Mumbai : clearance through immigration

[AJCM]

Hi

 

A group of us are doing a private tour in Mumbai on 26 April. Quest will have already taken us to Cochin and Goa. Will this shorten the time to get through immigration in Mumbai? Either way, can anyone with experience give us an indication of how long the process might take and also how far away is the Green gate?

 

Thanks fellow Azamarans

 

Tony

[ellbon]

Hi

 

A group of us are doing a private tour in Mumbai on 26 April. Quest will have already taken us to Cochin and Goa. Will this shorten the time to get through immigration in Mumbai? Either way, can anyone with experience give us an indication of how long the process might take and also how far away is the Green gate?

 

Thanks fellow Azamarans

 

Tony

 

I was there a year ago and i only remember a face to face in the first port.. hope someone else remembers

[Grandma Cruising]

The green gate is not far away BUT there can be long delays getting through the security at the gate. As far as I remember there were shuttle buses from the ship through the gate. I don't think you would be allowed to walk there from the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[wuppis]

We were also in Goa and Cochin before, but immigration was in Mumbai and it took us hours to get through immigration with a lot of documents, more than in every other country we have been before.

Mumbai is very special. The officials behave different and love to control every document. If you are missing one stamp on your document, they will not allow you to leave the port.

 

In our case, we had to show outside a green document that allowed us to leave the port. If somebody forgot this on the ship they denied him the exit.

And we had to present this green document again when we went by car out of the port. And you have to present documents when you want to get back to the ship. Your boarding pass is not enough, like in every other port.

 

We were not allowed to walk by ourself outside the port that we could find somebody who called us a more comfortable car with driver than the usual ones in Mumbai. The usual ones are without AC, driving with open windows that you will smell everything you like and you will hate. Shuttlebusses were really rare. We had to wait for another shutlle, because they are driving only to one gate.

 

Last time with the Journey, we had to take a taxi, starting close to the terminal and were not allowed to walk outside by ourself.

So we had to take one of this horrorable small taxis and after 3 hours we asked the driver to bring us back to the ship, although we paid for a 5 hour tour. But all the smells, the noises, their way to drive (not stopping at red lights), the slums, the beggars at the "Gateway to India" and on the bridge above the "Open Laundry" that was too much for me.

[Gareth C]

Hi,

 

Embarked in Mumbai in Nov 2012, Remember the immigration process being quite long. However If you go on a tour they may come onto the bis to check there is lots of lists to tick off so it may only be a short delay if it is just a port of call and not embarkation, although they may do face to face immigration in Mumbai if they do it will probably be sone on ship deck by deck before you are allowed to debark the vessel. The Indians can be very meticulous at times.

 

Gareth

[AJCM]

Thanks for your helpful responses folks. Patience and politeness I think.

 

Tony

[Grandma Cruising]

Sometimes patience doesn't pay. When we disembarked at Mumbai and were flying home straight from Mumbai we sat at the dock gate in a queue of 9 buses. After half an hour and no progress my husband and another guy got off the bus and had to really get cross with both the Azamara rep and the Indian officials before we were able to get moving. If they hadn't, all of us on the bus would have missed our flights. As it was we only just made it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[suesie]

We were there last year in April 2015.

We had face to face immigration in the first port and no face to face after that.

I don't recall any immigration procedures in Mumbai.

There are shuttle buses to the green gate - couldn't say how many but we didn't wait.

Outside the gate it is a melee of people and noise.

In my view you should have something booked as you would be unlikely just to pick up a taxi/ guide as you can do in some other places.

We have a fabulous time and are going back next year for a longer me before joining the Journey to go thru the Suez Canal.

Hope this helps.