Dubai prior to boarding

Hi,

On Friday we embark the Costa Serena. Our flight arrives 8am.

I understand boarding procedures to be that from the morning they will allow to to check in your case, board the ship from 3pm with the cabin available from 8pm.

Hoping that someone can assist in planning my day!

My options are to either proceed to the port, deposit the cases, make our way into the city, return mid afternoon and then return to the city for the fountains at night, or to deposit the cases at the airport (20AED), take the metro into the city and return around 3 to the airport, collect the cases and onwards to the port.

So between morning and mid afternoon, what area is recommended to visit? We plan to return that night for the fountain show. Then on the final day of our cruise we will visit the Burj Khalifa, so that box is ticked!

Any thoughts on how to spend day 1?

Thanks,

David

Hi David

We were in Dubai last year for a few days and wanted to have a look around at the main attractions so we just got into a cab from a shopping centre and asked the driver to take us around for a couple of hours. I can't remember what we paid but it was not expensive and off we went... we got out for photo stops and he took us back to our hotel.

The buildings are a real treat to look at... so very different to any other city... I would think it would be an architects dream to design something so unique here, no expense spared of course..

Enjoy

A few years ago, we did a cruise on the Costa Luminosa from Dubai. We flew in overnight from London and took a taxi to Port Rashid and deposited our luggage. We then a took a taxi the short distance to Dubai Creek and hopped on an abra across the creek to explore the souks and have lunch. Late afternoon we got a taxi back to Port Rashid.

I seem to remember using the showers in the spa area to freshen up before dinner (clean underwear in lightweight carry on!). By the time we had finished dinner we could access our cabin and collapsed, exhausted!

Hi,

 

On Friday we embark the Costa Serena. Our flight arrives 8am.

 

I understand boarding procedures to be that from the morning they will allow to to check in your case, board the ship from 3pm with the cabin available from 8pm.

 

Hoping that someone can assist in planning my day!

 

So between morning and mid afternoon, what area is recommended to visit?

 

Any thoughts on how to spend day 1?

 

Thanks,

David

Some thoughts......I would probably drop off my bags at the ship and then take a taxi to explore. If you are flying in to DXB you are not far from the port or downtown. Arriving on a Friday morning, the malls will be open but a lot of things will be closed until afternoon. I believe metro now starts running at 10am.

One thing you could do is take a taxi from the port to the al Ghubaiba water taxi station in the old part of Dubai by the creek (near HSBC) to the marina area and/or another route is around the marina area towards Atlantis. It leaves Al Ghugaiba at 11am. Great photo ops especially of the Cayan Tower (twisted building) in the Marina.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayan_Tower

The Marina water taxi station is near the Marina Mall metro station. Marina Mall is not one of the bigger Dubai Malls. After your water taxi ride you could take metro to Mall of the Emirates to see the indoor ski slope and/or continue on to Dubai Mall. There is also an afternoon fountain show (one and one-thirty) but seeing it at night is even better and if you explore by water taxi you won't make it back in time. On your way back to the ship at night, take a taxi or metro to the creek area (al Fahidi District aka Bastakiya)to visit the small but interesting Dubai Museum then ride an abra across the creek for one dirham ($.27) which is a real Dubai experience. The textile souk is on the Bur Dubai side of the creek and the gold and spice souk on the Deira side. If you are wondering around on the Deira side you will see many working dhows loading and off loading goods around the Radisson Blu.

http://www.rta.ae/wpsv5/wps/portal/rta/how-do-i/public-transport/marine/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gfd9cAfwM3M0N_d38LA0_TMKMAYwNPYxN3E6B8JE55fz9zinSbEaPbwMA02CfMwtvCxcDZKMzP0MjE2AACiNONHTgS0u2lH5Wek58EDKFwUJjhDwO88mYQeXz-gMjjdKmfR35uqn5wYpF-QW5oaGhEZbBnlokjADhv-Ck!/dl3/d3/L0lHSkovd0RNQURrQUVnQSEhL1lCZncvZW4!/?locale.switch=true

http://www.rta.ae/dubai_metro/

If you haven't already done so, be sure to book your tickets for At the Top as they are far more expensive on the spot and may also be sold out.

Have fun in Dubai!

I'm also going on the Serena but in March. I've sailed the Arabian Gulf the last 3 years with Costa.

One thing I picked up from your post is you returning to the ship for 3pm just to head back out again. Why are you wanting to do that? Just because boarding starts at 3pm (and it is very busy then) it doesn't mean you have to check in then. Embarkation lasts for many, many hours - right thought to the wee hours with people arriving at 2am or even later as they arrive on flights arriving around midnight.

So if you're not tired and intend going to the fountain show, just stay in the city and go to the port when you're finished in Downtown.

Sure taxis are very cheap in Dubai, but why waste time going back to the ship just to go back in to Dubai again?