If you have been eagerly waiting to take the ocean route to the beach paradise of Goa then your dream has come true. After months of waiting for the cruise, the first cruise service took its trial run on Wednesday evening. The new domesticate cruise- Angriya starts from Mumbai port's newly developed domestic terminal and heads to Goa. The trial includes its trip to Goa and back to Mumbai. It was expected to reach Goa on Thursday morning and should be back to Mumbai either on Friday or Sunday, depending on the weather conditions.

The ship has been named Angriya after Admiral Kanhoji Angre, the 1st notable admiral in the Maratha navy and the great coral bank reef, named Angria bank between Maharashtra and Goa. The cruise is owned by a special purpose vehicle, Angriya Sea Eagle Private Limited — a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sea Eagle Cruises. The ship can accommodate 400 people at a time and has some affluent offerings on board.

If you have been waiting to get on board, here are all the details of the Mumbai-Goa cruise:

Cruise timings: 

The ship will depart from Mumbai port every evening at 5 o'clock. It is expected to reach Goa by 9 am next morning. It is a total 15-hour journey. The cruise will return every alternate day. It will be operated on alternate days from either of the ports.

Accommodation and cost:

There are seven categories of rooms available onboard and the prices will vary according to them. While some of the room rates are yet to be decided upon, the basic fare will cost somewhere around Rs. 7000-7500. This fare will include two meals and brunch. Along with this, the guests can access the pool on the open deck. Depending on the demand from the customers the rates will be evaluated.

Cruise facilities:

The cruise service essentially targets the luxury travel market and has some elaborate facilities. A guests' culinary cravings will be neatly taken care of as there are about 8 restaurants, bars and 24 coffee shops on its decks. Plus there is a provision of an infinity pool giving a view of the Konkan coastline, a state-of-the art-lounge which can double up into a conference hall or wedding reception venue. The ship's staff will also give information about the region's past to the guests on board.

Halts on the route:

The halts on the Mumbai- Goa cruise are likely to be at Dighi (Raigad), Dhabol and Jaigad (Ratnagiri), Vijaydurg and Malvan (Sindhudurg) and last stop Panaji.

The cruise targets both domestic and foreign tourists. According to the Goa tourism department, the state is a popular cruising destination with foreign cruise ships including Goa on their itineraries. There are about 15-20 cruise vessels that come to Goa every year on an average. On comparing to the Volvo bus services and train tickets, the cruise is overpriced. The Tejas express launched in 2016 is also priced at Rs. 2600. The cruise is offering a premium pricing and with the luxury attached to it, the rates increase.

One question remains with the monsoons approaching will the service continue. Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman of Mumbai Port Trust informs, "The Directorate General of Shipping has giving its final nod to commence revenue service between Mumbai and Goa. Attempt is being made to have a couple of revenue services between Mumbai-Goa just before monsoon. However, if the weather does not permit, the sailings will mostly start after the monsoon season." The initial plan is to run it between Mumbai and Goa and if the response rises then the service might get extended till Cochin. Right now it will be too early to say, but at least we now have India's first cruise service after a long wait.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2018 12:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).