Why so few excursions on Arabian Peninsula and India?

[kitty allen]

I am looking ahead to 2016 trip on celebrity to UAE, Oman and India. I am surprised at so few excursion options, and not much info in the Africa/Middle east section of cruise critic. Is cruising to these ports new? Do they have a less developed cruise tourism industry? Why so many offering high tea in a luxury hotel as an excursion? I'm nor worried about boredom, DH and I are quite capable on our own. Just thought the lack of options in such great places strange. Thoughts?

[paul929207]

By Oman, I assume you mean the port of Aqaba. There is not a lot that we have seen to do in the city. Nearly all the tours go to Petra and/or Wadi Rum. Both are spectacular and really need a day for each.

[slidergirl]

By Oman, I assume you mean the port of Aqaba. There is not a lot that we have seen to do in the city. Nearly all the tours go to Petra and/or Wadi Rum. Both are spectacular and really need a day for each.

 

Probably not. Oman has a port, Muscat. Oman, the country, is bordered by the UAE, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. Definitely not a port for touring Petra or Wadi Rum;)

Aqaba the Red Sea port for Jordan, just across the border from the Israeli port Eliat.

 

I'm thinking there isn't much in the way of cruise tourism-specific things. Most go for the luxury hotels for vacations or business. That's why you see a lot of "excursions" to the hotels for tea. You may have to make do with what is offered by your cruise line. Or do some more hunting around the Internet for those specific ports, but don't limit to "cruise" activities. I'm sure there must be some "Bedouin" tours out into the hinterlands...

[Scrapnana]

No idea if these are the actual reasons but they are possibilities....

 

1) getting a visa for India is expensive and a pain to get (I know people who will not go on a cruise that visits India because of this)

2) ships need extra protection in this area because of pirates (we had some armed guards join us for a couple of weeks as we sailed through these waters)

 

If you happen to be going to Mumbai, I can highly recommend Grand Mumbai Tours. Pranav, the owner, is a very personable young man who gives a great tour. Excellent rating on TripAdvisor.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g304554-d3182713-Reviews-Grand_Mumbai_Tours_Day_Tours-Mumbai_Bombay_Maharashtra.html

 

If you are going to Dubai for the first time, the hop-on, hop-off bus is a great way to get an overview of the city.

[cruisemom42]

I am looking ahead to 2016 trip on celebrity to UAE, Oman and India. I am surprised at so few excursion options, and not much info in the Africa/Middle east section of cruise critic. Is cruising to these ports new? Do they have a less developed cruise tourism industry? Why so many offering high tea in a luxury hotel as an excursion? I'm nor worried about boredom, DH and I are quite capable on our own. Just thought the lack of options in such great places strange. Thoughts?

 

I don't think there's one generic answer to your question.

 

Places like Dubai are very new, without a lot of history. The beautiful architecture of the last quarter century are some of the iconic sights of the city and some of the tallest in the world. I assume that's one reason why high tea is offered there.

 

As for India, there is definitely a lot of history and a well-developed tourism industry. What ports will you visit? Some Indian ports just aren't close to the main sites that most tourists know. Several cruises that I've considered end in India and offer a 3-4 day "extension" on land that takes in the sites of the Golden Triangle, including the Taj Mahal.

[sfaaa]

Lack of interest and demand is likely the cause.

[clairebearinaus]

When is the cruise?

 

June - September would be unpleasant bordering on dangerous for any outdoor activity in the Middle East, as a past UAE resident I can assure you that all forms of entertainment are held in airconditioned comfort at that time of the year!

[kitty9]

I disagree that there's little to do in those ports. I was on a Crystal world cruise in 2001 that included those ports, and even 14 years ago, there were so many tours, there wasn't enough time in the day.

 

This is a new area of the world for Celebrity to cruise, so my best guess is that they're just not set up for touring. Hopefully, as the cruise gets closer, they will have established more tours.

[paul929207]

Probably not. Oman has a port, Muscat. Oman, the country, is bordered by the UAE, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. Definitely not a port for touring Petra or Wadi Rum;)

Aqaba the Red Sea port for Jordan, just across the border from the Israeli port Eliat.

 

I'm thinking there isn't much in the way of cruise tourism-specific things. Most go for the luxury hotels for vacations or business. That's why you see a lot of "excursions" to the hotels for tea. You may have to make do with what is offered by your cruise line. Or do some more hunting around the Internet for those specific ports, but don't limit to "cruise" activities. I'm sure there must be some "Bedouin" tours out into the hinterlands...

I am sorry. I don't know where my mind was. I was thinking of Jordan.

[Keith1010]

I am looking ahead to 2016 trip on celebrity to UAE, Oman and India. I am surprised at so few excursion options, and not much info in the Africa/Middle east section of cruise critic. Is cruising to these ports new? Do they have a less developed cruise tourism industry? Why so many offering high tea in a luxury hotel as an excursion? I'm nor worried about boredom, DH and I are quite capable on our own. Just thought the lack of options in such great places strange. Thoughts?

 

This is for two reasons.

 

One is not many people visit these areas compared to other areas such as Europe, and say the Caribbean and secondly because less cruise lines have been sailing these areas in recent years.

 

We have visited these areas multiple times.

 

We have either done ships tours or we have gotten taxis in places such as Muscat, Oman, Dubai, UAE.

 

Keith

[Calgon1]

Well, one reason is because Saudi Arabia does not give tourist visas. Work visas? Yes. Hadj? Yes. Tourist? NO!

[kitty allen]

So much to respond to:

 

Yes, Oman is a country on the Persian gulf on the opposite end of the Arabian Penninsula from Jordan. It is not in Saudi Arabia.

 

I know there is plenty to do in the area. I was just remarking on the limited number of excursions offered by the cruise line - just 4 or 5 repetitive choices in some ports. I was thinking that because the tourist season is so short there are not enough ships to keep that kind of tour operator in business.

 

Happily we are going in Dec/Jan - not in the heat of the summer. And yes, its not for another 16 months, so they are probably still getting organized.

 

I don't know who the audience for this destination is going to be. Europeans? We just sailed from England to Scandinavia/Russia and the passengers were overwhelmingly British. There are 4 India ports and 3 Arabian ports on this trip, so I am guessing India is the draw, not the Persian Gulf.

 

Guess we'll find out when we get there!

[buggins0402]

if you are interested in something more cultural while in Dubai, you might look into one of the tour or lunches at the Sheik Mohammed Center for Cultural understanding. http://www.cultures.ae

 

if you go there, try and take a few minutes to check out the art center for people with special needs ( it's near the entrance to the cultural center) in the Bastakiya area.

http://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/community/features/29540-special-needs-art-in-uae

 

The woman who runs it seemed absolutely wonderful...she was so happy that someone came in after reading about it in a travel guide, that the encounter ended up on their Facebook page.

 

In Abu Dhabi...this is a must do

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Zayed_Mosque

 

You would be quite safe to do all the above independently if you can't find a ship tour.