Dubai question for Anne (Jayayeff)

Hi Anne

We came upon an article about the Miracle Garden in Al Barsha 2. Looked at the website and it seems totally out of date, as if it went out of business in 2016. It says on the website its shut (due to the hot summer I assume). Is it still going and will it be open last week of December, as its something we'd like to see?

Thanks

Simon

Hi Anne

 

 

We came upon an article about the Miracle Garden in Al Barsha 2. Looked at the website and it seems totally out of date, as if it went out of business in 2016. It says on the website its shut (due to the hot summer I assume). Is it still going and will it be open last week of December, as its something we'd like to see?

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Simon

Hi Simon,

You’re correct it is seasonal and is closed just now but is scheduled to open for the 2018/2019 season on the 5th November (to be confirmed)... If I see any updates to that date I’ll post on here for you...

Anne..

Thanks very much

Simon

Hi Anne

I thought I'd come back to my thread, rather than hopping to several others!

So, NYE fireworks etc. Other posts say that lots of roads get closed and transport can be a problem after midnight, so a couple of questions.

Does the Metro run late that night or is it a no no because it will be too crowded?

How many roads get closed?

You are right that we are near the MoE (in the Holiday Inn at Al Barsha). Looks like we could probably see Atlantis area and Burj al Arab area from the hotel roof (which I think is where the swimming pool is). Is it worth just staying at the hotel (as I'm sure they will do something) to avoid all the traffic/crowds?

Do the locals celebrate NYE well into the night, or is that just us tourists!? (We won't be going mad, as we go to Abu Dhabi on New Years Day).

Being a local, I value your opinion!

Thanks for your help.

Simon

Hi Anne

 

 

I thought I'd come back to my thread, rather than hopping to several others!

 

 

So, NYE fireworks etc. Other posts say that lots of roads get closed and transport can be a problem after midnight, so a couple of questions.

Does the Metro run late that night or is it a no no because it will be too crowded?

How many roads get closed?

You are right that we are near the MoE (in the Holiday Inn at Al Barsha). Looks like we could probably see Atlantis area and Burj al Arab area from the hotel roof (which I think is where the swimming pool is). Is it worth just staying at the hotel (as I'm sure they will do something) to avoid all the traffic/crowds?

Do the locals celebrate NYE well into the night, or is that just us tourists!? (We won't be going mad, as we go to Abu Dhabi on New Years Day).

 

Being a local, I value your opinion!

 

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

Simon

Hi Simon,

Yes, the Metro does run late into the night on NYE but it would be crowded - it can be crowded at the best of times, especially at peak hours, even though the trains run very few minutes.

Traditionally it has only been roads around the Dubai Mall area (Financial Centre Road upper and lower levels, Sh. Mohammed Boulevard and some exits from Sh. Zayed Road) that have been closed - there have been restrictions in place from late afternoon (5pm or so) with full road closures in the immediate area of Dubai Mall from 8pm in the evenings. Between access to Dubai Mall, the Dubai Fountains and other entertainment they put on around the Dubai Fountains area the crowds get there early. How difficult it is to get away, I honestly don't know as I don't do crowds so have kept my distance on NYE when I've been here!!!!

Hard to recommend one option over another at this stage as none of us know yet what the actual plans are for this coming NYE - as soon as I see or hear anything I'll be sure to post and let you know.... I saw something yesterday about the QE2 having a special gala event for NYE so info is starting to filter through...

Anne...

Thanks Anne. I'll keep an eye out for your updates, though I must say I'm leaning towards staying in the hotel and watching as many fireworks from the roof there as we can. Sounds like getting 'home' from around the BK would be a lot of hassle!

Simon

On 10/2/2018 at 8:10 PM, sddsddean said:

Thanks Anne. I'll keep an eye out for your updates, though I must say I'm leaning towards staying in the hotel and watching as many fireworks from the roof there as we can. Sounds like getting 'home' from around the BK would be a lot of hassle!



Simon

Simon,

Latest update on NYE.  It was announced over the weekend by Emaar (the owners of Burj Khalifa and the Downtown area) that due to popular demand the fireworks will return to Burj Khalifa for NYE.  The announcement said there would be designated viewing spaces and other events around the Dubai Fountains but no other details  so far... Will keep my eyes and ears open for any further news...

Anne..

I have another question about touring in Dubai. My ship arrives in Dubai at 9:00 and I am to fly out at midnight. I do have a tour with Princess (Hop ON/Hop Off for 3 hrs) Is there something else I could do in the remaining time? I am a solo traveler and so I am very careful what I am doing. Also where can I store my luggage? Just wondering if you could help?

Kathy

2 hours ago, Jayayeff said:

 

Simon,

Latest update on NYE.  It was announced over the weekend by Emaar (the owners of Burj Khalifa and the Downtown area) that due to popular demand the fireworks will return to Burj Khalifa for NYE.  The announcement said there would be designated viewing spaces and other events around the Dubai Fountains but no other details  so far... Will keep my eyes and ears open for any further news...

Anne..

Thanks Anne...I'll wait with baited breath!! Another quickie. I saw somewhere that the are building a 'ferris' wheel on Bluewater island and it was supposed to open in 2018, but I can't find anything that says its working. Any news?

Thanks

Simon

12 hours ago, sddsddean said:

 

Thanks Anne...I'll wait with baited breath!! Another quickie. I saw somewhere that the are building a 'ferris' wheel on Bluewater island and it was supposed to open in 2018, but I can't find anything that says its working. Any news?

Thanks

Simon

 

 

That's another one of those projects that seems to drag on and on.  The 'wheel' is built now and I believe word was it would open some time this year however, the last time I looked at it there were still no pods on the wheel... I can't find anything definitive on any of the local media or social media websites but will keep my eyes and ears open for that one too...

Anne..

14 hours ago, breezyb45 said:

I have another question about touring in Dubai. My ship arrives in Dubai at 9:00 and I am to fly out at midnight. I do have a tour with Princess (Hop ON/Hop Off for 3 hrs) Is there something else I could do in the remaining time? I am a solo traveler and so I am very careful what I am doing. Also where can I store my luggage? Just wondering if you could help?

Kathy

Kathy

As far as I'm aware there are no luggage storage facilities either at the cruise terminal or the airport and it depends on which airline you are flying out on how early you could check baggage at the airport.  Have you considered booking a hotel for the day to use as a base until you need to go to the airport for your midnight flight out??   The list of things to do in Dubai is endless, I suggest you have a look at 'things to do' on tripadvisor and see what appeals but you really don't need to worry about travelling solo here - I live here solo with no issues whatsoever..

Anne

9 hours ago, Jayayeff said:

 

That's another one of those projects that seems to drag on and on.  The 'wheel' is built now and I believe word was it would open some time this year however, the last time I looked at it there were still no pods on the wheel... I can't find anything definitive on any of the local media or social media websites but will keep my eyes and ears open for that one too...

Anne..

Thanks Anne. I thought it must be something like that. Ah well, something to cross off the 'things to do' list!!

Simon

13 hours ago, Jayayeff said:

 

Kathy

As far as I'm aware there are no luggage storage facilities either at the cruise terminal or the airport and it depends on which airline you are flying out on how early you could check baggage at the airport.  Have you considered booking a hotel for the day to use as a base until you need to go to the airport for your midnight flight out??   The list of things to do in Dubai is endless, I suggest you have a look at 'things to do' on tripadvisor and see what appeals but you really don't need to worry about travelling solo here - I live here solo with no issues whatsoever..

 

Anne

Thanks for the information. Do you have a suggestion of a hotel that offers shuttle from airport to hotel and back? Also one that might have a restaurant in it?

   I have contacted my travel agent and she contacted Princess who will be bringing my luggage for hop on/ hop off with me and then go to the airport.

Kathy

9 hours ago, breezyb45 said:

Thanks for the information. Do you have a suggestion of a hotel that offers shuttle from airport to hotel and back? Also one that might have a restaurant in it?

   I have contacted my travel agent and she contacted Princess who will be bringing my luggage for hop on/ hop off with me and then go to the airport.

Kathy

Kathy,

I'm sorry but I really don't know which hotels offer airport shuttles as I've never had reason to use any!!!  However, I can recommend hotels close to the airport that even if they don't have a shuttle are only 5 - 10 minutes away by taxi, and taxi fares are very reasonable here.  There are two very close to Terminal 1 which we frequently use for business guests, the Roda Al Bustan Hotel and the Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre and both have a selection of restaurants.   A little further from the airport within Dubai Festival City area there are 3 hotels which are all connected to the Dubai Festival Centre Mall so they have inhouse restaurants and access to those within the mall, they are Intercontinental Festival City, Crowne Plaza Festival City and the very recently opened Holiday Inn Festival City... If you are looking for a budget option, directly across from the airport are 2 airport hotels, the Premier Inn and the Holiday Inn Express but I don't know what restaurant facilities they have on site...

Anne..

4 hours ago, Jayayeff said:

 

Kathy,

I'm sorry but I really don't know which hotels offer airport shuttles as I've never had reason to use any!!!  However, I can recommend hotels close to the airport that even if they don't have a shuttle are only 5 - 10 minutes away by taxi, and taxi fares are very reasonable here.  There are two very close to Terminal 1 which we frequently use for business guests, the Roda Al Bustan Hotel and the Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre and both have a selection of restaurants.   A little further from the airport within Dubai Festival City area there are 3 hotels which are all connected to the Dubai Festival Centre Mall so they have inhouse restaurants and access to those within the mall, they are Intercontinental Festival City, Crowne Plaza Festival City and the very recently opened Holiday Inn Festival City... If you are looking for a budget option, directly across from the airport are 2 airport hotels, the Premier Inn and the Holiday Inn Express but I don't know what restaurant facilities they have on site...

Anne..

Anne,

    You are so kind to give me all this information. I greatly appreciate your help. I now will be busy looking for a place to stay. Hope you have a great day because you made mine super!

Kathy

On 9/10/2018 at 10:27 PM, sddsddean said:

Hi Anne

 

 

We came upon an article about the Miracle Garden in Al Barsha 2. Looked at the website and it seems totally out of date, as if it went out of business in 2016. It says on the website its shut (due to the hot summer I assume). Is it still going and will it be open last week of December, as its something we'd like to see?

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Simon

Simon,

Although I checked this online a week or so ago and no news, I just received an sms notification that the Miracle Garden re-opens for the 2018-2019 season on Thursday this week (1st November)... If there’s anything else you still need info on before your visit, please post and I’ll check it out for you...

Anne..

Great Anne. Thanks very much for the info. I was looking at the map to see if we could get there by public transport. We'll have NOL cards, so is there a bus(es) that could get us from Holiday Inn Al Barsha to the gardens?

Thanks for your time.

Simon

12 hours ago, sddsddean said:

Great Anne. Thanks very much for the info. I was looking at the map to see if we could get there by public transport. We'll have NOL cards, so is there a bus(es) that could get us from Holiday Inn Al Barsha to the gardens?

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Simon

Sorry Simon, I can't help you with that one.  Apart from occasionally using one of the 'feeder' bus services that link up with the Metro I know little or nothing about the general bus routes in Dubai... Have you checked the RTA website, there maybe a route search function on there??

Anne...

No problem Anne. I'll try the travel planner and see what comes up. Failing that we can always grab a cab!

Simon

On 10/30/2018 at 10:50 AM, sddsddean said:

Great Anne. Thanks very much for the info. I was looking at the map to see if we could get there by public transport. We'll have NOL cards, so is there a bus(es) that could get us from Holiday Inn Al Barsha to the gardens?

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Simon

It doesn't look like there's bus service going near the Miracle Gardens.  Uber is inexpensive to use to go there during the day.  I think at night there is a minimal 25 dirham charge.  Rome2rio is a good website to see about transit for many cities including Dubai:

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Mall-of-the-Emirates/Dubai-Miracle-Garden

A good real time transit app is moovit.  In addition to routing, it will tell you when your next bus / metro is coming.  It is a good app to load up to use while you are in Dubai.  

Thanks for the info.  I tried the planner, but that basically said use a taxi. However, on another site I found that the 105 bus goes from Mall of the Emirates to the Miracle Garden. I think I'll have a word at the hotel when we get there.

Thanks again.

Simon

50 minutes ago, sddsddean said:

Thanks for the info.  I tried the planner, but that basically said use a taxi. However, on another site I found that the 105 bus goes from Mall of the Emirates to the Miracle Garden. I think I'll have a word at the hotel when we get there.

 

Thanks again.

 

Simon

The schedule is on Moovit https://moovitapp.com/index/en/public_transit-line-105-Dubai_Abu_Dhabi-3824-864212-428240-0  O

https://www.emirates247.com/news/route-105-moe-to-miracle-garden-2016-01-09-1.616528

Have fun!

Great!! Thanks very much.

Simon

Hi Anne

Sorry to bother you again. Just looking at electric voltages etc and it would appear you use UK style square 3 pin plugs. I thought we were the only ones that had them! Is that correct? Also, do you have UK style lemonade out there or will we have to get 7Up or Sprite?

(Mindless, but important questions!!!)

Thanks

Simon

40 minutes ago, sddsddean said:

Hi Anne

 

Sorry to bother you again. Just looking at electric voltages etc and it would appear you use UK style square 3 pin plugs. I thought we were the only ones that had them! Is that correct? Also, do you have UK style lemonade out there or will we have to get 7Up or Sprite?

 

(Mindless, but important questions!!!)

 

Thanks

 

Simon

Hi Simon,

Yes, we use the same 3 pin plugs as the UK however you’ll have to go to specific stores or supermarkets if you want UK lemonade as the norm is indeed Sprite or 7Up.  Quite a few of the malls have Marks & Spencer stores with a small (compared to the UK) food section so you would find there own brand lemonade there, likewise in any of the Spinneys or Waitrose stores you will find the Waitrose branded soft drinks or Schweppes branded soft drinks... That was an easy one - someone asked me last cruise season if you could find a specific flavour Britvic J2O here and that one was impossible to find!!!!

Anne...