5/5 David F. 4 years ago on Google
We
recently
returned
from
a
7
night
Ganges
River
Cruise
from
Kolkata
to
Farakka
on
ABN
Rajmahal
commencing
on
1st
April
2019,
arranged
through
Assam
Bengal
Navigation.
There
were
only
8
passengers
on
this
cruise
with
28
crew
members
so
the
service
was
excellent.
Having
said
that,
I
suspect
that
the
service
would
have
been
the
same,
even
with
a
full
complement
of
passengers.
Starting
from
our
hotel
pick
up
everything
ran
like
clockwork.
The
guide
during
our
hotel
transfer
Mr
Somnath
gave
a
running
commentary
and
was
better
than
the
guide
we
paid
for
a
Kolkata
city
tour.
The
cruise
director
Romeet
Kashyap
was
always
visible
and
helpful.
To
the
extent
that
it
became
clear
that
walking
around
on
excursions
was
not
easy
for
me
so
he
arranged
tuk-tuks
for
my
convenience.
This
was
very
much
appreciated.
Our
upper
deck
cabin
was
spacious
with
a
well
set
out
bathroom
and
an
excellent
air
conditioner
which
is
a
necessity.
The
only
problem
with
the
cabin
was
the
lack
of
space
for
2
suitcases.
Fortunately
with
so
few
passengers
we
were
able
to
store
the
larger
case
in
the
cabin
opposite.
Do
not
know
what
we
would
have
done
if
the
cruise
had
been
full
as
the
case
was
accessed
every
day.
The
sun
deck
covers
the
length
of
the
vessel
hand
has
plenty
of
cover
and
seating.
The
salon
is
well
decorated
with
plenty
of
seating
and
good
air
conditioning.
No
TV’s,
however
we
managed
to
survive.
There
are
plenty
of
drink
options
and
bar
prices
are
reasonable.
I
particularly
enjoyed
large
glasses
of
lime
and
soda.
The
excursions
each
day,
sometimes
two,
were
well
organized
and
the
freelance
guide,
Subhankar
Sengupta,
is
friendly
and
has
an
outgoing
manner
about
him.
He
is
very
knowledgeable
and
his
explanations
are
not
complicated
but
can
sometimes
be
a
bit
long-winded.
After
each
excursion,
we
were
greeted
by
cool
towels
and
a
refreshing
drink.
Our
shoes
were
taken
way
to
be
cleaned
as
the
entire
boat
was
almost
pristine.
The
chefs
do
a
great
job
and
all
meals
were
served
in
the
dining
room.
Breakfast
was
a
pretty
standard
affair
but
adequate.
Lunches
and
dinner
were
varied
and
I
don’t
believe
any
dish
was
repeated
over
the
cruise
apart
from
staples
such
rice
and
dal.
There
was
always
plenty
of
choices
and
no
one
went
hungry.
There
were
always
sweets
and
each
night
we
had
a
different
soup.
All
up
there
can
be
complaints
about
the
food
provided.
28
crew
cannot
be
named
individually
however
there
is
one
standout
–
Pankaj
Barua
(known
as
the
naturalist).
He
is
everywhere,
always
smiling,
helping
on
board
or
on
excursions.
He
was
there
at
breakfast,
lunch
and
dinner
-very
long
hours
.
He
also
travelled
with
us
on
the
train
back
to
Kolkata.
Undoubtedly
he
will
go
far;
and
deservedly
so.
There
was
also
Mohan
who
operates
out
of,
I
think,
the
Assam
office
and
was
on
the
cruise
as
a
learning
experience.
He
is
quite
intelligent
and
will
also
go
far.
Although
we
did
not
use
the
spa
I
had
a
bit
of
fun
with
Rajesh,
who
also
seemed
to
be
everywhere.
Another
thing
that
was
very
pleasing
was
that
all
the
crew
that
we
encountered
had
good
English
which
for
us
made
the
cruise
even
more
enjoyable.
In
summary
we
totally
enjoyed
our
cruise
and
would
have
no
trouble
in
recommending
it
to
anyone.
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