There is a brilliant new way of travelling to India, a method best suited to those with deep pockets and a taste for luxury.
Royal Caribbean, the popular cruise company, is deploying its vessel Brilliance of the Seas to extend its Middle Eastern cruises to India. The liner has been visiting Dubai in winter and now two of its sailings will be lengthened to touch three Indian ports — Mumbai, Goa and Kochi — giving cruise aficionados a chance to combine shipboard comfort with a chance to visit the subcontinent.
Indians make up by far the largest portion of the expat population in Dubai and they have a huge well-heeled segment. Most take two to three trips a year. Besides, there are a large number of Western expats who would love a hassle-free holiday (no airport transfers, flight delays or excess-luggage bother) to India.
Lakshmi Durai, executive director of Royal Caribbean Middle East, was very excited and articulate about the development and growth of the company. She has been with Royal Caribbean for 16 years. "Despite the downturn, our business increased 63 per cent since last year. Dubai has become a favoured port of call and our Middle East sailings are doing very well. From January-April, there were seven sailings on the Middle Eastern run and all the ships were full."
She went on to say their cruise guests were repeats. "We have a Saudi Arabian family of about 15 people who take a cruise every year and are on board for almost a month."
She added that a decade ago, the company had deployed just one vessel to Europe, but now there are 11 constantly plying popular routes. "The favourite is a Mediterranean cruise," she said. "It was after noting this growth that our company decided to extend the sailings to the Middle East and this year our first one was on January 20, followed by six more during the season."
Knowing that most Indians, even globetrotters, are partial to their own regional cuisine, will they add special menus for their subcontinent sailings? "Yes, we are introducing some favourite Indian dishes while keeping within an international framework."
Brilliance of the Seas was launched in 2002 and refurbished in 2005. Apart from the extensive entertainment and sports activities, special emphasis is now placed on keeping kids busy and entertained. This lets parents relax and enjoy the many social activities. Kids can spend hours poring over stories in their own library, with books in several languages (depending on the ship's itinerary). There are special activities for pre-teens and teenagers, thus ensuring that all age groups are kept busy.
"We have started our promotional activities, which will gather momentum in the next few months, thus ensuring our two sailings — March 28 and April 9, 2011— to the subcontinent are full. I am sure they will prove to be popular."
— Nirmal Khanna is a UAE-based freelance writer
