Jayayeff

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..

20 minutes ago, sddsddean said:

If those dates are correct, you will miss the ship!😉

 

Simon

Trust you - however, I thought the same thing, those dates just don't work!!!😀

Anne...

2 hours ago, mef_57 said:

Thank you Anne.  I will say that when I used Google Maps, the bazaars seemed separate, but close enough, I guess. And your article confirms that much if it is more India based that UAE. (I think the original Meena Bazaar is in Delhi, so I can see how the name was adopted). I would prefer to buy my India fabrics in India, so was wondering if there was a textile heritage for UAE.

I sometimes do a little currency conversion table for myself before travel. I most likely will have to this trip as I think I'll be working with 6 different currencies during this cruise. I am also used to comparison shopping, which isn't possible with no price tags or knowledge of what is a fair price for an item. I certainly don't want to haggle to the last fil, but it is intimidating and was wondering if there was a loose rule of thumb. Some places seem to be 50%, but I'll stumble along.

Thank you for your time for this reply and all the answers to the myriad of questions here. They wre invaluable.

I’m not sure there is a textile heritage as the two countries (India and what is now the UAE) have always been close trading partners, which is why all those traders and tradesmen, i.e. tailors etc. beside the Creek tend to be of Indian origin.  The traditional UAE female dress is also very similar to the Indian shalwar khameez  - tunic and ankle cuff pants, worn beneath their abayas.  Although today's generation tend to wear more Western dress underneath their abayas!!!  If you are interested in women’s heritage, a visit to the Women’s Museum may be of interest if you have time.  That is also quite close to the Creek but across on the Deira side..

http://womenmuseumuae.com/eng/
 

Anne...

55 minutes ago, mef_57 said:

I sew as a hobby and have an interest in local fabrics or needlework. I was wwtching some Youtube videos and wondering if the Textile souk closer to the Dubai Museum and the Creek is better than Meena Bazaar for trims and fabrics? It seems very julticultural, so hoping for something a little more locally authentic. Is there such a thing? Did local womem have a specific type of needlework or fabric use I should look for?

I am not good at bartering, but I know it is expected and part of the fun. What is a typical percentage reduction I should aim for?

Thanks Anne.

You are referring to one and the same place - Meena Bazaar is just a name that has been adopted for the streets in the area you mention,   https://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/dubai/meena-bazaar-a-slice-of-india-in-dubai

I’m afraid handicrafts have never been my forte so I can’t really offer any advice on the topic or the materials used.  As with anything - bargaining, bartering, call it what you will, is all about paying what you believe to be a fair and acceptable price.  There is no typical percentage off, if you feel something is more than you thought it would be, or are willing to pay then just make it known you find it too expensive and take it from there until you either get a fair/acceptable price or walk away and try elsewhere.   I’m not sure what the exchange rate is for the Canadian $ against the Dirham but if you go knowing what it is you will have a better idea of whether something is value for money or not by having a benchmark to work from....

Anne...

2 hours ago, irisbax3 said:

Now I'm wondering if we should stay somewhere else. Would the Sheraton Four Points be a better location?

There a 3 Four Pionts Sheraton Hotels in Dubai however, none of them are located near the Creek - the closest would be the Bur Dubai one, but I wouldn't recommend that one, and the 2 newer ones, which are much nicer hotels, are both in the Dubai Mall area.  If you prefer a hotel that is Creekside, or you can walk along the Creek from, then I would suggest looking at either the Dubai Sheraton Hotel & Towers which is Creekside or the HIlton Dubai Creek which is within walking distance from the Sheraton. Alternatively, you could look at the 3 Jumeirah Group properties - Zabeel House Al Seef, Zabeel House Mini or the Heritage Hotel Al Seef which are all incororated into the Al Seef Heritage development on the opposite side of the Creek and are within walking distance of the Al Ghubaiba main water taxi station.  From the hotels I listed that are on the Deira side you could get one of the local abras (small water taxis that criss-cross the Creek) over to the Bur Dubai side.   I posted photographs on the other Dubai questions thread of the Al Seef Heritage Hotel earlier this year after I stayed overnight there....whilst it's part of a new redevelopment project as opposed to original, it's something different to look at if you're only staying for 1 or 2 nights.

Sorry, to repeat - I've just noticed that it was to you I already posted this information to  earlier this year!!!!!

Anne....

5 hours ago, Artemis said:

Hi, Anne, wow, thank you for all of your contributions to this forum. What a bonus for all of us traveling to the UAE!

 

I have one for ya. I'm making my first visit over the winter holidays (in part, via Royal Caribbean's 7-night RT out of Dubai hitting various area ports). I read about this festival--it gets rave reviews for cultural experience. But there's not a lot of detailed information to be found online. I posted the question below to the UAE forum on the usual travel research site (I haven't been on CC in a while, so don't know if I can say the name!), but no one's answered. I do have a fair price quote on a car and guide to make the trip from Abu Dhabi (and the guide outfitter also promised to research, but nothing yet). So I'm just trying to decide whether to commit! 

 

Do you happen to have any scoop? Thanks in advance for any information you know or any "very local" online resource you might suggest as possible fertile ground for details.

 

• I will be visiting for the first time in late December 2019. The best day for me to go to the Al Dhafra Festival is Sunday, December 28, 2019. The website doesn't show the program. See turathuna.ae/en/event/al-dhafra-festival

  Can anyone share program information for that day? Or at least offer general advice about what to expect. Is there a Mazayna every day of the festival, and if so, at what time?

This is the second 'unusual' information request in as many days!!  I do know of the Al Dhafra Festival but not a lot about it however, I've found an online blog from an expat in the UAE who has been to the festival on more than one occasion.  I'll post a link below along with another link to an Abu Dhabi information site that just gives brief details, along with location map.  One thing I have noted is there seems to be conflicting dates for this year's event with both of these sites listing 9th December - 24th December, but I have also seen 17th December - 1st January 2020 listed??   As you know Al Dhafra region is quite a drive out of Abu Dhabi heading out toward the Empty Quarter and the border with Saudi Arabia, and the festival is an annual celebration of the heritage of the people who lived in this region before the 21st century captured the UAE.  The festival 'site' spreads over a very large area and whilst there is a programme of sorts, it isn't a daily timetable of events so I doubt very much whether you would be able to time your visit to see any specific event.   I believe the Mazaynas take place throughout the festival until such time as the 'champion' is selected however, at what time each day I would have thought you're unlikely to know in advance.  The festival site isn't quite as 'basic' as it used to be - the traditional souq is now a permanent structure along with I believe a fuel station and other 'luxuries' that were not standard to the nomadic desert tribes when they would gather for such festivals in the not too distant past!!!   I hope these will give you a bit more information::

https://www.familytravel-middleeast.com/al-dhafra-festival-abu-dhabi/

https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/events/al-dhafra-festival-2019

Anne...

3 hours ago, ad156 said:

Hi Anne, how is the metro on Friday evening? Will it be very crowded? We are planning to spend the day in Legoland with our kid and then take the shuttle bus + metro to Mall of the Emirates to pick up our luggage and then take the metro again to the airport for our 19:00 flight. I think the Mall of the Emirates is relatively at the outskirt of the city centre and we should be OK? 

The Metro tends to be busy whatever the day however, the trains run every few minutes so if one is too crowded then wait for the next one, or buy Gold Class tickets for your journey from MoE to the airport as those carriages don’t get so crowded....

Anne...

4 hours ago, Canuckjammer said:

Thanks Anne, Now I'm reconsidering and looking at DoubleTree by Hilton Business Bay.  Would that be walking distance to Burj Khalifa, Fountains & Mall?

 

The walking distance from the Doubletree Business Bay to Dubai Mall, Fountains, Burj Khalifa etc. would be around half an hour.  If you wanted to be closer than that then you’d need to look at properties that are around the Sh. Moh’d Boulevard (the horseshoe road on the map)

Anne...

11 hours ago, donnabob said:

We are there for one day on a cruise stop and I don't see any tours that interest me. We would like to spend the day

at a resort with a beach and pool if possible. Any recommendations? Snorkeling from the beach would be a bonus.

You would need to get a taxi out to one of the hotel resorts on Al Aqah Beach outside of the city of Fujeirah.  There is a whole stretch of them from the one that dates way back (Sandy Beach Hotel & Resort) to the more recent ones managed by the various hotel chains (Fujeirah Rotana Hotel & Resort, Intercontinental Fujeirah Resort, Mirimar Al Aqah Beach, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort).  Rather than me recommend one or the other, have a look on TripAdvisor as it's a popular winter holiday destination for Europeans as well as a weekend retreat for UAE residents so there are lots of reviews and ratings on there...

Anne...

8 hours ago, irisbax3 said:

Hi Anne,

I truly appreciate all the advice and suggestions you have given on this board.

We will be staying at the Hyatt Regency Corniche from Dec. 5 to Dec. 7 pre-cruise. I have a few questions about the hotel's location. 1) Is the creek within walking distance from our hotel?  We would like to take a water taxi around the creek, possibly to the marina area. 2) Are there restaurants and other things to do in the Hyatt area? 

Thanks, again, Anne, for all of your insights in helping us plan for our trip to Dubai.

Iris

I haven't been over that side of the city recently so I'm not sure if it's still possible to walk from the hotel to the Creek.  It used to be possible to walk along the Corniche road right down to the Creek but there has been some redevelopment of the area recently.  If not then it is only a short taxi ride from the hotel, and that may be the option you require as the water taxi station for the ferries that travel between the Creek and Dubai Marina is actually on the opposite side of the Creek to the hotel - it's on the Bur Dubai side of the Creek very close to the Rulers Court compound... The Hyatt Regency hotel has always been somewhat out on a limb, and whilst it close to the old gold souk and the spice souq, etc. it isn't really an area that has many other hotels, restaurants, etc. within close proximity, but again it's only a short taxi ride to the Creekside where there are plenty of options...

Anne...

7 hours ago, Karkies25 said:

 

our all aboard time is 11pm, so I think we will have enough time?

 

If we go with the plan, do you recommend a hire car or should we get a car/driver?

thanks again!

 

In which case you should be fine with your planned day out with the camels!!!  As I said, it's nice to see someone interested in doing something different to the usual choices.  I think you'll be surprised to see just how different Dubai is once you venture beyond the city limits!!!  If you are comfortable self driving then I'm sure you would be fine with a car rental and Google Maps or GPS, but you could also check with the car rental companies if they have a car with driver as an option for you to consider.   

Anne...

36 minutes ago, Karkies25 said:

Hello!

 

If Anne from Dubai is reading or any other experts on Dubai....please help! 🙂

 

We will be in Dubai on a Saturday on MSC Belissima cruise ship. 

 

Is it realistic and doable to rent a car at the port and:

 

—11am: get rental car near port

 

—drive 40 mins to Camelicious for short tour and visit for approx 1 hour

 

—drive 30 mins to Camel race track to see races and camels. stay 1-2 hours

 

—drive back 45 mins to cruise port / car rental return before dinner ~7pm on the ship

 

This is a basic loop drive from the port. Route map below.

 

Doable?

 

Better to rent car or hire a driver?

 

We’ve driven rental cars internationally. Any concerns on driving in Dubai?

 

Thanks!

I think your plan is ambitious and would only work if you got a clear run to/from each location which is unlikely as Saturday is a work day for many here so you could get held up at any point along the route.   Personally, I wouldn’t like to guarantee you could complete your proposed itinerary and be back at the ship before all aboard time, unless the ship overnights or has a very late departure time... It may look like a simple loop on paper but there are several  intersections and inner city roads in there where you could experience delays... Nice idea though to do something different, but risky for a morning to evening port call, would be better suited if you were either here pre or post cruise....

Anne...

3 hours ago, Canuckjammer said:

I'll be travelling solo late January for 2-3 nights pre-cruise and am looking at AirBnb.  Would the area near Jumeirah Beach or Marina be a good choice?  Are there any specific areas to avoid?  Thanks in advance for advice.  Maureen

 

If this is your first visit to Dubai and you want to sightsee during your time here I personally would not recommend Dubai Marina as it’s quite a distance from many of the popular sites.  If by Jumeirah Beach you mean AirBnB properties in the Jumeirah Beach Residences development, they are in the same Dubai Marina location, just some of the JBR ones overlook the beach/sea....  If you prefer a ‘residence’ as opposed to regular hotel accommodation then there are many Hotel Apartments managed by established hotel companies that are not as far out as Dubai Marina.... It really depends what you want to do with your time as to which location would be best but just to give you an idea of distance - the Marina area is a good 45 minutes by car or Metro from the Creek and ‘Old Dubai’....

Anne..

16 hours ago, tropical dreams said:

Thanks for this information and replying to my other post about spending the day in Abu Dhabi. I think we will stay at the hotel at the airport if we can get a driver and guide in Abu Dhabi for the day. We did that in Istanbul and it worked out well. Is this something that we could arrange? Would you have any suggestions? It would just be so much easier than a hop on hop off bus.

Thanks

Karen

i’m sure you could arrange that however, I don’t have any personal recommendations - whenever I’m in Abu Dhabi it’s usually for something specific.   If nobody has any suggestions from their visits then I’d engage Google or Tripadvisor for suggestions...

Anne...

1 hour ago, tropical dreams said:

We get off the Regent Cruise at 8am and have all day to see Abu Dhabi. Should we drop suitcases off at the airport  and then continue to sight see or we are planning to book a hotel near the airport so maybe we can leave bags there. How easy is it to sight see and get around with out a car? Given the short amount of time we have here are there sights we should put on our to do list? Any information would be helpful. 

 
it depends what day of the week you have your one day there, the Louvre is closed on Mondays and the Sh, Zayed Mosque has restricted visiting times on Fridays.  As the airport is outside the city it would take time to go out there and then back into the city so I would suggest booking a hotel on the port side of the city, either checking in or leaving your bags there until later when rooms are available and use that as your base for the day.  You would need to have either a car and driver, or use taxis to get from site to site during the day - or use the hoho bus...

Anne...

15 minutes ago, tropical dreams said:

We have a 2am flight out of Abu Dhabi and want to get a clean inexpensive room to rest and shower before the flight that has airport shuttle if possible. Please let me know if you have any recommendations. Thanks

There is one hotel at the airport that is linked to the terminals by a walkway you could have a look at - the Premier Inn, Abu Dhabi International Airport.  Other than that the closest would be those on Yas Island of which there are several all in the same Plaza... the Centro, Yas Island, Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson Blue Yas Island and Yas Island Rotana...

Anne...

On 9/25/2019 at 8:54 AM, waggie said:

Thank you so much Anne

Waggie

The Dubai Garden Glow opened for the 2019/2020 season this past weekend...

https://whatson.ae/dubai/2019/10/dubai-garden-glow-has-just-reopened-for-its-5th-season/

Anne...

15 hours ago, UK Cruiser2 said:

If we book for afternoon tea do we get a separate lift and maybe not have a big queue for the lift ?

If you have a reservation at At-mosphere restaurant/lounge for Afternoon Tea there is a separate elevator to those going to the observation deck...  Although it’s a while since I was last there I feel certain there is also a separate elevator for those with tickets to the Sky Lounge on Level 148...

Anne...

45 minutes ago, Summer35 said:

Thank you, Anne. I was not sure if all these sites are selling official tickets 🙂

I'm pretty certain the two mentioned are selling official tickets however, all options will only be 'vouchers' or 'receipts' and you will need to collect the actual tickets from the ticket office for At The Top which is in Dubai Mall - either in advance or on the day you have booked to go up the Burj Khalifa...

Anne...

7 hours ago, Summer35 said:

Hi, Anne,

 

a question for Burj Khalifa Tickets.....I am not sure if you answered this question already,but I want to buy tickets in advance. Where do I buy them?

 

Ute

You can either get them from the official At The Top website or as others have suggested a Goggle search could lead you to other ticketing or discount sites....

Anne...

2 hours ago, SailorJack said:

Wife wants to know about head coverings while visiting Dubai. I assume it is necessary if visiting religious sites, but how about just around the city? Must all hair be covered? Scarf/  Shawl?

 

Thanks

No need for anything other than ‘normal’ clothing around the city but if you plan on visiting any mosques than ladies are required to wear full sleeves and either trousers or a long skirt plus a scarf or shawl as head covering.... No need to tuck all hair away, the scarf/shawl can be worn loosely over her head and shoulders....

Anne...

7 hours ago, waggie said:

Can you tell me when Dubai Garden Glow opens?

The website isn't showing dates or prices yet.

Thanks

Waggie

It is still closed for the summer and whilst I haven’t seen any local media announcement of when it is due to reopen it was quite early in October last year when it opened for the season.   I’ll update on here if I do see or hear a definite date..

Anne..

I did morning and afternoon tours on a few days of my river cruise and each time the ‘changeover’ was back at the ship as there was usually time between them to either freshen up or get a quick bite to eat.   Unless you book private tours they are either walking tours direct from the boat or on the Crystal coaches which accompany the vessel throughout the itinerary...

Anne..

As others have already responded, RTA taxis are perfectly safe to use.  They are all metered and monitored via GPS by the control centre.  With regard to payment, I always use cash and have never really given any thought to whether they accept credit cards of not so can't confirm whether they do or not.   

Anne..

19 minutes ago, Manatra said:

Does Oman issue visa on arrival by ship in Muscat

If it is just a one day port call yes they do...cruise passengers are exempt from the e-visa requirement that regular visitors need to get...

Anne..