Christmas 2016 Cruise to India Onboard the Constellation

[GeorgeCharlie]

:confused: Not sure why the edit function reposted rather than just correcting the original post?

[GeorgeCharlie]

When we arrived back in Delhi, we got a firsthand look at traffic police corruption. We got pulled over for a random document check and we could tell from Singh's reaction - he was pissed off!

 

 

The younger guy on the right is Mr. Singh's assistant and he seemed to do most of the talking. Maybe he is Hindu (like the officers) and therefore would possibly get some respect, which Singh (as a Sikh) may not receive. Could also be a reason Singh has a non-Sikh appearing assistant - saves him money!

 

He wouldn't initially talk about it, but later he said it was unfortunately a common occurrence for every driver. He would get stopped once a day, but only if he was carrying passengers - as they knew he wouldn't delay settling up ASAP.

 

He has to carry some 180 different documents, so the traffic police can easily claim something is wrong with at least one of them. They claim the challan (fine) will be 1,000 rupees, but if he agrees to give them 500 rupees cash, they will let him go with a warning.

 

As you can see from the following - it is a well-known problem.

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Corruption-a-way-of-life-for-traffic-police-shows-website/articleshow/47054144.cms

 

https://www.quora.com/Can-the-corruption-among-the-Indian-traffic-police-be-reduced-if-traffic-policemen-policewomen-are-given-incentives-according-to-the-number-of-challans-they-hand-out

 

One of the most common reasons given for this corruption existing in third-world countries is that the police have to do this is because they don't get paid enough.

 

Well - from my point of view - the same level of "corruption" exists here in North America - it's just called photo radar!!

 

I'm the Mayor of a small rural county and we are frequently approached by the urban communities within our boundaries to partner with them in getting a photo radar system set up. They are too small on their own and need the traffic on the county roads to justify the viability of such a system - as we are 10 times larger than them in population/area and have all of the main roads (where people tend to speed).

 

Of course, they would be willing to share with us any revenue raised - 50/50!!

 

Their reasoning for such a split is based on the premise it's unfair they do not have many roads within their boundaries and the only way they have to pay for the services their residents feel they are entitled to - is to actually tax their residents. Which again is not fair - as so much revenue is whizzing by on roads just outside their boundaries. In their presentations the only point raised is the amount of extra revenue such a system brings in - the safety aspect is usually only a passing comment of something which "may" also occur.

 

The larger communities around us have become so reliant on this source of income that if the amount coming in drops at all, there will be lots of handwringing by the municipal staff and they will start issuing statements that if the police aren't able to get the numbers back up - they will have to raise property taxes. Which, of course, gets the general populace up in arms because they feel the "bad drivers" are not paying they fair share towards municipal operating costs. A common point raised by the police departments is unless more photo radar revenue is achieved, they will have to cut the number of police officers!!

[villauk]

George,

 

We heard the same issues in Thailand regarding the traffic police. We'll expect the same in India then after reading your above post.

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review.

You are quite lucky to have "Mr. Singh" as driver. Sounds like he made your tour not only enjoyable, but safe as well.

I agree with your that corruption is everywhere. Just in different form and players.

[GeorgeCharlie]

great review and pictures - thank you so much for taking the time to share your trip and tour details. Especially appreciate the details on the Taj Mahal private tour!

 

For those who were interested in what it cost.

 

The cost per person was 25,425 rupees(Rs), or about US$375 for the land portion of the tour.

 

The land portion included all ground transportation; two nights at the Shangri La in Delhi & one night at the Double Tree in Agra; some meals; guided tours of Mumbai, Taj Mahal & Agra Fort, Old/New Delhi, plus several shopping side trips in Delhi and Agra. Not included was entry fees to the Taj Mahal & Agra Fort.

 

Mumbai to Delhi airfare was Rs8,600 (US$127). Delhi to Dubai airfare was Rs19,428 (US$288).

 

Total per person was about US$790. :)

 

At the time I was first researching possible Taj Mahal tours I was quoted by a Celebrity rep a cost per person of US$2,500, but I understand the price eventually dropped to something like US$1,999. :confused:

[easyboy]

For those who were interested in what it cost.

 

The cost per person was 25,425 rupees(Rs), or about US$375 for the land portion of the tour.

 

The land portion included all ground transportation; two nights at the Shangri La in Delhi & one night at the Double Tree in Agra; some meals; guided tours of Mumbai, Taj Mahal & Agra Fort, Old/New Delhi, plus several shopping side trips in Delhi and Agra. Not included was entry fees to the Taj Mahal & Agra Fort.

 

Mumbai to Delhi airfare was Rs8,600 (US$127). Delhi to Dubai airfare was Rs19,428 (US$288).

 

Total per person was about US$790. :)

 

At the time I was first researching possible Taj Mahal tours I was quoted by a Celebrity rep a cost per person of US$2,500, but I understand the price eventually dropped to something like US$1,999. :confused:

That price is reasonable!

[GeorgeCharlie]

That price is reasonable!

 

There is no question in our minds that the Taj Mahal (and other sights we saw on the tour) were well worth the money, and again - it was by far the best experience we had on the cruise.

[reynoldswrap]

There is no question in our minds that the Taj Mahal (and other sights we saw on the tour) were well worth the money, and again - it was by far the best experience we had on the cruise.

 

Thank you so much for all of the info! Just a few questions:

 

Did you follow the same schedule as the ship's tour? Since we are doing B2B, we will have seen Mumbai, Goa and New Mangalore, but am beginning to wonder if we should do a 3 night tour to the Taj and miss Cochin?

 

Which ports did you miss?

 

Did Magic Tours tell you which flights to book? Thanks again!

[GeorgeCharlie]

Thank you so much for all of the info! Just a few questions:

 

Did you follow the same schedule as the ship's tour? Since we are doing B2B, we will have seen Mumbai, Goa and New Mangalore, but am beginning to wonder if we should do a 3 night tour to the Taj and miss Cochin?

 

Which ports did you miss?

 

Did Magic Tours tell you which flights to book? Thanks again!

 

 

 

We did not miss any of the ports.

 

We got off the ship in Mumbai and did a tour of Mumbai like most other passengers. Except in the late afternoon, when they were returning to the ship and departing Mumbai, we were on the way to the airport and flying to Delhi.

 

Then, while the ship was sailing back to UAE, we were doing our tour of the Taj Mahal and area. We then flew to Dubai on Dec 31, arriving a few hours after the ship docked.

 

Overall the timing worked out very well and we got to see all four stops the ship did the India - plus the Taj Mahal.

 

Yes, Magic Tours suggested two different airlines which were departing Mumbai within the timeframe they preferred. For the flight to Dubai, they only suggested a morning departure, but nothing with regards to which airline to use.

[GeorgeCharlie]

Some further information regarding Magic Tours costs for the Taj Mahal tour.

 

The cost quoted was 19,000Rs for staying in 3-star hotels and/or bed and breakfasts. The cost per person to upgrade to the Shangri La and Double Tree was an extra 6,425Rs.

[reynoldswrap]

Some further information regarding Magic Tours costs for the Taj Mahal tour.

 

The cost quoted was 19,000Rs for staying in 3-star hotels and/or bed and breakfasts. The cost per person to upgrade to the Shangri La and Double Tree was an extra 6,425Rs.

 

Thank you again!

[bludevil]

I flew from Abu Dhabi to Delhi after the cruise for a three day Taj extension and then flew back to the USA from Delhi. I had the extra time and chose to do it that way for several reasons. One is economics. I was already paying for several nights of a cruise and if I went off to the Taj, I would have been essentially paying twice. This way, I also only ended up paying for one additional plane ticket which was Abu Dhabi to Delhi instead of two. The second reason was it also felt less rushed to me. I was able to enjoy all the ports and the sea days... and the Taj. I was happy with my choice to do it this way.

 

My flight left Abu Dhabi at about 2pm and landed in Delhi at about 7:40 pm local time. We went to our hotel, had some food, and went to sleep ready to start a new adventure the next day with a tour of Delhi. The day after that, we went to Agra and the Taj and stayed the night in Agra. The next day we went to Agra Fort, drove back to an airport hotel in Delhi, and took off on a flight that left at about 3:20 am.

[reynoldswrap]

I flew from Abu Dhabi to Delhi after the cruise for a three day Taj extension and then flew back to the USA from Delhi. I had the extra time and chose to do it that way for several reasons. One is economics. I was already paying for several nights of a cruise and if I went off to the Taj, I would have been essentially paying twice. This way, I also only ended up paying for one additional plane ticket which was Abu Dhabi to Delhi instead of two. The second reason was it also felt less rushed to me. I was able to enjoy all the ports and the sea days... and the Taj. I was happy with my choice to do it this way.

 

Appreciate the info - totally agree that going direct as you did is ideal; however, for us, we are on a B2B2B so it's not easily doable and we won't be missing any ports unless we decide to do 4 days/3 nights - thanks again!

[GeorgeCharlie]

After staying overnight in Delhi, we left at about 8am for the drive to Agra. We were in a regular tourist type mini-bus (12-15 passenger?) so the six of us had lots of room. The bus seemed to be fairly new and was kept very clean & smell free.

 

We travelled via the new Yamuna Expressway (also called Taj Expressway) which is a toll road with 3 toll booths along the way. The expressway is 6 lanes and 165km long.

 

Toll booth.

 

Getting through the toll stops was quite quick.

 

What I understand is one of their intercity busses.

 

As I noted previously, it was foggy - so we didn't see much of the countryside.

 

It took about 3 1/2 hours, including a 1/2 hour leg-stretch break about midway. The stop had toilets, a few fast food places (I believe one was Subway). There was also a small store selling cookies, candy & chips.

[GeorgeCharlie]

We arrived at our hotel in Agra (DoubleTree) at about noon. After getting settled into our rooms and grabbing a quick lunch at the hotel, we were then taken on our Taj Mahal tour.

 

There was massive crowds everywhere, but our guide was able to take us to the head of the line each time, so we weren't delayed that much.

 

The lineup at the entry to go through security was several blocks long.

 

As we encountered in most places, men and women were separated into different security clearance stations, which were manned respectively by either men or women. Men were patted down, or wanded in the open. Whereas, women were taken behind a curtain. All bags were also checked, but I didn't see them confiscating anything.

 

In the following picture you can see how the security station was split into men/women sections, with the women passing through the screened section behind the men on the left side of the picture.

[GeorgeCharlie]

After clearing security you then entered the Taj Mahal grounds through one of the gates.

 

First view of the Taj Mahal as you are passing through the gate.

 

We had been forewarned by our guide that the main grounds would be crowded and to stay with him and he would take us to the best picture taking locations. Our guide was quite aggressive in getting us through the crowds, even chasing away people who where waiting to take pictures at the various locations.

 

View of the main grounds through the fog.

[GeorgeCharlie]

Couple of local residents in a tree on the main grounds.

 

Although they looked like chipmunks to us, they are actually called Indian palm squirrels.

[GeorgeCharlie]

You can see the squirrels in the upper left-hand side of this picture.

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

You can see the squirrels in the upper left-hand side of this picture.

 

 

:oOops - should have said upper right-hand side!!

[villauk]

:oOops - should have said upper right-hand side!!

 

 

They jumped across :D.

[GeorgeCharlie]

They jumped across :D.

 

 

I think the reason is because I was getting cross-eyed looking at all the pictures we took!!

[Sunrise913]

The main event was the belly dancer. Belly dancing is not part of UAE's history, but I guess tourists expect to see it.

 

 

The dancer was apparently from Russia and was very "energetic" - to say the least!

Was this the BBQ meal with Dune Bashing? Don't see any food??

[GeorgeCharlie]

Was this the BBQ meal with Dune Bashing? Don't see any food??

 

 

Yes, the site was well set up.

 

They BBQ'd chicken & lamb kabobs and then served them - along with salads, rice & flat breads - in a buffet area setup nearby. You then sat on the cushions placed around the dance floor to eat (actually a lot of people sat on the edge of the dance floor). All the food was cleaned up well before the dancing started.

 

The site also included clean western style washrooms.

[GeorgeCharlie]

As I mentioned previously, we decided not to take a tour in Goa. Partially because of some lingering frustration with our two previous India tours, but also because we knew starting the next day we'd be embarking on four long travel/touring days and could likely do with a rest first.

 

I went out on the dock to walk around a bit. It is a commercial dock with no tourist related facilities - not even anyone hawking souvenirs. Goa town site is some distance away and, although the ship had a shuttle bus, we decided not to do even a short look around.

 

The Goa tourist bureau had set up a couple of information booths and I had a nice chat with some of the people staffing them.

 

As you can see - a rather bleak introduction to Goa.

 

 

It was also the hottest day of the cruise (38-40C) with very high humidity. Talking to some of them who did go on tours and they enjoyed themselves, but also commented that it didn't differ all that much from Mangalore - other then there was far more walking around out in the hot sun.

 

 

How shows the picture which is missing in the initial post #48.

[GeorgeCharlie]

The line to get in to see the tombs was very long. It went around the building on two levels. Don't know how long the wait was, but again we were taken to the front of the line.

 

 

Prior to walking on the main marble structure you had to put plastic booties on. They had machines which facilitated putting to booties on, or you could just do it by hand.

 

 

The actual burial tombs are now on the lower level and the ones for public viewing are actually false sarcophagi. It was fairly dark inside and the sarcophagi have fairly dense carved marble screening around them so it's hard to see much. As such the line moved along quickly.

 

Main entry to building.