little britain

I don’t see any reason why you cannot get off when you’ve completed b2b formalities. What are you thinking of doing/going?

I booked first day on sale and it’s costing us $3900! @Jimbo and @Merion_Mom will be good to put faces to names!

Do not stay in a soulless airport hotel when there are hundreds of alternatives. You don’t need transfers. Taxis and Uber are cheap and readily available. Stay somewhere else!

Taxis are dirt cheap. There are also Ubers. Best area imho is around the marina or JBR Jumeriah Beach Resort. Here you can walk to lots of restaurants and shops. I recommend the Sofitel on JBR. There is also the cheap efficient tram which connects to the cheap efficient metro. Avoid the Palm as it’s soulless and few facilities outside your hotel - also only one road on/ off so traffic is bad

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No covid tests needed There were laundry 🧺 packages in my planner but I didn’t really talk much notice - it was something like €30 for 20 items Yes there were dining packages- they were continually touting them onboard… 4 restaurant package is €125 3 restaurant package is €115

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Disembarking info. An Uber to the airport costs 58aed. Personally I wouldn’t leave as early as they suggest and I’d get a bit more sleep 💤! People were boarding the ship already as we left at 8;15am! Thank you for reading. Hopefully I’ve provided some useful info ℹ️ LB

Sorry yes I used Careem in AD - it was 32aed each way up the Louvre. Careem seems to have fallen out of favour in Dubai where Uber is more prevalent. Meanwhile in Doha they were not allowed up to the terminal so you had to walk a bit to their pick up zone ( but tricky when you lose the ships Wi-Fi).

I’ve never seen a local bus in the cruise terminal and it’s a lengthy walk to the port gates. Just get an Uber?

Varied. I’d wear what you want to. I only saw one long gown but it was split up to her underwear…🤦‍♀️

Dress was very varied to be polite! I saw one tuxedo. Hardly any suits. DH wore a linen jacket and chinos.

Yes just 1 formal night, it was Tuesday so the day at sea.

I didn’t see any alcohol for sale on the ship ( tbh I didn’t really look)… but in the shop where you would expect to find duty free they were doing a deal on cigarettes - I think around €3 a pack which is cheap apparently

There is a huge duty free shop at the airport

Shows are in the planner, not sure what time they are released. It shows how many seats are left for each performance 🎭 Yes it’s a “free for all” but if in YC your butler can always get you a seat!

And easier to take home!

Received these instead of the ship models in chocolate

I was told it was apart from one blend.

The casino is very smoky! Of course the ship is full of Europeans who still seem to smoke like chimneys. Unfortunately you have to walk straight through the casino to get to the aft Panorama Lounge theatre. Design flaw.

Diamond. As I said, DH arranged ours via our butler as it was my birthday. However, there were a variety of people there, some of whom obviously didn’t “get it” and who left quite quickly… others threw themselves into the vibe and atmosphere!

I only have last 2n YC menu Formal night was steak 🥩 or lobster 🦞

The Speakeasy! What a concept. You go to a secret place and dial a phone number and say a code word and you’re allowed in… it’s dark and dingy and drinks come in surprising containers ( like petrol cans.. naturally ) . It’s very very clever.

Doha: Sadly, again the weather is against us! Thunder and heavy rain. The Doha hot air balloon festival is right alongside the port but the weather is too bad for them to inflate! Went into town quickly - it certainly has changed since last here in 2019! Lots of new buildings, still lots of football stuff around. The new cruise terminal is stunning…you go up escalators to board through a huge fish tank!

Price list laundry 🧺