Getting Indian Rupees during an Azamara excursion

[uktog]

I appreciate this is a very specific query, but I am hoping someone who previously made the trip we are making can perhaps answer the question.

 

We are cruising from Dubai to Singapore on Journey and we have three stops in India, the first of which is Mumbai.

 

As you probably know, the Rupee is a closed currency and as such you cannot get it through out of country foreign exchange providers.

 

On our first day, we are straight off on a ship run shore excursion which includes a visit to a market where we might want to purchase items. I am aware from others who travel and work there that traders do not like receiving dollars or sterling (though they will take it) as it is not easy for them to quickly get usable currency.

 

I therefore want to try and get rupees at an ATM at the earliest opportunity - and I suspect others on the excursion will likewise. My question is, can you use an ATM at the port and do they allow a slight delay in boarding the first days excursion bus to allow this to happen or alternatively, what are the other ways that can be used to quickly and easily get some rupees.

 

Any hints or tips on currency in India from those who have been there in the last two years (there have been changes in the financial system so really only interested in the very recent past sorry)

 

Thanks

[CRUISERTN]

We were on the Journey this past March and stopped in 3 ports in India. We did the ship's excursions and used U.S. dollars for all of our market and souvenir shopping. We did not exchange for rupees. The vendors did not seem to mind, and even quoted the prices in dollars -make sure you have plenty of small bills (one dollar and five dollar bills or the equivalent in pounds) as they will want to give you change in rupees if you give them a large bill. If you do the excursion to Elephanta Island, you will have plenty of opportunity to buy souvenirs from many, many vendors there. It is a mob scene around the Gateway of India, across the street from the Taj hotel, as well as at the stop at the outdoor laundry - street vendors everywhere, so watch your pockets. Not much opportunity to get things other than inexpensive souvenirs except for one stop in Mumbai on a city tour that went to a typical "government factory store" with better quality items that were extremely overpriced. Have fun - India was amazing!!

[uktog]

Thanks, that is exactly what I needed to know.

 

Did you also go to Goa and Kochin?

 

I am trying to work out where we buy our "item indian" - not sure how many gifts we will take back home and where we will buy them

[CRUISERTN]

Yes, we also went to Goa and Cochin. No real shopping in either of those places. We asked our guides in both places and their reply was "if you are going to Mumbai, I suggest you shop in Mumbai because the shopping is better there". If you would like more detailed info, provide me with your email address and I will be happy to send you details on each of those ports.

[wangeling gal]

Hi Uktog

 

We did this cruise last April after doing a land tour of India first.

We were able to order Indian rupee (approx AUD$ 1000) before we left, through our local bank. I live in a small country town, but it only took a week for the bank to get it in. There were no hassles at all in doing this.

I had also enquired and would've been able to get some at Perth airport if I had needed to.

Unfortunately we didn't leave ourselves a lot of Rupee for our cruise, but as we had a travel card, figured we would get some on our stopover in Cochin from an ATM. We had used it in Delhi with no problrms. Well we went to 2 and neither would accept our card. We had some US$ and tried to get that exchanged at a money changer, but as we did not have our passports (even though we had a photo copy) they couldn't do it. We did end up paying our tour guide with the US$, but felt a bit stingy with the tip we left in Rupee for the fabulous fishermen at the nets.

In Goa our guide (private)took us to a well known bank to use their ATM...no hassles.

Mumbai Cruise Terminal had no ATM that I can recall. This is a very basic facility. If you do use an ATM, try to use one where your card doesn't get taken inside the machine.

Depending on what sort of items you are looking to buy, I did like the government shops we went to. Yes they are a little more expensive, but not by western standards. Would have loved to do more market shopping than what we did, but found these shops had all sorts of products from the cheap to the extremely expensive. We broke all our rules in one Government shop and used a credit card to purchase our 'holiday item' - a beautiful hand woven Kashmerery rug. Did have some butterflies about it, but ended up with no problems what so ever.

May you have the most wonderful cruise to a fabulous part of the world.:):):)

Sorry I couldn't be much help.:rolleyes:

[150edmiston]

Uktog, we did your trip in reverse in 2011. You might also want to consider taking a hand sanitizer with you if you are handling rupees that have "done the rounds". What we got back as change was absolutely filthy and the advice we were given was to clean our hands anytime we came into contact with it - that was from our guide who was brilliant.

 

I dare say from an ATM it will be new currency, but your post purchase change wont.

 

David

[uktog]

Thanks for that suggestion! So no plastic notes there :)

[lexdisic]

Thanks for that suggestion! So no plastic notes there :)

 

Hi

 

Rupees also available at the terminal building. Not the best rate but not the worst either. You will need rupees for incidental purchases especially if you go off the beaten track and dont want to pay "tourist rates" with £ or $

 

Adrian

[uktog]

Thanks Lexdisc

I think I have a plan, sterling and dollars morning 1 and do some exchange on the way back to the ship for lunch!

A middle rate would do me nicely

I am assuming if I change too much some of the crew would be very happy to be gifted my "left overs" as an extra over and above the extra gifts we already will make

Edited September 14, 2013 by uktog

[lexdisic]

Thanks Lexdisc

I think I have a plan, sterling and dollars morning 1 and do some exchange on the way back to the ship for lunch!

A middle rate would do me nicely

I am assuming if I change too much some of the crew would be very happy to be gifted my "left overs" as an extra over and above the extra gifts we already will make

 

Hi

 

If you are going to Singapore before Mumbai, I would suggest going to "Little India" there to buy rupees with any leftover SG$. We did that and even exchanged sterling there as well as it was such a good rate. The Mustafa centre in Little India seems to give the best rate. As for your leftovers - I'm sure any gifts would be welcome but unless they are Indian crew, they will be unlikely to be able to spend them !! The exchange in the terminal building will change them back to $.

I am so jealous of your trip - we cancelled our Az trip through the Suez because of the troubles and our India trip went with it. India is absolutely fabulous and cant wait to re-book it.

 

Adrian

[uktog]

We are doing Dubai to Singapore so the wrong order for exchanging in Singapore.

I should have made it clear, we would only be giving rupees to staff from India on the basis they can use it back home - we may not even have excess, I would love some Indian clothes

[osmoses12]

We are cruising Singapore to Mumbai on Journey 3rd April.2014. Could anyone point us in the best direction for obtaining an Indian Visa.We

are based in the UK.

 

Many thanks,

[lexdisic]

We are cruising Singapore to Mumbai on Journey 3rd April.2014. Could anyone point us in the best direction for obtaining an Indian Visa.We

are based in the UK.

 

Many thanks,

 

Hi

 

We used http://www.visagenie.co.uk/Visa-Application/India-Visa

 

They guarantee they will get it and strangely enough, not all the info thats required on the India site, has to be given to them. This makes it so simple that if mistakes were made , they are picked up before its sent off. A bit like our Post office checking service.

 

Adrian

[uktog]

We are cruising Singapore to Mumbai on Journey 3rd April.2014. Could anyone point us in the best direction for obtaining an Indian Visa.We

are based in the UK.

 

Many thanks,

 

But do not start the process until90 days before your cruise or you risk your visa running out before you get home!

[Dididi]

We were on the Journey's November 2012 Mumbai to Chennai itinerary. In Mumbai, we took two day tours with Mumbai Magic prior to embarkation. On our second day, we went to the Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati (Ganesha) Temple, and then went to the textiles market near Crawford Market to shop for fabrics and onto to DIA, a sari and clothing store nearby. The textiles market was fascinating: each booth was on a fabric-covered padded platform where sellers sat (barefooted) with their wares. We told our guide what we wanted to see (Maharasthra sari fabrics) and visited several booths where we saw hundreds of beautiful fabrics at excellent (very inexpensive) prices. Visiting a market specialized in one kind of products was more worthwhile to us (given our limited time) than going to the very crowded Crawford Market where all sorts of things are sold, including animals. The DIA store was great too. Might not have been ultra cheap -- prices still cheaper than what we have found in the US for similar high quality Indian clothing -- but we got advice and alterations that were worth it. Because we got our shopping done so quickly, we were able to do more sight-seeing before boarding the Journey at almost 4pm.

 

Regarding rupees, our guide took us to an ATM at a local bank.

 

Regarding shopping in Goa and Cochi, we asked our driver in Goa (arranged by Mumbai Magic) to stop at the market in Margao for a couple of bracelets and trinkets. We found what we wanted, but I agree with the advice that if you're going shopping, go shopping in Mumbai. In Cochi, our driver (Stanley Wilson Tours) took us to a couple of the government emporia, but we did not find anything super wonderful.

 

My advice: read Deepa's blog in her Mumbai Magic site. She writes about visiting different markets in town, which gave us ideas regarding where we wanted to go shopping. Shopping was not the focus of our tour, but we wanted to obtain something special to remember our trip.

[uktog]

Thanks a lot that is very helpful - do you recall were there any small shops in the Cruise terminal at Mumbai? I know prices would not be great but just thinking in case I forget a present and remember at the last minute?

[Grandma Gilly]

Thanks a lot that is very helpful - do you recall were there any small shops in the Cruise terminal at Mumbai? I know prices would not be great but just thinking in case I forget a present and remember at the last minute?

 

From memory, Mumbai cruise terminal is just a very large docks area.

I don't remember seeing a single shop there.

[Dididi]

All I remember (as stated by Grandma Gilly) is that the Mumbai docks area was very large and industrial. Some passengers who boarded in Mumbai (as we did) were dropped off by the dock's entrance and had to walk in the heat to the large building where one does the check-in.

 

The port in Goa is out of the way, very far from town, and there were no stores or trinket stands anywhere near. If you have not been to Goa, I suggest that you make private arrangements because old and new Goa are almost an hour away (two lane roads), or take the ship's tour of Old Goa (the Portuguese churches from the 1500s) with a stop in new Goa. Because there was a film festival in new Goa, we walked around the old colonial neighborhood of Fontainas but were not near shops. The tour had a bathroom break at a store, but the item selection was not great.

 

The port in Cochi is also out of the way, but not as far from town. The Indian government is ultra strict about access to the piers so there were no trinket stands in front of the ship, as there were when we docked in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

[150edmiston]

Thanks a lot that is very helpful - do you recall were there any small shops in the Cruise terminal at Mumbai? I know prices would not be great but just thinking in case I forget a present and remember at the last minute?

 

The ship docks in one of the most unattractive places you will have ever been to!! Rust buckets abound and it would be at least a 10 min walk to the port exit.

 

There are a few small pop up stands selling pretty much tourist tat in the big arrival barn. We bought as we didn't have time through the day as it was really intense.

 

If you haven't sorted a guide yet UKtog, let me know. We had the very best person who lived in Mumbai and had a house in Goa. She was fantastic, and got us into places that tourist don't normally get into.

 

David

Edited September 22, 2013 by 150edmiston

[uktog]

We have booked various excursions through the cruiseline but are doing our homework ahead of going. I heard from those others who boarded at Mumbai what it was like, we are (maybe) lucky we are there 36 hours as a stop rather than boarding so hopefully that frees up some time.

 

A lot of planning to do in the next few weeks but very much looking forward to this trip

[Dididi]

UKTog,

 

We took several ship excursions, such as the Old Goa Churches one in Goa, which were good, but since you're spending two days in Mumbai, I would suggest that you consider making private arrangements with a licensed tour guide. For the price of the excursions offered by the ship in Mumbai (even with the pre-booking discount), you can have your own private tour, choose where you want to go, and not feel like you're stuck on the ship after an excursion because going through the dock area is a challenge. You'll be in Mumbai overnight, so don't have the worry about getting back to port before the ship leaves.

 

Here's the places we visited on our first day in Mumbai: St. Thomas Cathedral; Taj Mahal Hotel; Gateway to India; Water Tank; Hanging Gardens; Gandhi's House, and Laundry. We also saw from our car the Hajj Ali Mosque, Towers of Silence, Marine Drive, the train station, the University (walked along the sidewalk), the Courts, Antilia (world's largest single family home), among other sites. And we had a tasty lunch.

 

On our second day, we visited the Ganesha Temple, went shopping (as explained in my earlier email), and toured the Colaba area (St. Thomas' Church, a drive through the Parsis' Cusrow Baug residential complex, and a stop to see the Koli fishermen). And we made it to the docks more than two hours before the ship sailed.

 

A lot of places and experiences in two days, and our first day was relatively short because of jet lag exhaustion.

 

On a related note, we took the Life and Lore ship excursion in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and thoroughly enjoyed it. In the afternoon, we hired a taxi to visit a couple of additional places, and the fabulous Barefoot store. Since you'll be in Colombo for two days, I hope you go to the Temple of the Tooth. Heard great reviews from fellow passengers.

[Grandma Gilly]

I think the word that comes to mind about boarding in Mumbai was 'shambles'.

We had to queue in the street for our luggage to go through security. We were lucky as we were not on an Azamara transfer. People were held for a couple of hours on buses.

Finally, we just left our luggage in the street with local representatives and prayed that it would turn up in our cabin.(it did!)

Once on board, everything was great.

 

This was definitely the worst boarding ever on any line.

[uktog]

Thank goodness Mumbai is not our port of embarkation, it sounds like a shambles. Probably equally bad when it is a port of call, I wonder how many will brave going back into town in the evening for dinner? We certainly plan to eat on board and do not plan to do Mumbai at night - we are hoping for some evening entertainment with a local theme onboard, perhaps accompanied by the legendary azamara Indian buffett

[Grandma Gilly]

Thank goodness Mumbai is not our port of embarkation, it sounds like a shambles. Probably equally bad when it is a port of call, I wonder how many will brave going back into town in the evening for dinner? We certainly plan to eat on board and do not plan to do Mumbai at night - we are hoping for some evening entertainment with a local theme onboard, perhaps accompanied by the legendary azamara Indian buffett

 

We loved our trip to India. Are you managing to do an 'add-on?' We did the 'Golden triangle' prior to boarding in Mumbai. It was a most fantastic experience. We weren't over struck on Goa but loved Cochin and don't miss the 'Allepuza' house boat trip. Amazing!

[uktog]

No we are not doing an add on as we embark in Dubai and disembark in Singapore. We are looking forward to the various stops en route and have booked on a houseboat trip for Cochin, having heard so many wonderful things about that area.

In Sri Lanka we have opted to go to Kandy and the Temple of the Tooth. It will be a long day but I am sure it will be special

I will try and post reviews as we go along, or failing that I will sort out one big review at the end

Edited September 23, 2013 by uktog