Mumbai: it's time to take a cruise, as a luxury cruise liner sailing from the UAE waters today and scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on Thursday. This journey is a part of the newly launched cruise tourism packages being offered by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on the luxury ocean cruise line from Mumbai September 18 onwards.
Sources in the IRCTC said that the first journey from Mumbai will start on September 18 towards Goa, but the ship will on high seas and will return on September 21. “After we announced the trip, we received queries from nearly 150 patrons. Majority are from Mumbai and a few of them have already booked for different tours of this cruise liner,” an IRCTC official said.
The second trip from Mumbai, around September 25, is also scheduled for Goa. The IRCTC sources said that the ship has a capacity to carry 2,000 passengers. “The IRCTC has entered into the cruise booking business through online portal agreement signed with Cordelia Cruises, a premium cruise liner. Some of the destinations are Goa, Diu, Lakshadweep, Kochi, and Sri Lanka. The international tour will start only after mid-2022 depending on Covid situation,” the source said.
From May 2022, the cruise will shift to Chennai and will be sailing to Sri Lankan destinations such as the capital Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee and Jaffna. The ship is equipped with restaurants, a swimming pool, bar, open-air theatre, kids’ play area, gymnasium, etc.
The IRCTC officials said that they will follow the social distancing norms, and crew will be vaccinated.
