Indian River Cruise

Has anyone done a cruise on the Ganges? I am interested in Uniworld's two cruises, but I can't find any reviews or information about them. I have checked CC and TripAdvisor. Any suggestions of other places that I might be able to get cruisers' opinions.

Thanks!!

There should be a thread on this forum about a year or so ago.

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Thanks. I will try to find it.

JPAlbny wrote a blog/review of his Uniworld Ganges cruise

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Also look at Pandaw...they are doing some interesting India river cruises. We are booked on a new 14 night river cruise from Kolkata to Varanasi October 2019.

Also look at Pandaw...they are doing some interesting India river cruises. We are booked on a new 14 night river cruise from Kolkata to Varanasi October 2019.

My issue with Pandaw (and I looked at them for my upcoming Irawaddy trip) is that they want 25% down, completely non-refundable. This means that you have to insure your trip (or at least the first 25% of it) right from the beginning.

On the other hand, Uniworld's early booking discounts require you to pay in full at time of booking, although it isn't all non-refundable.

My issue with Pandaw (and I looked at them for my upcoming Irawaddy trip) is that they want 25% down, completely non-refundable. This means that you have to insure your trip (or at least the first 25% of it) right from the beginning.

 

On the other hand, Uniworld's early booking discounts require you to pay in full at time of booking, although it isn't all non-refundable.

Perhaps each Pandaw trip has different deposit amounts...ours is 20% but as you indicated it is all non refundable. We did Amawaterways for Myanmar and Mekong and would have loved to do India with them but their plans for India have been pushed off until 2021 at the earliest we've been told.

The ship we have for the 14 night cruise only has 14 cabins I believe and is totally sold out. We have cancellation insurance for the deposit.

Uniworld and Avalon does a combination new Delhi and Taj Mahal then 7 days cruise. We have been to these places before so the 14 night cruise is exactly what we have been looking for.

Our Myanmar cruise has been our most favourite trip so far...I am sure you will be fascinated with all it has to offer ...especially Bagan .

Yes, this was a great trip! We were there in Feb 2017, on the same cruise with Cruise Critic Chris.

Link to my blog/review is in my signature. Expand if you don't see the link. Any specific questions feel free to ask.

I have enjoyed reading your reviews. We are thinking of going on this cruise in 2020. My main concern is getting sick. How did you deal with this issue? I think that you mentioned most people did get some sort of gastro problem. Could you let me know how people dealt with trying not to get sick.

There is no easy or totally effective answer. Odds are you'll have some degree of GI disturbance. It may be minor. It may be more. I had a not so fun night on day number two! Luckily that was all that happened.

Bring antibiotics for traveler's diarrhea (ask your doctor what's best for you) and try not to let the fear of (or the actual) GI bug ruin your vacation. By all means use hand sanitizer, avoid whatever foods you think will minimize your risk, etc.

I am definitely not trying to minimize your concerns but I think I've elaborated more in another post on that thread. The risk is real, and odds are good that you'll get some sort of intestinal bug despite precautions. It will very likely be self-limited but be prepared, and in that way you'll minimize the consequences.

Can't comment on the cruise, but on the GI issue...

I read somewhere that taking peptobismol with each meal helped coat and protect the GI system against the common bugs that cause traveler's diarrhea. For our 2 week trip to China, I found pepto in a pill form (smaller than the chew tabs and easier than liquid) and passed one out to everyone in our family at every meal. Perhaps we just got lucky, but none of the 6 of us got sick.

Thanks, jpalbny and lg. We went to China and Myanmar, both on Viking River. We didn’t have any issues, but India seems more scary to me. We did take a lot of precautions. I will certainly give your suggestions a try.

I remember, back in the day, packing my own bottled water for a trip to Mexico. Luckily, things are different now:D

Just completed this cruise in Oct 18, and the review above covers it perfectly.  India is tough on the senses and body, but it truly is a trip of a lifetime and well worth it.  As for illness, my husband I (as well as most on the ship) suffered with a day or two of gastro issues.  I firmly believe it was caused by eating too much rich food that our bodies are just not used to.  We had a lot of interaction with the chef, and every effort is made to ensure people have local food they can enjoy but moderation is the key.  We heard so many people try to pressure him into making richer and hotter dishes.  He did not, and they still had issues here and there again likely to overindulging the already rich food.  Western foods are always available, and as much as I wanted more local food I found that striking a balance between local and western food solved my issues quickly. 

I can not encourage you enough to take this trip, but do so with an open mind and take precautions such as traveling with appropriate medications.  

I may do this trip in the future. My question since it's inevitable one will get sick on this trip how are the busses? I would hope there is a toilet on the bus.

21 hours ago, dolllover said:

I may do this trip in the future. My question since it's inevitable one will get sick on this trip how are the busses? I would hope there is a toilet on the bus.

Yes there is a toilet on the bus except for when you are in Kolkata, and it was kept clean.  Keep in mind that most excursions from the boat were primarily walks or rickshaw rides from the boat, and on occasion you took a short small boat ride from the boat to shore if docking was not available.  I made sure I ate lightly before going ashore, and I saved my indulgences in local food and drink for days that we had only an AM excursion and we were cruising after lunch.