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India's Golden Triangle & the Sacred Ganges with Uniworld

sandyk923

By sandyk923,
in River Cruising

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amyr

amyr

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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.

 

I've got my pharmacy bag packed too. My husband's colleague just returned from visiting family in India (New Delhi) and said we should have no problem getting money at the airport. I'm sure our guides were just worried about trying to change money for the large group.

 

I wish we were going on the same trip, it would be nice to know some fellow travelers ahead of time.

 

Kathy, or anyone really, I send out updates when I'm traveling blog style, so if you're interested you can email me at aceeare at yahoo dot com and I'll put on my list.

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jpalbny "Live from...." Rare

jpalbny

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Packing is underway! We laid out our traveling clothes on Sunday night, and so far, everything fits handily into two rollaboard suitcases. We'll take two backpacks as well, and maybe a camera bag, but that should do it. Theoretically, we could carry everything on board the flight to Delhi, if we want to.

 

Chris has been in touch with her friend who lives on Long Island, and we're going to meet up for lunch on Saturday, and have a nice visit before we fly out on Saturday evening.

 

I have to get to the bank some time this week and grab some bills to have handy for money exchange and tips. I even got a summer-length haircut today, just to be prepared for the weather! Chris has an appointment for Friday after work.

 

Now, we just have to make it through three more days of work...

 

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acwmom

acwmom

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Packing is underway! We laid out our traveling clothes on Sunday night, and so far, everything fits handily into two rollaboard suitcases. We'll take two backpacks as well, and maybe a camera bag, but that should do it. Theoretically, we could carry everything on board the flight to Delhi, if we want to.

 

Chris has been in touch with her friend who lives on Long Island, and we're going to meet up for lunch on Saturday, and have a nice visit before we fly out on Saturday evening.

 

I have to get to the bank some time this week and grab some bills to have handy for money exchange and tips. I even got a summer-length haircut today, just to be prepared for the weather! Chris has an appointment for Friday after work.

 

Now, we just have to make it through three more days of work...

 

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Looking forward to another great trip report, JP. Have a great trip!

 

Robin

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Cruise Critic Chris "Live from...." Rare

Cruise Critic Chris

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We are starting to pack and print out documents too. Went to the travel clinic last night and got some scripts so we can build our pharmacy; ordered a few last-minute things from Amazon Prime too. Can't believe it's just a few days away!

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kathy9

kathy9

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Hi Amy

I will send you an email shortly.

I have looked at JP's travel blogs from previous adventures so I am sure they will continue with this amazing trip.

 

I will be following all of you!

Stay safe and have a fantastic time!

 

Kathy

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jpalbny "Live from...." Rare

jpalbny

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acwmom and kathy9, thanks for the vote of confidence! And FuelScience, thanks for the bon voyage wishes. Will do my best to convince ewizabeff and jklc123 to follow us in person next year.

 

Cruise Critic Chris, see you soon.

 

Just got a recommendation, from one of my colleagues, to visit Akshardham when in New Delhi. It looks a bit far from our hotel but on a major Metro line, so if we are up for it on Monday we may see if we can get there. Of course, we may just stay by the pool...

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papa B me

papa B me

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acwmom and kathy9, thanks for the vote of confidence! And FuelScience, thanks for the bon voyage wishes. Will do my best to convince ewizabeff and jklc123 to follow us in person next year.

 

Cruise Critic Chris, see you soon.

 

Just got a recommendation, from one of my colleagues, to visit Akshardham when in New Delhi. It looks a bit far from our hotel but on a major Metro line, so if we are up for it on Monday we may see if we can get there. Of course, we may just stay by the pool...

 

JP & Chris,

Hope you guys have a great time! I can't wait for your day by day report. I've been to India and it is a wonderful country. But My visit wasn't in a 5 star excursion oriented way. Hoping to talk my wife into it. Don't drink the water-lol

Brian

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ex-Yachtie

ex-Yachtie

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After more than a month I though it about time that I thanked the two members who took the time to reply to me. (Posts #75 and #76.)

 

Mark T: “. . . why didn't you just ask them?” Because everything that I had read up to then on multiple sites (including Cruise Critic) said that gratuities on all Uniworld cruises were included. And with all the detail for the Europe FAQ, I’d have expected them to publish the other FAQ if they were significantly different. But thank you for the info on how the Tour Manager is paid. I assume that’s because of local norms compared with Europe. Nevertheless it still seems to me to be an unusual difference in business plans within the same company. As well as compared with our own admittedly fairly limited cruise experience.

 

ewizabfef: “Did you ever read the printed material Uniworld provides . . . ?”. Yes. But as I said in my post, this was in the section titled “already booked’. And of course I hadn’t. And “. . . you get a confirmation from Uniworld . . . that includes terms and conditions.” Yes. And yes it did say “gratuities are not included for onboard personnel” for India. But that was after we had researched, budgeted, and paid in full! And although I do usually read Ts and Cs before parting with cash, in the light of all I had read, and Uniworld’s reputation, I admit that I skipped this.

 

To try and sum up (in less words this time!), if there can be such widespread contrary information on the web, why can’t Uniworld spell it out clearly and unambiguously on their website? It would be very quick and easy to do so. The “Why Uniworld/The Uniworld Difference/All-Inclusive” title reinforces the perception that “all-inclusive” is now the standard Uniworld policy. Only if that comprehensive page is read is the qualifying word “Europe” to be noticed. Or not. And there is no corresponding page for any of the non-European cruises. In doing my research I had also found the press release from 2014 that announced a change to that policy. And the word “inclusive” also appears in many other places on the website, without qualification.

 

We nevertheless look forward to our cruise. And by all accounts we’ll join the apparent large body of Uniworld fans. But that doesn’t mean that Uniworld’s interface with its prospective clients can’t be improved. :)

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jpalbny "Live from...." Rare

jpalbny

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Packed and ready to leave tomorrow! We have two rollaboard suitcases which are not really that full, so there will be room for souvenirs.

 

Got some newer bills from the bank today for cash exchange and spending. Passports and visas are tucked away and all that's missing is a good night's sleep. Though we don't have to leave home until 9 AM tomorrow, I'm sure we'll be wide awake at 5 AM.

 

Welcome back, ex-Yachtie. I do agree that unless you know that Uniworld's policies in Europe vs elsewhere are different, you may not look too closely. And their information can be unclear. In fact, until about a week ago, the cruise companion available for download on their website for this trip was an old version, from 2015. They finally updated it a few days ago with a 2017 version, which lists the correct hotel!

 

We are expecting to spend between 300 and 400 on tips. Would be nice if we didn't have to, but if the CD and crew are anything like what we've had on other Uniworld ships, I think we'll be happy to give that much. The details of this cruise, and the inclusions, seem to change from year to year, and they are different from what we read when we first booked. Luckily, they newer version seems better!

 

When do you take this trip?

 

 

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Cruise Critic Chris "Live from...." Rare

Cruise Critic Chris

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You are more together than we are! Although our flight tomorrow isn't until evening so that gives us a little more time. I'm basically packed but it takes the husband a little longer. Our visas are printed and passports set out, and our pharmacy is also packed. Getting excited! Now if only that upgrade to business class comes through....

 

 

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jpalbny "Live from...." Rare

jpalbny

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And we're boarded!

 

Even though there was no rush, I was up at 4:30 and didn't sleep much after that. It was a pleasant drive down to LI this morning. Lunch was nice and we hit a little traffic near JFK but not as much as usual. Air France security in JFK terminal 1 is often a cluster but we had some lounge time and a glass of bubbly.

 

Boarding was lightning fast and I'll sign off for now...until Paris! Cruise Critic Chris, see you there?

 

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Cruise Critic Chris "Live from...." Rare

Cruise Critic Chris

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We had the direct non-stop flight from Newark to Delhi. Flight time was 13 hours, 26 minutes. Husband slept, I mostly watched movies. It's a bit brutal in a regular seat (upgrade didn't come through and I gave my tall husband my premium economy seat). Oh well. The price we pay to travel.

 

The Oberoi Guagnon is very luxe but a bit inconvenient for exploring Delhi. We got to the hotel at 11:30 pm Sunday night and really did very little Monday other than relax and recuperate from jet lag.

 

The first day when most people arrive is "on your own" and if you stay around the hotel, the restaurants are great but pricey. So make sure to budget for that.

 

If we had been ambitious, I would have booked a cheap city tour through Viator. Many of them pick up at hotels. Our driver told us that traffic is so bad in Delhi area, you need to leave the hotel before 10 am if you want to see anything. Another note for planners.

 

(That being said, we immensely enjoyed our dinner at the hotel's Indian restaurant. Flavors and prep were eye-opening).

 

Finally, we felt our first earthquake ever last night! Epicenter was in northern India but we did feel things shake.

 

Tour begins today in earnest. Morning tour of Delhi is included; optional afternoon tour is $20 per person. We're going to give it a whirl. Looking forward to meeting jpalbny and Chris!

 

 

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amyr

amyr

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JP it's 6:00 pm and we're on a bus from the airport to the ship. It's been amazing so far. I hope your trip was too. All the food we ate everywhere was great, but our guide says there won't be Indian food on board? Is thus true?

 

Post a review soon, and safe travels home.

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jpalbny "Live from...." Rare

jpalbny

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The food was part Indian and some Western options. Not as flavorful, nor as spicy, as the food at the Oberoi restaurants. The chef on our boat was great and would prepare dinner dishes hotter if requested. At the lunch buffets, there was always some spicy sauce to add. We enjoyed all options.

 

Have a great time! We were getting to the airport just as you were leaving. In the lounge now waiting for our 8:15 pm departure.

 

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