Mumbai Magic

[wishIweretravelling]

I apologize if this has already been discussed--the search function is not working.

 

Has anyone used Mumbai Magic for touring Mumbai? They offer three styles of touring--walking tours, car, or public transit (conducted by local teenagers). Has anyone done the public transit one? One of the downsides of travel by cruise ship is that you rarely get a true "living there" experience of a place because you're not staying in the city and negotiating its ins and outs. I'm thinking the public transit tour, and the guidance by teenagers, would be a good way to get a feel for Mumbai. Any experience with this?

[Donna_In_India]

Hi - can you send a link for this and I'll check it out.

[wishIweretravelling]

the website is at http://www.mumbaimagic.com/

[Donna_In_India]

The Mumbai Bazaar walk sounds interesting. You’ll get a real feel for the city on this.

 

Fort Heritage District Walk seems to be only seeing the buildings from the outside.

 

Chor Bazaar is an intense place and I wouldn’t recommend going if you only have one day in Bombay.

 

Elephanta Island is a UNESCO site and really very interesting. If you have enough time, I’d suggest doing this and another tour. If you can only do one tour, I’d suggest taking a city tour instead. By the way, you can buy your own boat tickets to the island from the booths located at the Gateway of India. Then you can tour the Island on your own (much less expensively).

 

The Mumbai Day Tour covers pretty much everything there is to see in Bombay. I don’t know how much of it will be “just” from the car. Prince of Wales museum is nice – do you go in? Everyone has to see the Gateway. VT and Crawford Market are also interesting. And somehow the Dhobi Ghat (where the city’s laundry is done) has become a tourist attraction.

 

The Mumbai Local sounds like fun and I think this is the most enjoyable. You’ll get to experience the crazy transportation modes here. (I checked to make sure you won’t be on the trains during rush hours – this is not something you want to do!). You’ll still get to see enough of the sights including a local bazaar and also try some food. And I think the best thing is that you’ll interact with some young people of Bombay. They’ll have a fresh perspective on their city and also have immense pride in it.

 

When are you coming/what ship? Have a great time in Bombay!

[wishIweretravelling]

Thank you for that very useful perspective.

 

I'll be on the Regent Seven Seas Navigator, in Mumbai October 31/November 1. We are scheduled to dock at 8:00 am on the 31st and sail at 6:00 pm on the first, so we'll more or less have two full days.

 

Do people in India celebrate Halloween? If so, what are the traditions?

[marylander2]

...while staying in Mumbai for 2 days.

Deepa Krishnan, the owner of Mumbai Magic, took the two of us - my wife and myself - for a "Day in Mumbai" tour.

The tour started from the Green Gate - there is some sort of paperwork/money involved in order to get the car to the pier, so Deepa advised us just to walk to the Green Gate, which was less than 5 min away from Terminal (we docked at Ballard Docks - check your place, it might be a bit farer).

The car was a Toyota minivan a/c, with very professional driver. Deepa communicated with him via cell phone, so if had to walk (e.g., across the park or a square) he was always waiting for us at designated spot, so we did not waste a minute waiting for him.

I undestand that it is a bad practice to promote guides here, but I must tell you that this tour was definitely a highlight of our whole cruise, and we went from Hong Kong to Athens on Nautica's 35 day long cruise, which means we saw a lot of interesting things!

Deepa speaks 8 local dialects and languages; any street scene we wanted to be a part of, she immediately introduced us into it - would it be an argument between a street vendor and a buyer, or a cobra-in-the-basket show, or a wedding ritual, or countless types of streetwear we saw on local people... She was extremely informative, there was no single case when she didn't answer our question. The tour itinerary worked out well - we had time to go to the Prince of Wales Museum, we went to numerous temples and shrines (yes!), hindu and jain, we had time to shop a little, to taste quite unique local foods, drinks and fruits (don't worry, the places were very sanitary/safe).

She even took us to the animal shelter - an experience of its own... Final walk of the day was across the street market adjacent to the Crawford market, and there we received yet another portion of in-depth understanding of daily life in Mumbai - I guarantee you, none of the tours from our ship (in fact, rarely any tourists...) were there! The most important and quite comforting feeling was that we ALWAYS felt very safe with Deepa marching in front of us, waving away beggars, telling us wonderful legends and beliefs of Mumbai.

It was indeed a magical tour...

She took us back to the docks on time as promised. The whole experience was incredible, both from the cultural enrichment, historical value, and most importantly, feel of one the most unique cities on the Earth. We had visited Mumbai 20 years ago, and did not regret to see it again under such a different angle, which Deepa provided for us.

Cheers,

M.

[wishIweretravelling]

Thanks so much. That's great information. And, my understanding is that it's fine to discuss guides if the information was requested by the original poster. And I was specifically seeking info on this guide.

[Donna_In_India]

Hi - just wanted to let you know that this tour group http://realitytoursandtravel.com/default.html comes highly recommended as well. I have not done the slum tour but have heard that it is very enlightening as opposed to what you might think. Having lived in Mumbai for 5+ years, I'm finally going to try out this group and also Mumbai Magic. It's such a fascinating city and it takes years to see everything! We'll be watching for your ships! Happy Cruising!

[G.M.T.]

Donna,

Looking forward to your views on both Mumbai tour companies.

 

With only a little over 4 months beofire our cruise, I'll have to start making contact with the companies.

 

Thanks.

Ron

[NCCruzQueen]

Crys, two friends and I just spent two days with an associate from Mumbai Magic. Our days were tailored to our interests and we saw all if not more than we expected in our two days in Mumbai. We saw so much more than the ship's tours and the pricing was great. If you want a traditional Indian meal, do let Deepa know in the email before leaving. We had a fabulous Thali meal today and ate so much we skipped dinner! Mumbai Magic is top notch.

[OCTravelerGene]

We're wondering if it might be possible to disembark a cruise ship in Mumbai, catch a flight to the Taj Mahal & Agra Fort for a couple of nights and then fly back to Madras/Chennai to embark the cruise ship again??? Any suggestions would be appreciated!! Gene

[G.M.T.]

Gene,

Trips to Agra / Taj Mahal have been discussed on this forum a couple of time, here is a link to the themes in question:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=11542195

 

The consensus seems to be that it is very difficult to do it on ones own in the amount of time available (lots of different moes of transport and booksing required). The safest way is to take the excursions from the ship, if available.

 

Ron

[mountaintop]

...while staying in Mumbai for 2 days.

Deepa Krishnan, the owner of Mumbai Magic, took the two of us - my wife and myself - for a "Day in Mumbai" tour.

The tour started from the Green Gate - there is some sort of paperwork/money involved in order to get the car to the pier, so Deepa advised us just to walk to the Green Gate, which was less than 5 min away from Terminal (we docked at Ballard Docks - check your place, it might be a bit farer).

The car was a Toyota minivan a/c, with very professional driver. Deepa communicated with him via cell phone, so if had to walk (e.g., across the park or a square) he was always waiting for us at designated spot, so we did not waste a minute waiting for him.

I undestand that it is a bad practice to promote guides here, but I must tell you that this tour was definitely a highlight of our whole cruise, and we went from Hong Kong to Athens on Nautica's 35 day long cruise, which means we saw a lot of interesting things!

Deepa speaks 8 local dialects and languages; any street scene we wanted to be a part of, she immediately introduced us into it - would it be an argument between a street vendor and a buyer, or a cobra-in-the-basket show, or a wedding ritual, or countless types of streetwear we saw on local people... She was extremely informative, there was no single case when she didn't answer our question. The tour itinerary worked out well - we had time to go to the Prince of Wales Museum, we went to numerous temples and shrines (yes!), hindu and jain, we had time to shop a little, to taste quite unique local foods, drinks and fruits (don't worry, the places were very sanitary/safe).

She even took us to the animal shelter - an experience of its own... Final walk of the day was across the street market adjacent to the Crawford market, and there we received yet another portion of in-depth understanding of daily life in Mumbai - I guarantee you, none of the tours from our ship (in fact, rarely any tourists...) were there! The most important and quite comforting feeling was that we ALWAYS felt very safe with Deepa marching in front of us, waving away beggars, telling us wonderful legends and beliefs of Mumbai.

It was indeed a magical tour...

She took us back to the docks on time as promised. The whole experience was incredible, both from the cultural enrichment, historical value, and most importantly, feel of one the most unique cities on the Earth. We had visited Mumbai 20 years ago, and did not regret to see it again under such a different angle, which Deepa provided for us.

Cheers,

M.

Hi

What gareat info about Mumbai!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you please tell me how far the cruise ship will be docked from the Gateway of India? Is it okay to walk to it?

 

Thanks

[NCCruzQueen]

mountaintop, No, walking from the dock to the Gateway is not recommended. Glad you found this thread. I highly recommend this company. We paid about $40 each for the day.

[spanglycruisegirl]

...while staying in Mumbai for 2 days.

Deepa Krishnan, the owner of Mumbai Magic, took the two of us - my wife and myself - for a "Day in Mumbai" tour.

The tour started from the Green Gate - there is some sort of paperwork/money involved in order to get the car to the pier, so Deepa advised us just to walk to the Green Gate, which was less than 5 min away from Terminal (we docked at Ballard Docks - check your place, it might be a bit farer).

The car was a Toyota minivan a/c, with very professional driver. Deepa communicated with him via cell phone, so if had to walk (e.g., across the park or a square) he was always waiting for us at designated spot, so we did not waste a minute waiting for him.

I undestand that it is a bad practice to promote guides here, but I must tell you that this tour was definitely a highlight of our whole cruise, and we went from Hong Kong to Athens on Nautica's 35 day long cruise, which means we saw a lot of interesting things!

Deepa speaks 8 local dialects and languages; any street scene we wanted to be a part of, she immediately introduced us into it - would it be an argument between a street vendor and a buyer, or a cobra-in-the-basket show, or a wedding ritual, or countless types of streetwear we saw on local people... She was extremely informative, there was no single case when she didn't answer our question. The tour itinerary worked out well - we had time to go to the Prince of Wales Museum, we went to numerous temples and shrines (yes!), hindu and jain, we had time to shop a little, to taste quite unique local foods, drinks and fruits (don't worry, the places were very sanitary/safe).

She even took us to the animal shelter - an experience of its own... Final walk of the day was across the street market adjacent to the Crawford market, and there we received yet another portion of in-depth understanding of daily life in Mumbai - I guarantee you, none of the tours from our ship (in fact, rarely any tourists...) were there! The most important and quite comforting feeling was that we ALWAYS felt very safe with Deepa marching in front of us, waving away beggars, telling us wonderful legends and beliefs of Mumbai.

It was indeed a magical tour...

She took us back to the docks on time as promised. The whole experience was incredible, both from the cultural enrichment, historical value, and most importantly, feel of one the most unique cities on the Earth. We had visited Mumbai 20 years ago, and did not regret to see it again under such a different angle, which Deepa provided for us.

Cheers,

M.

 

Hi

 

We are in Mumbai this April and are hoping arrange a private tour. Your day in Mumbai sounds wonderful and we would love to do something similar. I would be grateful if you would let me know at what time you started/finished your tour and the approximate cost.

 

Many thanks

 

Angela

[mountaintop]

mountaintop, No, walking from the dock to the Gateway is not recommended. Glad you found this thread. I highly recommend this company. We paid about $40 each for the day.

 

Thanks for the info. How long was your tour? And how long ago did you go. Our quote was WAY more than $40 per person for a private tour. Was your tour private?

 

Thanks

[NCCruzQueen]

mountaintop,

 

I am sorry I misquoted the price for our tours in Mumbai. With four people the price came out to $70 per day per person. That included all admission costs and lunch. We did tip our guide and driver each day. We were with our guide from 10:00 - 5:00 one day and 9:00 - 4:00 the next day. And yes, it was a private tour, just the four of us, our guide and driver. Not sure the pricing of your ship's excursions, but Deepa's prices were great for us.

[goodboy]

We are sailing the LEGEND OF THE SEAS 11/04/09 Dubai - Singapore.

 

We have booked tours with Mumbai Magic both days will be in port. We would like to add 2 or 4 more folks to our tours. If interested please contact me at suegoodboy at hargray.com

 

Sue

[G.M.T.]

We are sailing the LEGEND OF THE SEAS 11/04/09 Dubai - Singapore.

 

We have booked tours with Mumbai Magic both days will be in port. We would like to add 2 or 4 more folks to our tours. If interested please contact me at suegoodboy at hargray.com

 

Sue

I would love to join but I am not on the cruise.:(

 

We did a cruise (Costa) Dubai - Singapore last March, and had booked private tours with Mumbai Magic. The tours were great, Deepa and her guides are very knowledgeable and professional. They will turn your dreams into reality. Our guide was called Freni Avari, a fabulous person who loves her country and work, which really came over duing out tours.

 

Sue, Deepa can also arrange tours in Cochin but not in Goa.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Ron

[roscoe39]

Hi - just wanted to let you know that this tour group http://realitytoursandtravel.com/default.html comes highly recommended as well. I have not done the slum tour but have heard that it is very enlightening as opposed to what you might think. Having lived in Mumbai for 5+ years, I'm finally going to try out this group and also Mumbai Magic. It's such a fascinating city and it takes years to see everything! We'll be watching for your ships! Happy Cruising!

 

Hi Donna., I hope you dont mind me asking but.....

 

Im calling into Mumbai for 5 days after my cruise next year. I would really love to do a short (read 2 - 3 hours) train ride to experience trains in India from Mumbai, I did consider Goa and the Allora caves but have discounted both because of the travelling time. Do you have any suggestions for places to see within a few hours by train that I can look at. Im hoping to do an overnight. thanks.......I really appreciate any local knowledge you can empart...

 

regards Roscoe