Hello and welcome to my October update!
The big story for October was the lifting of international travel restrictions, which is welcome news for both our industry and travellers alike. From Monday 4 October, green and amber countries became one as ‘non-red’ countries so just the ‘red’ list remains in place. Plus, as I write, the government has also lifted advice against non-essential travel to a further 47 countries with just a handful remaining on the red list, namely Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
Those who are double vaccinated no longer need a PCR test before arrival back into England from a non-red country. The new rules also mean that from later in October, fully vaccinated passengers with an approved vaccine and recognised certificate from a country not on the red list will be able to replace their day two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test, reducing the cost of tests on arrival into England. This essentially means joining a cruise sailing beyond the UK has become so much easier and represents a massive step forward.
Whilst this is great news, it has meant that cruise operators have been updating their travel protocols and broadcasting the changes to passengers travelling imminently. I have been honest with you all throughout the last eighteen or so months, giving you a frank account of how things have unfolded for us at Bolsover Cruise Club and the wider industry, and I have to say that the effect of these new messages has been overwhelming with huge numbers of confused clients calling us for clarity. To compound the situation, answers to many questions have initially been elusive as the operators themselves were uncertain and the result, once again, has been long queues in our telephone system with so many clients trying to reach us.
I worry this sounds like a stuck record, but I do feel it is important for you to understand that we are working in extremely difficult circumstances beyond our direct control, compounded by the staff shortages I mentioned in my previous messages. I can only ask again for your continued patience and support as we do everything we can to respond to your queries.
On the subject of staff, I am delighted to say that recruitment has continued to go well, and we have eight new cruise experts currently in training, with several further recruits due to start in November. Whilst these new team members won’t have a direct impact on call waiting times in the short term as they undergo our intensive in-house training, they are all doing very well so it won’t be long until you will be speaking with them. On a wider front, we have a new copywriter and finance executive joining us shortly, as we continue to build our infrastructure to pre-pandemic levels.
Many of our staff have been with the company for years, with an amazing 49 team members recently reaching service milestones – 13 have hit the 10-year mark, 26 have achieved 15 years’ service, and ten of the 49 have amassed an amazing 20 years plus service. I believe this demonstrates the loyalty to what we call the Bolsover Family. We have a great section on our website where you can meet the team and identify those who have been recognised for their long service.
I am delighted to extend a special thank you and congratulations to our Sales Manager, Helen Moore, as she reached an amazing 25 years of service recently. Helen joined as a sales consultant back in 1996 and has been an important member of the team ever since.
Like you, the team here at Bolsover Cruise Club have missed their holidays as travel restrictions have prevailed. However, over the last month or so, as cruise ships return to service, they have been able to sample several ships and, as a result, our team collectively have spent more than 150 nights at sea rekindling their love for cruising. That has been great for staff morale, but the added experience this brings to the business is immense, particularly as this includes many brands that are usually out of reach, and new ships just coming into service.
Finally, in terms of cruise news, I am delighted to share that we are currently preparing for the launch of the P&O Cruises’ Summer 2023 and Winter 2023/24 launch that will be with us well before the end of the year. Whilst specific details are subject to embargo at the moment, you will be the first to know the dates you can advance register with us; after all P&O Cruises is our most popular and most successful brand. Whilst this may seem well ahead, we are expecting this to be one of our most successful launches ever as demand for cruises in 2023 and beyond is already significant. I encourage you to keep up with the latest cruise news by visiting the Cruise News Centre on our website.
Thanks for following my updates and I wish everyone travelling over the next month Bon Voyage and have a great holiday.
Yours sincerely
Michael Wilson
40 thoughts on “Your October Update from Michael Wilson”
thanks for the update very useful.
Mr Wilson
Over the last 2 years my husband has been seriously ill with kidney cancer, all clear now, we have gone through the nightmare that was Covid, and then to cap it all I had a compound fracture of my ankle. An eventful two years!!! We have had to cancel several cruises for different reasons and your staff have been excellent at helping us. They have been outstanding and always go that extra mile. Please thank them all. We are now booked on Iona at the end of February and are so looking forward to it.
Anne Gahagan
Hi Anne, we are so sorry to hear everything you have been through, we’re glad to hear both yourself and your husband are now better and have a cruise to look forward to. We’ll make sure your comments are passed to our team. Thank you.
Thank you for your update Michael
. Congratulations to all your staff on reaching whichever milestone it is. Loyalty is not guaranteed nowadays so you are very lucky to have created a position that the employee enjoys which helps create the family work unit. Wishing you all the success in future years
Thank you for your kind words, we sure are very lucky to have such loyalty from our teams.
Any hope thatmask wearing rules will be relaxed? I wont book a new cruise until they are.
Good Morning, as it stands, masks still must be worn onboard, but guidance is changing on a regular basis.
Thanks for the updates much appreciated
Excellent news, thank you for the update and for always keeping me updated,it’s been a long time since we cruised and we can’t wait for next March to the Caribbean on the wonderful Azura
Hoping to see a Doncaster Robin Hood to Barbados Caribbean Cruise come available for next year !!
Might this happen i wonder ???
Steve
Hi Stephen, if P&O Cruises do fly from Doncaster, we will let you know. They do fly from numerous regional airports to Barbados.
Thank you for the update of the ever changing travels rules and regulations. I appreciate that we are in the hands of our glorious leaders making the said changes, it is looking like we on the right slope now for the future of cruising, thankfully. Here’s hoping some of favourite ports will be back on itineraries in the new brochures.
Hi Eileen, it’s certainly more hopeful now with international cruising starting to resume. We hope you are able to visit your favourite ports again soon. Thank you
Can you give me an update on when or if you expect the travel centres to be reopening as it is so important to have a face to face discussion with your sales consultants. We are relatively new to cruising and the holidays we have taken have been based on the knowledge and advice from the lovely Adele.
Hi Christine, we can’t wait to welcome you into our Cruise Bureau. we do plan on opening it again, but can’t confirm a date at this stage. Adele is available over the phone to answer any questions you may have. We will be sure to let you know when we can open our doors again.
We can imagine your traumas and can sympathise. Trying to return to travel both for business and leisure has been a veritable nightmare. Returning staff to the office will be rather important going forward. We have tried to contact a provider directly in response to their advertised cruise and found that emails go completely unanswered to the point that they are loosing valuable business. The knock on effect means that travel consultants and providers like yourselves then loose out as these holidays would have been booked through and managed by you.
Hi Mr Edwards, although most of our teams are not back in the office full-time, we are business as ususal with all calls and emails being answered as promptly as possible. Thank you.
I think these updates are very good. Having recently returned from a 7 night Princess Cruise, I can sympathise with what Bolsover and no doubt most if not all agents are going through. From where I sit, the Cruise lines are not making life very easy for both Agents and Guests.
Whilst the Princess Cruise had far more positives than negatives, I feel the pressure on guests to get their Smart phones out to book restaurant reservations/ drinks etc is not for me. I am sure that many Guests like my Wife and myself just want to get on board and relax and not have to worry about reservations etc etc.
Keep the good work up.
Leslie and Linda Catling
Hello Michael, thank you for your very informative update, much appreciated. So just to clarify, I just need a LFT on day 2 of return, even if coming back from barbados? Thank you.
Hi Madeleine, this is correct from 24th October, however please keep an eye on the operators website for any changes to this.
May I ask when will Bolsover Cruise Club open their doors to everyone again, will it be before Christmas please? Thank you Heather
My husband had a very bad experience with a British officer while asking for help to fill in his p.l.f. he was rood and upset my husband to such an extent he made him ill ( husband has a heart condition)
My husband and myself lost two days of our special cruise (50 years of marriage) before he started to come to terms with this horrible mans attitude which we have not learnt to expect after many years of cruising with p@o.
Good morning Mrs France. We are very sorry your husband experienced this. If you’d like to take this further with P&O Cruises, please send the details to us and we will happily forward these on. Thank you
Still waiting for refund of deposit of £1083 on cruise WVWM7C
Hi William, I will pass this to our reservations team and we will be in touch.
Still waiting on refund of deposit of £1083 on cruise WVWM7C
Good Morning, I have passed this to our reservations team and we will be in touch with you shortly.
Congratulations to all at Bolsover Cruise Club. We so appreciate your colleagues’ helpfulness, knowledge and efficiency. No questions seem to phase them and they always seek the right advice.
Thank you
Hi Mary, thank you for your kind words, I’ll pass these on to the team.
Very helpful and encouraging. 2022 already booked now need 2023 p&o
Hi Frank, keep an an eye out for information for P&O Cruises soon.
We thank you for the open and honest information that you are providing
We are on a Cunard Cruise departing on 1st November 2021 and trying to get information or clarification has and still is a nightmare. We are Diamond members and have received NO replies to our MANY emails and phone calls.
We feel like we are in a Mushroom farm, kept in the dark and just left until they are ready to let us be released or forgotten about. Cunard.s Mr Palethorpe should perhaps be more concerned about his paying customers than sending out menu’s on how to make SCONES
Good Morning, sorry to hear your struggling to get any information regarding your booking. Can you confirm if this booking was made with us or elsewhere?
We have always been pleased to book via Bolsover. You are alway
We are always pleased to book with Bolsover.
You operatives are always delightfully cheerful and helpful.
You even gave me back a rebate some years ago when after payment was made I discovered another company was cheaper.
Oh and got us an upgrade to the Queen’s Grill!
Hi Brian, this is lovely to hear. Thank you for your kind words, I’ll pass them on to the team.
It may be an Urban Myth but I have been told that a positive test from a passenger on a coach to Southampton ( for Ventura) resulted in the entire coach load being refused embarkation and left to find their own ways home.
Hi Barrie, this would be correct. If someone was to test positive, all who travelled with them wouldn’t be allowed to board. Thank you
Hi Mr Wilson,
I’d like to add congratulations to all your staff on reaching such milestones and you and your family for managing to a) keep such loyal staff and b) for managing to your business going in such hard times. We’re booked on Sky Princess next August and can’t wait to be on board her for the first time.
Ian Wilson
Hi Ian, thank you for your lovely words, we really do appreciate them.