Wonderful day in CochinWe were lucky enough to be on a House Boat Aleppey River Tour. This was arranged by another couple on our cruise and advertised through Cruise Critic. Our tour guide was Tommy, who was very informative and organized. I believe there were 12 of us and he somehow appeared to provide individual attention to each of us. We had a very lovely 2-3 hour tour of Aleppey, with lunch on the houseboat. He also made sure we saw other sites in Cochin, such as the fishing nets and even the laundry. We all felt it was a great way to enjoy Cochin in a day. I would highly recommend Carnival Tours.

JS Lavender
Sapphire Princess
Carlsbad, California

Reviewed 28 May 2018

Day in Kochi

We were able to see the sights in Kochi which were the highlights of the city and also what interested us most. Our ship's excursions didn't really combine seeing the highlights of the Kochi with also going to the very old Synagogue in Kochi itself. This excursion allowed us to see all we wanted to see and as long as we wanted on a private excursion with an excellent driver and guide. This also allowed us the opportunity to run a few needed errands such as stopping at a shop to have my husband's watch batter expertly and inexpensively changed. We were also able to make a short stop to pick up a specialty souvenir for one or sons. The car was neat, clean, well driven, and always cooled for us to enter. We were given water bottles too. It was so nice to see what we dreamed of seeing, with excellent explanations of the historic significance, while being safe and comfortable. Shagi, the guide, was also very easy to understand and personable, wanting to make sure we were enjoying our day.

Pam 
Queen Mary 2 
San Diego ,California
​Reviewed 17 May 2018

Celebrity Co
We booked with Peter and his company for a full day excursion in Cochin when our cruise ship called into this port.

Correspondence with Peter throughout was prompt.

Our van and guide were waiting at the port when we disembarked which was an excellent beginning because our group was half an hour ahead of the scheduled start time for the tour.

The van was very comfortable, water was provided for the day. It was a long one hour or more drive to Allleppey and the guide gave us a running narrative of the countryside and of all things of interest in the state of Kerala. 

At Alleppey, we stopped at Lakes and Lagoons, from whom the houseboat was chartered, to complete some admin work at their office (needed a copy of passport and Indian visa) and use the bathroom. You could also buy some cold drinks here.

Then it was onto a motor boat for a short transfer to the houseboat.

The houseboat was very pleasant with an undercover open air lounge deck, a couple of bedrooms (with ensuite western toilets) for overnight trips, and a kitchen at the back.

Journey down the waterways was relaxing. Along the banks, colorful rural scenes of fishermen and local folk getting on with life, some tropical crops, rice paddies and some bird-life. 

Lunch was served on board the houseboat - freshly cooked and aromatic kerala cuisine. There were three vegetable dishes ( cabbage with fresh grated coconut, long beans and a vegetable stew), a fresh side salad, fried chicken ( a little spicy) panfried fish fillets, pappadams, and brown rice. 
Then came a very sweet dessert of vermicelli in hot milk with a hint of cardamon, some fresh fruit and tea and coffee to follow. All very tasty.

The houseboat trip ended back at its mooring, and we tipped the captain, cook and assistant (bring small change for tips) and were transferred back to land to continue the tour in Cochin.

The sights for the rest of the day included dhoby ghat, a stop at a government shop (for a bathroom stop) chinese fishing nets, the ancient fort, St Xavier church and a half hour stop at Jewtown (for souvenir or other shopping if desired).

Our guide Tommy was great, well presented, knowledgeable and professional, and considerate of our welfare especially when crossing the street.

We were delivered back to the port at 5.30pm.

A lovely day's excursion.

Peter Lee
​Auckland Central, New Zealand
Celebrity Constellation - Mar 31 2018

Very professional. Our guide and the driver were the first in line with my name in a bold printed card when my group got down from the cruise ship. The guide was well informed on any subject and communicated well. The boat crew and the boat accommodation was great. My group consisted of health and state inspectors and they observed that the food prep and the boat were acceptable standards. The food served were prepared well and food were excellent. Compared to the other boats carrying passengers from the cruise ship...we had the boat to ourselves 14 in one group versus the excursion boats that had all the chairs and seats occupied. For the price, it was the best excursion we had in our trip.

Antonio
Celebrity Constellation 
​April 2017

We had a truly wonderful day with Sebastian , our guide, and Martin our driver! They were there to meet us us as soon as we left the ship and had a lovely Toyota 4x4 with super air conditioning and very comfortable seats. Seb chatted to us throughout our journey to the houseboats .....this for me was definitely better than being on a coach, as I am very deaf! At the houseboats we watched as the coach loads of our cruise companions were herded onto a houseboat, while we were taken to another houseboat. What a lovely surprise to find we had the whole houseboat to ourselves!!! A lounging area at the front, a dining table, armchairs, a bedroom and bathroom, and a chef in the kitchen preparing our lunch!!!! I am very difficult with food as I don't like spicy food, but the lovely cheerful chef said that was no problem, and he made us a superb lunch of fish and chicken, rice, lentils, chickpeas etc, all without spice!! Followed by dessert then banana fritters then fruits ...it went on and on!! Seb travelled with us and answered all our questions. Afterwards we drove through areas past beautiful Catholic Churches etc and then to the sea where we saw the Chinese fishing nets. As he could see we were intrigued by these, he took us onto one of the Nets and after a chat with the fisherman, we were allocated ropes to pull to bring in the next catch!! Seb took my phone and took photos and a video of us pulling the ropes until the job was done! What a wonderful experience! I was concerned because I had no rupees as you can't get them on the ship or take them into India, and I wanted a few to be able to give tips and buy souvenirs, so Seb and Martin went out of their way to drive around Kochi to find an ATM...the first one didn't work, so they drove around some more until we found one that did work. Seb helped me to understand all the instructions. Our day with Seb and Martin actually lasted about 2 hours longer than advertised and I was worried we were making them late, but they were charming and said they just wanted to be sure we were having a good time.
I cannot rate them highly enough, they were superb. 

• Gabrielle Mason
  
• Azamara Journy April 24
• UK

Great private tour of Kochi. We had a great guide, Kumar, who was very helpful and informative. Started with a walking tour of the local shopping area in the newer part of town. Thoroughly enjoyed the Harbor Cruise. Saw many small islands where fishing villages were. Better than I expected! Old Kochi and Chinese fish nets were fun to see, too. Overall, a very nice tour. Also, stopped at a wonderful cafe, Kashi Art Cafe I think for lunch. Lovely place and the food was delicious. He added a stop at a Dhobi Ghat laundry that was very interesting, too. The weather was extremely hot...that was the only detriment.

Mickey Howard ,US
​Insignia ,April 24 2017

On April 25th a group of us from The Azamara Journey enjoyed a five hour day tour of Kochi with Carnival. Our guide was excellent and driver got us to all the places of interest without mishap. Service was outstanding, guide was very knowledgeable of the local history, small bus was clean, and the price was right. $90.00 per person for a backwater tour the day before and half day tour on the 25th. The cruise line charged $249..00 for the back water cruise alone.

Azamara Journey 
April 24/25 2017
Rusty-Indianapolis, Indiana

Picked up from ship (Inside Port) in groups of 14 to a minibus wit A/C. Guide very informative from the start described trip, History and landmarks + local driving habits (all horns accelerator but no road rage!). Each Coach group placed in own Houseboat with a crew of 4 (Inc. cook) + Guide. Driven through very picteresque area of backwaters and fed a freshly cooked delicious banquet for want of a better word. Whole trip was very enjoyable we were shown all the sights promised - the Peaceful boat trip in great contrast to (to us) the hair raising drive there and back though our driver was very good and eventually we arrived safely back at the port. An excellent day out we would recommend to everyone.

Richard Merrifield
UK
Legend of the Seas
​March 17 2017

Our guide Tommy was tremendous. He had stories to tell, information to provide, and he did it all superbly. we were taken by minibus through the crazy traffic to the back waters of Kerala, where we boarded one of the traditional houseboats. Three staff were there to look after us - and they did that so well. We sailed for two and a half hours..... seeing life at the waters edge. From washing, to boat building, from bird spotting to learning about local geography, it was excellent. We had lunch on board, and were treated royally..
Our return journey to Cochin was via fish farms, fruit trees and more new stories. We walked to see the fort, the Chinese fishing nets where we brought in the catch, and the spice market. It was a wonderful trip.

Keith Lord ,UK
Pacific Princess
March 14 2017

What a fantastic day thanks to a brilliant tour guide and a great driver. The trip on a traditional houseboat included a meal cooked on board that was very enjoyable. We had a very full day, getting back to the ship in good time for sail away. The highlight was the houseboat trip but we also had time to visit a church and see the Chinese fishing nets. Great value compared with the ship excursion price.

David Dicknson
Wetherby, United Kingdom
Celebrity Constellation - Jan 19 2017
Wetherby, United Kingdom