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Costa Serena in Dubai, anyone been yet??

misscolina

By misscolina,
in Costa Cruises

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Edinburghgirl1

Edinburghgirl1

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You will not need any Euro on the ship unless you intend to play in the casino. If you purchase anything on the ship it all goes on your Costa card and is settled at the end of the cruise from the credit card you register when you board. They do not accept cash on the ship. Best to take a small amount of Dirhams for taxis and lunches etc. We took £100 each and changed some more in the Dubai Mall for a nominal charge. If any Scottish person is reading this make sure any sterling you take is Bank of England. I accidently handed over a Clydesdale Bank £20 note at Dubai airport and they looked at it like it was Monopoly money. The airport duty free takes any currency and gives change in the same currency as you paid in.

 

If you are arriving early at the port make sure you pack clothes to change into at the top of your case and change into them before you check in your bags. It was 29 degrees last Friday when we left Dubai so the clothes you travel in from the UK will be too warm!

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lizboyle

lizboyle

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Just got back from this trip on Friday and have to say what fabulous value for money. It's not the most modern or glitziest ship I've been on but the cabins are very comfortable and spacious and the whole ship is spotlessly clean. The food in the buffet is very good and in the main dining room it's also good. You can usually find something you like.

 

What makes this cruise is the excellent service and the friendly happy crew. Nothing was too much trouble and they are constantly asking if you would like a drink in the lounge bars. The all inclusive drinks package is excellent value also. At 7 euro plus 15% for a cocktail we reckon we got our money's worth on day 2 lol.

I would have no hesitation in doing it again.

 

Glad you had a great time. Can you tell me what time you were allowed on the ship? Once on in Dubai, is it easy to get on and off or is there a shuttle running to the port gates, and if so, is it free?

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AmoMondo

AmoMondo

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Glad you had a great time. Can you tell me what time you were allowed on the ship? Once on in Dubai, is it easy to get on and off or is there a shuttle running to the port gates, and if so, is it free?

 

Only free shuttles are the ones to the less popular malls. Taxis are plentiful and incredibly cheap though. There isn't anything at the port gates and it is a long drive out. Dubai is strung out over quite a distance, so taxis and metroo are the easiest ways to get around. There is a new tram which I've not yet tried.

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G.M.T.

G.M.T.

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I've just booked this cruise,

 

Can someone who has been tell me how many formal nights there are and what % of the men wore dinner suits?

 

I just got back from an 11 cruise on the Fascinosa, there were 2 gala nights and 3 theme nights (whites, red & black, red green & white -Italian night).

 

Never saw a dinner jacket or evening gown, (although there were two restaurants and two sittings) in the restaurants and bars afterwards. A small smattering of dark suits. Only about 50% of the menu wore a jacket and about 40% wore a tie, rest I would call smart casual. Most women wore black trousers with "glitzy" tops. Things have certainly changed in this respect, what use is a tie - only to catch food stains.

 

Not taking a dinner jacket / suit certainly saved a few kilos on the baggage allowance on the outward bound journey which DW made good use of on the homeward bound journey.:eek:

 

Take / do whatever makes you fell comfortable in - after all t is your cruise.

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lizboyle

lizboyle

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Only free shuttles are the ones to the less popular malls. Taxis are plentiful and incredibly cheap though. There isn't anything at the port gates and it is a long drive out. Dubai is strung out over quite a distance, so taxis and metroo are the easiest ways to get around. There is a new tram which I've not yet tried.

 

What I mean is... From where the ship is berthed, do you need to get a shuttle to port gates or can you walk? Maybe taxis can get straight up to ship? I've been to Dubai before and know taxis are cheap and metro is great.

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Edinburghgirl1

Edinburghgirl1

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On the Costa Serena I would say about 50% of the men had a suit or tuxedo on and the other 50% were either smart causal or scruffy. Most of the women were smart some wore evening dresses but most just smart dresses or trousers and a top.

 

It all the ports we visited it was not allowed to walk from the port on foot. You had to use a taxi or in Muscat the port provided shuttle busses.

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AmoMondo

AmoMondo

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What I mean is... From where the ship is berthed, do you need to get a shuttle to port gates or can you walk? Maybe taxis can get straight up to ship? I've been to Dubai before and know taxis are cheap and metro is great.

 

It is a very long walk to the port gates, not even sure they allow it. taxis are right beside the terminal. Loads of them all day and night.

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canny_cruiser

canny_cruiser

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On the Costa Serena I would say about 50% of the men had a suit or tuxedo on and the other 50% were either smart causal or scruffy. Most of the women were smart some wore evening dresses but most just smart dresses or trousers and a top.

 

It all the ports we visited it was not allowed to walk from the port on foot. You had to use a taxi or in Muscat the port provided shuttle busses.

 

Thanks for the information. How many formal nights were there during the cruise?

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tiggywig123

tiggywig123

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Just got back from this trip on Friday and have to say what fabulous value for money. It's not the most modern or glitziest ship I've been on but the cabins are very comfortable and spacious and the whole ship is spotlessly clean. The food in the buffet is very good and in the main dining room it's also good. You can usually find something you like.

 

What makes this cruise is the excellent service and the friendly happy crew. Nothing was too much trouble and they are constantly asking if you would like a drink in the lounge bars. The all inclusive drinks package is excellent value also. At 7 euro plus 15% for a cocktail we reckon we got our money's worth on day 2 lol.

I would have no hesitation in doing it again.

Just another question from me ;) Are there any particular trips or places you would recommend on this holiday? We go in two and a half weeks and just want to make sure we don't miss anything. We definitely want to see the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and want to take a visit to the Dubai Mall, but don't really have anything else planned right now. We'd be open to most things.

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Wansbrough

Wansbrough

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Just another question from me ;) Are there any particular trips or places you would recommend on this holiday? We go in two and a half weeks and just want to make sure we don't miss anything. We definitely want to see the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and want to take a visit to the Dubai Mall, but don't really have anything else planned right now. We'd be open to most things.

We did a fantastic dhow cruise in Khasab last year on the Fortuna repo cruise.

 

http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2014/03/costa-fortuna-postcard-3-khasab-2/

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AmoMondo

AmoMondo

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There is no end of things to do in Dubai - have a look at trip advisor for ideas. You don't need a tour really for any of it, except Seawings which I did on my first Vosta Arabian Gulf cruise. It is very expensive but truly memorable. Some of the Dubai architecture and Palm etc can only be appreciated from an aerial view.

 

Book online in advance to save money if you want to go up the Burj Khalifa. If you want to go to the Burj al Srab you will definitely need to book ahead. No reservation, no admittance.

 

You could do the Fhow wharfage, Dubai Museum and Douqs and take an Abra ride across the creek.

 

You could go to Madinant where they have a modern souk, several 5 star hotels and loads of restaurants and bars and a great view of Burj al Arab.

 

How aboutbthe walk at JBR and then a toddle around the Marina? Could have cocktails at the Observatorynthere?

 

How about Dubai Mall, the fountains, Souk al Bahar?

 

Desert safar with or without Dune bashing. Day pass to Atlantis? Miracle Garden and Global Village.

 

Really something for everyone in Dubai.

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tiggywig123

tiggywig123

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There is no end of things to do in Dubai - have a look at trip advisor for ideas. You don't need a tour really for any of it, except Seawings which I did on my first Vosta Arabian Gulf cruise. It is very expensive but truly memorable. Some of the Dubai architecture and Palm etc can only be appreciated from an aerial view.

 

Book online in advance to save money if you want to go up the Burj Khalifa. If you want to go to the Burj al Srab you will definitely need to book ahead. No reservation, no admittance.

 

You could do the Fhow wharfage, Dubai Museum and Douqs and take an Abra ride across the creek.

 

You could go to Madinant where they have a modern souk, several 5 star hotels and loads of restaurants and bars and a great view of Burj al Arab.

 

How aboutbthe walk at JBR and then a toddle around the Marina? Could have cocktails at the Observatorynthere?

 

How about Dubai Mall, the fountains, Souk al Bahar?

 

Desert safar with or without Dune bashing. Day pass to Atlantis? Miracle Garden and Global Village.

 

Really something for everyone in Dubai.

Thanks for all your help, am going to have a look in to all of them. I just had a quick look at Global Village which looks great. I'm guessing we can easily get a taxi there from the port?

Which brings me to my next question, if we were to go to Global Village, it doesn't open until 4pm, and say we want to spend the evening there, is there any kind of 'curfew' on the ship, or can we come back at any time?

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