Are cruising in the Emirates safe?

[keltic]

Well, it´s a silly question. Nowhere in the world is safe. Not London, Not Madrid, not New York. I love the Costa Classica new cruise from Dubai. I love the area, I love the ship, the price is right and I have availability. Should I book?. I am a bit of a whimp. I have in mind the Alqaeda thugs operating in the area. Am I exagerating?. Does anyone know the area?. Are they western friendly?.

[Jayayeff]

Well, it´s a silly question. Nowhere in the world is safe. Not London, Not Madrid, not New York. I love the Costa Classica new cruise from Dubai. I love the area, I love the ship, the price is right and I have availability. Should I book?. I am a bit of a whimp. I have in mind the Alqaeda thugs operating in the area. Am I exagerating?. Does anyone know the area?. Are they western friendly?.

 

Well, I'm British and have lived and worked in the U.A.E. for many years. As you quite rightly note nowhere in the world are we guaranteed to be safe but I've never had any cause for concern over my safety here. It is a great place to visit and if you have the opportuity to do so I'd say take it... And yes it is western friendly however, it is an estern country so all I would add is to be respectful of their culture and customs... Any other info, please feel free to ask...

[keltic]

Thanks for your replay. That´s what I wanted to hear. I maybe make the reservation next week.

[sugarbabe61]

We booked this cruise yesterday for 17th Feb. I have never flown further than Europe so this will be a realy biggy for me!!

 

I too am a bit of a worrier but totally agree, you are not really safe anywhere. I would fully respect any Country I am visiting, their Cultures and customs. We did the Costa Fortuna cruise that called at Libya but I was too scared to get off the ship and wander around Tripoli as a couple. We did not fancy the organised excursions as we are not into history.

 

Would be interested to know though Jayayeff, would you recommend to do your own thing in any of the ports of call which are Muscat, Bahrain, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi?

 

Also what will the weather be like in Feb? Think I read it may be the rainy season!!:eek:

 

Thanks

Wendy

[Jayayeff]

Wendy: Really depends what you are hoping to see in these ports and how much time you have in them whether you do them alone or not. Dubai in general is very doable on your own as it gets a lot of tourists. The older part of the city (around the Creek) is not far from the port and all along the Creekside is walkable. Although we still do not have a very efficient public transport network, taxis are readily available, clean, air-conditioned, they are metered and most drivers speak adequate English. Muscat is very nice and quite small however I don't know where exactly the port is. Again it is quite doable alone if you do not plan going out of the city, if you wanted to go out to Nizwa (an old fortified town) of similar places then you would proably be better doing with a tour. Bahrain I have not been to for many years so not sure how that is these days. Abu Dhabi I regularly go to on business and lived there when I first came to the UAE however, unlike Dubai I wouldn't really say there are many 'sights' to see. Fujeirah, although it has a busy seaport, is quite small and a place many of us on this side of the UAE go to for a weekend getaway. It has nice beaches on the Indian Ocean and the drive from Dubai to Fujeirah is pretty as you have to go through the 'mountains'. To do anything outside of Fujeirah itself you would need transport so maybe a tour again.

 

There is always the possibility of rain in the winter months but there is no such thing as the rainy season, some years it doesn't rain at all, some we may get a few days, occasionally more than a few days. However even if it does rain, it's not cold and wet!! The average daytime temp during Feb will be between 70 - 80F, maybe a few degress higher if dry and sunny. October - April are the months we all enjoy and get out and about doing things, May - September we hibernate from the heat!!!

 

If I can be of any more help, please feel free to email me at jannefas@hotmail.com

 

Anne

[sugarbabe61]

Anne

 

Thanks a million for your reply. Your information has been very helpful indeed. There are excursions in all the ports, but we don't want to do these everyday as a) they are expensive and b) they are pretty exhausting and sometimes you feel you are just herded around like cattle. However we do appreciate that this will be the only way to get to see some of the Country, and if we are travelling all this way then you really have to get out and explore.

 

I am sooooo excited about this trip. Dubai is renowned for being an exciting City. The Arabian culture fascinates both of us so I know this will be a very unique experience for us.

 

I read some more yesterday re the weather in that although the winter months are the wettest there is still very little rain. As for those temperatures you quote well wow - after living in cold Aberdeen in the North of Scotland anything above 50f is warm!!! :D So this will be a real bonus

 

Again, thank you Anne for taking the time and trouble to answer my questions. I really appreciate it.

 

Wendy

[Manama]

I was a Flight Attendant with Gulf Air in the 90s so I travelled around the Gulf region extensively. My last visit to Bahrain was about 4 years ago and in my opinion security in airports is much tighter than in the UK so I would imagine it would be just as safe cruising - many cruise lines visit the region as part of their world cruise and I don't think they would offer itineries to places that they think would be dangerous.

I lived in Bahrain for three years in the 90s so am able to offer advice on what to see and do there. It’s very tiny but I loved it and think it’s a good cruise itinery stop. It's not as flashy as Dubai as it's not as rich a country but there's certainly enough to see.

 

They are all very different and you will see this for yourself when you go on this cruise. Don’t be put off by negative posts from expats. Some expats I knew in Bahrain were negative about the place but they’re still there several years later.

 

The cruise ship is likely to dock in the Port Mina Sulman which is not far from town. The islandis quite small so you are never far from town.

 

There isn’t really any public transport so I would imagine the best thing to do is to negotiate with a taxi driver to drive you round and wait for you at each place. Taxis are relatively cheap and are supposed to use there meter but can usually agree a price with you

 

Things to see:

 

Al Fatih Mosque

Portuguese Fort at Arad

The souk/gold souk – take a taxi to Bab al Bahrain

The Bahrain National Museum

Jasra House (a very modest home still occupied by the royal family until the 60s I think)

King Fahad Causeway ( you can go up to a viewing tower and get views across to Saudi. The Saudis paid for the causewayto be built so they could drive straight over)

 

Things I found boring but will likely show up on cruise excursions:

 

The Tree of Life (an old tree in the desert)

Al Areen Wildlife Park ( lots of Arabian oryx but Disneyland it ain’t)

The Oil Museum (need I say more !)

 

This cruise is not for those who don’t like heat. It is extremely hot around the Gulf !

 

Dress Code

 

Whilst Bahrain is relatively relaxed you will need to cover your shoulders and wear a long skirt. If you go out in revealing clothes you will attract unwelcome attention and it will spoil your experience. Invest in some loose fitting cottons for this trip.

Money – Oman, UAE and Bahrain each have their own currenct but shops will often take other Gulf currencies so you might not need to withdraw local currency in each port.

Oman is a beautiful country and very different to Bahrain and the U.A.E. The best place I've been to in Oman is Salalah (which i've seen on some cruise itineries) but it's a flight from Muscat so too far for a day's excursion.

 

Hope this helps and look forward to reading your reviews !

[Live to cruz]

Manama, what would you consider the highlights in Salalah and Muscat when time is limited when visiting these places on a ship? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Thank you.

[Manama]

The thing with the Gulf and Oman is it's not massively touristy but it is really worth seeing. About Oman, it's Arabic with an African influence and has resisted building ugly western style buildings and is worth seeing for that alone. i'd look at the excursions you are offered with your cruise as public transport is pretty non existent. salalah is a beautiful idyllic beach place but I'd go out on an organised scenic trip, it's a green tropical Indian Ocean paradise and I would love to see it again. In Oman go to the Souk and take an excursion that takes in the place. Oman is beautiful and still unspoilt and now is the time to go before it becomes spoilt. Most U.K tourists are going there for the fab 5 Star Hotels and Spas.

 

I can't recommend anything in particular to see but I love Oman. i'm sure u will as it's just so different to the rest off the Gulf.

 

I can't wait to read all the reviews next year. Enjoy it !