Different Cruises To And From Andaman With All The Information You Need

Flight is the most obvious way of reaching Andaman (the airport in Port Blair is connected by flight to most major cities: Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Bangalore and New Delhi), but if you're more of a 'the road not taken' kind of person, you can also travel via the various ships that run from the Indian mainland. According to my research, the 'cruise to Andaman' is not the kind of cruise you might have in mind. It's not a giant lavish ship cum 5 star hotel. The ships that sail to Andaman from 2 major Indian ports—Chennai and Kolkata are gigantic ones run by the shipping corporation of India, the Chennai one being the most popular choice for most travellers. They are Domestic Passenger-cum-Cargo Services, and MV Swarajdweep /Campbell Bay, MV Sindhu/Nalanda are the names of the ships that run from the two ports. They offer four types of rooms, Deluxe, 1st Class Cabin, 2nd Class Cabin, Bunk Class. The fares for the deluxe cabin is the highest, INR 11,295, at par with flight tickets while the rest are much cheaper. The ship takes around three days to reach. You can take this daring and unconventional route to enjoy splendid sunrises and sunsets, and majestic views of the big, blue sea. 

There are many ferries that run between Port Blair, Havelock Island and Neil Island. There are both privately and government run options, but right now I'm going to talk about the private ferries only. Basically, these ferries take about 90 minutes to two hours and allow you to travel from one Island to the other. They have aeroplane/Shatabdi like seating but with one difference—the huge windows that overlook the sea. You have several options to choose from, Makruzz, the fastest ship that offers more opulent variants, Markuzz Gold & Markuzz Pearl, Green Ocean that has a slightly higher travel time but it makes up for it with its open deck and dance floor. Another high-speed and luxurious option is ITT Majestic, on which you can enjoy delicious meals and drinks on board. 

The perfect way to spend an evening in Andamans—get on a cruise, enjoy a fulfilling buffet and groove along to live music. It's a party on deck! This vessel called Dinner Cruise is one such option you have that has it-all an open deck, an in-house bar and restaurant and an underwater glass bottom area. You can feel the breeze in your hair, enjoy the panoramic views of the lovely islands and all in all have a lovely night. The boarding point is Phoenix Bay Jetty and the cost per person is INR 3,500 including dinner.  

This one is my personal favourite! A grand and splendid cruise, TSG Bella Bay cruises around the Harbour area and passes through popular spots like the Viper Island, Dundas point, Mount Harriet, North Bay, Ross Island and many others. It has three levels—the first one is the dining area, the second one for enjoying cocktails by the bar, while the third offers an intimate and relaxing space in the uppermost fly-bridge lounge. The two outdoor lounges are elegantly decorated with natural teak wood  and have a bar to make the most of the spectacular evening views. 

That's not all, though. The best part about Bella Bay is that you have a variety of options to choose how you want to experience the cruise. You can book the sightseeing cruise, which includes a scrumptious packed lunch in the most exotic locations, the sunset cruise that's meant to simply take in the breathtaking sunset over chai and snacks, the dinner cruise that has two options—evening dinner and late night dinner. You can witness the starry night sky as you smoothly sail over the endless sea. If you get bored of that (you won't) you can dance to the DJ who sets the mood with vibrant beats! The buffet has a mix of international and Indian cuisines along with refreshing drinks. And yet there's more... You can also book a private charter with Bella Bay for special occasions. 

This one is an option for the less adventurous ones. If you want to gaze at the magnificent underwater life WITHOUT actually going in the water, you can board this cute, high-speed dolphin shaped boat. It literally has a glass bottom window from which you can experience the corals and the marine life from the comfort of your AC boat. It cruises around the North Bay and Ross Island. It's a fun activity that lasts about an hour.