India's Palace on Wheels Train Trip

Old Dec 26th, 2002, 12:17 PM
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Sarah
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India's Palace on Wheels Train Trip

Have any of you taken the Palace on Wheels Train trip. If so, how was it?
 
Old Jan 2nd, 2003, 01:57 PM
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Martha
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My husband and I traveled on the Palace on Wheels two years ago this February. I'm glad I had the experience. Would I do it again? Not a chance. Even my husband who is Indian born said he wouldn't do it again. The train was seriously dated. The rooms were tiny and the bathrooms amusingly small. I have traveled a bit around the world and went to India with few preconcieved notions so my opinions aren't tainted that way. I felt for that amount of money the accomodations would be somewhat better. (It was amusing watching westerners with huge suitcases trying to stuff them into these tiny, tiny rooms.) And to tell the truth, six cities in seven days is a silly idea. After traveling such a long distance to get to India, you really want to see as much as possible. But, good heavens, after awhile, who knows where you are. On the plus side, the porters are wonderfully kind and helpful. India is a fascinating country and you do get to cover a lot of ground in a short time. But would I do it again? Not for love or money!
 
Old Feb 23rd, 2003, 05:19 AM
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Wow - glad you posted that, Martha. We're planning our May holiday trip (China), and are seriously considering the Palace on Wheels trip.

Here are the reasons I'm thinking it will be a good trip:

We've taken other train trips before, though admittedly only day trips or over ONE night - it does mean that we have an idea what to expect in terms of room size and what it's like to be in/sleep in a train.

We're in a phase in our lives when we want to see a lot of the world - meaning different countries for each vacation - so we want to see as much as possible of a country in one trip, but (due to my job), we're limited on time.

I thought this would be a pretty good way to see a lot of the country without hassling with travel plans. I also thought it would be a good way to see a lot without being too rushed - basically, the train shuttles you from one sight to the next so we don't have to worry about any logistics and can just relax. Train stops, we get out and see something new.

I'm also not concerned by the fact that we'll be just jetting in and out of cities/sights, & am not concerned that we're not slowing down & getting to know the culture. We do that on other trips and other locations - on this trip, the train WOULD be part of the adventure.

I also like the idea that we see the hustle and bustle of India during the day, but return to relative luxury at night.

The train's website CLAIMS that it was renovated in 2001 - 2002 . . . does anyone have news on that? Martha's warning that the train was seriously dated would bother my husband.

Thanks all for any other experiences!
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Old Feb 26th, 2003, 02:19 AM
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Topping to see if anyone else has been on this trip? We're very close to booking and would like to hear comments from people who've taken it. Thanks!
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Old Feb 27th, 2003, 01:57 PM
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Hi. My wife Martha posted a few weeks ago about our experiences on the POW. I suppose because I am Indian, my views are a bit colored.

In hindsight, I would much rather go thru the hasle of arranging my trip thru a travel agent. There are several places that I would like to visit and be able to spend some more time there than was possible.

While it was good to sleep while someone else was "driving", I think $700 per day per person is quite steep.

Here's my recommendation:

a. Visit Jodhpur and stay at the Ummaid Bhavan Palace Hotel. Outstanding!

b. Visit Jaisalmer in the Thar Desert. When we went there there were not a lot of good hotels, but I hear that a new hotel has opened up. The camel ride was fun, and if you're on your own, you can spend some time walking the dunes.

c. Jaipur, and stay at the Rambagh Palace Hotel. Another outstanding place. Then you can visit some of the surrounding sites such as the Hawa Mahal.

d. If you are into bird-watching (and you happen to go there in December/January, please be sure to spend a day or so in the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Martha and I saw a pair of Siberian cranes, which made my day since there are only 25 pairs left in the world!

d. Ranthambore National Park is the home of the tiger, and it is best to stay on site. The Park can only sustain 40 tigers over the few hundred square miles of territory, so you may or may not see them anyway.
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Old Mar 5th, 2003, 01:48 AM
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topping
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Old Mar 5th, 2003, 02:06 AM
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Andrea, I see I topped a message that you had already responded to -- probably wasn't too helpful to re-read a post when you are trying to make a decision about the Palace on Wheels.

You have responded to other posters here, so I am guessing you live in Asia, I think China or Hong Kong? I lived in HK and S'pore for 10 years, and travelled a lot in India, always on my own not with a tour. If you can handle travel in China then you can do India on your own without the Palace on Wheels. English is so widely spoken and used on signs, etc that you will have no trouble setting up your own hotel, airfare and train bookings or getting around. You can take trains on your own if you really want to see the "real" India -- nothing beats an Indian train station for that! You can drive between Jaipur and Ranthambore in about 4 hours. You can take the train to Agra from Delhi or take a car. Flights within Rajasthan are quick and will not eat into a lot of your time.

If you are looking for luxury hotels, there are so many of the Oberoi groups "Vilas" open now in Rajasthan that I think that would be a better way to get luxury in India than the Palace on Wheels. There are "Vilas" in Jaipur, Agra, Ranthambore and Udaipur. I have stayed in the one in Jaipur and it was fantastic. I would definitely recommend them along with Oberoi hotels in general, the one in Delhi is excellent as well as the one in Mumbai.

Hope this is more helpful.
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Old Apr 29th, 2003, 11:06 AM
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We are planning to go to India in December. This thread has been most helpful. While we have done lots of independent traveling this will be our first trip to India. We will need lots of advice. But...I am also a bird watcher (very novice) and am so jealous of Mr. Martha. I have printed out your recommendations. I do not plan to start my reservations until this summer when I can be more certain of my exact dates. I need to get flight reservations first and there are not seats I have found using my ff points. We need to go Business Class so the ff points are important resource.
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Old Apr 30th, 2003, 09:29 AM
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Greetings all..A few last comments about this discussion on the "Palace On Wheels". I have toured through Rajasthan extensively, for both work and pleasure(well- always a pleasure!), and I definately DO NOT suggest the Palace on Wheels as the way to go-unless you really do not like to pack and unpack-and have an affinity for cruise Travel..Not only is it exorbitantly priced, you miss so much of the feeling/energy of the places and the immersion in the culture-returning to the train all the time.. if you want luxury, there are soooo many better ways to achieve that in INDIA-specifically Rajasthan-(land of the KINGS)creating your own private LUXURIOUS trip, staying in REAL MAHARAJA PALACES, having your own guide, getting lost, getting found, discovering the people, places, and staying in the absolutly beatuiful heritage hotels..etc...In a sense, creating your own Palace on Wheels....Well, have a great trip all, and do feel free to e-mail me if ya have any questions, concerns, want Hotel reccomendations, Operator suggestions,etc.. i am a American living in Delhi.. happy to help [email protected]
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