Cruise to UAE

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After hearing so many people rave about their cruising adventures, we decided to pull up the anchor, set the main sail and steer a course for the Far East taking the plunge and booking our first cruise! ??

We'd decided on one around the middle east as it wasn't a destination we were likely to go to independently. Royal Caribbean were recommended to us and it was booked - 7 nights UAE, Qatar & Bahrain.





Fast forward to January this year and tensions arounds the middle east were once again heightened. This, of course made us very nervous of our impending trip and the insurance and cruise company were unhelpful as the UK Government hadn't declared it a no go area which meant in their eyes we were all good to go. ?. The holiday had already caused stress due to the stringent UAE medication guidelines, Bahrain visas and 'extras' we had to decide on with Royal Caribbean. Thankfully the UAE were very helpful with regards to the medication so I had all the correct documentation (not checked of course but there you go....). The Bahrain lot were not at all helpful which left our visa application in limbo but we figured it was only one port and we might have been able to sort it at the time. As for Royal Caribbean, we would have had to take out a second mortgage to cope with all the 'extras' so left it at a couple of excursions in Dubai ?. Anyway back to the point, very nervous about the trip but again not wanting to lose our money as obviously this was a more expensive venture than our usual jaunts. Luckily my massage lady Julie had worked on cruise ships and reassured us that they wouldn't be cruising if there was any danger at all ?.And, as it happened the itinerary changed a few days before we were due to set sail and Bahrain was no longer on the list of ports - that was the visa issue sorted then.



We had a full day planned on the day of departure. Things had been tense at home as I had lost my job ? due to store closure that week and was generally feeling quite low so a trip to my favourite eatery for breakfast was on the cards - Cote Brasserie. This meant an early start from Galashiels and with parking in Edinburgh being very expensive, it was time to hit the park and ride ?, but thankfully all went well and we were soon tucking into their delicious french toast ?. The next stop was across town to get my nails done ?. I had received a voucher from Dad & Barbara for my birthday and it seemed the best time to redeem it. Despite the sunny outlook, it was of course January with its bitterly cold winds so into a taxi ? onto Laureston Place. So whilst I was treated to a pedicure and manicure, Andrew headed back to the Park and Ride to collect the car, no doubt via the model railway shop. It was then off to the airport, we had booked the very cheap low cost parking away from the airport, which thankfully worked as planned and we were soon through security and deciding on eateries. As we were there early, we decided it was probably a good opportunity to try out the Edinburgh airport lounge ? The food offering wasn't vast but it did have comfy seats, the only downside was a bunch of hens cackling very loudly ?. Thankfully we managed to sit far enough away in order to keep the murderous section of my brain at a calm level.



It was soon time for our flight ✈. We had opted to fly to Krakow and go into a hotel ? there before flying out to Dubai. This had the added advantage of avoiding the rather sadistic overnight direct flight to Dubai on top of saving the pennies. The flight was seamless and we were soon at the hotel in Krakow. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn which was literally across the road from the airport. The room was very comfortable and we enjoyed a nice supper before retiring to bed. The flight the next day was 1200 from Krakow so a nice lie in and leisurely breakfast before we were in the skies heading to Dubai. This flight wasn't so comfortable sadly and I suffered terribly with nasal issues throughout ?. It was quite a relief when we landed. Dubai, certainly is a place, it took 20mins just to get from the airplane to the airport in one of those shuttle buses! Finally we got connected with our taxi and we were soon on the way to our hotel - Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek.?





Once we were at the hotel, a lengthy check in awaited but we were soon in our upgraded suite with superb views across the river. ??? .Because of the time difference we were still awake and actually quite hungry despite the late hour so room service was ordered and tucked into before settling in for the night. Breakfast was included in our upgrade price and what a sight that was ? Everything you wanted was there and all was delicious. We came rolling out of breakfast and decided to do a bit of shopping before heading to the cruise terminal. We had a lovely stroll along the river and even had a random stranger take our picture for no recompense! Souvenirs and toiletries bought and we were soon in another taxi heading to the cruise terminal. Plan A of course was to try and get there via public transport but that was definitely not an option in Dubai sadly but thankfully taxis? were a reasonable price. We were soon in the Cruise terminal and checked in ready to board our ship - The Jewel of the Seas.?



We soon found our 'stateroom' which was right at the front of the ship. The room was rather small and was very basic.?...no sign of a kettle sadly so it was a good job I came prepared. The room was also quite dusty which was very disappointing but hey ho we got on with the task of unpacking before we got greeted by our cabin steward. Rather annoyingly he couldn't give us our wifi code so that would mean a trip to guest services and a 30min queue. The next job was the mandatory safety brief which was conducted in the main theatre, of course we got lost but made it in the end. We decided on a proper look around the ship and its decks before dinner time as the ship set sail. As newbie cruisers we had no idea what to expect at dinnertime, the only information we actually had was printed on our seapass - tides dining room 6pm, we even had a table number assigned to us so off we went. To our horror, our table was huge and it was obvious we were expected to share with at least 10 other diners ?. Not being very keen on this idea we spoke to the staff who, as a favour sat us upstairs on a table for 2, however it was made clear that this would be a one off. Our table for 2 was literally a few inches away from 2 other couples so hardly intimate. The woman on my left constantly interrupted us but despite this annoying behaviour we did learn that there was a buffet style restaurant on the top deck which we could go to any time for meals. That seemed like a better plan for the rest of the week. Soon it was time to settle down, the noise from the engine was shocking and it continued through the night, on top of that the bed was quite hard so not much sleep was had that night ?



The first port in our itinerary was a place called Sir Bani Yas Island in the UAE. We had been told through the ship's daily publication that we had to report before 0930 in order to get a token to allow us to disembark and that these were on a first come first served basis. Given our lousy night we had slept in and really couldn't be bothered to get into an oversized dinghy in order to visit this island so a day on the ship it was. First stop was to try the buffet breakfast on the top deck which was a real treat in comparison to the previous night. Freedom to sit wherever and help ourselves. There was everything you could have wished for and we thoroughly enjoyed it? .The rest of the day was spent milling around the ship with a game of mini golf thrown in, which of course I won. We also had the chance to witness a real airlift into a helicopter ? from our room. That was also the day Andrew fell for the ship's sales tactics and bought a rather expensive pair of insoles!?. Dinner, thankfully was also a better experience as we headed back up to the buffet. Better night sleep but only due to help from my trusty sleeping aids as I don't think the extra toppa supplied by the steward, made that much difference..



The 2nd port was Doha in Qatar and we had arranged to go on the shuttle bus from the port to the centre ?. The shuttle bus was quite ridiculous - the first one went 100yards before dumping us at the cruise terminal building, then onto the 2nd bus which dumped us in some car park which appeared to be the middle of nowhere. Thankfully with the help of google maps we were able to navigate ourselves in the right direction beating off the hoards of taxi touts along the way. 20 or so minutes later we were at the souk and desperately in need of a drink?. We had been advised to take US dollars as they were accepted everywhere - err no...but we did find a hotel where they took card payments and they advised us we could get actual cash in the souk. 2 orange juices later and we went off to explore the souk. The first part was jaw dropping, birds, tortoises and other pets everywhere,? never seen so many in such a small area. Amazingly though there was no hassle anywhere and this continued throughout. We managed to find the ATM and did a bit of shopping. Andrew was rather obsessed by all the 'bling' everywhere.? After lunch we decided it was time to try out the local metro? and head downtown. The metro was amazing in itself, totally immaculate and full of helpful english speaking staff. Our day ticket cost 6 QAR which worked out at just over a £1 so off we went. Getting off at the DECC stop, the area was dominated by amazing skyscrapers and we decided that there must be a rooftop bar nearby, so into the Marriott hotel ?. Sadly no rooftop bar but they did have a helipad ?and the amazing staff pulled a few strings so we could have a tour. The views from up there were outstanding and we were treated like VIP's throughout??. The whole experience really made our day and we couldn't praise the staff enough especially since they didn't want any recompense and knew we weren't actually staying at the hotel. When we finally came back down to earth it was a quick trip to the mall next door before heading back to the souk. Andrew had his eye on a model bus earlier but sadly they had closed before we got any actual cash so going on the siesta theory we decided to try again and this time it was open. They agreed on a price of 20 QAR but the seller was so pleased we had come back, he gave us 5QAR back!! ?! Certainly a scenario that was totally alien to us. The time in Qatar just flew by and it was soon time to get back on the ship, just in time for dinner?



The next day we were just cruising at sea making our way back to Abu Dhabi. The sea was quite rough so we didn't really do much. Andrew managed to see some kind of parade celebrating the different nationalities on board whilst I rested in our cabin. Luckily by the evening things had calmed down a bit and we saw a show celebrating the musicals which was surprisingly really good.☺



The next stop was Abu Dhabi back in the UAE where we were going to spend 2 days because of the cancelled Bahrain trip. Having a few recommendations we first headed out to the Emirates Palace Presidential hotel ? by taxi. It appeared that public transport was very limited so it was going to have to be taxis ?. Abu Dhabi was certainly vast and very impressive but not easy to get around on foot. Luckily though taxi's were reasonable and the traffic was flowing well. We soon got to the Palace which like most places in the UAE was very impressive and grand. Andrew wasn't keen on the prospect of having to take out a second mortgage to buy drinks laced with real gold so we headed across the road into one of the hotels. Again, no rooftop bar but they did point us in the direction of the Emirates Tower which was next door. This had a paid for observation deck with a restaurant so seemed ideal. The price wasn't way out and we enjoyed a nice lunch overlooking the whole of Abu Dhabi? .Then it was a walk to the mall which took longer than expected but we made it and actually managed to get the bits we needed before braving another walk, heading this time to the beach area of Corniche. Sadly a wrong turn meant we actually walked further than expected and was getting quite anxious at the lack of taxi's around. Finally we spotted one and headed straight back to the ship for a much needed rest and some dinner.?



The next day the Grand Mosque ?was top of the 'to do list' so back in a taxi.? The place was vast and very impressive, not to mention very busy as you would expect. It took a long time to get to the actual building, not to mention the rigmarole of having to put on a gown to make myself respectable! (Snigger)... I was suffering considerably in my joints after yesterdays unexpected walking so found the morning quite hard work but it was worth a visit to immerse yourself in all the opplunance of it all. Another recommendation was the Andaz Capital hotel which had made its way into the Guinness World Records for being the building with the largest 'tilt' and at 18' it's some tilt?, so off we went to find some lunch.? Again very impressive and the food wasn't bad but it wasn't cheap either but it's nice to treat oneself whilst on holiday. Not wanting to risk another day like yesterday we decided it was safest to head back to the ship early following a quick stroll around the complex. Andrew also had his eye on some 'bling' at the port so it was time for some bartering before we set sail again.?



We were now coming to the end of our cruise and had embarked back in Dubai. We had booked shore excursions for this day as we were aware beforehand that Dubai was a vast place with little in the way of public transport. The first one was to the Miracle Garden which I had seen previously on a facebook page 'must do travels'. It was about a 45min coach trip to the outskirts of Dubai before we arrived. The whole place was very colourful and beautiful with lots of lovely things to see, including the Dubai version of the 'Kelpies'? .Thankfully it wasn't too busy and it was a nice relaxing way to spend a few hours. Andrew made friends with the local cats with the help of some of my ham sandwich and added to his 'bling' collection so happy days.☺ Amazingly on the way back to the ship, it started to rain -☔ apparently it only rained 12 days a year and guess what, we saw it! Once we were back on the ship it was time to get packed ready for our early departure the next day as we knew we had a late night planned. Soon it was 4.30 and time for our next excursion which we thought was a trip to the Burj Kalifia along with the other delights of Dubai. Well we definitely got that wrong, as when we boarded the coach we were told the plan was to only go to the 3rd floor! What tour goes to the World's tallest skyscraper and only goes to the 3rd floor?? ? We were totally speechless but decided to carry on regardless. Once we got to the 3rd floor, which by the way was on a rooftop in an annex bit not the actual tower, the rain came down very heavy ☔so the views of the fountains etc were totally ruined. We thought at this stage that we weren't going to come to Dubai and not go to the top of the Burj Kalifia so we exited the tour and headed to the queues of the actual tower ?. Amazingly we got through the queues quite quickly considering and we were soon at the top. At a cost of almost £160 for the pair of us ?it wasn't exactly cheap, but we felt it was necessary given where we were. The top was actually quite a small area and the glass was very reflective so it was hard to take any decent photos or indeed see past your own image so feeling disappointed we decided to head back down. Thankfully on our way one of the staff members mentioned the outside balcony which we soon headed to. Despite the rain and generally horrid weather conditions, the views were outstanding?and we were able to enjoy them much better without the reflections. The Burj Kalifia exited right into the Dubai Mall, and again being the largest in the world we thought we would spend a bit of time there. However it soon became apparent this was not a nice relaxing place as even on a Sunday evening, the place was at bulging point and we couldn't get out quick enough. It took us about 30mins to get down the taxi line in order to find a taxi ?to get back to the ship! It was quite a relief to get back and soon the alarm went off for our early flight to Bucharest.✈



The next morning was rather a shambles. No means of getting any breakfast or indeed a cup of coffee.? The booked bus transfer left 20mins late which meant things weren't as relaxed at the airport as they should have been. A delay getting breakfast didn't help the mood but certainly the time went very quickly and we were soon in the air. Thankfully this time we had come prepared with antihistamines and nasal sprays so it was a much better flight and we were soon in Bucharest. We were rather tired though and couldn't be bothered to navigate our way to the hotel through public transport so into another taxi. We did agree a fixed fee of 100lei, as they didn't seem to like putting the meter on. Soon we had arrived at our hotel - Hilton Athenlee Palace ?which looked very plush and seemed to click all the boxes. We did wonder though what type of city Bucharest was, as we had lots of recommendations for erotic massage and escorts but hardly any for places to eat!? Nevertheless we ventured out and had a wander around. It was very evident that despite the 5* hotels and Rolex shops, the city was in dire need of some TLC. All the roads and pavements had serious safety issues, hardly any of the escalators worked and the amount of graffiti was astounding ?. On the plus side though the architecture was stunning, though of course not used to their best potential. We did have a couple of orange juices in the ground floor bar of another hotel which had amazing views from the toilets of the top floor! Dinner consisted of a small buffet style in another hotel which filled the gap quite nicely.



We only had one full day in Bucharest so thought we had better make the most of it. Andrew went out early to get breakfast ?so we were set up to go exploring. First stop - off to Gare du Nord. I knew Andrew would want to have a gander at some of the local trains? and from a practical point of view i knew it would be an easy place to get about. The metro wasn't up to much and again in need of some TLC. not a patch on the one in Qatar sadly but yet cost more! But it did serve a purpose and we finally arrived at Gare Du Nord. Thankfully Andrew wasn't disappointed by the trains but the highlight was the poor worker manually changing all the train times balancing on the top of a ladder! My guess about the trams ?was also correct but didn't figure on things being so infrequent so a pit stop in KFC filled in the gap until the tram arrived. We then did have a lovely tram ride ? to the next thing on the to do list - lounge 18 which apparently boasted the best views of the city. Lounge 18 was on the outskirts of town and did have great views but sadly the staff weren't very accommodating so couldn't really sit in the best places and again the glass was quite reflective but hey ho we did have a nice latte ☕. Time was now ticking by and using public transport would have taken too long to get to our next stop so back in a taxi ? and off to the Palace of Parliament ?, a huge 'communist' palace now the home of Parliament. Taxi's in Bucharest ? are certainly not for the faint hearted as all of them think nothing of texting or reading something from google whilst speeding along. We did survive the trip and when faced with this huge yet impressive building we decided there was no way we would have the time to go inside so it was a quick few pictures before a walk along the river ?to the old town. The Old Town was nice to stroll around and do some shopping but again the infrastructure let the place down and surprisingly it wasn't a cheap place to go shopping. As it got dark it was decided the hotel was the best place for dinner so off we went, ready for our early start back to Edinburgh ✈



The 0805 flight landed, all on time and without incident and we were soon back in the reality that is home.

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Comments

[Maneesh Kumar]

As you wish to roam in UAE
It's really good to read your article full of knowledge.. i think diplomatvisa can provide all services easily in short span of time