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We have traveled from Pune to Mumbai by Expressway many times but we wanted to try a different route and wanted to have a different experience thus on a friend's recommendation we tried Pune to Alibaug to Mumbai route by boarding the M2M ro-ro ferry along with our car from Alibaug.
Read ahead to find out how was our experience, and is it worth trying M2M ferry for you.
For the people traveling from Mumbai to Alibaug, M2M Ferry has become a must-try experience and also for cutting down the driving time by road.
Best Time To Visit
Best time to experience the ferry ride is all round the year. But book the ferry ride slot in advance based on the travel plan. It will be chaotic to try it without advance online booking.
Places visited
This family trip was done in two cars. The distance from Pune to Mandwa ferry terminal (popularly known as Alibaug ferry terminal) is 160 kms from Pune which takes around 4 hours.
We started early in the morning to spend some time at Alibaug beach and then head towards Mandwa ferry terminal.
Mandwa Ferry Terminal, Mandwa Jetty Road, Mandve, Maharashtra, India
This blog is all about our experience with M2M ferry thus all the details are focused towards our ferry travel.
Checkout the video for quick glimpse
We booked the ferry tickets from https://m2mferries.com two days in advance to avoid rush and last minute surprises.
The M2M ferry rates are: 1200 INR for Sedan Car, 1000 INR for Small Car, 200 INR for Bike, 360 INR per person for AC lounge (with restaurant and clean washrooms) and common deck area, 450 INR per person for AC lounge + common deck area + Upper Deck (with bar access).
The M2M ferry has been very popular among Mumbai people traveling to Alibaug for short vacation. So it is crucial to do advance booking. The ferry has capacity of roughly 150 cars and around 1000 people.
We booked our tickets for 4.15 pm slot. It is mandatory to reach ferry terminal check-in point 30 minutes before.
The check-in can be done by showing online ticket on your cell phone (physical print is not needed). The staff scans QR code and give physical tickets for car and people traveling.
If you have opted for 450 INR ticket per person then you will get a paper band to wear while accessing upper deck area.
View from Upper Deck
Sitting at front deck. There is same sitting at the back side deck but usually people gather on the front deck to enjoy the view and sea breeze.
M2M ferry is pet friendly, so you can travel with your furry friends. Just that the pets need to be in Pet Zone which can be over occupied if many people are traveling with pets.
Upper deck is the area accessible, only if you buy 450 INR per person ticket. We saw the security gaurd stopping people going up for upper deck without the 450 INR ticket.
The only benefit is the view from little raised floor and you have option to order alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, although the prices of drinks are pretty high here.
Personally I believe, the AC lounge access and common decks access with 360 INR ticket has nice view and sufficient facility. So if you are in a big group then you can save 90 INR per person by not opting for upper deck.
Otherwise it is a good option to explore all the areas on the ferry.
Once you onboard the M2M ferry, you have around 60 minutes to explore the ferry, enjoy the sea breeze, beautiful Seagulls fly along the ferry, beautiful skyline throughout the route. If you are exhausted outside then AC lounge and quick bites from the restaurant inside comes handy. The restaurant is little pricy like two samosa costs around 100 INR, Maggi can cost around 120 INR.
So it is not extremely expensive and you can try something if you feel hungry during the 60 minutes travel.
On concluding note, the ferry experience was fun filled and memorable to everyone in my family. 1) Because this was our first experience in such RO- Pax ferry 2) The ferry is managed very well by professionally trained and helpful staff.
After 60 minutes, we reached M2M ferries Mumbai terminal located near Bhaucha Dhakka Mumbai Dockyard where M2M ferry terminal for Mumbai is located.
Surely, this ferry does not travel to/from Gateway of India but other passenger ferries and speed boats starts from there that area.
M2M Ferries Mumbai Ro-Pax Terminal, Princess Dock, Mumbai Port Trust, Mazgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
From 5:15 pm to 8:15 pm, we explored South Mumbai passing through Dockyard Lane, Gateway of India, Hotel Taj Palace, Ambani House Antilia on Padder Road, Bandra Worli Sea Link, Juhu Chowpati and ended our trip at Andheri.
Checkout how our South Mumbai trip went after M2M Ferry:
Transportation
We travelled to Alibaug (Mandwa Ferry terminal) by car and took M2M ferry from Mandwa to Mumbai. This is also very popular among people traveling from Mumbai to Alibaug and back.
Pro-tips
1) Book M2M ferry tickets in advance from Https://m2mferries.com
2) There are many pop shops towards Mandwa Passenger Ferry terminal for quick snacks and #Alibaug selfie spot. Make use of this place while you are waiting to onboard M2M ferry.
3) If traveling from Pune, plan Alibaug beach visit and board ferry in afternoon or evening slot.
4) Grab sun glasses and sun caps to save yourself if traveling during day time.
Comment below if the details were helpful. Let me know if any other details need to included.