India's Golden Triangle & the Sacred Ganges with Uniworld

[ewizabeff]

Did you ever read the printed material Uniworld provides regarding this cruise? They usually have a detailed list of inclusions and exclusions, and every booklet I've ever had clearly says that many inclusions only apply to Europe.

 

Also, when you submit your deposit, you get a confirmation from Uniworld (through your travel agent) that includes terms and conditions. On the last Uniworld trip I booked (Vietnam/Cambodia), the third section was titled "Items Not Included In The Published Price," and includes the following phrase: Gratuities for programs in Russia, Baltic Extension, China and Vietnam/Cambodia;

 

At the time I booked that trip, they were not accepting reservations for India yet. My guess is that they have since updated those terms, and it specifically says that India gratuities are not included.

 

I agree that they often push the "all-inclusive" nature of their European cruises, but they clearly state in many of the materials related to booking that the gratuities are not included outside of Europe. Or, if it's a major concern, you can always ask your travel agent these questions.

 

I'm not sure you can really blame Uniworld for this one.

[jpalbny]

4 weeks until we go! Getting excited for the trip.

 

Happy to report that we successfully negotiated the (somewhat) painful process known as the online India e-Visa application. We got our approvals today by email, after submitting the applications just last night. I've downloaded our e-Visas and we should be all set after I print them out tonight.

 

Expecting this to be a different experience from the European cruises. I've been talking to my residents, many of whom come from the area, and trying to learn about the food and other things we'll be seeing on this trip. It will be a bit of a pain to deal with tipping but c'est la vie.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[amyr]

That's so exciting! We're leaving 30 days from today as well, but we're doing the Vantage trip on the Ganges Voyager 1. I'm getting ready to do the visas as well. How long did it take you start to finish? Any tips?

[ewizabeff]

Can't wait to hear about your trip! This is still on our "maybe" list, although it's looking like it will be pushed to 2019 or 2020 if it happens.

[jpalbny]

That's so exciting! We're leaving 30 days from today as well, but we're doing the Vantage trip on the Ganges Voyager 1. I'm getting ready to do the visas as well. How long did it take you start to finish? Any tips?

 

It took less than an hour all told to do the two applications, and payment was easy. $60 plus $1.49 fee. No issues processing the payment on line. I submitted (paid) at around 8PM Thursday night, and we received the approvals around 10AM Friday morning.

 

Some surprises...They want to know your parents' names and birthplaces, even if deceased. They want to know your religion!

 

These two things took some extra time to figure out:

 

They want a complete list of all countries that you've visited in the last 10 years. Yet they give you a woefully inadequately-sized text box to put it in! I listed all the countries in a word document, but when I tried to paste the list onto the application, only about 1/4 of the countries would fit. So I had to resort to serious compression! I used "EU" in place of listing all of those countries individually. I used the two-letter abbreviations for all the other countries. I had to make a list with commas only, no spaces...like this: EU,EG,JO,MG...etc. I barely fit the list in that way, but they liked it. It felt so wrong to type commas without a space after them...

 

You need the name, address, and phone number of a "reference" in India. I got the name of the local tour company from Uniworld to put there. It took a few hours to get that info from Uniworld; I called but they said to e-mail customer service, who responded later that day with the information.

 

But - don't worry if you start the form and can't finish it in one sitting. They give you a temporary application number that you can copy and paste somewhere safe, and then you can return later to complete the application.

 

Also, you need a digital photo in jpeg format, <1MB. We took pictures of each other with my DSLR and I trimmed them down using photoshop elements.

 

Lastly, they want a copy of your front passport page as a .pdf attachment. That was a bug, because even when I turned the resolution on my scanner down, the file was too big. Eventually I figured it out.

 

Once approved, you will get an e-mail to that effect. You then have to go to the "check status" page to download the completed visa, which you have to print and carry with you.

 

So, after learning all these tricks, next time will be much easier! :rolleyes:

Edited January 7, 2017 by jpalbny

[kathy9]

amyr and jpalbny,

 

Looking forward to following your trips on CC.

I can not convince my DH to visit India!

 

Safe travels.

 

Kathy

[jklc123]

My DH also hesitant. We don't react well to heat and humidity, for one thing. I'll be interested in your trip reviews.

[jpalbny]

amyr and jpalbny,

 

Looking forward to following your trips on CC.

I can not convince my DH to visit India!

 

Safe travels.

 

Kathy

 

My DH also hesitant. We don't react well to heat and humidity, for one thing. I'll be interested in your trip reviews.

 

Well, in all honesty India has not been high on our lists either. It was a set of circumstances that led to this trip.

 

We've talked to fellow travelers who loved India. Have met many over the years. We have coworkers who are Indian, and they also have been pushing us to visit. Still, the (seemingly) great distance put us off. And the country is so huge that frankly, it's a daunting prospect to think about going.

 

But we were looking for somewhere to go this February that would be warm, not crazy hot, and different. Florida and the Caribbean don't really appeal. We had two weeks if we wanted to. So we looked around and noticed that Uniworld was offering this trip, and said, "Why not? It looks like a good time of year to go, and it should be a good taste of what there is to see."

 

Since booking, I've talked to some friends who say that February is a great time to visit, with very pleasant weather. They also say that this tour is a great sampling of three different parts of India: Delhi, and Agra in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh; Jaipur in Rajasthan, with its desert; and West Bengal, which they say is totally different as well.

 

At the very least, it will be two weeks in a warm, exotic place, seeing interesting sights, and I know that Uniworld will take great care of us.

 

And lastly, after flying to Madagascar and home from South Africa last year, I am amazed to find out that it's actually SHORTER to fly to India! We're flying AF through CDG, and the CDG-DEL leg is only 8h05, as opposed to 10h30 from CDG-Madagascar. So, it should be an easy trip! ;)

Edited January 7, 2017 by jpalbny

[amyr]

Thanks, everyone, I applied the other night right after posting, and got my visa in about 12 hours. Full of the confidence of that, I've just finished applying on behalf of my husband. It looks like the main thing they're worried about is whether you've been to Pakistan or any of the SAARC countries or whether your parents or grandparents were born there.

 

Kathy, Cliff wasn't remotely interested in India either, in fact he was pretty opposed, but I promised him I would find a way to keep him as tucked inside a bubble as possible. What I really wanted to do was combine the Royal Rajisthan on Wheels with a Ganges cruise, but that was hideously expensive. Cliff didn't want to go to Vietnam either, but we did the AMAWaterways Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Mekong trip and he LOVED it - it was fantastic. Made getting him on this India trip easier. What have you done since we saw you on Viking Ocean? We did one Azamara cruise, but nothing since.

 

We don't do heat and humidity well either, but I THINK we picked the exact date where it won't be too awfully hot or rainy either. Will let you know.

 

I wish we were going to see jpalbany on our trip, but maybe the Ganges Voyager will pass her sister the Voyager II on the river. If so we'll wave!

Edited January 8, 2017 by amyr

[jpalbny]

Thanks, everyone, I applied the other night right after posting, and got my visa in about 12 hours. Full of the confidence of that, I've just finished applying on behalf of my husband. It looks like the main thing they're worried about is whether you've been to Pakistan or any of the SAARC countries or whether your parents or grandparents were born there.

 

I wish we were going to see jpalbany on our trip, but maybe the Ganges Voyager will pass her sister the Voyager II on the river. If so we'll wave!

 

Hi amyr,

 

Did your husband's visa come through OK, or is he staying home? ;)

 

It does seem that they are most interested in any Pakistan connections that you may have. Luckily for these purposes, none here.

 

I looked at your Vantage itinerary (you did say Vantage, correct?) and it is a week longer than ours. Assume you are on the Feb 7 departure, arriving in Delhi Feb 8? We are on the Feb 6 Uniworld tour, but Uniworld and Vantage count their days differently. Day 1, for us, is the day we arrive in Delhi, not the day we leave North America. And, we are leaving a day early, so we will leave NA Feb 4, 3 days before you do.

 

Our tour only goes 2 weeks, and yours goes 3, as your land portion is much longer than ours. So, if I have overlapped the itineraries correctly, we disembark GVII in Kolkata on day 13 of our trip (Feb 18). We'll be on board all day, as we have an evening flight out of Kolkata.

 

I think that is the day that you embark on GV1 (day 12 of your trip). So we may be moored together on that day. If so, we'll be the ones out on the sun deck, soaking up some last doses of Vitamin D before going home to the freezing cold Upstate New York weather.

 

Otherwise, the itineraries do not cross paths at all. We leave Delhi the morning you arrive, and we fly out of Jaipur to join the cruise ship on the day that you travel from Delhi to Jaipur. I must admit that I am a little jealous that you go to see the tigers! I will NOT tell Chris about this...she is really bummed that we won't see the tigers on our trip. Not a word!

Edited January 9, 2017 by jpalbny

[kathy9]

What have you done since we saw you on Viking Ocean? We did one Azamara cruise, but nothing since.

 

Hi Amy,

 

We did a AZ cruise of SE Asia which was really amazing. I had no interest in going to Vietnam but it was a very eye opening trip....

We also did an Oceania cruise on the Insignia of the Baltics, wonderful trip.

Now even though my DH has vowed never to sail Viking again! We are doing a VRC in April Paris and the Heart of Normandy....to use our vouchers.

 

Your trips to India look amazing! How is the money situation now?

Will be following along !

 

Kathy

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Hi everyone! Just a few weeks before we leave. I did the e-visas for my husband and I; as noted, they are pretty easy, as long as you have the right sizes for your JPG and PDF.

 

Next for me is figuring out the rupee situation. I'm going to check with some banks here to see if I can order some in advance.

 

It will also be a challenge to get my husband to pack light for a 2 week trip, but that's an ongoing issue, not limited to India!

[amyr]

I got my husband's visa just fine too. As Chris noted, the key was the sizes of the pdf and jpeg files. I used PayPal and didn't have any trouble with the payment either. I know that folks in the past have struggled with using the Sate Bank of India payment option.

 

Chris, let us know if you can get any Rupees. I don't think you'll be able to. My husband has a colleague that's Indian and going home this week, and she and her husband will be taking all their 500 and 1000 Rupee notes back to see if they can exchange them. We are hoping they'll be able to bring us some new notes back. I just need enough for some tips between the airport and hotel since we don't have transfers with Vantage booked.

[jpalbny]

Chris, let me know what you find out about the Rupee situation. I usually plan to get local cash from ATMs, though I've heard that there have been issues with the ATMs running out of money, so I don't know if that is realistic yet.

 

I have a friend who just got back recently who can hopefully update me as to whether that situation is better now. There is a forum on Trip Advisor that had lots of doom and gloom from about 6 weeks ago but nothing more recent. It described big limits and long lines, empty ATMs, etc.

 

I've checked B of A, Wells Fargo, and Travelex. None of them seem to offer Rupees for sale at the moment. I have also read that it is illegal for non-Indians to bring Rupees into the country. This may explain things.

 

Likely, we'll take a bunch of dollars and some of my spare Euros too, and hope for the best. :)

[jpalbny]

My friend, who just got back from India this morning, already replied. :D

 

"Hi JP, there is no crisis. Never saw more than one person at any ATM. Most big shops and restaurants that you will be visiting accept credit cards such as visa and MasterCard. You...can draw 4500 rupees a day for minor expenses where card is not accepted like small vendors. That cash is more than enough to cover small purchases street side. You will be able to exchange dollars for Rupees at the airport and they will give 25,000 rs per person per week without any problem. There are ATMs everywhere in all cities. The dollar is quite strong against the rupee 1=68 so it is a good time to visit India. Have a great time!"

 

That is encouraging! I guess the jet lag hasn't caught up with him yet...Had I thought ahead, I should have had him bring me a few Rupees. But since that may be illegal, sounds like it's best to wait.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

Edited January 13, 2017 by jpalbny

[amyr]

That's good to hear! I know that when they first devalued the currency, the Prime Minister said it would be all fixed in 50 days (which seems like such an odd number) but it wasn't.

 

My main concern has been the money windows at the airport, which have been reported to be awful, but there's a ladies' line that is supposedly better. We land at 00:45, though, so if there are more than two people in the line, I know my husband won't want to wait. I think I already said this, but I'm mainly concerned with tipping my driver and handler when we arrive. Worst case, I guess they take dollars.

 

I feel like we'll be good for the rest of the tour using ATMs and credit cards.

 

I think I read somewhere that as of last year you could take in/out 25,000 rupees, so maybe your friend has some left over? I know you used to have to change them or donate them on your way out at the airport. Not sure if that's still the case.

[jpalbny]

And...

 

The documents arrived today! Sixteen days and counting. :D

 

Finally, there is an updated cruise companion booklet for this trip. The one on Uniworld's website hasn't been updated for quite some time. The printed copy with out tickets is actually dated 2017.

 

I had to call Uniworld to check on our transfers, as there was a note in with the ticket saying that they didn't have our flight information. Turns out they had the incoming flight but not the outgoing flight. Will have to follow up with my TA to see what happened there, but all set now.

 

Time to refresh my memory with a few guidebooks that I requested from the local library, and to start thinking about packing.

[amyr]

And...

 

The documents arrived today! Sixteen days and counting. :D

 

 

Yay documents!

 

We received a letter from our two tour guides welcoming us to India. Some of the things in the letter:

 

Regarding the current weather conditions in India, though it is fine during the day for you, but evenings and mornings gets cold nowadays across the major regions of northern India. But by the time you arrive in India the mercury would be approx from 80 F- 47 F on land part. Cruise will be slightly pleasant with approx 91 F- 63 F.

 

We want to make sure that you have some information and details to help prepare yourself for this adventure of a lifetime!

 

Please bring bandana, sunglasses, Hand sanitizer, wet tissues, sun screen lotion, Flash light, Travel medicines, Insect repellent, bring after bite creams (medicine). Binoculars are also very handy for bird watching.

Game drive in tiger reserve could be windy, dusty and cold.

 

We advice you to bring cash US dollars in both small and big denominations because of recent demonetization in India. You can pay your bills by credit cards in all the hotels, restaurants and shops. There is little Indian money out in circulations, Old and torn US dollar bills are not accepted in India.

 

Our internal air travel is with Air India which allows 55 pounds baggage allowance for internal flights.

[jpalbny]

A few minor differences in our information. No tiger reserve for us...

 

Here is a copy of the letter that Uniworld sent about the Rupee situation. It seems a little less positive than what my friend said earlier this month, but maybe they are just painting a more negative picture so we'll be surprised?

 

 

RE: Ganges Voyage ll / Money Exchange in India

 

 

Dear Valued Guests,

 

This is a courtesy notice to advise you that effective November 9, the Indian government voided all 500 and 1000 rupee bank notes. They are no longer being accepted as legal tender anywhere in India. The government is reprinting new Rupee notes however there is still a significant shortage of the new notes. Additionally, most banks outside of India do not have the new Rupees yet.

 

The currency onboard the Ganges Voyager 11 is USD. Please note that there is no currency exchange onboard. Tips for local guides are included in your package, however you may choose to make purchases or provide additional tips to locals that provide extra services. Larger business will accept credit cards, however cash may be needed in some cases. For guests who wish to acquire small amounts of cash in Rupees there are a few options.

 

The Oberoi hotel in Delhi will currently exchange $20/guest per day. Banks and the currency exchange counter at the airport will exchange Dollars for Rupees but are limited to $70/guest per day, and these transactions will be recorded in your passport. While cash transactions in currencies other than Rupees were not previously accepted in smaller towns, both USD and Euros are now more widely accepted. Please note that foreign coin currency may be difficult for Indians to exchange locally, so dollar bills are recommended. Additionally tourists should be aware that small businesses and individuals may not have exact change to return.

 

At this time ATM lines in India are long and machines may not have sufficient cash in accepted denominations. Tourists should not exchange money through non-official sources. Only official exchanges at the hotel, airport, or banks should be used. It is now illegal to possess the old bills, and tourists may not be aware they have been given old bills if they transact with unofficial sources.

 

Our staff in India is doing their best to direct guests to banks and ATMs on request, and can assist guests with questions they have about the currency situation.

 

We appreciate your understanding that this is a situation beyond Uniworld's control, but we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our guests.

 

If you have any questions please contact your travel agent, or contact Uniworld at 800-733-7820 and info@uniworld.com.

 

Thank you

 

Thankful for scanners and OCR programs available free on the internet. Really didn't want to type all of that!

 

Oh, 15 days and counting... that weather forecast seems very nice!

Edited January 20, 2017 by jpalbny

[amyr]

I think we'll just order up some brand new 5s, 10s, 20s, and a hundy or two from the bank before we go, stop at the window at the airport if there's not a long line, check with the hotel desk, and call it a day.

 

The guides that emailed us are on a tour with a group right now, so I'm guessing their information is good. Your friend was probably traveling solo and had advice as to where the ATMs with money were and had the ability to get to them. Our guides are dealing with groups of 18 (or however many) and there's probably no way to facilitate money changing for a group.

 

My cousin, who received the same email, is a little concerned about the 'slightly pleasant 91F' comment. They're from upstate NY, and there's a reason they head back up there from FL in April :D I have already packed little packets of powdered pedialyte and gatorade. I don't know if it will be as unbearable as Cambodia, but those packets in our water bottles saved us on that trip.

[laverendrye]

From my experience travelling in India, even before the demonetization crisis, I found US$1 bills very useful for tips and small cash transactions. I also think that $20 bills would be the largest useful cash to take, as it will be difficult to change a $100 bill (except perhaps on the unofficial market), and transactions that size and over might be better done with a credit card. I note from the Uniworld notice that the Oberoi Hotel will only change $20 per guest per day. I didn't have any difficulty with credit card transactions throughout my visit. I did use recommended ATMs but that could be difficult now until demonetization is sorted out. The most useful Indian notes were 100 ($1.50) 500 ($7.50) and 1000 ($15.00) but these are apparently now very hard to find.

 

Have a great trip.

 

 

 

 

 

I think we'll just order up some brand new 5s, 10s, 20s, and a hundy or two from the bank before we go, stop at the window at the airport if there's not a long line, check with the hotel desk, and call it a day.

 

The guides that emailed us are on a tour with a group right now, so I'm guessing their information is good. Your friend was probably traveling solo and had advice as to where the ATMs with money were and had the ability to get to them. Our guides are dealing with groups of 18 (or however many) and there's probably no way to facilitate money changing for a group.

 

My cousin, who received the same email, is a little concerned about the 'slightly pleasant 91F' comment. They're from upstate NY, and there's a reason they head back up there from FL in April :D I have already packed little packets of powdered pedialyte and gatorade. I don't know if it will be as unbearable as Cambodia, but those packets in our water bottles saved us on that trip.

[jpalbny]

Yeah, we'll try to use CCs as much as possible and we'll bring a bunch of low denomination bills for the rest - purchases, cash exchange, etc. We have a bunch of euros that we can bring too.

 

We are not big shoppers so I doubt that we'll need all that much cash. You never know, I suppose.

 

The larger bills could be used to pay on-board the ship, and to tip the tour manager and ship crew. So they are not entirely useless - unless people think that the tour manager would have trouble exchanging them? I'd assume that they would deposit all of that cash rather than convert it to rupees, but I don't know for sure.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[kathy9]

The documents arrived today! Sixteen days and counting.

and

Yay documents!

 

Wow really getting exciting jpalbny and Amy!

 

Don't forget the azithromycin (if not allergic) for travelers diarrhea.

 

91 F is certainly pleasantly warm ....I wonder what the humidity is?

 

I am sure they will take tips in small US bills or Euros.

 

Kathy

[amyr]

The hundreds will be for the tour manager, we have him for 18 days. I think the only small bill tips we'll have to worry about are for local guides and drivers. Fives and tens will do for that.

 

Kathy, we DO have our z-packs. I'm going to refill my Cipro prescription that I've had since our Vietnam/Cambodia cruise as it's expired. I can't believe how much medicine I'm taking on this trip, but my friend went to live on some yoga ashram in India for a couple of months, got an upper respiratory infection, and came back from the doctor with this, the main ingredients of which are some sort of metal and jaggery, which isn't nearly as disgusting as it sounds like it could be:

[jpalbny]

I've got our traveling pharmacy. Cipro, Azithro, and some TMP/SMX just in case. Also my big bottle of Malarone. Should be good to go in that regard.

 

Will work on accumulating some new bills of varying denominations next week.