Emirates – a paradise for shopping, luxury or expensive country for a holiday, desert and interesting excursions. It so happened that in autumn we did not get out on a beach holiday, the closure of Egypt (from 30tr for a trip), the closure of Turkey and off season for beaches in November, the rise in price of Thailand in this regard, turned our eyes to the UAE.
We also received a mailing with a promotion for a cruise from Dubai at 229 euros per nose. The promotion was for 2 days, then extended for another 4. And having looked at the dates on 8 March, the transfer of weekends and working days, it was decided to take such a cruise. Again there were tickets to Dubai for 38tr round trip for two people on suitable dates. While we were thinking about it, we had time to compare prices for hotel holidays in the same direction. Knowing what awaits us on the ship (this is our 3rd cruise), good cuisine, evening theatre, entertainment, the noise of the waves, and a 16-storey hospitable atmosphere with many bars and live music, and the price of about 75tr for 7 days, we decided to plunge again into the pleasant atmosphere of a cruise liner and good rest, sun, sea, food.
Since there was a lot of time, we had time to regret buying a cruise (by the way, most cruises are irrevocable, once you buy , you can not return the tickets), and to regret that there are many prohibitions (in OMAN you can not swim in the usual European swimming costumes – you need a long-sleeved T-shirt with a closed neck, and trousers covering the ankles) you can’t do a lot of other things (with alcohol there are a lot of prohibitions), with photography there are a lot of prohibitions. Well the tickets are bought, we should try to have fun and look for something that is not available anywhere .
When it was time to leave, we are already morally ready for a holiday, set up for a good mood, assured ourselves that everything will work out for us.
The first expected problem (but we hoped, what if) is the food on the plane for money. FlyDubai offers to choose food for separate money, the flight is 5 hours (during the purchase of the ticket also offers), in the reviews mentioned that those who choose them are fed in the first place, we thought well maybe coffee or tea will be free, it was not. We took juice, energy granola bars, biscuits, snickers. We bought on board only water 0,5 litre bottle. We didn’t want to pay 20 euros for a sandwich (there was no normal food, not even hamburgers like makdak) something like shawarma with sausage. So keep in mind snickers chocolates chocolate bars biscuits sandwiches quite possible to take in hand luggage (drinks are not allowed).
But from home we always take 0,5 lemonade or tea for 1$, will take away no pity, will not take away, we do not buy 100r in Duty water.
The next quest on arrival happened when we tried at 9 pm to find a bus stop or metro. We were told it was closed. We took a taxi. Probably it is good, because public transport in Dubai is not what we are used to, and people walking on the streets can be found only at night. Mentioning in the title “I do not advise” is still ahead, because cruise holidays are always air travel separately and there is no transfer, then it is necessary to get there independently. Dubai for travelling tourists are not created at all. Therefore to choose a cruise from Dubai probably there is a sense only if in India or Singapore to leave, on a circle in a puddle there is no sense.
Having reached the hotel in the centre of Deira, we had a snack than was in luggage, drinking cognac and wine, and have fallen to sleep. forces somewhere to go simply did not remain. We had to get there 24 hours – train, metro, bus, plane from Vnukovo, more than 5 hours of summer with sellers on board the plane who sell buns and watches at the same time. But we made it! Almost free. 8tr per person for the flight to dubai.
The morning at 5 o’clock was awakened by calls to Allah from three sides at once. Turns out the hotel is in the centre of Deira, next to three mosques on three sides. We continued to sleep, and through the closed windows and doors we could still hear everything. After half an hour it subsided, but after lying down we got up at 7am and went to look for coffee and something to eat. In the Hindu quarter that we stopped there were a lot of vendors, and found a wonderful coffee shop with local people, where for 2 dirhams we were given a wonderful cappuccino. Approximately the same on the seafront creek dubai costs from 5 to 15 dirhams per cup. Going to the mini supermarket in the next house from our hotel we took juice in 250 ml bottles (cans 10) coca-cola a couple of bottles, and by 12 o’clock decided to go to the ship, where we were waiting for a buffet. The sun was already warming up, having walked around our neighbourhood, we did not start planning to go somewhere before boarding the ship, hoping that we still have the ship will stand for a day in the port, and then on our return a couple of days, and before departure we still have a day in the hotel, “we will have time” we decided and went to the ship. According to the map we walk to the port about 15 minutes, but this is a country of prohibitions – you can not walk on the port! We take a taxi and drive. We get stuck in a traffic jam in front of the tunnel. After about 30 minutes we managed to get to the tunnel and drove to the Rashid port. We show a bunch of printouts of our booking at the checkpoint and drive through the territory of the cargo port of Dubai for about 20 minutes looping between a bunch of new cars standing in the car park, apparently there is a customs zone too. Having passed through this port lagoon, we come to the terminal, and step on the passport control very similar to the airport. Going outside we go to the ICC tents where we get tags on our suitcases (luggage) and we leave them in the general pile. Two cruises before we brought them with us. By European standards they are small – they have with such in hand luggage fly, but here summer apparently all with small and our recognised also for luggage.
Quickly familiarised ourselves with the memo for the day and the holiday began. The ship itself is nice. Alcohol card cost 26 euros per adult, for two of us 52 per day, 8 days about 400 euros. We decided to save it. Only on our first cruise did we buy one. The next two went without. What have we done to ensure that we have the right amount of alcohol for our needs. This isn’t Madeira or Spain or Italy. You won’t find shops on the beach here. So we took with us in our luggage – cognac, medical alcohol, red wine from Samara. For convenience we poured cognac, red wine, and alcohol into a 2-litre bottle from Coca-Cola (you can also take vodka), but we still mix it with juice, so we took alcohol.
These stocks were quite enough for us. We of course took beer on board and cocktails – pina colada and air force at msk are quite pleasant, Stravbury is also good. It is clear that the prices there are crazy, but it is a cruise. The good thing about the cabin is there’s ice, a fridge. The buffet has decent cheese, sausages, hamburgers. When we planned to go out into the city tomorrow, we took hamburgers in the fridge (they were on the distribution after lunch from about 2 to 4). Juice was free from vending machines only in the morning until 11, so we could fill 0.5 litre bottles only in the morning.
The restaurants are boring, not in terms of food, but in the manner of consumption. They bring bread and water first. Bottled water for money, jug water for free. We took the jug. But they don’t drink anything but wine and water. We couldn’t get tea even for money. (in the first cruise with a drinks card they brought it), as well as cognac. But water and bread will be brought all evening and refilled all the time. They have separate people with this and they go round the whole room. We just went to the buffet and got tea in mugs and went straight to the restaurant with the tea. Is it weird? But it’s free and you don’t have to explain anything to anyone. We also took 250ml bottles of juice filled with wine and cognac, or juice with alcohol – screwdriver, and filled our own glasses at dinner. No one reproached us. Among the waiters there are those who carry water and bread, those who carry main courses. And those who have to serve cognac, wine and juice are like the others. We’ve ordered beer a few times. We were quite happy to drink what we brought ourselves. 250 ml of cognac is very good, if you compare the price in their bars – croisier, for example, costs about 10 euros for 40 ml. And I bought a bottle of 0,7 litres of Stone Lion in Samara for 413 p in Duty Free, that is about 5 euros.
So why not to go on this cruise on the Emirates ?
Because alcohol has nothing to do with this particular cruise. You can’t bring it on any cruise ship and the prices on board are several times higher.
One of the reasons is poor landfall . Almost in all ports it is necessary either to pay money for transfer or long drive to the city or to take a taxi to walk around the neighbourhood. But there is nothing much to see there except mosques. And no matter how beautiful the beaches are, it is very difficult and expensive to get to them from the liner. The ship stands in an industrial zone (so almost everywhere, in Marseille for example), but if in Europe you can walk, here it is almost always forbidden, and not very convenient. The city beaches leave much to be desired, and hotel beaches are either far away and paid, or you can not find your way there. For those who have never tasted anything sweeter than carrots, it may do, but for us from Samara, when we know what a normal embankment and a normal beach looks like, it is wild to swim against the background of cargo harbour cranes. The colour of local life is poor, 30-40 years ago there was a desert, yes something managed to build, but you want to rest among gastarbeiters Tajiks and Uzbeks? There is no local population as such, the sheikhs are about like the government in the Kremlin, no one on the streets. And these builders, cleaners, traders, and other local people live there to work. And not everybody can boast a big salary or a good profession or position. And a cruise ship comes to this place, and you who have come ashore start to be torn by local taxi drivers to drive you along local tourist routes, and it looks like in the worst Egypt. Yes, you can take an excursion on the ship, but it is in English, and three times more expensive than it is worth.
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