Cordelia Cruises to sail from Dubai to India this September

Empress, the new line’s only ship, is currently docked at the Dubai Cruise Terminal

Indian cruise line Cordelia Cruises has announced that it will sail its maiden voyage in September 2021 from Dubai.

The new line, which has replaced the now-defunct Jalesh Cruises, currently has its only ship, Empress, docked at the Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid. Formerly named Empress of the Seas,  Cordelia Cruises acquired her from Royal Caribbean International last year and re-named her Empress.

Empress was to make her debut for the cruise line in early 2021, but her maiden voyage was put on hold due to a surge in Covid-19 cases in India.

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Cordelia Cruises has now announced that Empress will sail from Dubai on 2 September 2021. The four-day cruise to Mumbai will call in at Muscat on the first day, before spending two days at sea off the coast of India. She’ll arrive in Mumbai on 6 September and will then commence a summer season of two-, three-, four-, five- and seven-night roundtrip cruises from Mumbai.

September will also mark the return of cruise liners to Abu Dhabi following months of closure in 2020 due to the pandemic. The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) has specified that only vaccinated passengers will be allowed to disembark in the emirate and strict preventive measures will be in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The former head of trailblazing Indian cruise company Jalesh Cruises, Cordelia Cruises CEO Jurgen Bailom has been tasked with continuing the legacy of his previous company.

Onboard there’s no shortage of facilities to keep guests entertained. Empress will offer five different bars, a casino, nightclub and theatre where shows will be staged nightly. On the deck, there are several swimming pools, a rock-climbing wall and a dedicated area for educational and fun activities for kids.