India Shore Excursions & Golden Triangle

[LovetoCruise_09]

I'm going with my family (two adults and two teenage children) on a Dubai India cruise which starts in Abu Dhabi and ends in Singapour but will be passing through India for a total of 5 days -  2 days in Mumbai, one day in Goa, one day at sea and one more day in Cochin. What shore excursions would you recommend in these ports? What would be the best way to see the Golden Triangle or the best of India highlights during this cruise? Please recommend shore excursions and tour companies from your experience. TIA.

Edited October 17, 2018 by LovetoCruise_09

[mom says]

Have you checked your Roll Call  to see what your fellow cruisers have organized? We are sailing that itinerary on the Constellation in Jan, and I know there is a ship excursion to the Taj Mahal; but it is VERY overpriced.  There are private tour companies that offer that trip for cruisers at less than half the price. Similarly, we have booked tours with a private tour operator for each of the port stops in India that cover the same things as offered by the ship, but at a better price and with smaller groups. If your Roll Call isn't very active, try reading through other Roll Calls with the same itinerary for ideas.

[LovetoCruise_09]

Thank you for your reply. We're also sailing on Celebrity Constellation, our cruise starts on January 5th and I haven't found a Roll Call for this cruise here before posting. I will try searching for similar cruise Roll Calls.

I also know about the Taj Mahal tour offered by Celebrity Cruises and it is very expensive, that's why I'm looking for other options - alternative reliable and reasonably-priced tour operators that can help us with the overnight shore excursions to see Taj Mahal and possibly the Golden triangle.

Edited October 17, 2018 by LovetoCruise_09

[mom says]

Well Hi there! We'll be on the same cruise then. It's hard finding the Roll Calls since the new site opened, but it's here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2374966-january-5-2019-15-night-best-of-india-and-sri-lanka-abu-dhabi-singapore/

You'll find info in there on the private tour company many of us have signed up with for each of the ports. He also has an excursion to Delhi and the Taj Mahal.

[LovetoCruise_09]

That's great, thank you, I'll have a look at the Roll Call!

[anirban2travel]

Hi. To visit the Golden Triangle, the best time is during your 2 day port visit in Mumbai. It will be a tight travel itinerary but would be worth every minute. There are lot of packaged deals found in regional travel websites for Golden Triangle, and you can make your own choices. Also they offer customized plans to suit your needs. You will find many tour operators when you dock at Mumbai, but they might be quite overpriced, and booking in advance would be ideal. Do some research when you book & enquire every detail of the plan. During your Goa & Cochin port visit you can explore the local flora & fauna, as both the places have an unique life of its own. However plan & book for a local guide to take you around the city, as self exploration might not reveal all the best places in the time available at hand. In all the tours plan & research before making your booking. 

Hope you have a memorable trip.

[Globehoppers]

India's "Golden Triangle" of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur can be covered, maybe, in 4-5 days.

 

An overnight from Mumbai to Arga is possible via air, but would miss the other cities/attractions.

 

We use and were very pleased with "Magic Tours of India," also called "Magic Tours of Delhi," for our 5 days of travel around the GT.  Excellent pricing and continuous involvement by the owner in planning the trip for three of us.  

 

Note, we did this as a pre-tour to an Azamara cruise Delhi-Pireaus.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by Globehoppers

[texancruzer]

On 10/17/2018 at 11:10 AM, LovetoCruise_09 said:

I'm going with my family (two adults and two teenage children) on a Dubai India cruise which starts in Abu Dhabi and ends in Singapour but will be passing through India for a total of 5 days -  2 days in Mumbai, one day in Goa, one day at sea and one more day in Cochin. What shore excursions would you recommend in these ports? What would be the best way to see the Golden Triangle or the best of India highlights during this cruise? Please recommend shore excursions and tour companies from your experience. TIA.

You did not indicate which cruise - and date. But we are on the March 18th Constellation cruise from Abu Dhabi to Singapore.  Sound like same itinerary.

We are taking a private tour from Mumbai to see the Taj Mahal.  Message me if you would like info on the tour we are taking.  I cannot recommend here as its not allowed.  You can research further if you wish to do so.

Edited November 12, 2018 by texancruzer