Palace on Wheels
 

Four of us are considering a ladies trip for a week in India this November (we all live in Taiwan). Because of our limited time, we have been planning on Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. We now realize we have the option of the Palace on Wheels. Prices are pretty reasonable, it takes us through the area we're interested in, they have week long itineraries and it might be a lot easier than hiring a car and driver.

I don't see any recent postings either on this forum or tripadvisor. Is there a reason? Would you strongly advise against it? I'd love to hear any pros and cons. Thanks, Fodorites.

Dogster wrote a complete trip report on the Palace on Wheels and loved it. Do a search on his name. It was a couple-three years ago if I remember correctly.

I tried to find Dogster's thread about this, but I can't. Hopefully Dogster will see this and post the link.

Since the internet may be too slow in Flam, or the fjords too mesmerizing, or the herring too tasty, for a speedy response from dogster, here are some relevant links:

I believe dogster took the inaugural Golden Chariot trip:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...rd---india.cfm
or
http://thedogster1.wordpress.com/xtr...olden-chariot/

Some discussion on Palace on Wheels:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...train-trip.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...n-wheels-2.cfm

If you haven't seen them, here are some reviews from trip advisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...Rajasthan.html

Thank you, all. Marija, even though I'd looked on tripadvisor, I had missed these reviews and only found reports from about three years ago. This is so helpful. It sounds pretty enticing to me. My friends and I will discuss and let you know what we decide. In the meantime, everyone is welcome to weigh in. I always find the best information here in the fodors forums.

Here's what dogster said about Palace on Wheels, based not on personal experience:

"The Palace on Wheels gets lousy reviews. Crap touring and endless shopping 'opportunities' Don't do that one. All the rest are good."


JG, it's really easy to hire a car and driver in India and to plan a trip that suits your particular interests. Since there are four of you taking the trip, the car and driver would be quite inexpensive since the rates are per car not per person. There are many interesting hotels at all levels that you can choose from. You can put the trip together yourself or have an agent do it for you. We used yatrik.com and were very pleased.

Search for India trip reports here. Some threads you might useful:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...r-agencies.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...or-9-days-.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-itinerary.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...to-jan-7th.cfm

Also note that there are a number of other train tours for India. I've looked into a couple of them. www.indiarailtours.com

Heya from Flam. go here:
theluxurytrains.com

all your options are available thru them. I wouldn't do the Palace on Wheels in a fit - but I'd happily do all the others. In brief, 'cos the Flamternet is damn expensive.

Thanks for covering Dog's back, Marija. [I'm not really in Flam. lol. En route. Right now I'm somewhere off the coast of Norway.]

Will somebody tell me what/where "Flam" is???

Flam: Norway, NE from Bergen. Try google maps. Known for a steep and scenic railway.

If you take the cog wheel train down from Myrdal you'll end up in Flam. Pretty. Nothing else.

Thanks for the info. Just got from Stockholm, but wasn't thinking of Scandinavia.

I was assured by a yound lady who looked exactly like Doris Day that the Nowegians are offing themselves at a fantastic rate. I am prepared to amend my comment to the highest rate of suicides in err... Norway.

Roll on Flom.

Oh god! What are they "offering"?

Actually, I thought the Swedes had the highest suicide rate in the developed world. Too lazy to check it out at the moment . . .

Re-read this: "offing" is not "offering." So sorry . . .

Bergen & the Fjords of Norway...Dogster, did you read that book '633 Squadron'...read it many years back, of crack pilots & lovely ladies!!!
Sure you are enjoying life as much as another in two!

Bless you, my esteemed colleague. I must confess, Norway is a piece of cake after India. I'd forgotten travel could be easy.

jgmc, did you decide to proceed with Palace on Wheels? I've been researching it recently and we are all set to book for next April. The train has had a full refit since the poor reviews of 2003-2005, and if you read a good 10-20 of the Trip Advisor reviews, most are extremely favourable. I'm travelling with my husband and two boys (9 and 12) and, judging by past experience in India, the train is the way to see all the things we want to see in relative comfort and in good time. I'm well aware that the pace will be brisk and that we'll be taken to pre-arranged shopping venues, but being forewarned about that will make subversive alternative plans.

We decided against the Palace on Wheels, only because of the tight schedules of some of our traveling group. This will be my first time to India -- I'm intrigued and excited. People love it or hate it. I can't wait.