Cochin - Regent's Kerala Backwaters Tour

This is a question for anyone who has visited Cochin on Regent. I have posted it here on the Regent board, rather than on the Asian ports board, because I wish to know what Regent does in Cochin, irrespective of what the other lines might do.

Although we are booked on Regent's included Kerala Backwaters tour, we are a bit concerned that it will be on a large (or large-ish) tour boat with a lot of people sitting on plastic lawn chairs, rather than something like the beautiful traditional historic houseboats for which Kerala is so famous. If the former is the case, then we will book a private tour on one of the traditional houseboats, perhaps with someone from our roll call.

Any observations from previous Regent visitors to Cochin would be most welcome.

We did the longer Backwater cruise

The boat was lovely ,filled w wicker style chairs ..lots of room

For everyone.

We had two chefs on board who prepared a wonderful lunch.

The boat was from a hotel, I think a Taj.

If the same tour is offered, I would gladly take it again.

Freddie, we did this tour in April whilst on the Voyager. I have good news and bad news. Um yes it is a tour boat with plastic chairs under an awning but the boat itself is probably 50 years old and quite traditional and quite intimate. So it really is perfectly fine - the locals use these too we noted. The iconic houseboats abound - there are 1,000 of them on the backwaters - and you pass them constantly. Now, this might sound rather odd, but you're actually better off on the tour boats as they offer a far better 360 degree view than the houseboats, which is why they're used. There's a lot going on around you and it's great to be able to see it all. You're surrounded by houseboats and wave to the smiling groups as you pass. At first, we were a bit miffed we weren't on a houseboat, but then woke up to the fact, they are very slow and are built for living on. We would love to come back and hire one for a week, but when you've just a few hours, what Regent organised was a very good tour. The school and church you stop at was closed due to school holidays, so that was a little disappointing, but the lunch stop - eating on the lawns under the the trees watching the houseboats go by - was just great. Hope the pics help:).

We did the tour on the Voyager Dubai to Cape Town cruise.

I had read the reports of the private trip taken by a previous cruiser and looked forward to our excursion even though I knew it would be very different.

I was disappointed with our tour. To get up to the plastic picnic chairs we had to clamber about 4 feet to the raised deck. There was a little foot stool but no handrail to pull yourself up on. It was fine for the more agile, but quite a few of us ended on hands and knees with no hand hold. Not at all a good look!! :p

I think some of the boats had a ladder to the deck.

We had 2 stops and I felt they were in the tour to fill in time till lunch.

Our boat was redirected from the house to the church due to limited docking.

At the church only about 2/3 people got off to look around. Then we returned to the tour of the house where half the people got off to look around, a few for a long time keeping everyone waiting.

By the time we got to lunch everyone was eating and the food had been picked over. All the lovely tables were taken under the trees and we had little choice in seating or food.

It didn't help that the boat was very much slower than the others and it became a joke that we were the first boat to depart and the last to arrive.

I would love to return and hire one of the beautiful boats we saw passing us and have a few days in the area. It is a beautiful area.

I suggest that you ask on the roll call for people to hire privately with you. If not able to do that, make sure you get one of the boats that have a ladder to the deck with the chairs.

Thank you both for the excellent responses. And thanks for the pics Catpow. Sounds like, at least to a certain degree, it's the luck of the draw. That, to us, is a strong argument for the private option since this will likely be our only visit to Cochin. Picked over food with little choice in seating doesn't sound like much fun.

Freddie/Pat,

Ida and I visited Cochin on the Voyager in early December in 2012 and took the highlights of Cochin excursion. Cochin highlights we experienced in Cochin; Indo-Portuguese Museum, visit to Jew Street & Spice street, visit to one of the oldest European Catholic church's in India, St. Francis Church and a visit to the fascinating Chinese Fishing nets.

Hope this helps.

Pls see posts #124 thru 140 for photos & comments at the link below:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1741756&highlight=colonelwes+cochin&page=7