crazy city, the desert & the ocean
An Orient cruise is truly amazing: the feeling of “1001 nights”, the exotic food, the smell of frankincense and the call of the muezzin in the morning and evening. As I am always a little apprehensive about exploring new destinations, a cruise ship is the perfect way to start. However, there is nothing to be afraid of (if you behave like an experienced traveller) and many wonderful experiences to be had.
I did several cruises in the Orient:
- February 2012: roundtrip from Dubai including the port of Muscat, Oman, on Brilliance of the Seas
- December 2015 (new years eve cruise): roundtrip from Abu Dhabi on Aida Stella
- February 2023: roundtrip from Dubai including the Port of Saudi-Arabia on MSC World Europa
And I visited Dubai another time just for a long weekend. Therefore I feel content, to share some of my experiences with you. In the following blog you will find :
The Burj Khalifa: Yve’s afraid of height…
Dune bashing (offroad) and an evening in the desert camp in Rub Al Khali
A dinner on Burj Al Arab
Other things to do/see: Dhow river cruise, the old village and Ski Dubai
Hotel: Jumeirah Zabeel Saray
Dubai, a crazy city
If you are embarking on a wonderful Orient cruise in Dubai, take a few days to explore the city itself. It really is a “crazy” city in my opinion. Everything is bigger or more stunning!
We spent too much money on dinner at the Burj al Arab – a once in a lifetime experience, so what? We were a bit disappointed with Dubai Ski (we’re Swiss 😉 and went shopping. I avoided a tour of the Burj Khalifa (on our first visit) because I am afraid of heights, but we spent a wonderful evening in a desert camp. We could not visit the Dubai Museum (had no tickets, book in advance!!), but in detail…
A city like no other…
The Burj Khalifa
Amazing view over the city, but you should not be afraid of heights…
You probably think of the Burj Khalifa as one of the most important things to see when you visit Dubai. But I avoided going up that huge tower for as long as I could. The first two times I went, it was great and my husband never even mentioned it. This year he just said: “I want to go there”. OK, I had no choice. So I booked tickets for us on the internet (you really should, otherwise they are hard to get).
First we had to wait in endless queues for about 1 hour (or a bit more) to get up there. Once we got to the lift it was really quick. Within a minute or so we were at the top. Just stunning. And the view is really amazing! If you are not afraid of heights (and are prepared to wait a bit to get there), you should definitely do it.
My husband took some photos because he’s not afraid of standing next to the glass windows. And we walked around the platform and that was it. The funny thing was that we had to queue to get down again. Next to the stained glass windows. You can imagine how I tried to avoid it. So my husband waited in the queue and I waited next to him in the souvenir shop to get to him as soon as the queue was over. It took another 45 minutes to get down… But it was worth it, and my husband made some funny jokes that made me laugh too 🙂
After having “survived” the height, we went shopping in the Dubai Mall. Something I like more than visiting such high towers… The Dubai Mall is really hugh, one could spend days there.
see the sky
With our ticket for the Burj Khalifa, we got entrance to the aquarium too. It is a disappointing small one (the animals do not have much space…).
HELPFUL LINKS:
Burj Khalifa Website Book tickets online in advance
Dubai Mall Website
HOW TO GET AROUND:
Use a taxi
Take the metro (it might be a bit overcrwded sometimes, but it is otherwise an easy way to visit the most important places)
Dubai Metro Website
Blog about MSC cruise starting in Dubai
Dune bashing & sunset in a desert camp
Exciting offroad-tour, a bit of “1001-night feeling” and a wonderful evening
After days in the bustling city, I was longing for a bit more nature. So the afternoon and evening trip to a desert tourist camp was perfect for us. These tours are offered by agencies in the city itself or from the cruise ships.
After driving out of the city, the first stop was to let some air out of the tyres so we could drive through the sand dunes. My husband – and the other people who loved to drive – would have done it themselves if anyone had let them. But driving through the dunes is not to be underestimated, it takes skill and some experience. The guides drove up and down the dunes at an amazing speed and it was a really fun experience. If you don’t mind shaking. 🙂
We then stopped in the middle of the dunes in the Rub Al Khali desert to take in the scenery. I think it was ordered, but there was a Berber on a camel passing by, the scenery was picture perfect. And the sunset was just stunning.
Perfect desert pictures
The desert camp featured a belly dancer, henna tattoos, shisha and more. The food was delicious and we enjoyed meeting other people and enjoying the scenery. Later, after dinner, the guides drove us back to Dubai.
PS: I do not have too many pictures, because I did not now then, that I would write a blog about it :). Next time, I will remember…
Dinner at Burj al Arab
Expensive, crazy, once in a lifetime…
If you are a bit of a snob like me – ok, I am not! But if you like a bit of ridiculous luxury, you should definitely have dinner at the Burj al Arab. Because: it makes you feel rich, the view from the restaurant is great, the food is tasty and just because…
But you have to book in advance, as we did. When we arrived by taxi, there was a porter asking for the reservation. Otherwise you will not get into the Burj al Arab. We were escorted to the restaurant on a higher floor.
HELPFUL LINK:
Website Al Muntaha Restraurant
As we were in the mood to celebrate, we tried a very exclusive drink with our dinner: a champagne cocktail with saffron and gold flakes. It is crazy, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. And my husband sometimes mentions it when we travel and eat in a restaurant.
We had soup, salad, main course with filet mignon, dessert and sweets with our coffee. Everything I like. I won’t go into detail here because what I remember most was the stunning view, the amazing feeling and the expensive cocktail (it cost about $50). I can only imagine the crazy things rich people do…
PS: If you take the view and the experience into account, it was worth it for me. It cost about twice as much as an expensive dinner…
a gold flake, saffron, champagne drink
Dhow cruise on the river, old village & more
There is a lot more to see in Dubai…
Dhow cruise
A wonderful experience in Dubai is a dhow river cruise with traditional dinner. We booked a tour during a cruise on Aida Stella. There was a traditional derwish whirling dancer on board and we had a wonderful view over the city. The meal was traditional with dishes such as hummus.
HELPFUL LINKS:
Because we booked via cruise line, I do not have the exact tour operator. However, this link from tripadvisor might be helpful:
Tripadvisor Dubai Luxury Canal Dinner Cruise
The old village
The historic district of Dubai shows how people lived before the city was built. We went there on a Christmas holiday cruise and it was closed. You can read more about opening hours etc here:
OLD VILLAGE WEBSITE
Ski Dubai
Ski Dubai is just crazy – ok, I had to say that because I live in Switzerland! So we had to visit it, just to find out.
Anyway, it is a building with a real ski slope – a short one. Because it has to be cooled, the air is humid and the view is always foggy. But you can go skiing if you want to. I recommend visiting Switzerland in winter instead 😉
SKI DUBAI WEBSITE
BEST PLACES TO GO SKIING IN SWITZERLAND (CONDE NAST TRAVELLER)
you might ask me any questions about it, if you consider that one, just write to yve@sea.com … 🙂
Where to stay
Hotels in Dubai
During our visits to dubai, we stayed for a couple of days in the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray (on Dubai the Pam). I choose this one, because it was new, when we went there (2015), and it is located on the palm, which is amazing to see. However, it takes quite a time to get there by taxi… (PS: I do not get anything for promoting this hotel, it is just my experience)
WEBSITE JUMEIRAH ZABEEL SARAY
What I would consider the next time, is the time is the “Atlantis the palm”, which is supposed to be exciting as well…
Read about my cruise on MSC World Europa
I travelled in February 2023 on the biggest cruise ship of MSC Cruises. Read my blog to find out what it is like to cruise on MSC World Europe.
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