Land tour to Taj Mahal

Looking at an Asia cruise down the road.

Has anyone done the mid-cruise land tour to the Taj Mahal?

Looks like you jump ship in Kochi, fly to Delhi for 2 days...then re-join the ship in Goa.

Interested in hearing from anyone who has done this.. re: logistics, accommodations, overall quality of the tour, etc.

Hi Ron - we did the Agra extension 2-3 years ago with Regent. The accommodations were very good to excellent (the very good was the hotel in Agra). The food served at the restaurants was great (if you like Indian food which we do). It sounds like what you will be doing is a bit different than what we did. We spent a total of three nights in Delhi/Agra/Jaipur while you would be spending two nights. Anyway, this is what we did.

We flew into Delhi - spent the night there and left on a bus in the morning heading to Agra. There is a new (new at the time) highway from Delhi to Agra - very nice and makes the once very long trip much easier. It was nice to see the countryside and perhaps more interesting when we approached Agra as there were all types of vehicles, people and some animals on the highway - very crowded.

There is a lot of government corruption - especially in Agra. They get in so much money from people visiting the Taj Mahal but the money is not used to improve the city. Actually, we saw some of the poorest areas of anywhere we visited on our trip. Of course the Taj is magnificent - unbelievably so.

On the way back we stopped in Jaipur for the night (lovely hotel). This is probably the most interesting and cleanest city that we visited in India. The next morning we were driven to the airport to fly to Mumbai. This was probably the most difficult part of the trip as some passengers had to wait for hours for their flight and arrived in Mumbai quite late.

We are very happy that we traveled to Agra and the rest of India but it is not something we would repeat. I hear from friends that other parts of India are completely different than what we saw in the big cities.

If you have any other questions - just ask.

It sounds like what you will be doing is a bit different than what we did. We spent a total of three nights in Delhi/Agra/Jaipur while you would be spending two nights.

Not clear at this point...since no details are avail for the 2017 cruise... i took the details of the land tour off the similar one in 2016.

Unlike TC2, we did the Taj Mahal trip midcruise, like you are considering. We were eastbound/southbound so we actually got off the ship in Mumbai and reboarded in Mangalore.

We flew to Delhi, then had long bus trip to Agra, spent the night, then entered Taj at sunrise. Later that morning we had additional tour options (I strongly recommend the "fort") and then bus to Delhi. We spent the night at Oberoi in Delhi then flew out next morning via Mumbai to Mangalore arriving around noon. Each of the midcruise trips can be a little different especially as Taj is closed Fridays.

The smoke is atrocious in Delhi, be careful of your health. We had thought we would get out a bit but pollution was pretty bad. Agra has pollution problems, too.

So, for the three days and $2k each, we spent two hours in Taj and two hours in Pink Fort. Still, we felt it was worth it.

If you have a chance to do it as TC2 before embarkation or after debarkation it is a much better deal; lacking that, i still heartily recommend the midcruise trip to Taj.

Marc

So, for the three days and $2k each, we spent two hours in Taj and two hours in Pink Fort. Still, we felt it was worth it.

Thanks Marc...that's pretty much my opinion also. Can't visit India without seeing Agra. Thanks for your input.

A few years ago we did the Agra/Taj Mahal add-on after a cruise from Bangkok to Mumbai. Three nights: Jaipur, Agra and Delhi. The hotels in Jaipur and Agra were sub-standard, as was the food. The Taj Mahal at daybreak was impressive, although the tourist throngs were depressing. The Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi was modern and nice; our room was on an upper floor although we couldn't see very far out of the window because of the extreme smog. The included buffet-style dinner was awful.

My conclusions about travel to India were:

Don't go by cruise ship, go land-based, try to do everything first-class and be prepared to pay for it.

We did this trip several years ago with Crystal. Left the ship in Cochin, flew to Mumbai and then the plane continued on to Delhi. From Delhi, we were met by A&K guides who transported our group in 3 brand new Mercedes extended buses that had the capacity to carry 60, yet we were 20 people per vehicle. The drive to Agra was long but, very interesting and exciting as you passed villages in route. The assortment of vehicles, animals (camels, elephants, cows) that were on the road made the journey quite exciting. We could also see the trains in the distance which were oozing with people. Along the route were many clay brick ovens. It was so exhilarating, sleeping wasn't even an option, even though it was a VERY long day.

We stayed at the Oberoi and our rooms overlooked the Taj. All our meals were taken at the hotel. We had a sunrise and sunset visit to the Taj the following day, and in between, we were taken to Fort Agra for a tour. There was even time for a dip in the pool but with temps hovering around 115, it wasn't much relief, even in the shade. The next day we were whisked back to Delhi for our flight to Mumbai to rejoin the ship.

It was a memorable trip, very well organized, guides were brilliant. I would highly recommend taking this tour.

We were on this trip in 2014. We were traveling from Dubai to Cape Town and got off the ship in Mumbai the 2nd day there and re-boarded in Mangalore. It was very well done and it was a must do for me. It was worth the cost and we were very well taken care of by the Tour company contracted by Regent. I also agree with Marq that if you have the option make sure you see the Red Fort. It is almost as much a 'must see' as the Taj as far as I am concerned. If you get there i hope you have a clearer day than we did. The view of the Taj from the Red Fort was hazy the day we were there but stunning none the less.

I do not hesitate to recommend taking advantage of this opportunity if adding it on the beginning is not an option. It wasn't for us. We were already going to be away about 40 days and just couldn't add more days to go to India first then back to Dubai though we met a couple that did that.

Thanks for the positive feedback...

Looking at an Asia cruise down the road.

 

Has anyone done the mid-cruise land tour to the Taj Mahal?

 

Looks like you jump ship in Kochi, fly to Delhi for 2 days...then re-join the ship in Goa.

 

Interested in hearing from anyone who has done this.. re: logistics, accommodations, overall quality of the tour, etc.

Hi, Travelcat2,

We are booked on the RSS Explorer with you for the Atlantic Retreat in November 2016.

We did a land extension to Agra with Regent this past spring on a Grand Voyage from Tokyo to London. Could not pass up the Taj. They did a great job. (We also did extensions to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Bagan in Myanmar.)

It was a three-day extension and one I would highly recommend.

It's a very intense tour as we were out between 5:15 am and 6:00 am every day. Air arrangements were coach class but quite adequate for the relatively short flights. Clean, new equipment both ways. The down-side was missing Cochin, Mangalor, and Goa; but the Taj wins hands down.

-- roy --

 

It was a three-day extension and one I would highly recommend.

Thanks Roy... a good endorsement... thanks

We are also on the Atlantic Retreat in November 2016... :cool:

Roy,

Would you also recommend Angkor Wat and Bagan? They are options on the World Cruise I am considering.

Roy,

 

Would you also recommend Angkor Wat and Bagan? They are options on the World Cruise I am considering.

Not Roy but we did the tour to Angkor Wat with Regent a couple of years ago and would highly recommend it.

Enjoy your world cruise.

One word of caution: I was on the Discovery Collection on the Navigator in 2008, and a number of people had booked a side excursion to Agra, flying out of Mumbai. I don't recall what city they flew into. But, we were surprised to see them back on the ship later the night they flew out--the destination airport was socked in fog, and the plane couldn't land. Regent, to their credit, gave everyone full refunds for the excursion, but still it was a great disappointment to a lot of people that they couldn't see the Taj Mahal. From what I heard, fog closings were not that unusual that time of year (around the end of October).

We're booked on the Oceania world cruise in January. One of our options was Agra, and like the others stated, we can't imagine traveling around the world and not seeing the Taj Mahal. We'll be flying from Male to Colombo, Sri Lanka, then to Delhi. Day 2, drive to Agra, check in, visit the fort, make an evening visit to Taj, and enjoy a classical dance performance. Day 32 starts with the Taj at dawn, then drive back to Delhi for several activities. Day 4, transfer back to the ship at Kochi. Cost is $2,700 pp.

We are also going to Bagan on an overnight, but it is one of the 5 included events for guests of the entire 180 days.

We were originally planning to visit Angkor Wat as an overland event on this cruise, at a cost of $1,800 pp. Then, we saw a full page ad in the Palm Beach Post for a Mekong River cruise on Scenic. They are constructing a new riverboat, Scenic Spirit, to be launched in January. It will have just 34 luxury cabins, all with balconies, all with butler service, and is all inclusive, including alcohol, excursions and exclusive special events. It starts in Siem

Reap for a 3 day land tour, then 8 days on the Mekong from Cambodia to Vietnam, and finally 2 days in Ho Chi Minh City. The 13 days, including air from Florida came to $11,300 for the two of us. We mentally subtracted the $3,600 we were planning to spend for a couple of days in Siem Reap, and the balance was a deal we couldn't refuse. We'll be doing that next August. It's like a Regent cruise; we won't be spending money for much beyond post cards, but at much less than Regent rates.

We're booked on the Oceania world cruise in January. One of our options was Agra, and like the others stated, we can't imagine traveling around the world and not seeing the Taj Mahal. We'll be flying from Male to Colombo, Sri Lanka, then to Delhi. Day 2, drive to Agra, check in, visit the fort, make an evening visit to Taj, and enjoy a classical dance performance. Day 32 starts with the Taj at dawn, then drive back to Delhi for several activities. Day 4, transfer back to the ship at Kochi. Cost is $2,700 pp.

 

I can't get over how much Oceania is charging for that excursion. I'm not saying that it isn't worth it, but our 3 night Agra excursion on Regent was included (although I believe they charge for it now). You're right that the fares on Oceania can be considerably less than Regent but if you add the costly excursions, the savings begin to dwindle.

Have a great world cruise:)

I can't get over how much Oceania is charging for that excursion. I'm not saying that it isn't worth it, but our 3 night Agra excursion on Regent was included (although I believe they charge for it now).

Yes, Regent charges $1599 p/p for that

One word of caution: I was on the Discovery Collection on the Navigator in 2008' date=' and a number of people had booked a side excursion to Agra, flying out of Mumbai. I don't recall what city they flew into. But, we were surprised to see them back on the ship later the night they flew out--the destination airport was socked in fog, and the plane couldn't land. Regent, to their credit, gave everyone full refunds for the excursion, but still it was a great disappointment to a lot of people that they couldn't see the Taj Mahal. From what I heard, fog closings were not that unusual that time of year (around the end of October).[/quote']

 

Unfortunately, I was there on that flight. We had left the ship about 4am and departed Mumbai about 6:30 am. We were supposed to land n

Agra but that airport was VFR only and like you reported it was fogged in. We flew around northern India for hours hoping and waiting for the fog to clear.

 

After many hours we had to land in New Delhi because we were running out of fuel. Since the flight was a charter and unscheduled to land, we could not debark the plane. On top of that the plane blew a tire on landing.

 

So we sat in the plane on the airport skirt in New Delhi while they changed the tire and refueled the plane. It was hot, no a/c. We ran out of food/water. By now it is late afternoon and we are all hot, tired and grumpy. The trip to the Taj has been totally scrubbed. We are finally let off the plane and bused to the "Lounge" for a meal. Great if you like Real spicy Indian food, which of good for me, but others in the group were very very unhappy at the food choices.

 

We reboarded the plane around 5 pm for the flight back to the ship in Mumbai. Landed about 7:30 got the luggage and by 8:30 pm we were on the bus back to the ship. But the adventure was far from over. It seems that that night was the beginning of the Hindu holiday of Dawli. For those unfamiliar, think of 4th July and new years in Times Square together at the same time on steroids x 4. There were actually millions of people in the streets. It took about 4 hours to make the 12 mile trip back to the ship.

 

I have to give props to the crew. They were lined up pier-side to welcome us back. The Veranda was left open so we could eat. Regent promptly refunded all the money.

 

j