Cordelia Cruises

Cordelia Cruises, founded in November 2020, is a cruise line in India. Based in Mumbai, the entity is part of Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd (Private Limited)..., an arm of Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal’s Dream Hotel Group. The design of the company’s logo combines three elements: the arc of waves, an aerial view of the bow of a cruise ship as it cuts through the ocean, and the letter C. Typically associated with royalty, the purple color scheme of the logo was chosen to reflect grandeur. As of September 2022, Cordelia Cruises operates the Empress (formerly known as Empress of the Seas), the sole cruise ship of its class, and expansion plans are underway.

History

Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd announced the launch of its maiden brand Cordelia Cruises in late 2020. Cruise and hospitality industry veteran Jurgen Bailom was then brought on board as President and CEO of Cordelia Cruises. The company subsequently commenced operations with the Empress, which was previously part of the Royal Caribbean Group and introduced its first itinerary (Mumbai – At Sea – Mumbai) in September 2021.

Within months, Cordelia Cruises’ operations included destinations such as Mumbai, Goa, Diu, Kochi, and Lakshadweep. The Diu itinerary was discontinued in November 2021. Since September 2021, the cruise line has widened its operations to include a mix of weekend and weekday itineraries across both the western and eastern coastlines of the Indian subcontinent. As of November 2022, its itineraries on the eastern coast of India also include Chennai, with its vast cultural heritage, and Visakhapatnam, home to the Kursura Submarine Museum. The cruise line operator has also announced its plans to launch a Sri Lanka itinerary in June 2023.

Leadership

Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt Ltd is helmed by Austria-born Jurgen Bailom, who has served as President and CEO of the company since its inception. Jurgen has over 30 years of experience in the cruise and hospitality industry. He has previously served as President and CEO of Mexican conglomerate Grupo Vidanta’s Vidanta Cruises and has also worked as senior corporate director with several brands under the Royal Caribbean Group umbrella, including TUI Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises, and Island Cruises. Chartered accountant Nishikant Upadhyay serves as the cruise company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Fleet

As of September 2022, Cordelia Cruises operates the Empress. Expansion plans are currently underway Empress Class Empress, built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, one of the world’s largest shipyards, in Saint-Nazaire, France, in 1989 (with the construction order name Future Seas), is the sole cruise ship of its class. She was named Nordic Empress when she entered service with Royal Caribbean Group in 1990, and was revitalized in 2004 and christened Empress of the Seas by seven-time Grammy Award-winner Gloria Estefan, who was dubbed godmother of the ship in the tradition of Royal Caribbean Group. The ship’s new name matched the names of the rest of the fleet owned by Royal Caribbean Group.

The vessel has been revitalized several times over the years. In 2016, the ship underwent a $50 million refurbishment program.

Currently, the cruise ship has 11 decks, of which nine are passenger-accessible and five have guest staterooms. It has a gross tonnage of 48,563 GT, and has 796 staterooms in 5 categories: Interior staterooms, Ocean-view staterooms, Mini-suites, Owner’s suites, and a Chairman’s suite. The grandest room on the vessel is the Chairman’s Suite (590 ft2 / 55 m2, with a terrace sized 290 ft2 / 27 m2).

The ship’s main dining room, Starlight, has the capacity to seat 740 guests, while the Food Court can seat 553 guests. Pan-Asian restaurant Chopstix has room for 74 guests and the Chef’s Table seats eight. Facilities on board include an 838-seat theatre, a six-deck high atrium, a 138-seat bar with provisions for live performances, a casino, a salon and spa, lounge areas, a nightclub, shops and a portrait studio, a card room, a library, a fitness center, an amusement arcade with video games, a rock-climbing wall, a medical facility, two swimming pools, a poolside bar and sunbathing area

Principles

India First

Cordelia Cruises has partnered with Apollo Group for its onboard operations, including food and beverage, housekeeping and guest services. The food and beverage offerings span across a wide variety of authentic vegetarian and non-vegetarian, Indian and international fare, all the produce, ingredients and packaging for which is sourced from India. Cordelia Cruises also invests in the infrastructure required to cater to the very specific requirements of Jain vegetarianism.

Developed for Cordelia Cruises in partnership with event management company Wizcraft, the entertainment on board includes various Indian language programs, as well as a Burlesque show with a Bollywood twist. Titled Burlesque – The Bollywood Way, the show sees dancers performing to Bollywood classics. The flagship show on Cordelia Empress is Balle Balle - A Bollywood Musical Comedy. The two-hour performance, based on the concept of the big Indian wedding, is a Broadway-style extravaganza that includes energetic performances to 16 much-loved Indian film songs. The list of live performances includes acts of stand-up comics and musicians as well as performances by illusionist Tejas Malode, winner of the reality television show India’s Magic Star

Additionally, Cordelia Cruises engages with various stakeholders to promote cruising in India. In its Business Partners Meet 2022, Cordelia Cruises invited nearly 250 of its travel partners for a two-night conference on the business of cruising, with a specific focus on the uniqueness of the Indian cruising experience, vis-à-vis international cruising.

Safety

Detailed on its website, Cordelia Cruises’ ‘Healthy Waves’ safety policy ensures the safety of its passengers and crew. Everyone on board has access to a full-service health facility and the entire crew is vaccinated in accordance with COVID-19 protocols.

The website also states that the cruise line adheres to a set of international standards and regulations from all levels of government: International Maritime Organization (IMO), regional, national, state and local. Some examples of these, the website says, are:

· International Safety Management Code (ISM)

· International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)

Environment

To support the compliance of environmental regulations, Cordelia Cruises has developed its own ‘safety and quality management system.’ Aside from ensuring that regulations are adhered to, this system provides for continuous improvement through internal and external audits which are conducted regularly in consultation with leading maritime experts.

Measures in place include innovations to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the defining of routes to optimize timings and speed and minimize power consumption, and the use of LED lighting and very low Sulphur fuel oils. Cordelia Cruises has also instituted a single-stream process on board to ensure that all recyclables are hand sorted. Food waste, produced on board, is pulverized to less than 25 mm, as per international standards, and discharged no closer than 12 nautical miles from land in accordance with MARPOL guidelines. The cruise line operator participates in container return programs with its vendors and produces 100% of the freshwater used on board via desalination or reverse osmosis.

Details of the company’s ‘Clean Waves’ program are available on its website.

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