Jayayeff

11 hours ago, cheeka said:

We have a few days in Dubai before our March cruise departs.  To say there are a multitude of hotels available, is an understatement. LOL

Any suggestions from those of you who have already stayed in the city? We want to be near the downtown Dubai fountains which seem to be

 where many tours start from.   Ive been looking at the Ramada but reviews are inconsistent.

Your suggestions would be most appreciated.

sincerely from,

Chris

cc name: cheekabebe

agourah@shaw.ca

Most of the hotels very close to the Dubai Fountains/Dubai Mall are quite pricey.  Have a look at the Vida Downton or Al Manzil Downtown.  They are both on the Sh. Moh'd Boulevard but priced a little lower than the 'luxury' choices.  Also very close to Dubai Mall - the next block is the fairly new Rove Downtown.  The Rove hotels are owned by Emaar, the developers of Downtown, and are a midscale option to their luxury Address Hotel properties.  Another option on that block is the Roda Al Murooj - very close to Dubai Mall but far enough to make a price difference.

Anne..

I believe there is a shuttle bus between the two terminals but don't know where it operates from or whether it is for flight ticket holders only however, as the above poster suggested the Metro is an easy option.  The directions to the Metro are clearly indicated in both terminals and it's a two minute ride...

Anne..

5 hours ago, Utdutd20 said:

We will be cruising from Dubai early December on the MSC Bellissima.  We have decided to do the Dubai Mall area and go up the Burj Khalifa on embarkation day as we do not sail till 11pm.  
We return to Dubai the following week and are due to dock at 9am for an overnight stay before we disembark on the Saturday.  
We are considering doing the Big Bus Tour so we can see as much as possible of Dubai on the Friday.  However as there are 6 of us I was wondering if a private taxi tour would be better.  Problem  is I have no idea how to organise this.  Are there Taxi’s at the port offering guided tours as there are in other cities and if so what is the likelihood of getting one that can accommodate 6 adults?  Can anyone suggest / recommend a company to contact before hand to book a private tour.  
Any help or advise would be much appreciated.

Yes, there are taxis at the cruise terminal however you are unlikely to find an MPV that would comfortably take 6 passengers.  Also, the taxi drivers are just that and many are relatively new arrivals who make good use of SatNav to get around the city so I would not recommend them as guides for a day tour!!  There are several tour companies who do take visitors on guided day tours and you can easily check on them by either doing a Google search or by checking options and reviews on Tripadvisor.   I think one of them, Arabian Adventures, may even have a desk within the terminal building as several of the cruise lines contract them for their shorex...

Anne...

On 10/30/2019 at 12:03 PM, Host Kat said:

Anne,

 

You are most welcome!  

 

Glad to be of service,

 

Host Kat

Host Kat,

Can we merge this thread with the other "Dubai questions for Jayayeff…" thread please (link below).  That one has fallen down the pages and if everyone starts using this one then all the info on the other one will sink into oblivion...

Many Thanks

Jayayeff (Anne)

8 hours ago, All That Jazz said:

Hello Anne,

 

First, thank you for giving so much of your time and knowledge to this board. I have two questions:

1. Where do we go in Dubai to buy distilled water for a CPAP machine?

2. We will be there during Ramadan. How much of the tourist activities are cancelled?

I'm guessing my walking food tour will be out. Any special evening events to attend or avoid?

Can we purchase bottled water during the day?

 

thanks,

Linda

Linda,

In answer to your questions,:

1.  I really don't know, however I will endeavour to find out and post if I find the answer.  As it's for a piece of medical equipment I'll check with one of the main pharmacies and see if they can provide the answer...

2.  As far as I'm aware the food tours are usually conducted in the evenings - it's a bit too hot here for most of the year to do daytime walking tours!!! 😃

Dubai has relaxed many of the previous restrictions that used to be an integral part of Ramadan in the UAE so you may find little change from any other time of year.  Some outdoor licensed venues with live entertainment will be closed but other than that most hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions operate normally these days.    The one restriction we do all keep to is not eating, drinking, smoking, etc. etc. in public during fasting hours, and some smaller f&b outlets (cafes, coffee shop, food trucks, etc.) may stay closed throughout the day, only opening in the evenings.   Shops are open as normal during the daytime so you can purchase bottled water, just be discreet about drinking whilst you are 'out in the open' and don't drink or eat openly when out in public places..  Most hotels and many of the larger restaurants will hold daily Iftar dinner/buffet featuring many traditional dishes on their menus, you may like to try on of those, alternatively some also offer Suhoor, which was traditionally a meal taken before the fast begins but now seems to have morphed into an evening event for those who prefer to break their fast with something light early in the evening and then eat their main meal later in the evening.... Any other special events you should be able to find in Whats On, either online or in a hard copy at your hotel...

Anne...

3 hours ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

As we all do. Do you think it's safe for my husband and I to walk after dark from the Salah al Din metro to the Crowne Plaza? It looks like about a 7 min walk along Salah al Din street. 

 

Yes, it is perfectly safe to walk to the hotel in the evenings - Salah Al Din street is a main road within Deira so it's fully lit and with a broad pedestrian pavement (sidewalk!!)

Anne...

On 11/16/2019 at 2:24 AM, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

I found the company on Cruise Critic and others on our Roll Call are using them too. Cost for 4 is $70pp. We're staying at the Crown Plaza Deira.   Crown Plaza Deira Dubai

I had to look that one up - I didn't know that hotel had been rebranded again.  I remember celebrating a big birthday there in Spice Island back in the day when it was the Royal Abjar Hotel, but more recently I knew it as the Renaissance Hotel however, I see it has been part of IHG since 2011... Learn something new every day..😃

Anne...

On 11/16/2019 at 1:03 AM, JTor said:

Hi Terry and all, enjoyed reading all the posts here, but.... what about Salalah? all anyone said was "not as good as Muscat".  OK,  but I don't have a choice - my ship is only going to Salalah.  What can I do to make the most of our visit?

Salalah is for most cruise ships a refuelling port call before heading into the Red Sea for the long haul up to Aqaba or Safaga, or across the Indian Ocean if heading east.  Whilst it was known as the 'summer capitol' of Oman that's mainly because it's where the ruling families etc. would spend the summer months due to the more temperate climate than in Muscat.  That is no longer the case but due to the milder climate it does possess several resort hotels but none of the history or cultural highlights that you find in Muscat.  To get the most out of your port call there you need to get 'out of town' so I would suggest looking a things to do in Salalah on TripAdvisor unless someone posts their experiences of tours from Salalah here...

Anne..

11 hours ago, grayjay said:

Unfortunately we won't have much time before and after our cruise starting in Dubai except a one-night hotel stay.

As we will be visiting several ports during this 11-day cruise I wondered about the many different currencies we'd need, for example Omani Rial or AED Dirham. Of course we can draw some money in each country as soon as we arrive but I wonder if we could get by with credit cards for admissions and such ( we won't be haggling in any souks and aren't interesting in shopping) and using US$ for tips. 

I would not rely on using credit cards only and would recommend you get some AED on arrival in Dubai - you can do that in the Arrivals terminal at the airport.  Whilst Oman has its own currency they do accept AED so you can use them there without getting Omani Riyals for your port call there....  You can tip in US$ as most Gulf currencies are pegged to the dollar so exchange rates don’t vary day to day, but I would still recommend getting some local currency on arrival for incidental expenses in case cards are not accepted, and use them for tips if you have excess...

Anne...

16 hours ago, cancruisers said:

Thanks so much for the quick reply - I know it's a long way out time wise but we like to get things organized early! We are planning to spend 4 or 5 days in Dubai ahead of our cruise with 2 or 3 of those days dedicated to Expo. Would you recommend staying at a hotel near the expo site for a couple of days then moving to a more central location for the last 3 or 4 days, although I hate the thought of moving hotels in the middle of the stay. Perhaps a hotel near the Burj Khalifa as a centre of operations? Your thoughts are appreciated.

Steve

If it were me I think I would opt to stay in a location with easy access to the Metro red line somewhere midway between the city and the Expo site for the full length of the stay.  As I said in my earlier post I understand the Metro via the new link line will be the preferred transportation option to get out to the Expo site.   Any of the hotels along Sh. Zayed Road, within Downtown (Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall) and Business Bay all the way out to Mall of the Emirates have access to red line stations and would be good bases for a combined Expo/Dubai sites stay as they also have access to other RTA transport ( taxis, water taxis) and the HoHo buses....

Anne...

28 minutes ago, tring said:

 

OK, I did not know about that, sorry.  Does that mean Hotels and restaurants are no longer serving alcohol, which is where I was thinking tourists would be drinking?  It is illegal to drink in some public places in the UK, but not a general thing.

 

We were in a Holiday Inn on a main street in Abu Dhabi 2-3 years ago and sat out on their raised terrace having a light evening meal a couple of times and there was no restriction even sitting there with alcohol from what I remember, as it was at the time of the Grand Prix and a number of groups of people connected to that where sitting out with us and I am pretty sure they were drinking alcohol from bottles.  The terrace was raised though with a barrier round, so not a pavement cafe.  The bar and other bars/restaurants all seemed to be serving alcohol (at a price), both there and in Dubai the previous year.

 

I cannot access your link without accepting cookies/removing add blocker, which I am loath to do. 

Hotels, restaurants, hotel bars, licensed concert venues, etc. etc. are still operating and serving alcohol as they have always done.  Not drinking in public means out in the open, i.e the street, on beaches, at parks etc....... The Dubai local law change is that non-Muslim visitors can now purchase alcohol from the official off-licenses that were previously only available to license holding residents....

The link was to an article in the Daily Mail which I’m sure you can access if you Google it (which is what I did to pull it up)...

Anne..

43 minutes ago, tring said:

 Not sure were you got this information.  We have been to Egypt, Dubai and also Abu Dhabi on land stays and hotels/restaurants serve alcohol, but must admit at prices that deterred us from buying any in the UAE.

 

I think it is illegal for Muslims to drink in the UAE though, so if you are Muslim, your information could be correct.  We found all those places tourist friendly, but Abu Dhabi is more traditional.

Actually, the OP is correct however, Dubai has recently introduced a facility whereby tourists can obtain a licence which was previously only available to non- Muslim residents.  Whilst tourists have generally been fine drinking in hotel bars, restaurants, etc. they were not allowed to buy bottles of alcohol, but the new tourist license allows them to do that.  Drinking in public, i.e. on beaches, in parks, in the street, etc. is still illegal for all....To get a temporary license, which will be free of charge to tourists, visitors just need to take their passport with entry visa stamp in it to any of the MMI or African Eastern liquor stores to register for the facility and sign a declaration that they are non-Muslim..  Any alcohol purchased can only be consumed within their holiday accommodation...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-7607945/Dubai-loosens-liquor-laws-UAE-alcohol-sales-suffer-drop.html

Anne...

3 hours ago, cancruisers said:

Looks like you're the expert on Dubai hotels, Anne!

 

We're planning a trip to Dubai in November/20 to take a cruise as well as visit the World's Fair for a few days beforehand. Would like any recommendations on hotels that would easily access the Expo site as well as being well positioned to serve as a base to explore Dubai as well. Also your thoughts on what the prices will be like about a year from now. Price is important but shouldn't be an obstacle to picking a great property. Accessibility to good transportation options also important.

 

Appreciate any and all info you can provide.

 

Steve

 

Steve,

This is not such an easy one as all the infrastructure for Expor2020 is not in place yet so it's difficult so say how good the transportation links, etc. to the site will be.  The site itself is on the very outskirts of the city - very close to the second airport (Dubai World Central) and the Metro link out to those areas is still a work in progress.  If you wanted to look at hotels as a guide, the closest areas with Metro access would be Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Lake Towers or any location working backwards towards the city from there along the Metro Red Line Route - I believe the Expo Metro line will be a link from the Red Line from somewhere out towards Jebel Ali.   As I said the Expo site is a long way out of town so you would need to dedicate a day or two to explore that rather than Dubai itself as time and distance would make combining both a challenge.   As an example, I live quite close to the airport (DXB) and to drive from my house to the Expo site would take me over an hour, via a direct highway and without traffic.  If you wanted to combine Expo2020 with New and/or Old Dubai sites I'd recommend staying at least 3 or 4 nights and selecting a location midway between the two - anywhere along the Red Line route between Dubai World Trade Centre and Emirates Golf Club (Nakheel station) as I believe the Metro will be the preferred transportation route out to the site... 

Anne...

6 hours ago, josumello said:

Hi Anne!! 

Another hotel question. We r considering Conrad Dubai or Sheraton Dubai Creek Towers. I am leaning towards Sheraton because of location, close to airport, cruise port,  and Ho Ho bus had a stop there. We r in Dubai for 2 days before cruise. 

What r your thoughts?

 

TIA

 

Sue

As you can see from the previous response I personally, and frequently recommend, visitors here for just a short time stay in the area of Dubai Creek.  I have no problems recommending the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers - the location is perfect for a short stay, and the views, if you request a Creek View room can't be beaten.  You are correct in so much as it is a short drive from the airport, a short drive to the cruise terminal and it's on the HoHo bus route.    The Conrad is a lovely hotel and much newer than the Sheraton Dubai Creek, but it is located on the very busy Sheikh Zayed Road.  It is convenient to the Metro - there is a station immediately outside the hotel front entrance so it's very easy to get to Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall etc.. if you wanted to base yourself over that side of the city and get the HoHo bus from the terminus at Dubai Mall...

Anne..

9 hours ago, sddsddean said:

The 'rules' say to keep drugs in the original packaging, so I reckon the answer is yes!

 

Simon

Absolutely... All medication should be kept in original packaging and not decanted into those daily/weekly individual dosage containers...

Anne....

9 hours ago, tring said:

I do need Co Codamol at times (it contains a small amount of codeine with parcetamol), but it is easily and cheaply available over the counter here, so my doctor does not prescribe it.  We are visiting at the end of a cruise for a couple days so Icould throw away more than about half a dozen tablets which I would need to keep with me in case I need them.  Would I really need to get my doctor to write a prescription for that, so I can have it with me as I enter Dubai?

 

We visited Dubai about 3 years ago and I would have had some with me then, but perhaps I was just lucky not being caught.  What would happen if I just take it with me and it is found by officials, could I be prosecuted for trying to take it in?  I am sure most people would not even be aware of theses laws.

Any medication containing an amount of Codeine (or any other opioid) is restricted here and can only be issued under prescription.  If you need to have it with you, and there is no alternative that does not contain Codeine, then you'll need to be covered by an original  prescription or doctors note/certificate noting why the drug has been prescribed.  As I've said previously the authorities are not looking for visitors carrying small amounts of controlled drugs for personal use, but the law is the law and whilst you may have travelled with them in the past, and could well do so again now, there is always the risk of a random inspection.  Personally, I don't consider the minor inconvenience of having covering paperwork with you worth the risk of the 'drug' being found, no matter how small that may be...

Anne...

11 hours ago, lido1 said:

Hi Anne . . .  Maybe something  downtown or old Dubai.   I am going to ask a dumb question . . .

What area would be your choice / what would be your favorite hotel ?   Thanks again . . . Appreciate your help . . .

I’ll start with your original request for recommendations for an ‘upscale’ hotel for a special occasion.  In the Downtown area I would say to look at any of the Address Hotels (there are several now) or the Palace Downtown, all of which are operated by the hospitality arm of the Downtown developers Emaar.  You could also look at the Armani Hotel which occupies the lower floors of the Burj Khalifa, but it has room rates that reflect its premium location!!  Alternatively not quite as upscale but still a 5* recommendation would be the Sofitel Downtown.  Any, or all of those give you easy access to Dubai Mall, Dubai Fountains, Dubai Opera and it’s all walkable.... Old Dubai, is a little less glitzy so not so many really upscale properties.  Not beside the Creek but away from the ‘all new’ Dubai is the upscale Raffles Hotel which is part of the Wafi Centre a quite upscale mall with The attached Pyramids Spa complex.  Beside the Creek, and within the Dubai Golf & Yacht Club complex is the Park Hyatt Hotel - a really peaceful location with great views of the Creek and New Dubai beyond.   Again, close to those two is the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which again is still a 5* recommendation which faces both ways, either towards the Creek, or towards New Dubai...Have a look at all of those and if you need any more suggestions, or information, let me know... 

What would be my choice??  That’s a difficult one as I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with hotels having worked in them in my early career, and opened several of the original 5* properties in the region!!   The novelty of modern ‘cookie cutter’ luxury hotels wore off a long time ago and when I’m travelling I tend to look at smaller boutique hotels, that I find more personal than the ‘big name’ brands.  Unfortunately, we haven’t got any of those here, yet!!!  Personally, I still have a soft spot for one of the original 5* hotels - the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers.  It may not be considered upscale these days but the location is priceless to me, right on the Creek, great views and even though the original French restaurant that we used to drive from Abu Dhabi to Dubai just to eat in back in the day is no longer, the others are all still there....I’d be happy with a Creek View Club Floor room so I had the Lounge for daytime tea/coffee and evening cocktails, etc. rather than pay double that rate for the newer big name ‘luxury’ options.... However, that’s me and Old Dubai is the real Dubai to me so I’m a bit biased in my choices (and it wasn’t Sheraton Hotels that I used to work for)!!!! 😀
 

Enjoy your cruise, I know you’ll love that one for sure - I did it on the Symphony too back in May 2010...

Anne...

8 hours ago, lido1 said:

Hi Anne . . .  We will be on the Symphony in May . . .  Dubai - Rome.  Was hoping you could give advice for hotels.

Berj al Arab was on my "bucket list" but I don't care for the location (or prices)  Would like an upscale hotel in a

central location. (Special occasion)   Thank you for any help . . .

OK, now we have you in the right location, could you give me a few more details please.  You mention not caring for the location of the Burj Al Arab, which kind of rules out Jumeirah Beach properties however, I'm not sure what you mean by 'central' as Dubai is now a city spread over quite a large area, each with fairly distinct features.  We have what is commonly referred to as Old Dubai which is the parts of the city close to the Creek, both Deira Side and Bur Dubai side, then the Dubai Financial Centre/Sheikh Zayed Road section, the next section is the area around Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa which is now referred to as Downtown, then slightly further beyond that is the Business Bay and Mall of the Emirates section.  Still further out is Dubai Marina... Beachfront properties stretch all the way from Dubai Marina, Dubai Palm and all along Jumeirah Beach... I can give you recommendation in all areas if you can give me an idea of which area, or near which landmark/must see or do site you would like to be during your stay...

Anne...

50 minutes ago, Host Kat said:

@Jayayeff Howdy!

 

Thread has been moved per your request.

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

Thank you - I'm sure it is better over here as the same info may be useful to others travelling to Dubai...

Anne...

3 hours ago, lido1 said:

Hi Anne . . .  We will be on the Symphony in May . . .  Dubai - Rome.  Was hoping you could give advice for hotels.

Berj al Arab was on my "bucket list" but I don't care for the location (or prices)  Would like an upscale hotel in a

central location. (Special occasion)   Thank you for any help . . .

I’m always happy to help with info for visitors to Dubai however, I’m not sure this is the right place to do so.  I’ll request this post be moved over to the Ports of Call section of CC, there is an Africa & Middle East board with a lots of Dubai questions there....

Anne...

2 hours ago, lamwinn said:

Hi Ann,

You are always so appreciated in this forum.

I dont know whether this question was here yet? TIPPING.

Please advise about "tipping in Dubai" from restaurant to Taxi, including tour guide.

Thank you so much again for your time and great help

lam

I don’t know where you are from but unlike the USA, here in Dubai hotels and restaurant bills already have service charge and taxes added to them so there is no need for tipping however, most of us do as we do in the UK and the rest of Europe,, etc. and leave an extra cash tip for the wait staff in restaurants for good service.     Taxis are all metered and I’d say that for taxi rides around the city that in general it’s a case of just round up the fare to the next Dhs. 5 or 10 depending on the length of the journey, which is probably around 10%...(Dhs 5 for fares up to Dhs50, Dhs.10 for fares up to a Dhs.100, etc...).   I really don’t know about tour guides as I’ve never been on any organised tours however, I would say again that it’s probably a discretionary thing so do what you’re comfortable with, or the rest of the people on the tour do....

Anne....

17 minutes ago, compozer said:

Sorry if this has been asked.   I try to print everything related to our trip but sometimes I forget and then I can't remember.   What type of currency will we need?  Our plan is to take the hop on hop off bus during our cruise stop,   Not sure which attractions we will tour.  Too much on my mind getting ready to be gone 6 weeks.   And so many ports  to make arrangements at.    So we  will wait and decide when we are on the ship and can relax with clear heads.     I am trying to figure out which and how much currency we need to bring.   I was hoping euros might be ok in some of the ports.  I do not like to use ATM's but can if I need to.    Thanks so much for any help.  And thanks for all your advice - It is heartwarming when strangers come forward to help others. 

The currency in the U.A.E. is the U.A.E. Dirham, and if you prefer not to use ATM’s there are plenty of Currency Exchange houses.  They are in all malls, the airport, cruise terminal, etc..so you can just exchange other currencies (Euro, Dollars, Sterling, etc) you may have with you.  These currency exchanges are regulated by the central bank so you get an official rate of exchange - they are not ‘back street’  money dealers....

Anne...

10 hours ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

Anne - I've enjoyed following this thread and appreciate all the great information you've shared. 

 

Can Uber drop off at the airport? 

As far as I’m aware the Uber drivers can drop off at the airport as the drop off area at Departures is a ‘drive thru’ open road.....

Anne...

1 hour ago, sfjakey said:

Anne - We arrive on March 16, 2020.  Sorry for the typo .  The Hop on Hop Off bus stops at the Holiday Inn and the cruise dock is close to the hotel too?   Will the taxi take a credit card?  Is Ube or Lyft available from airport?  Thanks  for your help, Frank and Sarah

It’s only a short ride from the airport and I’m not aware of the taxis taking credit cards, I always use cash.  I do not believe that Uber can pick up from within the airport - access to that area is only permitted for the RTA taxis or the Emirates courtesy cars...  The Hoho bus stops at Dubai Festival City mall but I’m not aware it picks up from the hotel itself however, that may be the case I’m sure the hotel staff would let you know.   There is a covered walkway the links the hotel to the mall.   The cruise terminal is approx 20 minute ride from the hotel depending on traffic/ time of day....

Anne...

1 hour ago, sfjakey said:

Yayayeff - Anne:   We will be arriving on March 19, 2020 at 9:30 pm at DXB airport and want to get to our hotel, Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City (you recommended this hotel to us).  What is the most reasonable way to get to the hotel?  Does the hotel offer a shuttle?   We are boarding the NCL Jade on March 18.  Thanks for your help.  Frank and Sarah - SF,CA

I think you have posted incorrect dates however, the advie remains the same.   Without checking the hotel website I really don't know if the hotel operates a shuttle service to/from the hotel, it is quite possible, but I'd check with them directly.  If they don't then it is very easy to get a taxi from the airport over to Dubai Festival City - it's a very short distance, and for a 9.30pm arrival time taxi availability at the airport shouldn't be an issue either...

Anne..