Cruise liner Empress to dock at Vizag on June 8

Visakhapatnam: Cruise liners are all set to operate to and from Visakhapatnam, as promised by the Andhra Pradesh tourism department. The first line ‘Empress’ will dock at Visakhapatnam port on June 8. Cruise liners usually carry between 1,500 and 1,800 passengers.

‘Empress’ will sail from Visakhapatnam to Puducherry via Chennai and return to its city of origin. Fares would be based on the class of travel chosen by passengers. Visakhapatnam port officials approached the JM Baxi group to operate the service and the latter have agreed to it, according to Visakhapatnam port chairman K. Rama Mohana Rao.

Port officials said the Empress will arrive at the Visakhapatnam port on June 8 and passengers will be taken for sightseeing in the city till evening. The ship will leave Visakhapatnam for Puducherry at 8 pm on the same day and reach its destination on the morning of June 10. Travellers can go sightseeing till evening in Puducherry. The ship will depart Puducherry at 7 pm and reach Chennai the next morning.

The ship has a host of attractions, such as food courts, restaurants, a swimming pool as well as a fitness centre. Casino, spa and liquor would be available on board but are not included in the ticket cost.

The cruise liner would be operated to Visakhapatnam on June 15 and June 22 as well. The port will not facilitate the sale of tickets.

Meanwhile, the international boutique cruise ship Silver Discoverer docked at the Visakhapatnam port on January 25, 2019. The dawn to dusk visitor, the seven-star liner, built in Russia, came from Trincomalee in Sri Lanka via Chennai. Nearly a hundred tourists from the US and European countries were given a grand welcome by top officials, led by Union shipping secretary Gopala Krishna.