TeDaKi

Day 12 (16th January 2016): Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Disembark AM)

Weather: Sun and clouds, max temperature 22C / 71F

Although we already spent 3 nights in Dubai before the cruise and one night on the ship, we were staying in Dubai for another night tonight. This was because flights were expensive to fly home today, so it was cheaper to stay an extra night in a hotel and fly home the next day. I’d rather stay an extra night in Dubai anyway than being back at home!

This morning, we had to get up early as we were being "kicked off" the ship at 07:30AM! After the usual breakfast, we gathered our belongings and left our room and headed for our meeting point at 07:30AM, which was at the theatre. However on arrival at the theatre, there was only a handful of people there and not even any member of staff. We guessed that they must have called our number early, so we went to disembark the ship and did so without a hitch. There were no customs or immigration so we just walked straight through the terminal and picked up our luggage.

After picking up our baggage, we took a taxi from the port to our hotel for the night: the Hyatt Place Baniyas Square. We chose this hotel because of good price for the three of us, good reviews, close proximity to the creek area and airport and because it was new.

We went to the taxi rank and got into the first taxi. Just like yesterday, this taxi driver also claimed that his meter was "broken" and that he would charge us AED70 / EUR17 approx. to go our hotel in Old Dubai. We insisted that he turn it on but he was very reluctant. Eventually, he turned it on and the journey to our hotel actually cost us AED50 / EUR 12 approx. on the meter.

We arrived at our hotel, the Hyatt Place Baniyas Square, at around 08:30AM, however, the rooms weren't ready yet, but they'd be ready in about an hour. So we waited around the lobby for about 50 minutes until our room was ready.

After checking out our room, we decided to go out and make the most of our last day in Dubai. We made our way to the Wafi Mall and Raffles Hotel. The Raffles Hotel is Egyptian based and is very luxurious.

Day 11 (15th January 2016): Dubai continued …

Afterwards, we went around the lake and visited a nice modern souk. The area around the Burj Khalifa really reminded us of Las Vegas ... a lot is man-made and almost artificial-like. We sat outside on a bench for about 90 minutes, until the fountain and light shows began at 18:00. The first fountain show started at 18:00 and it was great, but it was very short, at only 2 minutes in length. The music was really loud and very Arabian.

Then, the light show started at 18:15 and the Burj Khalifa lit up in different colours and designs. It was also very good and we took some nice photos.

Then we waited for the next fountain show, at 18:30, and it was even better than the first one. We thought the fountains "danced" better to the music.

Afterwards, we decided to start heading back. First, we had to go back in through the mall. It was chaotic and extremely busy - people everywhere going in all directions. It was actually tiring walking through the mall, we were glad to get through to the other end of it.

We had an interesting journey back to the ship. We didn't take a taxi; instead, we took the Big Bus HOHO bus, for free! The Big Bus has a dedicated shuttle which brings cruise passengers from the cruise terminal to the Dubai Mall, and vice versa. We still had our Big Bus HOHO tickets since last week and when we saw a huge mass of people getting on the bus back to the cruise port, we said we'd chance hopping on board with our "expired" tickets. Nobody was checking tickets anyway … we only had to show our cruise card. It was very disorganised - no lines at all, just everybody pushing and shoving around. We eventually got on the bus and enjoyed our free ride back to the port!!! :D Back at the cruise port, we did a little bit of last minute shopping.

When we got back on the ship and back to our room, we found that our passports had been returned to our room. And, interestingly enough, there were stamps for each of the ports we visited. We dined in the buffet tonight, because we wanted to go to bed early (Main dining room dinner takes too long), as we were getting up at 06:00AM in the morning. Our luggage had to be outside our cabin door by 23:00.

Day 11 (15th January 2016): Dubai continued …

We decided to wait around to see a fountain show which would be on at 13:00, however it never happened.

Then, we went back into the Burj Khalifa ticket desk and entered the queue at about 13:20. There was a long line for security, and then there was another line for the lift to bring us to the top (it's not actually the very top of the tower, but the 124th floor). We eventually reached "the top" at 14:15, after a very quick elevator ride.

The view of Dubai was thrilling - desert, skyscrapers, roads, sea, "The World Islands". We stayed up on top for about 45 minutes and came back down again.

Dubai Mall:

Day 11 (15th January 2016): Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Docked 08:00 – overnight)

Weather: Mostly sunny, max temperature 23C / 73F

Free Wi-Fi: in the cruise terminal

The ship docked at around 07:00AM this morning. We were awake early so we got up and went for breakfast. The sight of the Dubai skyline made us think back to how quickly the week went by. We took our breakfast slowly, as we were not in any rush, seen as we had not much planned for today. Thankfully, I was feeling a little better today. The main part of today's agenda was to visit the Dubai Mall and go up on the Burj Khalifa tower, which we had pre-booked in advance.

At 10:30AM, we got off the ship. I used some free Wi-Fi for a few minutes at the cruise terminal to check up on some emails etc. It wasn’t overly fast, as many other people were using it too, however, it did the job!

After a few minutes, we got a taxi to bring us to the Dubai Mall. However when we got into the taxi, the driver was insisting that his meter was broken and instead, he would charge us a flat rate of AED70 / EUR 17 approx. to bring us to the Dubai Mall. Not happy with this, we insisted that he turn it on and after a few deliberations with him, he switched it on! The journey was not long, about 20 minutes and when we got to the Dubai Mall, the taxi fare ended up being AED48 / EUR 11 approx. on the meter!

At this stage we had a lot of free time, because our entry time for the Burj Khalifa "On The Top" was booked for 13:30. So, we wandered around the enormous Dubai Mall and saw its Aquarium, Football Pitch and Waterfall. We then went outside to the outdoor Lake area and we had a great view of the Burj Khalifa tower.

Burj Khalifa:

Thanks everybody for all the positive feedback. I’m delighted to share my report and photos on what was a really great trip.

This is my 2nd trip report on Cruise Critic and it is great to have all positive feedback once again.

This area is a really nice alternative to the usual “winter sun” destinations…it’s something different. :)

The final installments from Dubai will be up shortly.

Day 10 (14th January 2016): Khasab, Oman continued …

When everybody was back on the bus, we went back to the ship.

Feeling quite tired, I went to bed for about 3 hours to get some rest. Then, I got up again to get something small to eat and I was out for sailaway.

We left ahead of time, at 17:40. Sailaway was very nice with the mountains hugging the coastline and surrounding the little town of Khasab. There was a nice sunset too.

Ready for sailaway:

Khasab town:

Evening sky:

Tonight was the second Gala night, but just like the first night, we didn't take part in the "celebration", so instead we dined in the buffet and went to bed early.

Day 10 (14th January 2016): Khasab, Oman continued …

It took about 30 minutes to drive back to Khasab on the same coastal road. The scenery was equally beautiful on the way back.

We were brought into the centre of Khasab at 12:00 noon and we were given 30 minutes there. It was very small and not much to do there. There was a mosque (which we walked over to see) and a few shops, but that was it.

Khasab:

Mosque:

Day 10 (14th January 2016): Khasab, Oman continued …

After visiting the castle, we proceeded along the coastal road and it was very nice...mountains on one side and the sea on the other side.

On the way, we made a quick photo stop at a small village on the top of a hill with a view of the sea.

We reached the small village of Bukha at about 11:00AM and there, we went to see a fort (which was fairly similar to the Khasab Castle). There was a very nice view of the beach and mountains from the fort.

We had about 30 minutes here altogether and we left for Khasab at 11:30AM.

Day 10 (14th January 2016): Khasab, Oman (Docked 09:00-18:00)

Weather: Sunny, max temperature 24C / 75F

Free Wi-Fi: could not locate any free Wi-Fi

I slept through most of night, but I still wasn't feeling good this morning. I developed a bad chesty cough overnight and my body felt really tired. I got up for breakfast but I only had something minimal. We had a shore excursion booked (“City Tour of Khasab and coastal road to Bukha”) and I was wondering if I would be able for it. I decided that I would go on it because if I felt unwell on the tour, I would be able to sit down on the bus. Anyway, I really wanted to see this part of Oman, so I wasn’t going to let my cough and weakness stop me!

We met for our tour at 08:45AM in one of the main lounges and once our number was called, we proceeded out to the pier and got on our assigned bus. This was a nice and easy going 3.5 hour tour. We started off at the Khasab Castle, then proceeded to the town of Bukha along the coastal route, pausing for a photo stop on the way. Then we drove back to Khasab and had some free time in the centre of town.

Our tour left the pier at 09:05AM and we got to the Khasab Castle less than 5 minutes later. Our tour guide brought us on a tour of the castle, but he was rather boring and extremely detailed. We left the group and toured the small castle on our own. Many other people on our tour did the same. Also, our tour today is being conducted in both English and Italian, so whenever the guide says something in English, he repeats it in Italian, so I think that didn't help either. We had about 50 minutes at the castle and we were ready to go at 10:00AM.

Outside the Castle:

Inside:

Looking at MSC Musica from the castle:

Day 9 (13th January 2016): Muscat, Oman continued …

Then, it was a very short drive back to the Muttrah Souk. We paid the driver EUR 50 and then we had the rest of the day to ourselves. This part of Muscat is very compact and easy to walk around. There is a gold souk and the bigger "Muttrah Souk", which sells all the Omani souvenirs etc. We decided that we'd do the souks first because they were supposed to be closing from 13:30 to 16:30. The Muttrah Souk was quite busy when we got there, at about 12:00 noon.

Afterwards, we had a walk along the promenade.

And just as we decided to sit on a bench, a light drizzle started. So, we hurried back down the street to the souk area to take shelter and it was still opened (this was about 14:00), and not near as busy as before. We had much more pleasure walking in it this time round.

Inside the Muttrah Souk:

It was about 15:15 when we decided to head back to the ship. It took about 5-8 minutes to walk from the main area of town to the port gate. Many shuttle buses were waiting there and it was a straight drive directly back to the ship.

We got back on-board and had a light snack in the buffet. We decided to stay there until the ship started to move for sailaway. There was bit of a delay in leaving because there was a shore excursion late coming back, however we were eventually on our way at 17:25.

The sailaway from Muscat was very nice. The mountains which surround Muscat provide a nice backdrop to the town.

Goodbye Muscat!

That evening, I wasn't feeling well at all. I had to go to bed for a few hours. I wasn't able for dinner either so I skipped it, and I slept for most of the evening. Unfortunately, I could feel a cough developing, as well as sore eyes and a sore head!

Day 9 (13th January 2016): Muscat, Oman continued …

After we were finished touring the Grand Mosque, we went back outside to the car park and our driver was there waiting for us. He had us spotted before we saw him!

We got back into the car and our next stop was to see the Sultan's Palace. On the way there, our driver pulled into a petrol/gas station to fill up the car. He did this because the petrol/gas prices were going to be rising that night. He told us that the total cost to fill up a car with petrol/gas was about US$10, but it would be rising to US$12 overnight!!! (Funny fact: the next day, we read on the newspaper that in some petrol/gas stations in Oman, there were so many people filling up their cars, that a lot of the stations ran out of petrol!!! :D:D).

We arrived at the Sultan's Palace at about 11:05AM. Our driver let us out of the car, so we could get out and take some photos. It was a very nice area.

The Sultan’s Palace:

We also went into a small prayer hall.

We did not see any signs or people going or coming out of the main prayer hall, so we think it was closed on that day. However, it was still nice to see the outside.

Day 9 (13th January 2016): Muscat, Oman continued …

On arrival at the Grand Mosque, our driver dropped us off at the entrance. There were many other tourists there, a lot from the ship. Note that mosque dress codes apply here too (just like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi). The grounds around the mosque were beautiful. There were lots of flowers and you could even smell the flowers in the air.

We wandered around the mosque for about 1 hour in total, taking photos of its beautiful architecture and admiring its beauty.

Day 9 (13th January 2016): Muscat, Oman (Docked 08:00-17:00)

Weather: Overcast, light drizzle at times, max temperature 21C / 70F

Free Wi-Fi: at the Muttrah souk

This morning, I set the alarm for 07:00AM. We had to start our day early today because our main attraction, the Grand Mosque, was only open from 09:00-11:30AM.

Port of Muscat:

Muttrah Fort:

After breakfast, we disembarked the ship and hopped onto a free shuttle bus, which dropped us off at the security centre. We had to go through security and hop back onto the same shuttle bus which brought us out to the port gate. At the port gate, there were many taxi drivers wanting to do business, however, they all wanted to give tours of Muscat. It was impossible to get a taxi driver to drive us one way only to the mosque, so we had to opt for a tour. We dealt with a particular taxi driver who would show us the Royal Opera House (outside only), the Grand Mosque, the Sultan's Palace (outside only), and we were to be dropped off at the Muttrah Souk. This tour would last 2 hours and cost EUR 50 in total for the three of us.

We left the Muscat port gate at 09:20AM and arrived at the Grand Mosque 20 minutes later. On the way, we made a photo stop at the Royal Opera House.

Royal Opera House:

Day 8 (12th January 2016): Khor al Fakkan (Fujairah) continued …

We got back on-board to drop off our shopping etc. and had a quick snack before getting off the ship again. This time, we took the free port shuttle which brought us out to a little marina.

Marina:

From there, we walked along a promenade for about 10 minutes until we reached the beach.

Very quiet promenade walk:

Very quiet beach:

It was very quiet around with not many other people about. There was also a good view of the MSC Musica from the beach.

MSC Musica docked:

We sat on a bench for about half an hour, taking in the beautiful sunshine and listening to the crashing waves. We then headed back to the ship, got on-board, had some food at around 16:00, and waited around for sailaway at 18:00.

Back at the pier:

Muscat, Oman coming next!

Day 8 (12th January 2016): Khor al Fakkan (Fujairah) continued …

At 09:30, we left the small mosque and headed towards Fujairah, where we first visited the Fish and Vegetable Market, arriving at 10:10. We were brought through the market by our tour guide and afterwards, we were given some free time, so we wandered around the market and shops for a while on our own and did some shopping.

We all met back on the bus at 10:50 and we proceeded to our next stop, the Heritage Village. On the way, we drove through the town of Fujairah and we passed by a beautiful mosque.

We arrived at the Heritage Village at around 11:10 and it was bustling with people. There were many other buses there from the ship, so it was very busy. We were given about 40 minutes here to stroll around on our own. It was nice checking out all the traditional Arabic rooms etc.

We left the Heritage Village at around 11:50 and we arrived at our next stop, the Fujairah Museum at 12:00 noon, where we were given 30 minutes to explore on our own. It was mainly old artefacts from thousands of years ago in little exhibits and many people were finished early, so we sat outside in the sun for a short while.

Back onto the bus again, at 12:30, and we drove to our next stop, the Fujairah Fort, which was located across the road from the Museum. Located on a little hill, this fort provided a good panorama of Fujairah. You could also walk along the walls of the fort too.

Fujairah Fort:

We were back on the bus at 12:50 and we headed back to Khor Fakkan port, where we arrived back at the cruise ship at 13:30.

Our bus left the port at 08:50AM. Our tour guide, a Hungarian lady who has been living in Fujairah for over 20 years was very informative and gave us many facts about the United Arab Emirates.

We arrived at our first stop, the Al Badiya Mosque, at 09:05AM. This mosque is very old and small and is considered the oldest mosque in the United Arab Emirates.

Al Badiya Mosque:

Beside the mosque, there are also watchtowers with a good view of the surrounding area.

Day 8 (12th January 2016): Khor al Fakkan (Fujairah), United Arab Emirates (Docked 08:00-18:00)

Weather: Sunny, max temperature 24C / 75F

Free Wi-Fi: could not locate any free Wi-Fi

We set the alarm for 07:00AM this morning because we had to get up early as our shore excursion was leaving at 08:30AM. We decided to book a shore excursion today as we had no research done at all for this port-of-call. We booked the "East Coast Tour" which lasted 5 hours and cost EUR 60 each.

Views of Khor al Fakkan from the ship:

We proceeded to our meeting point (The Theatre) at 08:30AM and collected our stickers and got onto our assigned bus beside the ship. The port of Khor Fakkan is an industrial one, so cruise passengers are not allowed to walk from the ship to the town. Therefore, the port authorities provided free shuttles to the beginning of the promenade. However, the shore excursion buses were waiting on the pier.

Day 7 (11th January 2016): Cruising at Sea

Weather: Sunny, max temperature 22C / 71F

This morning, we woke up around 09:00AM and the sea was very smooth. We had a small breakfast because we were going to be having lunch in the main dining room. The buffet was not too busy and it was easy to get a table. We walked around the top deck and it was packed with people lying out in the sun. All the sun beds were occupied and it was like a maze trying to walk around the deck.

We then went down to the promenade deck which was closed because of high winds but opened soon after. It was very quiet there, however we were disappointed to find that there were no seats or benches to sit down on. Usually when we are cruising at sea on other cruise lines and when the weather is nice, we love to sit on the promenade deck because it is usually quiet. But unfortunately, we couldn't this time!

Very quiet promenade deck:

At around 12:30 to 13:30, we cruised by Iran on the port side:

We then went to lunch in the main dining room and it took around 1 hour. After lunch, we sat in some of the lounges around the ship, relaxed with some reading and had some "quiet time". It was very quiet in the inside of the ship because most people were sunbathing up on top!

Tonight was the first Gala evening, however we opted out of dressing up so instead, we went to the buffet for dinner and went to bed early because we had to be up early for our excursion tomorrow.

We also went to the main theatre show this evening – Catwomen. Although we are not hugely into the theatre shows on cruises, it was one of the best shows we have seen on a cruise ship. It reminded us of a “Cirque du Soleil” type show with lots of acrobatics etc.

Day 6 (10th January 2016): Abu Dhabi continued …

From the mosque, we then picked up another taxi and headed for the Emirates Palace Hotel, about a 20 minute journey which cost AED35 or approximately EUR 9. Through previous research, I was under the impression that reservations had to be made to gain entry to the hotel, but the taxi was able to drive us right up to the front door! We went inside the hotel for a look around and it was beautiful. Lots of people were having afternoon tea there.

Inside the Emirates Palace Hotel:

We then went outside to view the hotel from the outside and it was quite impressive.

Emirates Palace Hotel:

Opposite the Emirates Palace Hotel, there is a great view of the Etihad Towers. We sat beside some fountains outside and had our brief picnic lunch.

Then, we took another taxi to the Marina Mall, a short 5 minute ride away which cost only AED8, approx. EUR 2. Here we wandered around the Mall, but it was mostly expensive shops, with the exception of a few stores.

The Marina harbour:

It was now around 17:00, so we took another taxi from the Marina Mall to the Abu Dhabi Mall, which took around 15 minutes and cost AED 25, or EUR 6approx. This was a nicer mall with not so expensive shops. There were even some souvenir shops too.

Then, we went back outside and queued up for the free shuttle back to the ship. We were back at the ship at 19:00.

MSC Musica docked in Abu Dhabi:

The port terminal was very nice, with a few good souvenir shops and free Wi-Fi! We got back on the ship and got ready for 21:00 dinner which lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes

Day 6 (10th January 2016): Abu Dhabi continued …

The inside of the Mosque was equally as beautiful as the outside, with beautiful carpets and three large colourful chandeliers. We spent almost two hours at this Grand Mosque, wandering around and admiring its magnificent beauty.

Day 6 (10th January 2016): Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Docked 04:00-23:55)

Weather: mostly sunny, max temperature 25C / 77F

Free Wi-Fi: in the cruise ship terminal, shopping malls

This morning, the ship docked very early, at 04:00AM. At around 09:00AM, we were woken by the cruise director's announcement welcoming new passengers on-board who embarked in Abu Dhabi. We were in no rush getting up early this morning because the ship wasn't leaving Abu Dhabi until just before midnight tonight. However, seen as we were awake from the cruise director’s announcement, we got up for breakfast and went to the buffet.

After breakfast, we ready for our day and headed out.

Docked in Abu Dhabi:

The port authorities of Abu Dhabi had organised a free shuttle from the ship to the Abu Dhabi Mall, a central location in the city. We were off the ship at around 11:45AM and the bus to the Abu Dhabi Mall took around 15 minutes, arriving there at noon.

Today in Abu Dhabi, we made our own way around the city using taxis. They were very cheap, easy to locate and we found that the drivers were very friendly and reliable. We were going to use the Hop On Hop Off bus, but it was expensive at US$58 per person for a day. So, we decided that it would be much cheaper for the 3 of us to get around using taxis.

Our first destination in Abu Dhabi was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the most spectacular mosque we have ever visited - a must see if you ever go to Abu Dhabi. A taxi from the Abu Dhabi Mall to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque took around 20 minutes and cost AED35, approx. EUR 9. The mosque was absolutely fabulous, but you must note that women need to be covered from neck to wrist and neck to ankle and also have their hair covered. Men need to wear trousers but are OK wearing short sleeved shirts or t-shirts. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was very picturesque and beautifully decorated in marble - everywhere you turned, you just had to take a photo.

Hello fellow cruisers!

I've just started writing a trip report of my recent cruise around United Arab Emirates and Oman. I sailed on MSC Musica and visited Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Khor al Fakkan (Fujairah), Muscat and Khasab.

If interested in reading it, please click on the link in my signature or on the following link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2312622

It might give you some ideas on what you can do/see in these ports.

Regards,

TeDaKi

Day 5 (9th January 2016): Dubai, United Arab Emirates (embarking MSC Musica, with departure at 21:00)

Weather: Mostly sunny, Max temperature 23C / 73F

Free wifi: in the Dubai cruise terminal

YAY!!! We’re getting on the ship today.

We got up late this morning and had breakfast from 10:20 - 11:00AM. Afterwards, we packed up our suitcases and checked out, but we put our bags into storage for a few hours as we decided to do some last minute shopping at the Mall of the Emirates. The mall was very busy on this Saturday morning.

After buying some bits and pieces, we headed back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and got a taxi to the cruise port. It took about 30 minutes to get there because there was a lot of traffic. We eventually got to the port at around 15:30. There was no waiting at security and we walked straight to check-in with no waiting at all. Our passports were taken here for the duration of the cruise. They would be given back to us the day before we disembark. It took only about 20 minutes from the time we dropped off our luggage with the porters outside, to the time we arrived at our room, an inside cabin on deck 9.

After dropping off our hand luggage, we headed up to the buffet for some snacks. Then for the rest of the evening, we just wandered around the ship, checking out all the different public lounges, shops and views of Dubai from the port.

Port of Dubai:

Finally on-board the MSC Musica:

Sunset:

MSC Musica Atrium:

Our muster drill was at 20:15, and despite the emergency procedures being repeated in 5 different languages, it was finished in about 20 minutes.

We then went to dinner and found that we had been assigned a lovely private table for three. We had the 2nd timed seating (21:00), while the 1st seating was at 18:30. We were assigned to the upper dining room (Le Maxim's) on Deck 6. There were many options on the menu, but we just went for 3 courses - starter, main course and dessert - and everything tasted good, as it did on all the other nights. What we were surprised at was that there was a charge for water (still and sparkling) in the main dining room. It cost EUR 3 for a 1L bottle of sparkling water and the same for still water.

Once we were finished dinner at around 22:30, we went outside and saw that we had left the port of Dubai. We walked around the promenade deck, admiring the Dubai skyline fade into the distance.

Day 4 (8th January 2016) continued ...

We then got back onto the Big Bus and got off at the Gold Souk. We only took a very short stroll around and we didn't spend too much time around here because after the cruise, we would be staying only a short walk away, at the Hyatt Place Baniyas Square.

Afterwards, we continued along the City Route, driving along with the Creek on our right-hand side.

Dubai Creek:

Our next stop was for the Dubai Creek Dhow Cruise which left at 16:30. This cruise lasted one hour. Like the Marina cruise, there weren't many other people on-board. We really enjoyed this cruise too. It was really nice cruising along the creek and watching the many abra boats crossing the creek.

After the 1 hour cruise, we got the Big Bus back to the Dubai Mall and from there we got a taxi back to the Mall of the Emirates. We didn't spend much time around the Dubai Mall or the Burj Khalifa Tower because we would do this area when we were back in Dubai on the ship. At the Mall of the Emirates, we dined at the food court once again and then took a look at the Ski Dubai, which is located in the shopping mall. We then walked back to the hotel for another early night.

Pics outside the Dubai Mall: