stefanny28

Dear Lilybob;

Our cruise is planned and booked for Jan 2nd-Jan 9th 2017.

It is from Monday to Monday. My original plan was flying in from Canada on Wedensday, arriving on Thursday so we could have 1/2 day Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to visit. We are boarding on Monday.

The ship comes back on Sunday and we overnight in Dubai and get off the ship Monday. I will like to fly back on Monday since I need to get back to work.

We plan to visit the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Al Arab, the Dubai Mall (we have a DD who is 17), the Souk and a Creekside visit.

We don't have a budget yet, it does not mean that we have unlimited fund, it just means that I have not done any research on hotels and excursions yet :-)

Here are the question I have:

If the week starts on Sunday, and if we arrive on Thursday Dec 29th. What is the opening hours of the mall and the tourist's attraction for Friday Dec 30th, Sat Dec 31st and Sun Jan 1st?

Are the malls closed early Dec 31st and all day Jan 1st?

or should I just move the cruise to Dec 26th- Jan 2nd? Then we will fly in on Dec 25th, go on the cruise, the visit Dubai after, from Monday Jan 2nd to Thursday Jan 5th, 2017.

Will there be less a conflict with the Holidays opening schedule?

Thank you for taking time to reply.

Stefanny

Can anyone give some suggestion for hotel in Dubai?

We are 3, DD will be 17. Is it more convenient to book 2 rooms?

We plan to come a few days early, the cruise is from Jan 2nd-9th, 2017, which is Sunday to Sunday.

I was thinking of flying out on Tuesday, arriving on Wednesday. This will allow us 3 days to visit dubai. But now I am wondering if most places will be closed for the 31st of December and the 1st of January.

What will be closed on Jan 1st?

Maybe I should move my cruise to the week earlier (Dec 26th-Jan 2nd). The ship will arrive in Dubai on Jan 1st, does it mean I will miss the firework?

Sorry to have so many different questions. It is my first time in the Arbian Gulf and I have to start thinking about the logistics...

Thanks

If that was the Christmas cruise we were on it as well. It was our best cruise so far and our two daughters first cruise. We loved the Brilliance. Since then we have taken them on P&O but are looking forward to cruising on explorer in August. (Back to RCL)

There was a great mix of nationalities on board. Our oldest then 7 made friends with a young Itallian boy - neither understood each other but it was so cute.

 

 

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Hi;

We will also be cruising out of Dubai for New Year 2017. I am wondering if there will be a lot of teenagers on board so DD (17 then) will have people to hang out with.

For those who have cruised this region and during the Holidays, did you see a number of kids/teens on the ship?

I am worried that she might be lonely if the clientele is older.

Thanks

I was waiting for these to come out. We are booked on the

Jan 2nd, 2017. Planning on spending New Year's Eve in Dubai.

Now I hope I can get the hotel that I want booked. It's all coming

into place.

Hi Cat Girl;

It is so funny... We are booked on the same cruise : Vision Jan 2nd-9th, 2017 from Dubai.

I was looking for some infos on the Arabian Gulf and cruises and stumbled upon this thread.

This is our first cruise in this region and we are pretty excited. I will need to do some research and hope to find out more about hotels, excursions.

Do you mind telling me which hotel you will recommend. We are a family of 3. DD will be 17 then. Should we book 2 rooms?

Looking forward to meet again on the roll call.

Bye,

Thank you all for the advices. It does help to know that there are security guards 24/7.

Our cruise is only 7 days, leaving from Dubai, going to Muscat then coming back to Abu Dhabi before returning to Dubai. I have read somewhere, I can't remember, that going from Dubai to Muscat is where pirates might be present.

Regarding medications, I always bring my little med kit ( Tylenol, Advil, Imodium, Bonine, antihistamine and Polysporin cream). Will this be a problem since they are not prescription drugs but more of a first aid kit?

Dh is so excited about going to Dubai. DD just wants to shop. I will start doing my research when we get back from our July cruis. I still have March 2016, July 2016 to plan before getting to the Arabian Gulf cruise.

Thanks

Hi;

We are planning a New Year cruise from Dubai with our daughter who will be 17 then.

I am not familier with the Middle East ports at all. I posted my question on the Middle East ports but there is little or no traffic.

Our cruise leaves from Dubai, goes to Musacta dn Abu Dhabi.

It is right afer New Year day.

I have a few questions and I hope cruisers on this forum can help:

1/ Safety

Is it safe? In Dubai and on the ship? I have read somewhere there is always a threat of pirates goig from Dubai to Muscat (Oman).

Is this something I should worry about?

2/ Holiday season: obviously, I don't expect people there to celebrate X-Mas and New Year like we do but is it still a holiday for new Year?

Will the kids e in school or not over there?

3/ It is not a itinerary popular with families but will there be any kids on this ship so my daughter can hang out with?

I am just starting to do my research but DH wants to visit Dubai and DD wants to do a cruise so this might be the best solution for our family.

Thanks

Hi;

This will be our first cruise in the Middle East region. My husband has always dreamed of visiting Dubai and our daughter loves cruises so I thought I should combine the 2.

We plan to book a RCL 7 days cruise from Dubai right afetr New Year. I have not done much research yet but I do have some questions:

1/ Do we need any special visa to visit Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman etc... (we are Canadians)?

2/ what is the weather like in January?

3/ Dress code in this region? Conservative? No summer dresses or shorts?

4/ Will there be any teens on the ship for my DD to hang out with? I know this is not a popular itinerary for families with kids or teens but if it is during the Holidays Seasons (do they celebrate X-Mas in Dubai? even if it is a muslim country?) are the kids out of school in this area?

Sorry to ask these stupid questions. I really have NO idea or info about Dubai yet. I will have to do some research and reading about the area and ports.

Thanks

Thank you for the detailed infos.

One more question: what is the UDP (Ultimate Dining Plan)?

Hi everyone;

We are considering booking the Jewel Panama Canal ( Dec 2016). I know it is still a long way to go but I am new to NCL and I have a few questions that I hope you can help.

1/ Freestyle dining: what does it mean?

I don't have to make an reservation for the MDR each night? Or I have the possibility to make a reservation for specific time so we don't have to wait?

2/ Which venues have cover fee ? besides the 2 MDR on the Jewel, what are the other places we can eat without having to pay? We have a teenage daughter and she will probably be hanging out with her friends. I just want to make clear to her where she can eat snacks or pizza without having to check with me every minutes.

3/ Room services: I have read somewhere on CC that NCL now charges $7.95 for room service and $5 for pizza? Is the $5 for pizza only for pizza delivered to the cabin or also at the buffet or grill?

4/ Teen's Club: we will be traveling during the New Year Holidays, but we chose a Panama Canal itinerary, which is not a very popular destination with young families and teens. Have any of you done this itinerary around the same time? Will there be any kids on the ship so DD (16) can hang out with? Is there an organized teen's Club with activities like Carnival, RCL and Celebrity?

Thank you in advance for your advices. I am a little bit of an OCD so freestyle is kind of scaring me :-)))

Hi;

We plan to have our roll call meeting at the Viking Crown Lounge on Vision OTS.

Is access restricted only to Crown Anchor's member or anyone can come in?

Thanks

We used them last year for a private tour from Marseilles to Cassis.

They are very reliable.

Our driver was a very nice French guy with a very outgoing personality and very patient.

We had a wonderful time and will not hesitate to book them again.

You can read my review on Tripadvisor under the same name (it was in July 2014).

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much. This is exactly what we are looking for.

Thank you for the information about the Bangladeshi restaurants.

I think we will book the Waterloo location. it does look more convenient for the tube.

Now, can I bother you all for one more question concerning the Oyster card?

When we arrive at Heathrow (with British Airways), which terminal will that be and where can we get an Oyster card?

How do we pay for it? How do we top it?

And how do we get a refund when we leave for Barcelona?

Thanks

I removed the Victoria location from my choices after reading all your advices.

Sorry, I should have mentionned that we are flying to Barcelona afterward to get on our cruise. We will be arriving and leaving from Heathrow.

Any good suggestion for a private car transfer from Heathrow?

The Premier Inn in Waterloo is the Westminster Bridge one, not the County Hall. I have read on some other thread on CC that the County Hall location does not have A/C. Since we will be traveling in July, that is why I had the Waterloo (Westminster Bridge) in mind.

Can someone confirm that the County Hall has no A/C in their rooms? (That is weird isn't it? when all the other locations have A/C).

So, between the Borough market location and the Waterloo (Westminster Bridge), which one?

Which one is better in term of nearby restaurants, ease of transport and walkeable attractions?

BTW, where is "Little India" in London? Which tube station?

Thanks

Hi;

We will visit London for the first time before our cruise.

We are a family of 3 and will stay in London for 3 days.

We plan to take the HOHO the 1st day and then walk or take the tube the other 2 days.

The sites we want to visit are:

London Eye

Big Ben

Tower Bridge, Millenium Bridge

Buckingham Palace

Borough Market

Bond and Oxford Street, Harrods and Westfield

Which one of the 3 Premier Inn is better suited for our needs? We will like to be able to walk to most sites.

Thank you for your advices.

We used Rome in Limo last July when we were in Rome and Florence.

They were very reliable and always on time.

Having someone waiting for you, with a sign with your name, right when you get off the ship, is wonderful.

No trouble, no hassle, no mistake.

In Rome, we booked a private tour for our family of 3.

Vincenzo was our driver for the day. They picked us up in a Mercedes sedan S-class. It was so luxurious. It makes you feel like a movie star or a VIP going around Rome in that car.

Vincenzo dropped us right a the "door step" of every sites (Colosseum, Pantheon, etc...) and even gave us a cell phone pre-programmed with his number so we can call him when we are done.

We managed to see so many sites in a day and we still had time for a wonderful sit down lunch (pasta of course) at a restaurant he recommended.

Yes, it was expensive ( I believe it was 500 euros for 3) but it was worth every single euros.

You can save a few $ with the ship tours but you will travel in a large group and waste a lot of your precious time waiting for every one to catch up ( or just going to the washroom).

We are going back this year again on another med cruise. And of course, I booked Rome in Limo with hesitation.

PS: You can booked a shared tour if you don't want a private tour. The shared tour will cost cheaper since you can share the cost with a group of 8. It is still less people than a ship tour.

We were in St-Thomas yesterday and there were 4 ships in ports.

So we went to Lindberg beach (Emerald beach Resort/ Best Western).

It is right after Crown Bay Marina and it costs $7/person by taxi from Havensight.

Chairs were $7 but I did not see any umbrella for rental.

There are trees for shade but as the sun moves, you will loose the shade.

There was jet ski, paddle board and other water sport.

It was pretty quiet and unknown (unlike Magen's or Coki).

Hope this helps.

PS: I met a couple who took the ferrry from Crown Bay to Water Island to the "Honeymoon Beach".

Maybe you can do some research on that.

I think not a lot of people knew about the"Water Island Beach".

We just came back from Carambola Beach Club ( 6 days ago).

We reserved by e-mail in advance and arrived there around 9:30.

The chairs are very comfortable and the umbrellas are huge, by putting 2 together, they covered easily 5 chairs.

It costs $10/chair or umbrella.

I strongly suggest that you reserve in advance. They put people with reservation on the first row, right by the water. People with no reservation or who arrive later, will be seated in the 2nd row.

When we were there, since we did reserve, we were put right by the water, at a very nice spot.

About an hour 1/2 later, around 11:00, there were a very rude group of 7, without reservation, who arrived and demanded that the beach attendant moved our chairs so they can be seated in the front, where there are only space for 2 chairs.... Really....So, reserve, get there early and enjoy.

BTW, taxi was $4/person one way but if you are a big group, you can bargain the price down a little bit. We were 8 and got it down to $3/person one way.

We gave the driver a nice tip since he came back for us right on time.

Wi-fi is free at the restaurant, does not work on the beach.

We just got off the Summit this morning and werre in Grand Anse 2 days ago.

We took a land taxi ( not the water taxi) for $4/person to a place called Lazy Days on Grand Anse.

The owner is called Fabien and he lived 6 months in Montreal (where we are from) and 6 months in Grenada.

There are chairs and umbrellas for rent (it was 2 chairs and 1 umbrella for $25) and you are right on the beach.

I believe the water taxi will drop you at the begining of the beach while a land taxi will take you further down.

It was the same price for both taxis (land or water).

You can even go further down the beach if you want somewhere less crowded.

Hope this helps.

Hi sharonlacey;

Was it with RCL?

Do you remember if it was a big boat ? Any shade? How about movement for people who is prone to sea sickness?

Thanks

We were on the Liberty of the Seas in July and here are what we did in Marseille and Villefranche:

Marseille: we booked a private tour (5 hrs) with Provence Connection.

We went to Cassis, had lunch there and then visit Marseilles. We had a wonderful time.

With a private car, you can see a lot of sight in a short time. There is a beach in Cassis and lots of restaurants along the port.

Villefranche: we took the train to Nice. It was a very quick and easy trip (2 stops).

In Nice, we walk down to the "Promenade des Anglais". Then have a very good lunch in the "Saleya Market".

Then we walk back to the train station and shop along the Jean-Medecin avenue.

Hope this helps.

Dear Catherine;

I just love reading your review. And the pictures are so gorgeous...

More ideas for my excursions next year :-)))

I can't wait to read about Venice, Ravenna amd Kotor. Those are the ports that I have no idea what to do.

Stefanny

Dear Catherine;

I was looking online to find out more about Civitavecchia and then, what a happy coincidence, you posted your relaxing day there.

Did you see a beach or some kind of beach with sunbed while you were strolling down the sea walk?

Keep posting please. It gives me so much more ideas for my next year cruise.

Stefanny

Fantastic details.

We are doing the same itinerary next year and also spending a few days in London so this really helps.

Do you have the email address for the ketch owned by Tim and Katie? This might be something we would like to do in Kotor.

Have a good day

Hi Catherine;

I followed your advice and booked the cruise...

I just love reading your review. Your pictures are gorgeous.

Please, keep on posting . I have to get some ideas for excursions for next year :-)))

Thanks Catherine for all the London's suggestions.

I am enjoying your review, the pictures are beautiful. Can't wait for the next post...