Athens to Dubai

We now are contemplating the Athens to Dubai itinerary and wonder if anyone has done this and can offer comments/feedback, as I have some trepidations about the itinerary--security, ports, amount of time with flights from Dubai and layovers, etc. However, this itinerary includes Israel and a trip to Petra which I'm wondering if it is included or extra. I appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks to all!

In February we flew from the Seychelles to Dubai, then to Houston, on Emirates. Flights were generally on time. Service and comfort perhaps a little bit better than American carriers. Dubai seems to be a fascinating place. We were only there a few hours, but we'd like to go back and spend several days. The airport is very modern, very busy and very large. LittleRedJohn

We cruised the reverse of this itinerary (36 days on Seabourn Pride in 2013) from Singapore to Athens via Dubai with the express purpose of seeing Petra, (which did not disappoint).

From memory it was a paid tour but well worth every dollar.

We were also fortunate then to be the last Seabourn ship to visit Egypt (Luxor and Cairo)

Security was tight, but not a worry.

There were a number of sea days, which we enjoy.

As LittleRedJohn wrote above, Emirates fly direct to the U.S.from Dubai (11 cities )

https://www.emirates.com/au/english/destinations/flights-to-united-states.aspx

As do Qatar Air from nearby Doha who also fly direct to Philadelphia and a number of other US cities

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/discover/americas.html

We have been flying with Qatar for the last 7 years, they have a large fleet of new planes with great service.

We flew back to Australia from Boston via Doha with them after doing the Route of the Vikings from the UK on Seabourn.

We did this itinerary on the Pride in 2012. The weather was spectacular (not too hot and it was dry). We went to Luxor where we did an overnight with a private tour company, and we also visited Petra using the same private company. Petra was spectacular but a long (and virtually bathroomless) drive from the ship. Be warned in advance. There is one place to stop enroute and it leaves a long (but fascinating) ride through nowhere to endure.

The Seabourn tour to Petra at the time did cost. We chose a private tour just so that we could manage our own time and stops.

Some of my best memories were transiting the Suez Canal, something I thought that I would never get to do. Also the busy port for Luxor was an incredible scene reminiscent of old movies featuring tramp steamers in far away places. We were delighted that we were able to do these things.

We live in the Chicago area and we flew home on BA - about eight hours from Dubai to London, then another eight hours home. We were in business class - but it was BA business class. We flew to Athens on United/Lufthansa via Frankfort.

The Dubai airport is comfortable and modern. No issues there. We did arrange our own air using miles - we did not use Seabourn air.

When cruising through the most dangerous waters we were part of a convoy - and had an armed security team that Seabourn employed for the transit through those areas. We kept our curtains closed after dark, no lights on deck, outdoor restaurants did not serve at night. There was also razor wire installed to prevent anyone from climbing up to our decks, sonar equipment, water hoses at the ready and other security plans in play. We felt safe.

Actually that is a trip I might like to take again if I ever exhaust my bucket list.

We did this trip in reverse starting in Dubai. A great trip that I would recommend. Petra is an excursion that cost extra but worth every penny. Petra was one of the most memorable trips I have ever been apart of. Leaving Petra on the way back to the boat they stopped at lookout point and served champagne and caviar which was a very nice touch. Dubai is a very modern city with a lot of building going on. We enjoyed our stay there, but now that I have been there, I do not have to go back. Jerusalem was another great stop that should not be missed. I never felt unsafe during the trip. Seabourn even had extra security personal join the ship at sea for the leg from Salalah Oman to Jordan.

Yes. We also had a lovely excursion to Petra and had a stop on the way back to the ship. The weather was cold by then and we had something hot. Cant remember exactly what ! Anyway we were not keen to stop after such an exhausting day but Seabourn came up trumps. A small truck was waiting for us with the refreshments. It was quite magical. Don't miss Petra. J