These days when people travel to Goa, it’s usually by land or by air. Most people prefer to fly to Goa or they hop on an inter-state bus and travel overnight. There are others that prefer to drive in their own vehicles or hire self-drive cars. Now, one more mode of transport has been added to the options that people can use to come to Goa. The Mumbai to Goa cruise.
Cruise all the way to Goa on a ship from Mumbai
The Mumbai to Goa cruise has taken it’s time to get started. Interestingly enough, the last sea voyage on this route was more than 20 years ago. In the 80s, traveling by sea was the only way to get to Goa from Mumbai.
India’s first passenger cruise service was launched on Wednesday evening. The Angriya departed from Mumbai port’s recently constructed domestic terminal and arrived in Goa with its first passengers on Thursday. The premium cruise service is a joint venture between Mumbai Port Trust and Angriya Sea Eagle Pvt Ltd. The cruise ship has been named after first Maratha Navy Admiral (Sarkhel) Kanhoji Angre and the great Angria bank coral reef near Vijaydurg, Maharashtra.
According to news reports, these are sea trials but there is no start date for the voyages to begin. Sea Eagle Cruises is the company will run the service. Siddharth Newalkar said that they had received permission to run the sea trial from the director general of shipping. This resulted in the trial commencing on Wednesday. Chairman of Mumbai Port Trust, Sanjay Bhatia, said that the date of the service will be announced by the operator, depending on the trials. “Cruise services can be operated only when the weather is fair. So, it will be between October and May,” said Bhatia.
Journeying from Mumbai to Goa
The ship can take on 400 passengers and will take approximately 15 hours to get to Goa from Mumbai. The Mumbai Port Trust already has in place the infrastructure to commence the service from the domestic cruise terminal at Victoria Dock, Mazgaon. There are no stops once the trip commences.
There will be seven categories of bookings. While the minimum fare is set at Rs. 7500 per person, the fares for the other categories are yet to be decided. Newalkar said, “The fare is inclusive of meals and brunch.” The cruise will depart on alternate days at 5 pm from both destinations.
Check out BusinessToday for an in-depth look at how the Mumbai to Goa cruise service is going to work.
Information credit – Times of India
ItsGoa/MAY/KDGP
