Dubai – Fujairah – Abu Dhabi – Bahrain – Dubai. Liner of Italian company. My husband and I love travelling and always take vouchers through different tour companies. But this time through the internet, my husband found a sea cruise. We were very interested in it and since we have already travelled almost all over Europe, we decided to see the UAE, we chose in our opinion the most beautiful and most affordable ship Costa Luminosa. Launched in May 2009. We were registered in Natali Tours, a month and a half before the start of the cruise. And when we went to get a voucher, we were pleasantly surprised, instead of a decorated cabin with a balcony, we were given a cabin of a higher class (mini suite), the difference was 800 Euro, but the surprises did not end there. On the table in the cabin, we were waiting for champagne in a bucket with ice, a basket of fresh fruit, different canapés and even with black caviar. We were delighted!!! And when we went out on the balcony, we saw a big stingray swimming nearby, our joy was unbelievable! And in the morning we had another surprise, we received an invitation to a mini evening with the captain and officers and champagne. Honestly, we still don’t know why we were among the lucky ones.
There is an extensive cultural programme on the ship – life is booming! You want to do fitness, you want to swim in the pool with sea water (there are 2 of them), there are Jacuzzis with hot water (there are 4 of them), there is a 4D cinema (Super sensations!), bars, casino, discos. Theatre, where they show different shows, including laser. Restaurants . On the 9th deck around the clock open cafes saoobeservice, food abundance, ranging from fruit and ending with all sorts of desserts and ice cream, of course, except for strong drinks and bottled water, for them you must pay with a plastic card, which already lay our money and still at the same time immediately withdraw 15%. Plastic cards are issued as soon as you get on the ship, they are used to enter and exit the ship, to enter the cabin, as well as for additional services, such as massage, casino, duty-free shop, as well as for alcohol, at the end of the cruise provide a printout of our expenses. During the whole voyage you can watch your expenses on TV, everything is available there, we checked, everything is honest!
I was very impressed by all kinds of entertainment that takes place on the ship. There was an evening with the captain, where everybody got champagne, and who wanted to be photographed with him – everybody was photographed, then there was a concert of the officers’ staff, (amateur talent), they are masters of all hands there! Also there was a ball, where ladies in evening dresses, invited to a white dance officers, great!!! There was an Arabian evening, all dressed in national clothes, such was the impression that around one sheikhs, the whole ship plunged into an Arabian fairy tale. Everything happened at 24h., tables were bursting with oriental sweets, fruits, from the abundance of food, cooks showed their real art.creation, different animal figures were cut out of ice, ice shells in which there were shrimps, ships baked from dough among sea inhabitants. And of course disco, everyone danced, jumped, ate, drank cocktails. It’s a real holiday! My husband and I made a conclusion that if we still have the opportunity to travel, we will go only on a cruise.
Excursions we arranged ourselves, it is much cheaper than with group, moreover ex. passed in English. From port leaves a bus (shuttle) for guests without excursions in the city centre, and there everywhere wait taxis or 2-tier buses with headphones. taxi drivers themselves know routes of sights, only negotiate about the price and they take you and even accompany. That would go into the mosque, it is necessary to put on appropriate clothes, i.e. a black dress in the floor and a black shawl on the head, so they themselves and dress up.
Arab men, as it seemed to me very arrogant, handsome, knowing the price, dressed in all white – it is so mesmerising. Women are dressed in all black, a dress in the floor, on the head a big kulya covered with transparent fabric embroidered with gold, one can see only eyes.And eyes as black pearls, eyelashes long and all very strong and beautifully painted. Very beautiful and clean country and especially beautiful people!!! At least once in a life – it is necessary to see!
Our ship entered 5 ports Dubai, Muscat, Fujairah, Abu – Dhabi, Bahrain and returned again to Dubai. Most of all I liked Abu – Dhabi, the city is very beautiful, you can so to say erected in a modern style and already probably almost completed, I do not know. High-rise houses of unusual design, all shimmer in the sun, the streets are clean, a lot of greenery and what I liked, in each city where we were, everywhere different taxis of different colours, and taxi drivers are dressed in the same uniform, by the way very beautiful. I can’t tell you much about all cities, because you can’t see everything, we travelled by taxi and only gawked. However, in Abu Dhabi we bathed in the Persian Gulf and sunbathed a little, I have not seen such water anywhere else, it is milky turquoise colour, because of the high concentration of salt, our eyes burned afterwards. Not on all beaches it is allowed to swim, it is allowed only on the territory of otels, but that would go there it is necessary to pay, especially strict manners in Fujairah, there have told, can and in prison to put, therefore we did not risk, and beaches there are not found, everywhere huge stones near coast and parks. In general the trip was very pleasant, you can not even go on excursions, have a rest on the ship. In shops, as it seemed to me, not very cheap, so we just rested our souls.
In Dubai we were a little unlucky, we did not see the famous fountain, as they were in mourning, but we were not very upset, as we already had enough impressions.
Tour
We put -5 to the tour operator because she told us the wrong terminal in Sheremetyevo port, and we had to get by bus with our suitcases, although she was asked to clarify in Volgograd where the registration would take place, to be honest, if I was without my husband, I probably would not have found it myself.
R.S. At Sheremetyevo airport alcohol is not sold, and therefore you can buy it immediately at Dubai airport, when boarding the ship nothing was taken away from us. At registration of a plastic card on the ship, we did not stand in a queue, as five employees worked there at once, we put money only on one card – it is allowed, always it and paid off.
And one more advantage in a cruise, at registration of a trip do not require documents about a salary. As for example, if you go to Europe, it is necessary, that you would be given a certificate from work about income not less than 100$. monthly. Just wondering where in the provincial cities the appropriate salary? From the trip we were very satisfied and happy! I wish you all interesting trips!!!
