoyed record bookings with strong demand for Allure of the Seas in the Western Mediterranean. We also enjoyed a solid performance with P&O Cruises, a brand that remains a favourite with Members.

Whilst I’m on the subject of Allure of the Seas, I recently noticed that the ship is due to undergo a $100 million refit, which will bring her in line with the newer ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, ready for her fly-Mediterranean season in 2025. Among the latest features to be added are the Perky Parrot, a cocktail bar already proving popular on board the brand-new Utopia of the Seas, and the Ultimate Abyss, a 10-storey dry slide. Royal Caribbean has announced they have ordered a further three Icon Class ships, the first of which is due to be delivered in 2027. This demonstrates just how popular these highly innovative ships are, so I cannot wait to see what the future has in store!

Sales with Marella, being new to us, continued to grow during our first full month of sales, with cruises in the Mediterranean proving particularly popular. Marella does, of course, operate ships in the Caribbean, offering direct flights from several UK airports to Barbados and the Dominican Republic. These sailings are a great choice if you are looking for a resort stay followed by an island-hopping cruise. I have also been working on adding general TUI products to our operations, which means we are now able to offer you TUI River cruises that sail on Europe’s famous rivers – the Rhine, the Main, the Moselle, the Danube, as well as the Dutch and Belgian waterways. Each will take you to the heart of your destination, offering a straightforward way to explore some of the most delightful European cities. I am pleased to announce that Marella Cruises are now available to view on our website. We hope to enable online booking by the end of the year, but if you see a sailing you are interested in, please complete the enquiry form or call our Cruise Experts on 01246 819819, and we will be happy to help.

Returning to the theme of Cunard, September is set to be another big month as they introduce a massive 10% sale on 2025 sailings on Early Saver and Cunard Fares. By the time you receive this update, the offer will be live and will only run for a very short period, ending on 16 September. This promotion has proved especially popular in the past, so now is an ideal time to book. This deal is not to be missed, as such savings are rarely available with Cunard. Plus, as usual, it can be combined with our Cruise Club Cashback to give you even greater savings. We are also awaiting details of the collection of new Cunard voyages sailing between October 2026 and April 2027; keep an eye out for further information, which we will send out via email and publish on our website in due course.

A cruise line that has seen an increase in popularity over recent years is MSC, not least for their range of departures from Southampton. I am pleased to announce we are running an exclusive promotion throughout September, where you will not only receive Cruise Club Cashback, but also an additional £50 off when booking a sailing of seven nights or more on board MSC Virtuosa and MSC Preziosa. As I mentioned, there are plenty of departures to European destinations straight from Southampton, so do take a look and give us a call if you’d like to make the most of this exclusive offer.

We are counting the days until our new phone system finally goes live. As you are aware, the launch has been on and off over the past few months, but we are finally set to go live on Tuesday, 24 September. Our phone system is paramount to our operation, and I eagerly await the step forward this will provide, as we will no longer rely on a server-based system in our office. Only last week, this server failed and had to be restarted, resulting in around 40 minutes of downtime which, of course, is not the level of service we aim to provide. The new cloud-based system will operate from two centres, with automatic failover to each office should one fail. Hopefully, the transfer will be seamless from your point of view, but please bear with us as we iron out any initial niggles.

You may recall back in February, I mentioned that we were starting to develop Cruise & Stay packages that include Formula 1 events. We introduced a new ‘motorsport cruises’ preference for you to update your details, ensuring that you receive any relevant updates from us. The preference update is still available here. What’s more, you can use this to confirm your preferences in general, with a choice of adding to your existing preferences or overwriting them. I urge you to do this to help us ensure you receive the most appropriate updates and offers!

Whilst on the subject of motorsport cruises, I am delighted to announce that our dedicated webpage is now live. Please follow this link for details of the exciting Cruise & Stay packages we currently offer. We have a choice of six of our own Cruise & Stay packages to the Mexico City, Las Vegas, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Miami, and Monaco Grand Prix events, plus a further seven options with our cruise partners, including the Qatar and Monaco Grand Prix. This presents a fabulous way to experience these marvellous events; however, we can also tailor-make any Cruise & Stay package around a Grand Prix of your choice.

Those of you who have registered to receive our Into the Blue magazine should soon receive a copy of the September/October issue. The main feature covers some of Spain’s most popular cruise ports and, as always, offers plenty of inspiration for your future holidays. If you would like a complimentary copy of Into the Blue delivered to your door, please register here and we will add your details to our mailing list for forthcoming issues.

Lastly, you may remember that I announced we had been nominated for two industry awards, with voting for both closing later this month. At The Wave Awards, we have been shortlisted in the Favourite Cruise Travel Agent category. You can cast your vote by visiting this page and following the link, then select Bolsover Cruise Club from the dropdown box. Voting is open until 16 September, and by participating, you could be in with the chance of winning a nine-night Norwegian Fjords cruise with Fred. Olsen.

There is also still time to cast your vote in the British Travel Awards, where we are up for ‘Best Travel Agency for Cruise Holidays’. Please visit this website and complete the form before voting closes on 29 September. Just for registering your vote, you stand the chance of winning a variety of prizes, including a seven-night Scandinavia cruise with Ambassador and an eight-day river cruise with Riviera Travel. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has voted for us so far, as without your support, our continued recognition at such awards would not be possible.

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