Cruise ship holidays: Affordable and accessible than ever before

Make a short Mumbai-Goa trip or travel for days as the ship takes you to multiple cities

MV Empress made history on June 5. India’s first international cruise ship was launched that day, sailing from Chennai to Sri Lanka.

A cruise ship takes passengers to various cities, giving them a chance to see more in luxury. “Cruises are very convenient. No matter how many cities/countries you visit, you sleep in the same comfortable bed. And you don’t have to pack/unpack your trunk all the time,” Ahilya Ahuja, an investment banker who has traveled on cruise ships over the years.

"Also, they give you a wide choice—you can have dinner in an evening dress or just shorts and T-shirt. You can go ashore or spend the whole day onboard. It comes with comfortable accommodation with chic cabins, spa, gym, beauty salons and other features to feel like queen or king of the liner,” she says.

“Cruising is a very tranquilizing experience in natural surroundings, away from the pressures of life, with great food and entertainment—(it’s) ideal for a romantic escapade or just for a quality getaway,” says Daniel D’Souza, president & country head—holidays at SOTC Travel.

Indians have a natural affinity for the sea, says Nalini Gupta, managing director of Costa Cruise India. “Since cruise liners have now started having itineraries closer to home this experience has become real. While cruise itineraries which depart from ports close to home like Mumbai, Cochin and Singapore have been the most popular, we have also seen a surge in demand for cruises in the Middle East, Mediterranean, North Europe, Alaska and more extoic locales like Antarctica.”

International cruises, running for two to seven days or more, start at Rs 10,000 per person per night. The fare includes a cabin, meals and entertainment. Most cruise companies have a 'kids below 18' free policy, whereby when sharing a cabin with two adults only port taxes and gratuities are charged on most itineraries except on peak dates.

If you don’t want to leave Indian shores, go on a river cruise. The Brahmaputra cruise lasts ten nights between Guwahati and Jorhat-Dibrugarh the six-day Ganges Heritage River Cruise starts at Howrah Bridge in Kolkata to travel to British colonial landmarks of Barrackpore, Chandannagar, Serampore and Bandel. A river cruise per person costs between Rs 50,000 and Rs 100,000 or more, depending on the number of days of sailing, amenities and activities on-board.

Domestic cruise packages offer a range of destinations. “Four theme-based coastal destination circuits such as Gujarat pilgrimage tours, west coast cultural and scenic tours, south coast ayurvedic wellness tours and east coast heritage tourism have been developed,” says Rajeev Kale, president & country head, holidays, MICE, Visa - Thomas Cook (India) Limited.

"Luxury cruises are coming into vogue with state-of-the-art amenities and premium dining and entertainment experience. The central government aims to develop world-class infrastructure to boost cruise tourism and with the inauguration of India’s first international cruise vessel MV Empress, Indians can have an international cruise experience without travelling abroad,” he says.

Travelling on a cruise ship is an all-inclusive holiday without the hassle of multiple check-ins and transfers. Short cruises are economical and good for quick getaways. Yatra.com packages include Alluring Gangtok cruise for Rs 17,999 for three nights, Fascinating Andaman for Rs 24,057 for 4 Nights, and Munnar-Thekkady-Alleppey at Rs 10,999 for 4 nights.

People prone to sea or motion sickness must avoid travelling on stormy waters for long. One way to avoid seasickness on a cruise is to get enough rest. “The only down vote I could give any cruise is that they do not spend enough time in port(s) and that there is often no way to visit interior destinations in many instances. So, when the cruise itinerary says ‘Paris’, they really mean Le Havre or Calais; when it says London, they mean Tilbury, Dover or Southampton and then a long bus ride. More nights would be helpful and enjoyable,” says Ambrish Gupta, a Delhi-based entrepreneur who has traveled widely on cruise ships.

Don’t fear the water though. For freedom, open air and adventure, there is nothing like sailing on the sea.