Our cruise of a lifetime (India to South Africa) started in
Mumbai. Due to weather concerns, jet
lag, and holiday air traffic, we decided to leave early spend three nights in
Mumbai before the cruise. After a long flight from Newark, we arrived at BOM
airport at 10PM on Christmas night. We
spent Christmas Eve and Christmas with United – didn’t see Santa or the
reindeer.
We had reservations at the Hilton, close to the
airport. The hotel arranged a transfer
and our driver was waiting for us outside the airport. The Mumbai airport requires greeters and
drivers to wait outside the terminal.
When we left immigration, the main hall was almost empty. We were concerned about our missing driver
until a guide at a helpdesk told us to look for our driver outside the
terminal. It was a short trip from the airport
to the hotel.
The next morning, we asked the concierge about restaurants and
shopping nearby. Unfortunately, the
hotel is not in an area where you can walk to nearby facilities. Unless we wanted a taxi we were stuck at the
hotel.
Two days later, we arranged for a transfer to the pier in Mumbai.
It took us 90 minutes to get to the passenger terminal. The Mumbai Cruise Terminal is confusing and
has lots of security. We entered several
check stations before we boarded the bus to the ship. It is a very difficult port for anyone with
mobility issues.
