Maiden tour from Vizag gets a blockade in Puducherry

Visakhapatnam: The maiden voyage of Cordelia Express Cruise Liner from Visakhapatnam to Chennai and Puducherry ran into rough weather following denial of permission to dock it as per schedule in Puducherry on June 10.

After an agonising wait in high seas, the majestic ship had to go to Chennai skipping the schedule for a daylong exploration of the beauty of Puducherry.

The introduction of the ship by Cordelia Cruises for an exciting three-night trip with a high-profile digital propaganda for a wholesome entertainment on the ship projected as "a city on the sea" raised a lot of hype. The Union Territory of Puducherry had declined permission to the cruise liner saying they had not received a request as per procedure. Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan told the media that there was no permission for the ship to dock in the UT.

"There is no problem now as we have sorted out certain issues. From next trip onwards, there will not be any problem for our anchoring off Puducherry and later taking passengers who opted for visit to some places in the UT. As we couldn't take them on a visit to the UT as promised, we have made refunds to all those who wanted to visit the place after going to the shore from the anchorage in small vessels," V Lokesh, Managing Director of Leisure Time Holiddays, told Bizz Buzz on Sunday.

The cruise ship, on its maiden journey from Chennai was flagged off by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on June 6 and in Visakhapatnam for its voyage to Chennai by AP Tourism Minister RK Roja on June 8. JM Baxi and Co, the agent for the Cordelia Express, said their motto is to popularise cruise culture pan India.

Tour and Travels Association of Andhra (TTAA) president K Vijay Mohan clarified that though there were teething problems in the inaugural run, for the next trip the UT administration has accorded permission for smooth landing.

The Opposition parties in the UT had raised a ruckus contending that serving of liquor procured in other States on-board the ship and allowing casino (gambling) will go against the prevalent laws of Puducherry. The ship owners also attributed the initial hiccups to some communication gap. They said they follow rules in vogue in international waters and do not indulge in gambling and serving liquor when the vessel is at anchorage at any Indian port.

The cruise liner has next scheduled journeys from Visakhapatnam-Chennai and Puducherry-a three-night package on June 15 for which the tour operators almost booked for over 1,000 tickets from various parts of the country. The new route was finalised in consultation with the major ports of Visakhapatnam and Chennai after a law and order problem in Sri Lanka leading to disruption in its regular service from Goa and Maharashtra to Colombo.

The cruise liner has 11 decks, 10 renowned restaurants and bars, five captivating shows including highest Rock Climbing Wall at sea, spa and salon, salsa and zumba dance floors with karaoke music, trivia, pool games, origami lessons, stretching and laughter yoga, retro tunes with DJ and several options for comedy and romance, according to Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt. Ltd.