Indian cruising just got bigger. Cordelia Cruises is now running two ships from two homeports at the same time for the first time, with the Cordelia Sky sailing out of Mumbai and the Cordelia Empress based in Kochi.
Both ships were at the Mumbai port on October 23, 2026, the day the Sky launched her first guest sailing and the Empress began the trip down to her new Kochi base. Between them, close to 6,000 guests passed through the terminal that day. CEO Jurgen Bailom framed the moment as the fulfilment of a five-year-old plan to make cruising a mainstream holiday option for Indian travellers.
So what can you actually book? From Mumbai, the Sky runs two- and three-night weekend cruises, four-night trips to Lakshadweep and five-night itineraries mixing Goa with the islands. She's the bigger of the pair in terms of onboard offering, with new dining concepts, large production shows, live entertainment, sports and wellness facilities plus open-air decks.
The Empress, meanwhile, gives south India its own cruise hub. Her Kochi programme includes two-night weekend sailings, three- and four-night Lakshadweep cruises, and a five-night international route linking Kochi with Male in the Maldives and Colombo in Sri Lanka. Lakshadweep gets a real push this season, with calls at Kavaratti and Minicoy — islands most Indian holidaymakers have never had an easy way to reach.
There's more coming, too: a third ship, the Cordelia Sun, is scheduled to join the fleet in 2027.
Why should this matter to you? If you've been waiting for a cruise holiday that doesn't involve flying to Dubai or Singapore, the options from Indian ports are suddenly much stronger. Weekend cruises from Mumbai make an easy short break, while the Kochi-based sailings open up Lakshadweep and a genuinely international two-country itinerary. Prices and specific departure dates will vary through the season, so it's worth comparing the two homeports — the itineraries overlap on Lakshadweep but the onboard product differs.
For anyone who has already done a Goa weekend trip to death, a four-night run out to Kavaratti or Minicoy is a fresh alternative, and the Maldives-and-Colombo combo from Kochi is a neat way to tick off three places in one booking.
