Before your cruise with Explora Journeys

Why not make the most of your cruise by exploring some of the fantastic ports you will be visiting by managing your bookings, account details and booking a Shore Excursion online? When you log in, you'll find plenty of useful information about the ports you'll be visiting and the excursions on offer.

For your convenience please use your Explora Journeys Booking Reference to access your account::

Go directly to the Explora Journeys website

Introducing My Explora, the official Explora Journeys app, providing guests with a gateway to an unforgettable personalised journey experience.

Guests can discover a world of boundless possibilities at their fingertips as they prepare to discover the Ocean State of Mind - where every moment is filled with discovery, modern European elegance and excitement.

Get it on the Apple Store or on the Google Play store

You will receive a booklet from us with a link to your personalised pre-travel information form which will contain all your important information that will relate to you and your cruise. Please check this information and correct any information that may be incorrect. If everything looks okay, then you won't need to do anything!

Please note that this information is for our purposes only and you may still need to complete your cruise operators website with similar information.

PASSPORTS

Extensive passport information for the destinations on your trip can be found on our Visa & Vaccination Requirements page, however more specific information can be found in the your cruise documentation booklet that we send you as part of your booking.

If you have any questions about the passport requirements, don't hesitate to contact us on 01246 819 819 or via the Contact Us page.

VISA REQUIREMENTS

Where we anticipate visas being required to travel, the relevant details will be included within this document, but this only applies to BRITISH CITIZEN passport holders. Bolsover Cruise Club is unable to provide any advice on passport and visa requirements for passengers who hold any other passport (including BRITISH SUBJECTS) and you should refer to the relevant consulate authorities for guidance.

VIA A CONSULAR SERVICE

It is our experience that obtaining individual visas for certain countries can be very difficult and, therefore, we advise that you make your application through a Consular Service, CIBT & The Travel Visa Company are two such agents but there are others available. As you can't actually apply for your visa until much nearer to your departure and as the rules and forms are constantly changing, we would recommend you don’t apply until approximately four months before your departure. 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Extensive Visa information for the destinations on your trip can be found on our Visa & Vaccination Requirements page, however more specific information can be found in the your cruise documentation booklet that we send you as part of your booking.

If you have any questions about the visa requirements, don't hesitate to contact us on 01246 819 819 or via the Contact Us page.

WHAT ABOUT VACCINATIONS?

The Department of Health generally recommends that all travellers are vaccinated against Typhoid, Tetanus, Hepatitis A and Polio, but these are not compulsory.

It is possible to obtain a detailed report on health requirements for the journey you are to undertake by visiting the NHS fitfortravel website, this is a public access website provided by the NHS (Scotland). It gives travel health information for people travelling abroad from the UK. Alternatively, the latest Department of Health guidelines, including a country by country disease and immunisation checklist, is published on their website www.gov.uk by entering "Travel Advice" in the search field.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Extensive vaccination information for the destinations on your trip can be found on our Visa & Vaccination Requirements page, however more specific information can be found in the your cruise documentation booklet that we send you as part of your booking.

If you have any questions about the vaccinationrequirements, don't hesitate to contact us on 01246 819 819 or via the Contact Us page.

Foreign travel advice is available from The Foreign & Commonwealth Office by visiting www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, where a list of countries can be viewed in respect of which the FCO has issued advice. It is designed to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information to help British travellers better prepare for going overseas.

It is a condition of the contract with your chosen cruise operator that you must obtain travel insurance to cover the risk of you needing medical care on board or in a foreign country. Your insurance must include cover for all pre-existing medical conditions and must cover emergency evacuations from the ship, hospital medical costs and repatriation costs. You should ensure that you have adequate travel insurance at the time of booking and that it is valid for the full duration of your proposed travel arrangements.

We have chosen Holiday Extras as our preferred travel insurance provider and they can offer a comprehensive travel insurance policy, that will cover you for cancellation, medical expenses, personal belongings, missed cruise departure, unused shore excursions, cabin confinement and cruise itinerary changes, as well as covering 97% of all customers with pre-existing medical conditions.

Holiday Extras insurance fully meets the requirements set out by your operator in the terms and conditions of your booking. You'll find further details by calling 0800 042 0219 quoting BOL07 or visiting www.holidayextras.com.

If you have a serious physical disability, use a wheelchair or are undergoing ongoing medical treatment, we recommend that you let us know in writing, including full details of any current medication. A copy of your letter will then be forwarded to the cruise operator, who in turn will pass on the relevant details to the ship's medical team to enable them to help you in the event of an emergency. Please note that all travel insurance policies have strict regulations with regard to pre-existing medical conditions. Therefore, it is essential that you read your own policy in full to ensure you are able to meet the relevant criteria.

In partnership with Holiday Extras, we offer superb value on a variety of pre and post-cruise accommodation and transport products to minimise inconvenience and provide peace of mind.

Increasing numbers of our customers are taking up the option of secure car parking and pre or post-cruise hotel stays at the port or airport - an ideal option for early morning departures or late returns. You can also start your journey in the luxury of an airport lounge.

All these packages are bookable via our affiliated Holiday Extras page or via our Reservations Team. Other options include rail or coach travel to/from your departure/arrival point and there is now the facility to hire a car to and from many UK airports.

Visit our affiliated Holiday Extras page or call our Reservations Team on 01246 819819 and ask your Cruise Expert about any of these packages.

For your convenience Explora Jounreys have created a 'cashless society' on board which means that you sign for your drinks and bar purchases. At the end of the cruise your itemised bill may be settled with either Visa or MasterCard. Small amounts of European currencies and US dollars, and Travellers.

Cheques can be changed on board at the Purser's Office - commission charges may apply. Personal cheques and Eurocheques are not accepted.

We hope you do not have to, but if for any reason you do, you must advise us in writing, stating the precise reason for cancellation, in order that the cruise operator can be formally notified. Should your departure be imminent, you should also inform us by telephone, but it will still be necessary for you to write to us confirming the cancellation. The date of cancellation in relation to the date of departure, will determine the level of cancellation charges that will be applied by the cruise operator. Kindly refer to the Booking Conditions section in the brochure from which you have made your holiday selection, which gives precise details of cancellation charges that will apply. In the majority of cases, where cancellation is beyond your direct control, it may be possible to recover the cancellation charges through your travel insurance and we will be happy to advise you further on this point.

CRUISE CLUB DISCOUNTS: Please note that if we have applied a Cruise Club discount to the basic cruise package on your booking, this does not apply to any cancellation or amendment charges that arise. Cancellation charges are therefore calculated on the cruise operator's full invoice value and not, where appropriate, the reduced Cruise Club cost. We strongly advise that you ask us how much these charges will be before you make any amendments or cancel your booking.

Please call us on 01246 819819 to discuss your options.

Please note that parent(s)/legal guardian(s) travelling with a child who has a different surname to the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) may be required to produce official proof such as a birth certificate/divorce papers etc to prove that they are the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) of the child concerned.

Adults who are not the parent or Legal Guardian of any minor/child travelling with them are required to present the child’s valid passport and visa (if appropriate) and an original notarised letter signed by at least one of the child’s parents.

The notarised letter from the child’s parents must authorise the travelling adult to take the child on the specified cruise and must also authorise the travelling adult to supervise the child and permit any medical treatment that may be administered to the child. A letter can be notarised either by a Solicitor, Notary or Commissioner for Oaths for an applicable fee and proof of identification such as the original copy of the child’s birth certificate and/or passport will also need to be produced to the notary.

The original notarised letter should accompany the child during his or her cruise. Please contact us for a letter template.

ATOL certification confirms that your money is protected by the ATOL scheme if your trip includes a flight and the travel company collapses. You will recieve an ATOL certificate in your Bolsover Cruise Club Travel booklet.

Explora Journeys ATOL: 12363

Bolsover Cruise Club ATOL: 11481

Your Protection

You are protected from when you are given your ATOL certificate to the end of your trip.

If Explora Journeys stops trading, the passengers named above will either:

1. take and complete their trip; or
2. receive a refund.

Your protection depends on the terms of the ATOL scheme and the specifics of the ATOL holder failure (available at www.atol.org.uk).

If Explora Journeys stops trading, you must follow the instructions at www.atol.org.uk (where there will be details of repatriation arrangements, and information on how people can claim their money back) or you can call (+44) 333 103 6350.