Your August 2025 Update from Michael Wilson

Hello and welcome to my August 2025 update!

It’s hard to believe how quickly time passes! August is already upon us, and our recent family cruise with Explora Journeys now feels like a distant memory. In my last message, I shared some early impressions from onboard. Now, having had time to reflect, my thoughts remain overwhelmingly positive.

The ship itself was a true standout. Elegant and spacious, it never felt crowded. In fact, there was a distinct sense of calm and comfort throughout, reflecting the premium cruising experience that Explora has clearly embraced. If there was one small observation, it’s that the evenings could feel a touch quiet at times. However, this is quite typical of ultra-luxury cruise lines, where the emphasis on exclusivity and serenity often results in a more relaxed onboard ambience.

Our Grand Suite was simply outstanding, and one of the finest I’ve experienced at sea. It was impressively spacious, with a thoughtful layout and abundant storage – a detail often overlooked on other ships. Every element felt designed with comfort and practicality in mind, making it feel like a true home away from home.

As for the cuisine and service, both were exceptional, and the culinary standards were particularly noteworthy. My wife, who is typically a very selective eater, thoroughly enjoyed every meal – a true testament to the consistently high quality. Her personal highlight was the stir-fry station during the buffet lunches: simple, fresh, and executed to perfection. It’s genuinely been a long time since I’ve seen her take such pleasure in dining while on holiday. 

All in all, Explora Journeys has delivered a beautifully crafted luxury experience. It’s a refined, intimate product that ticks so many boxes, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to those seeking a quieter, more indulgent way to explore the world by sea.

Back at the Cruise Centre, summer is in full swing and with plenty of sunshine and clear skies, it’s the perfect reminder of why we all love to escape to warmer shores. To make your next getaway even more tempting, we’ve secured some fantastic, exclusive offers with our cruise line partners, which are only available to Bolsover Cruise Club customers.

First up is Cunard. For a limited time, Cruise Club Members can enjoy more than triple the usual cashback on selected sailings. Plus, we are offering an extra 10% saving and cashback on these Caribbean voyages departing from the UK, and have some excellent savings available on all Grills Suites on all voyages. These exclusive deals are only available until 31 August, so if you’ve been thinking about sailing with Cunard – or returning to them – now is a great time to take another look.

In my last update, I announced we were offering an exclusive hamper for our Cruise Club Members when booking selected P&O Cruises sailings for a limited time. I’m delighted to reveal that, due to popular demand, we have just decided to extend the promotion until 1 September 2025. Cruise Club Members can enjoy a complimentary hamper worth over £70 when booking a range of Caribbean sailings on a Select Price or Early Saver fare. Packed with indulgent treats, the hamper is our special way of welcoming you home in style. To see the full list of applicable cruises, visit our website or speak to one of our Cruise Experts.

Our Cruise & Stay team has been putting together some exceptional holidays over recent weeks, and there is one in particular that I know has proved popular with our Cruise Club Members. ‘Tea, Temples & Tropical Isles’ offers three wonderfully different experiences in one seamless journey; you’ll be looked after by Wendy Wu’s brilliant local team for nine days in Sri Lanka, where you will explore ancient cities, tea plantations and temples, with a couple of nights in Yala National Park. From there, you’ll fly to Singapore for a short stay before embarking on a two-week South East Asia cruise aboard Sapphire Princess. 

As is always the case with our Cruise & Stay holidays, everything is taken care of for you, including your flights, hotels and transfers. The Wendy Wu tour is also exclusive to Bolsover Cruise Club guests, so you’ll be travelling with like-minded people who enjoy seeing the world the way you do. To find out more, take a look at our website or be sure to give our Cruise Experts a call on 01246 819 819.

You may have heard that Princess Cruises has announced a number of changes to its Premier and Plus add-on packages, which will apply to sailings from 2026 onwards. The cruise line has made these changes in line with customer feedback, adding extra value and removing some underused elements such as fitness classes, juice bar access and Princess Prizes.

The Princess Plus package, priced at £50 per person, per day, includes four casual dining meals per cruise, up to 15 drinks a day (each worth up to $15), Wi-Fi for one device, unlimited coffees and teas, waived delivery fees for OceanNow and room service, plus your daily crew appreciation taken care of.

For even more perks, the Princess Premier package is available at £75 per person, per day. You’ll get unlimited drinks up to $20, unlimited speciality dining, a photo package, Wi-Fi for four devices, reserved show seating, and shore excursion credit based on your cruise length, up to £300 for longer voyages. There is a £5 per person per day supplement on both these packages for Sphere Class ships such as Sun Princess and Star Princess. You can read the full details on our website. If you have already booked a 2026 sailing and would like to change your Princess Plus or Premier package to the new inclusions, please give us a call and we will be able to do this for you.

While I’m on the subject of Princess Cruises, I’d like to point out that they are currently offering free parking on 2026 and 2027 sailings from Southampton. As you’d expect, this promotion is proving extremely popular, so if you’re hoping to secure your next cruise, I’d urge you to take a look at the applicable sailings and contact us if you’d like to make a booking, as the offer ends on 1 September 2025.

Celebrity Apex will be returning to Southampton in 2027 for her eagerly awaited fourth season, and bookings are now open. I’m delighted to see that many of you have already made your reservations on board this spectacular ship. From May 2027, she will be sailing a fantastic selection of seven- to 14-night itineraries to Northern Europe before heading to the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, and Portugal. As part of the award-winning Edge Series, Celebrity Apex offers contemporary design and exceptional luxury, and these sailings from the UK are the perfect opportunity to experience all that Celebrity Cruises has to offer. You can view all the cruises on our website – be sure to book early and be among the first to secure these exciting new voyages in 2027. 

Also in the news, I recently read that Fred. Olsen will be enhancing its onboard dining options, starting with Borealis this November. Following the ship’s dry dock, it will offer a new open-air, Mediterranean-inspired dining venue called Fresco. Looking ahead to 2026, Fred. Olsen is also refreshing its popular Colours and Tastes speciality restaurant across the fleet. Alongside the Asian-fusion dishes many of you love, there will be new gourmet grill and traditional Italian options to give you even more choice. For those seeking something extra special, a brand-new Chef’s Table experience is being introduced – a multi-course menu paired with premium wines selected by the onboard sommeliers.

You may recall that a couple of years ago, I was invited on a preview voyage for Oceania Vista. Well, her sister ship, Allura, has just been launched, and this time it was our Head of Sales, Fran, who was among the first on board. You can read her full review here, but I’m delighted to see that the latest addition to the Oceania fleet is just as impressive as her predecessor. Accommodating just 1,200 guests with 800 crew, she delivers luxurious small-ship elegance, and no doubt some of the best dining at sea. If you’re interested in learning more about Allura, you can do so by clicking here.

If you haven’t already discovered us on TikTok, now is a great time to take a look. We’ve been sharing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into life at sea, including everything from ship tours and dining experiences to destination highlights and cruising tips from our team. It’s a lovely way to find inspiration for your next holiday and see what cruising looks like through our eyes (and lens). To follow us, simply search for ‘Bolsover Cruise Club’, or follow this link.

I also have some exciting news to share. We’ve been shortlisted for the customer-voted ‘Favourite Cruise Travel Agent’ award, which is a real honour and a testament to the fantastic support from all of you. The voting is still open and runs until 30 September, so if you’ve enjoyed booking with us, I’d be truly grateful if you could take a moment to cast your vote. Every vote really counts, and it would mean a lot to the whole team here at Bolsover Cruise Club. There is also a fantastic prize up for grabs – an eight-day Viking river cruise for two, worth over £2,000 per person. So, if you want to support us and be in with a chance of winning that incredible trip, please do get involved.

Lastly, I would also like to extend my thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave us a review on Trustpilot. We’ve recently hit an exciting milestone of 9,000 customer reviews! I’m thrilled that we’ve maintained an impressive rating of 4.9 out of 5, which truly reflects the quality of service we strive to deliver. If you’ve booked with us and haven’t yet shared your feedback, we’d really love to hear about your experience. I’m incredibly proud of this achievement and look forward to learning even more from the valuable insights our customers provide.

To those of you setting sail over the coming weeks – bon voyage, and enjoy every moment of your holiday!