Last New Year we sailed with Cordelia Cruises to Lakshadweep. A sea trip comes with more fine print than a hotel stay: photo ID for every guest, an island entry permit, and rules about what food and drink you can carry on board. These notes cover what to check before you book.
Getting there
Cordelia has run Lakshadweep sailings from Mumbai and from Kochi, and the routes change from season to season, so check the current sailing list for your departure port. Agatti is the island call named on Cordelia's destination page. Some sailings from Kochi call at Kavaratti.
Check the reporting time on your booking documents. The ticket contract says embarkation closes two hours before sailing, so arrive early. At the terminal every guest has a security photo taken, with hats and sunglasses off. Before the ship leaves, everyone attends a safety drill at their muster station.
Photo ID
For Indian nationals, the accepted photo IDs for port entry and embarkation are a passport, driving licence, voter card, PAN card or Aadhaar. Originals only: photocopies and photos on a phone are not accepted.
The Lakshadweep entry permit
Every visitor who is not native to Lakshadweep needs an entry permit, and tourists apply under the Tourist category on the territory's ePermit portal. As of September 2026 the portal asked tourists for no local sponsor and no police clearance upload.
Whether a cruise booking includes the permit is the question to settle first. Ask Cordelia in writing whether your booking covers it for each guest, or whether you need to apply yourself. Get the answer before you sail.
What you can carry on board
On embarkation day the contract does not allow outside packaged drinks, and that covers cans and cartons. Outside food is held and returned when you disembark. Electrical appliances other than shavers and chargers are also held.
Baggage is up to 3 bags per person, each up to 20 kg, with 50 kg in total. Excess costs INR 300 per kg.
What the fare covers
The fare covers your cabin, onboard meals and entertainment. Speciality restaurants, photos, internet, laundry and medical services are paid extras. If you sail over New Year, ask what the sailing includes on the night itself. The contract lists certain shows and speciality events as extras.
The shore day
Guests go ashore at Agatti by tender boat, and the shore excursion is optional and paid separately. Cordelia describes a welcome with the local folk dances Kolkali and Parichakali, Malabar-style seafood and vegetarian food, time for shopping, and water activities: kayaking, snorkelling, a banana boat, a glass-bottom boat, and Discover Scuba with PADI trainers.
Ask what each activity requires before you pay. Expect excursion passes and a time slot the night before, and a set time to be back on the ship. Bags are checked when you return, so leave shells on the beach.
What to pack
- Original photo ID for every guest.
- Cordelia's written reply on the entry permit.
- Sun hats, sunscreen and a change of clothes for the shore day.
- Any medicines you take, since medical service on board is charged.
- Island call
- Agatti, with Kavaratti on some Kochi sailings
- Embarkation
- Closes two hours before sailing
- Going ashore
- Tender boat, and the excursion is optional and paid
- Baggage
- 3 bags per person, 20 kg each, 50 kg in total
- Entry permit
- Needed by every visitor who is not native to Lakshadweep
Details checked October 2026. Policies change, so confirm with the operator before you book.
More travel notes are on the travel page.