visiting Taj Mahal from Mumbai (Bombay)

[Palmetto Lady]

As I mentioned in a previous post, we did the excursion from our ship - Oceania's Nautica - in Goa and were away 3 days/2 nights. We had a chartered flight which flew out of Goa into Agra, out of Agra and into Mumbai. We stayed at a 5 star hotel, the Taj View Hotel and our room did have a view of the Taj Mahal.

 

It cost us $1600US p.p. A big difference from your $9000. I certainly would not be paying out $9000 for an excursion that is only a couple of days. We had 100 on our excursion and it was run beautifully. I loved being there but it was extremely hot - 44C and quite uncomfortable. Agra is dirty and is a shock if you are not used to seeing poverty.

 

Also, the same company that owns Oceania now owns Regent so there shouldn't be such a decrepency in the price.

 

Jennie

 

The price from the Nautica for the Taj Mahal excursion has gone up in 2010 to $2099US pp. I thought long and hard about the price, but after being urged to take the excursion by a friend who had been there, we decided, "what the heck, you only live once!!".

[paul929207]

Does your ship offer an excursion to Agra? If so, take it !!! On Crystal's world cruise in 2001, they offered us a day long excursion to the Taj Mahal and it's been one of the highlights of all my cruises. You fly Jet Airways from Mumbai to Agra, which is about a 90 minute flight. From there it's a bus ride to the outskirts of the Taj---no gasoline fuel vehicles are allowed too near the Taj. You then take electric buses to the entrance. Inside it's absolutely beautiful and well worth the cost and hassles.

 

You absolutely cannot do a train or bus to there from Mumbai. Their trains are not the best and they are slow and not very reliable.

 

But be aware, security in Indian airports is like nothing you've ever seen. They do not allow cameras on their planes, and if you have one, they will take either the camera, battery or film/memory card from you and return it once you land. In security, they separate you by gender and give everyone a very concise pat down and will wand your person all over. And, you will not be allowed to bring any kind of food item into the Taj area---no gum, no breath mints, no cigarettes no nothing. They inspect all bags and they throw all that away.

We spent nearly a month in India in 2008. We took our camera on the planes and did not have any problem.

[Put Me On A Boat]

I'm still working on this tour and I am getting close. Has anyone ever worked with or heard of: 1. Swagatam Tours, 2. India Vision Tours & Travels, 3 Services Inernational, or 4. Creative Travel? The India Tourism Office in NYC gave me their names. I was thinking of using Voyageurs India. We'll be there in March 2011.

[150edmiston]

I'm still working on this tour and I am getting close. Has anyone ever worked with or heard of: 1. Swagatam Tours, 2. India Vision Tours & Travels, 3 Services Inernational, or 4. Creative Travel? The India Tourism Office in NYC gave me their names. I was thinking of using Voyageurs India. We'll be there in March 2011.

 

Put me on a boat, we are Singapore > Dubai in April 2011 on the Azamara Quest. We had a look at a trip with Deepa from Mumbai Magic (try tripadvisor for general tips), and whilst it all looked fine on paper, we don't believe we'll risk it. Plan was leave the ship at Cochin, fly to Delhi, then to Agra (4 hours drive) stay over, see the Taj and trek back in reverse through Delhi to Mumbai to meet the ship. There are flights from Cochin to Delhi, but on further investigation, nothing that we could see that was direct on the day we needed, so it was really challenging to do the whole thing and not be frantic about missing the ship. You only need a bit of a screw up and you could be making it really neat unless you have lots of time.

 

Try contacting Deepa through Mumbai Magic and she will provide you with info. She is really helpful and has done this trip lots.

 

David

[Put Me On A Boat]

We decided to go with Swagatam Tours. The flight times were good and pretty much follow the ship's tour. We'll get back to the ship on Sunday and we don't sail until Monday, so all should be good. Might even get to see the Taj Mahal by moonlight! For 3 days, 2 nights, the ship's tour is $3,399 pp. We got 3 days, 2 nights for $1130 pp. That's saving 2/3 of the tour! We stay the 2nd night in Agra so we will see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. We will probably be on the same flight and train as the ship.

[Donna_In_India]

Wow, I am shocked by these prices!!! If you don't go on the ship's tour - which would be for the security of making it back to your ship - then why would you go with an agency? It's so easy and inexpensive to do on your own! In any case, be forewarned - the touts and hawkers in Agra are probably the most aggressive in India. Best to just ignore them than respond. You may also get taken to a marble place where you will get a "good deal" (you won't). The upside is that the Taj Mahal is absoultely spectacular - none of the photos you've ever seen have done it justice. If you have time, visit Agra Fort - it's another great place to see. Enjoy!

[Put Me On A Boat]

Thanks, Donna. We decided to go with a company rather than doing it on our own so I don't have to worry about getting tickets, getting a cab, etc. It may cost a little more, but it gives me peace of mind. They did want to take us to the marble factory, but we told them we didn't want any shopping. We will be visiting the Fort and also Fatehpur Sikri. We are in our 60's and 70's so if we get tired at one place, we can just leave without waiting for a whole tour group. Thanks for the tip about the hawkers. Hopefully our guide will help keep them away. Would you have any idea o how much to tip our guide and driver? I was thinking I would have to do it at each leg, because it would be someone different each time.

Susan

[Donna_In_India]

Susan - it's hard to suggest a tip. Prices are so much less there but it would not be unkind to tip $10-12/500 Rupees to each one per day (for a full day). It's likely that you may have the same driver and/or guide for the entire time. It's good that you can leave or stop any time because you may get tired. Seeing the Taj Mahal in the morning in really nice. If you can get back and see it at night, I'd recommend that. Be sure to walk around back to see the reflections in the river of the people across the river. Usually lots of people, camels, etc.

 

And I agree that you can't put a price on peace of mind. :)

[dotcase]

aussie gal, would you mind telling me how much that overnight cost? Are you on the Jan 8 World cruise coming up? We are trying to decide to go on the Taj Mahal one they offer on this one, or wait for one later when docking in Mumbai.

Dorothy and David.

[paul929207]

Dorothy,

I case you did not notice, this thread has not been posted in in 3 1/2 years. So I don't know if Jennie will even see your post to her.

[easy spirit]

Dorothy,

I case you did not notice, this thread has not been posted in in 3 1/2 years. So I don't know if Jennie will even see your post to her.

 

It will be great if the topic Taj Mahal overland excursions will be re-activated for the benefit of us planning to visit the Taj in the near future.

 

For those planning on doing it, please post feedback/recommendations for either ship's tour or privately done excursions.

[easy spirit]

Dorothy,

I case you did not notice, this thread has not been posted in in 3 1/2 years. So I don't know if Jennie will even see your post to her.

 

Jennie (Aussie Gal) is very active on cc. Have seen many of her posts in the Ocean Princess roll call. I hope she sees the post directed to her & replies to it

[paul929207]

I have sailed with Jennie and Peter. She is a great resource. Not sure she checks the section for each of the ports she was to several years ago.

[estebofarr]

I would also like to see the Taj and am traveling solo. We stop in Sri Lanka, Goa and Mumbai. I am not interested in a five day shore ex. I Wonder how much it is for a solo.

[Donna_In_India]

I would also like to see the Taj and am traveling solo. We stop in Sri Lanka, Goa and Mumbai. I am not interested in a five day shore ex. I Wonder how much it is for a solo.

 

 

Hi - how much time do you have and where do you want to visit from - Mumbai?

[estebofarr]

We have one day in Cochin, a sea day then two days in Mumbai. I thought we were stopping in Goa but it is actually Cochin.

[Donna_In_India]

Sorry - should have asked you first...are you ending the cruise in Mumbai or did you want to visit the Taj within the 2 days you have "in" Mumbai? If that is the case, what time are you scheduled to arrive/depart Mumbai.

 

By the way, Kochi is lovely. I think for a day trip, it has more to offer "culture-wise" than Goa. I have some info here...http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/8295b/10ca18/.

[estebofarr]

We arrive 8am and sail at 5pm the next day. Not a whole lot of time.

[Donna_In_India]

Ohhh, definitely not a lot of time. You can check http://www.makemytrip.com to see what flights are available. I would look for flights out of Mumbai no earlier than noon. It will take you some time (if it's a weekday, more traffic) to the airport and you have to get to the airport at least an hour early now. Coming back may be an issue - seems there are no direct flights from Agra to Mumbai and only one time available which will not work for you. You can always leave Agra early the next morning, get to Delhi, and take a flight back to Mumbai. I would not advise this. Too many unknown factors there and I NEVER worry about making it back to the ship. :-) If you could work out the details, it would be an expensive trip. Another option if you're going to Kochi after Mumbai is to take a flight from Agra to Kochi. There is one flight where the timing is right but looks like you'd need to overnight in Mumbai (with the first overnight in Agra). Would give you enough time to see both the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort and even a little bit of sightseeing in Mumbai. There aren't a whole lot of options but you could make it work. Does the ship have an overnight excursion to Agra or is it multi-day?

[estebofarr]

Thank you for taking so much time to look into this for me. I don't suppose the ship will even offer a two day trip as the money is not in it for them as opposed to a five day trip. I will wait and see what is offered and then decide. Janis

[Donna_In_India]

Good luck and have a wonderful cruise!

[Duane T]

Ohhh, definitely not a lot of time. You can check http://www.makemytrip.com to see what flights are available. I would look for flights out of Mumbai no earlier than noon. It will take you some time (if it's a weekday, more traffic) to the airport and you have to get to the airport at least an hour early now. Coming back may be an issue - seems there are no direct flights from Agra to Mumbai and only one time available which will not work for you. You can always leave Agra early the next morning, get to Delhi, and take a flight back to Mumbai. I would not advise this. Too many unknown factors there and I NEVER worry about making it back to the ship. :-) If you could work out the details, it would be an expensive trip. Another option if you're going to Kochi after Mumbai is to take a flight from Agra to Kochi. There is one flight where the timing is right but looks like you'd need to overnight in Mumbai (with the first overnight in Agra). Would give you enough time to see both the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort and even a little bit of sightseeing in Mumbai. There aren't a whole lot of options but you could make it work. Does the ship have an overnight excursion to Agra or is it multi-day?

 

 

Great info Donna! My wife and I just started our planning too. Your info and this thread is a good source to start getting data for trip next year in April 2015. Is April a cooler time to visit the Taj Mahal?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[easy spirit]

Great info Donna! My wife and I just started our planning too. Your info and this thread is a good source to start getting data for trip next year in April 2015. Is April a cooler time to visit the Taj Mahal?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Which cruise line are you taking on April 2015?

[Duane T]

Which cruise line are you taking on April 2015?

 

Nothing firm. We're looking at the Ocean Princess right now. We'll keep checking Oceania and Holland America. We're fairly flexible in our schedule.

[easy spirit]

Nothing firm. We're looking at the Ocean Princess right now. We'll keep checking Oceania and Holland America. We're fairly flexible in our schedule.

 

The Ocean Princess (the Singapore/Cape Town segment) was my first choice but Princess is only doing "waitlist" for my preferred choice of cabin. Do not know if higher cabins are available or if Holland will assign a cabin. This seems to be a very popular itinerary.

 

At this moment am deciding between Holland America, Rotterdam VI or the Queen Elizabeth.

 

The Oceania looks good but went to Jordan (Petra) & Israel (Haifa) a couple of years ago & those two places covers 5 days of the itinerary.