Arab Emirates Cruise MSC Splendida

[Floridaholic]

Hi all

 

On an Emirates cruise in March and know you more or less have to cover up but doing a safari on Sir Bani Yas and Dune Buggy excursion in Doha. My question is can I wear shorts on these excursions. Also general advuce on dress code in other ports ...Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. Know need to be modestly dressed at mosques.

Thanks 😊

[easyboy]

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[Floridiana]

Mosques:

Men: long pants, short or long sleeved shirt.

Women: long pants (not skin tight) that cover the ankles, long sleeves that cover the wrists, scarf to cover hair and neck (not some tiny see through affair). There are controls at the entrance.

 

Shoes stay outside the mosque entrance. Mosques with many visitors have shoe racks for this purpose and gowns to rent. And believe me, if you are in a group and not properly dressed and the guide has to take you to the gown rental counter somewhere else on the premises, the rest of the group will not be pleased that they have to stand around waiting for you. But it happened 3 times on my last trip in 4 different mosques.

 

Modestly dressed for everywhere else: Sleeves are a good idea, capris are fine. I rarely saw shorts and then only in a mall directly attached to a tourist hotel and water park. Remember that the air conditioning is COLD.

 

On a safari I would wear clothing that protects my skin from sticky car seats.

 

Enjoy your cruise! I loved mine in that area.

[Floridaholic]

Thanks Floridiana. Two ladies travelling so we just wanted a definitive answer from someone who had been even though we had done a fair amount of research ourselves. We just don't want to offend. I know Abu Dhabi is extremely strict at the mosque but just wanted to check others. Will check into what we have booked and ensure we have the right clothing.

Thanks again and happy cruising to you x

[Floridiana]

I wore the same clothing to the mosque that I wore in the Cambodian jungle for mosquitos protection. Light weight hiking pants, a blue linen blouse, and a light weight cotton kroma scarf from Cambodia. I felt sorry for the ladies who only brought winter clothing with long sleeves. They were hot!

 

The Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi is a sight to behold! Incredible marble intarsia work from Italy and Swarovski crystal chandeliers. Lots of visitors! Bring your camera!

[Tbay]

The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is beautiful. Stay and see it at night if you can. I thought I was modestly dressed, but still had to get an abaya to wear. There is no charge, but you must leave some form of ID, such as a drivers licence or passport as a deposit. It is a bit of a walk to get the abaya, and there may be a line up. The first morning in Dubai I wore capri pants to breakfast, and did not see another pair, so changed before venturing out again. Capris are okay. If you go to the desert at night, be sure to take a light jacket as it does cool off. Spent two weeks in these two cities and it was awesome. Enjoy.

[Keith1010]

In the mosque you want to wear conservative clothing and no shorts.

 

If you go to the grand mosque in Abu Dhabi which I recommend they will also give you something to wear over your clothing.

 

In general in other areas just wear clothing on the conservative side.

 

Keith

[buchhalm]

OP, I lived in Bahrain and Oman for 6 years each and am currently residing in Abu Dhabi.

So. Conservative lose fitting clothes are best. Get natural fibres for comfort.

Shorts and t-shirts are fine for the dune trips, but something like lose yoga pants may be more comfortable , especially in the cars ( seats may be a bit sticky, as was mentioned)

Throw a sarong or big scarf in your bag, and you are (literally) covered in case you come across a place that requires a bit more modesty.

I don't know about Shaik Zaed mosque in AUH, but at the Khalifa Grand Mosque in Bahrain they are super welcoming and show you around when you rock up. I don't think they have set visiting times. Whenever we came with visitors they gave us a tour. You may have to wait a few minutes if prayer times happen to be on, but they sit you in a cool spot and usually offer water or tea. For people who are not properly dressed, they lend you Arabic outfits and at the end you are usually presented with a Holy Quoran. They are SO nice there.

Sultan Qaboos mosque in Muscat has very limited visiting hours and the folks there are very standoffish if you don't come with a local Muslim person.