The main advantage is the opportunity to see several locations at once in one trip. The important thing here is to choose an interesting itinerary that suits your needs. I recommend that you thoroughly research which countries are included in the itinerary, which cities and what interesting places there are. At the time I chose my cruise, there were two itineraries on the Persian Gulf – the “pearls of the Persian Gulf”, which I chose, and the “oriental fairy tale”. At first I found them both appealing. After a careful comparison of what you can see in the cities, where there will be parking places, what sights there are, I immediately had all doubts and decided that it would be the “pearls of the Persian Gulf”. For me it seemed more attractive, because more interesting cities, more interesting and rich programmes, the opportunity to see more interesting places. If to compare it with the same “oriental fairy tale”, only Oman was interesting for me there, but for 7 days only one city is too little. My 7-day itinerary was: Dubai – Abu Dhabi – Doha (Qatar) – Manama (Bahrain) – Sir Bani Yas Island – a day at sea – Dubai. The week flew by for me.
More details about each stop and each day of the cruise will be covered in separate articles
- Dubai , cruise departure, and return
- The second day of the “Pearls of the Gulf” cruise stop in Doha, Qatar. What to see in Doha.
- What to see in Abu Dhabi during the Pearls of the Gulf cruise. Sheikh Zayed Mosque – what you need to know before visiting.
Day at Sea
The second, but no less important advantage, of course – comfort! There is no need to change hotels, constantly pack and unpack, move. You can visit several places, living in one cabin, sleeping in a cosy bed and eating delicious food in restaurants and cafes on board. By the way, there is a great choice of places where you can go for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are restaurants that are already included in the price of the itinerary. And there are those that you have to pay extra for. I will write about it below. The liner departs from the harbour in the evening and in the morning you already wake up in a new city or even a new country.
Cruise travel is suitable for everyone.Any age group can travel. Here it does not matter how old you are, whether you are single or you are travelling with your family. It will be a perfectly comfortable journey for everyone. I also think it is a very suitable option for travelling with children. For those who like active holidays and who have children. Children will not be bored for a minute, because for them there are plenty of options for fun – game halls, contests, show programmes and animators will not leave indifferent any little tourist. While parents are resting, doing their own things, children will be busy with their own. And you don’t have to worry about them.
A cruise liner is, I would say, a big resort on the water, where there is absolutely everything. There is a large variety of entertainment . Fitness room, spa, restaurants, swimming pools, slides, Jacuzzi, various show programmes, performances that change every day. There is also a casino. Every day the programme changes. In the evening you will receive a brochure in your room for the next day, where all the detailed information is written. What time the liner arrives at the port, what time the passengers start disembarking, what events will be held on board that day, what restaurants have dress code or theme nights, what time and where there is live music, what time you can have lunch, dinner, breakfast. You can also choose excursions and find out information about transfers. This is an important point about which I will also write below, make sure you read to the end.
It is also important to say that the liner is unbelievable number of beautiful locationsfor your photos, for your social networks. If you are an active user, like to post everything on your social networks, Instagram, it will be very interesting and beautiful content. Each liner has its own unique and beautiful locations. For example, on our liner there was a diamond staircase made of Swarovski rhinestones, which shimmered very beautifully in the evening under the spotlight, and there was a huge queue to take beautiful photos there in the evening.
Nuances
Now let’s talk about the important nuances that you need to consider and know before you go on your cruise trip. Especially if you are going for the first time and especially if you are booking your cruise on your own, be sure to read these points.
Firstly, the most important thing isthe beverage package. When you book a cruise, you have meals on board included: breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks. But the beverage package is something you have to purchase extra. I highly recommend that you do this in advance. When you buy a drinks package before your trip, it is much more favourable than buying it on board. In addition, there are often promotions where the drinks package is already included in the price – you should check with your agent or, if you are booking on your own, check this information on the website. You cannot bring any drinks onto the liner during boarding, you will be checked and if you have any drinks, they will be confiscated. On the liner you will be given a card which will act as a key to your cabin and also as a way to pay for all the extras, you will use it to pay in restaurants and bars. If you want, for example, a cappuccino or a glass of wine, you must include a drinks package. Packages are different – there are minimum packages and there are maximum packages, where premium alcohol is included. In general, this is the information you need to check and choose what is right for you.
You also need to purchasean internet package in addition. There are different packages for different number of devices.
If you need internet or your work depends on internet, I recommend to do it in advance before the trip, it will be much more favourable, as the prices on the liner are much higher, and also the currency exchange rate on board is different from the exchange rate.
Otherwise you will have internet only in the port, or in the cities where you will be on excursions in shopping centres, and places where there are points of access to the internet.
What about excursionsif you plan to attend excursions as part of a group, I also recommend doing so in advance and purchasing them before your trip. As I wrote earlier, it is significantly more expensive to buy extras on board than if you do it in advance. Just study this information, and decide for yourself which excursions you are ready to go with a group, or you want to get around the city on your own. But there is a very important point here too, which I will cover in the next paragraph.
And that is transfer.Transfer from the port. In many cities, in many resorts where the liner arrives, the port is outside the city. To get to the city, to the tourist sites, you either have to order a taxi, if you have an app and you are not afraid of running into scammers. By the way, I had such a situation, I ordered a taxi through an app that works in Dubai, but the taxi driver arrived and started actively offering us his services as a city guide. He offered to wait and take us back. Of course he wanted to make money from naive tourists who don’t know the city. If taxi drivers take you by the meter, they choose the longest route, so you should be ready for that too, if you order a taxi. Or order a transfer on the liner, from the cruise company. This transfer is by bus and the price is high. It comes out the same cost as for a taxi. But in the next article I will definitely tell you how you can get for free, where there are free buses, where they go. So subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss this information.
When you check in on the liner, you will drop off your luggage and it will be separately loaded onto the liner and delivered to your cabin. This is done for your convenience. And what is important to know here is that suitcases are brought later in the day, usually by the evening or the next morning. Therefore, all the important things that you will need, it is better to put in your hand luggage and take with you. And in the suitcase already leave those things that you will need later..
The payment system on boardby card. You will use the magnetic Cruise Card, obtained at cruise check-in and verified by your credit card or cash deposit, to pay for all charges made on board. Cash is not allowed on board.
If you have a deposit left, at the end of the voyage you can withdraw it from your card.
Sometimes the liners have theme nights, themed dinners. In general, the restaurant has dress code, so you need to bring elegant outfits, trousers. Especially if you are travelling in the Gulf, trousers for men are a must, and blouses or dresses with closed shoulders and covering the knees for women. These are essential items that you should have in your suitcase with you for the tour. As this is a trip to the Persian Gulf countries they have strict customs, and in many places men may not be allowed in shorts, or girls, if they have exposed shoulders or knees.
On boardthere is no iron, so if you have brought with you elegant dresses, be prepared that you will not have anything to iron them, so I recommend you to take a small hand-held steamer with you, or things that do not wrinkle.
Also an important nuance, if you plan, for example, leaving the city, move around it on your own, you need to take into account the time of landing, as time in cities is limited. For example, you arrive at 8 o’clock and you can already go for a walk around the city. By 5-6pm you need to get back to the liner, otherwise, if you don’t make it in time, you will have to catch up with it yourself in another city. Therefore, you need to calculate the time, calculate whether you will have time to get to the liner, taking into account the traffic jams in the cities and the remoteness of the port from the city.
A cruise ship is a big city on the water, which takes on board over six thousand passengers. Just imagine what a huge number of people this is. So you need to realise that the decks with pools and seating areas will be full. If you like peace and privacy, then I recommend choosing an upgraded cabin category, which provides additional privileges and access to private lounges, restaurants and recreational facilities.
Dinner in the main restaurantis at a specific time and when you book your cruise you are offered a choice of shifts – 6pm or 8pm. It operates on the A la carte system and the menu changes every day. Seating is done by the manager and is assigned to you for the duration of the cruise. You will be seated at a large table with other passengers. You can change shifts or seats once during the first two days. If you plan to dine in the main restaurant, you must arrive there by your time. But don’t worry if you don’t make it in time, there is also a buffet with a large selection of dishes for dinner.
