There came true my longtime dream, to be on a cruise. At first I dreamed of river cruises, studied information, read forums, monitored prices. I realized that sea cruises are cheaper than river cruises, and the ships there are more serious.
We landed in Dubai airport Terminal 3. It is huge, there is even a train running on it, like in the subway, but with 2 stops. We passed all the controls, got our luggage, changed some money and went by metro to the hotel.
The next morning, rested, slept well after breakfast went to the parking place of the ship – the port of Rashid.
The beautiful liner was replaced from afar.
Registration was quick, passports were handed in, we were photographed, cruise cards were issued. And at about 10am we are on board the ship.
We begin to slowly explore the locations, as we can only get to the cabin at 14. 00.
The interiors are stunning in their luxury and beauty. A picture-changing ceiling.
A huge chandelier with Swarovski crystals. The place is full of people in the evenings, all wanting to take a picture of themselves in front of it.
Let me start with a description of the cabin. We had an inside cabin on deck 12. Small, cozy, perfect for two people. I don’t know if they sell such cabins 2+1 , but with this accommodation it will be a little small.
Everything needed and more was present. Large bed, spacious locker, table with mirror, TV, air conditioning, mini-bar, hair dryer.
Let me tell you a little bit about the smart TV. In addition to broadcasting the main channels, you can watch additional movies here and use a special program to watch your activities on the ship. Here you can sign up for shows or additional restaurants, see details of expenses, the entertainment program and much more. I didn’t understand much here, as I used a similar program downloaded into my phone. The TV was also used as a window. On a certain channel the video from the camera was broadcast.
The bathroom is small, with a shower, sink and toilet. Everything is clean, new, no mold. In general, the ventilation system worked amazingly well. Strange things hung in the shower cubicle dried quickly.
Cleaning twice a day. The first in the morning, the second after six in the evening. Changed towels white and beach towels. They brought the program for the next day and prepared the bed for sleep.
On the first day mandatory safety drills. At about 16-30 on all loudspeakers in all languages began to broadcast that it is necessary to come to the cabin, watch the safety video, call the phone number listed at the end of the video and come to the assembly point to check in.
The useful and interesting locations on the liner. The main decks here are considered 6-7-8 and 18-19-20.
On the 6th deck is the reception, Russian-speaking staff, excursion desks, an office for booking future cruises, duty-free, restaurants and cafes. There is also the Luna Park Arena, where evening shows are held in the form of an interactive disco.
Two more theaters, where free shows are held on deck 7.
The huge World theatre is the most visited place and had the most colorful shows. We especially liked the circus show Amelia.
The hall is always full of spectators.
Here on captain’s evening the commander of the ship introduced his crew. Even said a few welcoming words in Russian.
The next entertainment venue is Panorama Lounge, located on deck 7 aft.
The room is smaller, but the performances are as always bright and incendiary.
Here are all theaters entrance by appointment. You can book in several ways, through an app on your phone, interactive screens on the decks, or by using the TV in your stateroom. This is done to distribute vacationers to different locations.
In addition, people were entertained by the pool and day and evening, on the promenade bright light show, and also in many bars played live music.
I pay special attention to the promenade street on the ship. In the evenings there are light shows here. Walking here and do not realize that you are on a ship.
Stands imitating palm trees play different colors. At certain times they play music and it looks very effective.
And of course there are different boutiques, cafes. There are two panoramic elevators.
In all its glory is a dry slide, on which you can go down from the 19th deck to the 8th . There are a lot of people willing to take this ride. At the end of the promenade there is an observation deck with a beautiful view of the trace of the ship in motion.
For gamblers there is a casino, which works when the ship is sailing.
Pools. There are several of them, located on deck 18.
Near the main is always noisy and crowded. Here during the day animators entertain people.
Next door is the indoor pool. The glass roof is an interesting design. In sunny weather the ceiling slides down and you can swim under the open sky.
At the stern there are two more small pools. One of them is 18+, no children allowed. In all pools sea water.
places to sunbathe a lot, they are scattered on 18-21 decks. It was difficult with sunbeds when swimming in the sea. Of course, almost 7000 people, and all on the ship.
Besides pools there are Jacuzzis. Of many, there are bigger ones, and there are small ones.
The water in them is heated when it’s cold. In mid-March it was obscenely hot.
N y and of course the water park area with steep slides. A special way used the slide with 3D glasses, always queues. Before using the slides you have to fill out a mini questionnaire, then you put on a bracelet, which until the end of the cruise is not removed.
There is also a small children’s water park.
From the entertainment still, on the 20th deck you can ride on roller skates or bumper cars. In the evening all this is beautifully illuminated.
Catering on the cruise 24 hours a day. When you check in, you are assigned a specific restaurant and table. Dinner, lunch and breakfast are scheduled, here the food is à la carte. You are served by a waiter, the dishes are beautifully served and decorated. Besides on 18-19 decks there are buffets working on buffet system. The assortment is huge, we for a week even did not try everything.
Also on deck 6 there is a cafe Pizza Burger. Here they offer mostly fast food.
The drinks included in the price are tea, coffee, water, juices in the morning. For the rest you have to buy a drink package, there are several kinds. The cheapest one costs 32 euros per person per day. It is bought at once for everyone in the cabin. Counting on our composition of two people, a day 64 euros, for the whole cruise over 400 euros. We decided that we could not drink so much and paid for each meal. On soft drinks, ice cream, wine, beer for the whole period spent less than 100 euros.
Cafes on the liner is very much, for every taste and price.
I will describe my favorite and frequently visited places. Sweet Temptations is a sweet tooth paradise at the end of the promenade. Here they make delicious milkshakes with different additives and different kinds of ice cream.
Coffee Emporiim, a cool place. They make delicious and flavorful coffee here. Several types of coffee are brewed in any method. We especially liked the coffee brewed with the siphon method. The brewing process is a little show.
The beer pub, where the beer is brewed directly on the ship, only three varieties. It’s a full house in the evenings.
Jeane Philippe’s Café Chocolatier with a huge assortment of Belgian chocolates , which could be bought and tasted right here with a cup of aromatic coffee or taken home as a gift.
Money payments on the ship. Nothing is sold for cash here. All purchases are made with a cruise card. In terminals you have to put currency on the card, which is converted into euros. The terminal accepts 4 types of money: euros, dollars, dirhams and Qatari reals. It is quite easy to use, these are the only terminals where there is Russian language.
A little walk through our itinerary. The first day – boarding the ship. Departure at 23.00
Second day – Abu Dhabi. We had a self-guided tour of the city. In this city we have already been many times, just refreshed some impressions.
Of course we visited the White Mosque of Sheikh Zayed.
We planned to visit the Presidential Palace, but it was closed. We walked along the promenade and went back on board.
Third day – Sir Bani Yas Island.
We had a passive day here. Before lunch we walked along the beach area, swam and sunbathed. Wishing went on a jeep safari.
The fourth day was a day at sea.
Fifth day-Dammam Saudi Arabia. Here you had to do a visa in advance to get out into the city. We didn’t bother with visas and spent the day on board. All the more there is a lot to do here.
The sixth day – Doha Qatar. Here we ordered an organized excursion in advance. The city is beautiful and interesting, but the guide was boring and illiterate. She conducted the excursion at the level of a 5th grade student.
The seventh and eighth day – the circle closed and we went back to Dubai.
I will share the nuances of going ashore on the last day of the cruise, it is called deembarkation. A new and misunderstood word. Two days before the end of the cruise, you are brought to your cabin with luggage tags that you must attach to your suitcases and bags. The night before, you put your luggage in the corridor. At night they will be taken away and you will receive them already in the port. Leave yourself a hand luggage with necessary and valuable things.
The night before you need to close the accounts on the cruise card, if you do not do this you will not be released from the ship.
On the day of the end of the cruise to vacate the cabin must be at 8 am, but you can go ashore at any time. We left the liner around 2pm.
To summarize, we enjoyed the new kind of trip very much. Having just flown home, I am already planning a new cruise. I recommend it.
