South of the border, West of the sun

April 02, 2018 05:17 pm | Updated April 04, 2018 06:04 pm IST

CHENNAI, 01/04/2018: For Metro Plus:  A view of   Viking Sun Cruise Ship at Chennai Port on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI, 01/04/2018: For Metro Plus: A view of Viking Sun Cruise Ship at Chennai Port on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

The owners of yachts that drift past the Chennai Port are used to attention. On Sunday, it was their turn to stare wide-eyed as a massive cruise ship elegantly sailed in. The Norwegian, pristine white Viking Sun docked here for a few hours, before setting sail to Kochi last evening.

CHENNAI, 01/04/2018: For Metro Plus:  A view of Restaurant inside the   Viking Sun Cruise Ship at Chennai Port on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI, 01/04/2018: For Metro Plus: A view of Restaurant inside the Viking Sun Cruise Ship at Chennai Port on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

 

The four month old, sparkling new ship has an overall length of 228.3 meters and a beam of 28.8 meters. It is currently on a world tour that started on December 15 last year from the port of Miami in the US to countries such as Cuba, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and Mexico, through the Pacific Ocean to islands such as Tahiti, Bora Bora, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia, as well as China and Thailand. It will head to Goa and Mumbai after Kochi. Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Malta, Italy and Spain are other countries it will dock at, covering 60-plus cities and provinces.

Untapped potential

The cruise ends in London on May 5. “That’s around 141 days on board,” says Sujith Mohan, General Manager, Viking Sun. The Chennai boy is visibly pleased to be docked at his home town.

“It’s not often that cruise ships dock here, as it is a challenge geographically. For example, to go to Kerala, we have to sail around Sri Lanka, which takes us two days longer.

The port, too, doesn’t have enough facilities for a cruise ship.

CHENNAI, 01/04/2018: For Metro Plus:  A  view of  out side the  Viking Sun Cruise Ship at Chennai Port on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI, 01/04/2018: For Metro Plus: A view of out side the Viking Sun Cruise Ship at Chennai Port on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

 

“There is just one room for immigration and customs. There are no shops. No currency exchange counters inside, and just one makeshift currency stall outside. Taxis are not allowed inside; we had to arrange shuttle services for our guests. Chennai has great potential. Look at its culture...look at the temples. But imagine if 40 buses full of our guests visit Kapaleeswarar Temple, where will the buses park?” he says and adds, “Chennai gets maybe 10 ships passing through, while Mumbai gets around 40.”

Exploration spree

Meanwhile, passengers disembark, all set to explore the shore excursions this city has to offer. These include a visit to Kanchipuram or Mamallapuram, a city tour, Indian jewellery and silk sari tour, museum visit and workshop at DakshinaChitra, tuk-tuk and temple tours, Mylapore Heritage walk and Parakum Rail, a visit to Koyambedu market where the chef helps interested groups of passengers buy vegetables to later cook on board. A few ask Mohan for advice before they bravely venture into the afternoon sun.

“Too bad I can’t go out despite being in my home city,” smiles Mohan. He grew up in Chinglepet and studied hotel management. After working with the Meridian group in Chennai and then in Dubai, he did his masters in hotel management before getting a job with a cruise line. He was 23 then, and worked as a bartender. Post that he became the bar manager, followed by inventory manager, food and beverage manager and finally general manager.

In 2016, he joined the Viking Group. “It’s been 17 years in this industry now,” says the 38-year-old currently on his eighth world cruise.

CHENNAI, 01/04/2018: For Metro Plus: Sujith Mohan, General Manager of   Viking Sun Cruise Ship at Chennai Port on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

CHENNAI, 01/04/2018: For Metro Plus: Sujith Mohan, General Manager of Viking Sun Cruise Ship at Chennai Port on Sunday. Photo: R. Ragu

 

The Viking Sun has nine decks, three swimming pools (one with a retractable roof and one for the staff), seven restaurants, six categories rooms, eight bars, a Nordic-style spa, gym, a theatre, two cinemas, a show space and lounges that offer panoramic views of the ocean. There are also 1,800 pieces of art on board. In addition, there are lectures and workshops to keep the guests engaged. The price starts at $49,995 and goes up to $149,995.

“The occupancy right now is 870, but it can hold up to 930 passengers,” says Mohan, adding, “On policy, we take clients aged 18 and above. Majority of our guests are aged 60 plus and are from the US.” At every turn and level, he is met by cheerful guests who appear to be fond of him and stop him for a quick chat, almost like they’ve been friends for decades. Mohan knows all their names. “We’ve been together for more than 100 days now,” he smiles as he stops to pick up a cookie crumb from the floor. He likes the place spotless. This is home for him, almost nine months a year.

 

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.