Mumbai gets two floating restaurants

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, November 18

Two floating restaurants — complete with bars, banquet halls and open decks — will open for business off the iconic Gateway of India from Monday, according to the company which is behind the venture.

Queensline Sea Yah and Queensline Neverland were inaugurated by Union Minister for Surface Transport Nitin Gadkari on Saturday. The two floatels will be anchored about 1 km from the Gateway of India. Each has a capacity to accommodate 475 persons. A third floatel will soon begin operations off Girgaum Chowpatty, according to entrepreneur Shripriya Dalmia Thirani, who brought the vessels from Istanbul. The Mumbai Port Trust is a partner in the joint venture.

The first cruise will begin at 8 pm on Monday. Gadkari said Mumbai has the potential to develop cruise tourism. He said the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation would build a ropeway to link Sewri in mainland Mumbai to Elephanta Island at a cost of Rs 800 crore. 

The project is expected to be completed by 2022.

Cover charge: Rs 2,500 for 3 hours

• Both restaurants house bars, banquet halls and open decks
• These will open for business off the iconic Gateway of India 
• Each of these has a capacity of accommodating 475 persons
• Patrons will have to pay a cover charge of Rs 2,500 each to spend three hours aboard the two floatels