Cruising in the Middle East

[NJa416]

Hi all,

 

I’m reaching out to anyone who might have taken a cruise that included ports of call within the Middle East. While I understand that many individuals have very strong opinions regarding travel to this area, I want to start off by saying that this post is not at intended to elicit a discussion of ethics and I am not interested in responses that have an overarching ethical foundation.

 

My partner and I are a gay couple and we are exploring the option of booking a cruise itinerary that includes stops in Jordan, Oman, Egypt, and the UAE. While I am very familiar with the particular nuances of Islam, I am interested in hearing of people’s experiences in cruising with itineraries such as this.

 

• Safety - Though we appreciate the inherent safety risks associated with these ports, what have people’s experiences been, particularly when participating in group excursions? As a rule, we would be avoiding venturing far from the port on our own and would opt to participate in group excursions. It goes without saying that we would avoid all PDAs and behavior that may be interpreted as “unnatural” but are there any other suggestions from those of you who may have ventured out in these areas?
• Alcohol - while we certainly enjoy kicking back with a few drinks while cruising, it is by no means the focal point of our vacations. However, are there any additional restrictions with regard to alcohol on the ship while within these particular waters. We understand that drinking on land is technically illegal (though overlooked in cities such as Dubai, so long as you take care not to draw attention to yourself through inappropriate behaviour, etc.) but are there any particular restrictions while on the ship?
• Ship inspections - Has anyone experienced “random inspections” by local authorities while on board the ship? Is this even something that is commonly seen?
• Anything else - any other information is welcome. We are just in the planning phase and are really open to objective feedback.

 

I would like to thank you in advance for your feedback and I will once again reiterate that I am not interested in engaging in a discussion of ethics. People are of course entitled to their opinions and I am more than happy to have these discussions, though this is not the appropriate forum.

 

thanks again!

 

Nick

 

 

[bonsai3s]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

We sailed from Venice to Dubai through the Suez Canal with stops in Muscat, Shalala, and Abu Dhabi among others.  Here's just some random thoughts:

* Security/Shore excursions...we were pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of these countries. Same as many other ports we've visited around the world, there were many taxis at each port selling shore excursions. We found that smiling while haggling always gets us a better price.  We found walking around town, near the cruise port, safe and fascinating. We were careful not to show any PDA's but were amazed when we visited the beach in Dubai....and observing local women completely covered from head to toe sitting next to tourist wearing a skimpy bikini!

* We sailed on the Vision of the Seas and had no restrictions onboard. We did not observe anyone drinking in public but alcohol is often available at most hotels.

* There were no ship inspections conducted on our cruise.  There were, however, approximately a dozen security men (all dressed in black) who boarded our ship in the Suez Canal...and stayed on until Dubai.  Our ship conducted a "Pirate Drill" where all passengers were mandated to leave all public areas and move to INTERIOR/inside designated areas.

* Other random stuff....taxis in Dubai are cheap but they charge a few dollars extra for entering the cruise terminal.  Our ship provided a free shuttle to one of the "smaller' local malls.  If you intend on going up the Burj Khalifa, it would be best to get your tickets online...in advance.  There was so much to see and experience in Dubai.

 

Don't miss the massive white mosque in Abu Dhabi...can't quite remember the name at the moment...it houses the largest chandelier and largest single piece carpet in the world......and my gosh, you ought to see how clean the restrooms are!  Our ship again provided a free shuttle to one of the local malls.

 

In Muscat, the cruise terminal was very industrial and had to take a free shuttle to the cruise terminal gate....there you'll be welcomed by hundreds of taxis looking for your business.  In the afternoon, we spent walking along the "corniche" or waterfront walkpath with a stop at a massive "souk"....a winding, interior shopping area, full of vendors, shops, and restaurants...selling thousands of merchandise. Lastly, we found that everywhere we went, every shore excursion we took, all the walking we did...we experienced a wonderful scent...a floral fragrant...coming from the numerous perfumes sold along the streets.  Happy planning and happy sailing!

[Host Kat]

Howdy NJa416!

 

Thank you for your first post on the Ask a Cruise Question forum and welcome to Cruise Critic! 👍 

 

However since your inquiry concerns one particular area, I have moved your thread to the Ports of Call - Africa & Middle East forum where it will be on-topic. Now that you are on this new forum, please browse through the other threads here looking for those related to your inquiry. You may find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers regarding the same inquiry.

 

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Host Kat

[tring]

16 hours ago, NJa416 said:

 

• Alcohol -We understand that drinking on land is technically illegal

 Not sure were you got this information.  We have been to Egypt, Dubai and also Abu Dhabi on land stays and hotels/restaurants serve alcohol, but must admit at prices that deterred us from buying any in the UAE.

 

I think it is illegal for Muslims to drink in the UAE though, so if you are Muslim, your information could be correct.  We found all those places tourist friendly, but Abu Dhabi is more traditional.

Edited November 13, 2019 by tring

[Jayayeff]

43 minutes ago, tring said:

 Not sure were you got this information.  We have been to Egypt, Dubai and also Abu Dhabi on land stays and hotels/restaurants serve alcohol, but must admit at prices that deterred us from buying any in the UAE.

 

I think it is illegal for Muslims to drink in the UAE though, so if you are Muslim, your information could be correct.  We found all those places tourist friendly, but Abu Dhabi is more traditional.

Actually, the OP is correct however, Dubai has recently introduced a facility whereby tourists can obtain a licence which was previously only available to non- Muslim residents.  Whilst tourists have generally been fine drinking in hotel bars, restaurants, etc. they were not allowed to buy bottles of alcohol, but the new tourist license allows them to do that.  Drinking in public, i.e. on beaches, in parks, in the street, etc. is still illegal for all....To get a temporary license, which will be free of charge to tourists, visitors just need to take their passport with entry visa stamp in it to any of the MMI or African Eastern liquor stores to register for the facility and sign a declaration that they are non-Muslim..  Any alcohol purchased can only be consumed within their holiday accommodation...

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-7607945/Dubai-loosens-liquor-laws-UAE-alcohol-sales-suffer-drop.html

Anne...

[tring]

22 hours ago, Jayayeff said:

Actually, the OP is correct however, Dubai has recently introduced a facility whereby tourists can obtain a licence which was previously only available to non- Muslim residents.  Whilst tourists have generally been fine drinking in hotel bars, restaurants, etc. they were not allowed to buy bottles of alcohol, but the new tourist license allows them to do that.  Drinking in public, i.e. on beaches, in parks, in the street, etc. is still illegal for all....To get a temporary license, which will be free of charge to tourists, visitors just need to take their passport with entry visa stamp in it to any of the MMI or African Eastern liquor stores to register for the facility and sign a declaration that they are non-Muslim..  Any alcohol purchased can only be consumed within their holiday accommodation...

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-7607945/Dubai-loosens-liquor-laws-UAE-alcohol-sales-suffer-drop.html

Anne...

 

OK, I did not know about that, sorry.  Does that mean Hotels and restaurants are no longer serving alcohol, which is where I was thinking tourists would be drinking?  It is illegal to drink in some public places in the UK, but not a general thing.

 

We were in a Holiday Inn on a main street in Abu Dhabi 2-3 years ago and sat out on their raised terrace having a light evening meal a couple of times and there was no restriction even sitting there with alcohol from what I remember, as it was at the time of the Grand Prix and a number of groups of people connected to that where sitting out with us and I am pretty sure they were drinking alcohol from bottles.  The terrace was raised though with a barrier round, so not a pavement cafe.  The bar and other bars/restaurants all seemed to be serving alcohol (at a price), both there and in Dubai the previous year.

 

I cannot access your link without accepting cookies/removing add blocker, which I am loath to do. 

Edited November 14, 2019 by tring

[Jayayeff]

28 minutes ago, tring said:

 

OK, I did not know about that, sorry.  Does that mean Hotels and restaurants are no longer serving alcohol, which is where I was thinking tourists would be drinking?  It is illegal to drink in some public places in the UK, but not a general thing.

 

We were in a Holiday Inn on a main street in Abu Dhabi 2-3 years ago and sat out on their raised terrace having a light evening meal a couple of times and there was no restriction even sitting there with alcohol from what I remember, as it was at the time of the Grand Prix and a number of groups of people connected to that where sitting out with us and I am pretty sure they were drinking alcohol from bottles.  The terrace was raised though with a barrier round, so not a pavement cafe.  The bar and other bars/restaurants all seemed to be serving alcohol (at a price), both there and in Dubai the previous year.

 

I cannot access your link without accepting cookies/removing add blocker, which I am loath to do. 

Hotels, restaurants, hotel bars, licensed concert venues, etc. etc. are still operating and serving alcohol as they have always done.  Not drinking in public means out in the open, i.e the street, on beaches, at parks etc....... The Dubai local law change is that non-Muslim visitors can now purchase alcohol from the official off-licenses that were previously only available to license holding residents....

 

The link was to an article in the Daily Mail which I’m sure you can access if you Google it (which is what I did to pull it up)...

 

Anne..

[tring]

7 minutes ago, Jayayeff said:

Hotels, restaurants, hotel bars, licensed concert venues, etc. etc. are still operating and serving alcohol as they have always done.  Not drinking in public means out in the open, i.e the street, on beaches, at parks etc....... The Dubai local law change is that non-Muslim visitors can now purchase alcohol from the official off-licenses that were previously only available to license holding residents....

 

The link was to an article in the Daily Mail which I’m sure you can access if you Google it (which is what I did to pull it up)...

 

Anne..

 

7 minutes ago, Jayayeff said:

Hotels, restaurants, hotel bars, licensed concert venues, etc. etc. are still operating and serving alcohol as they have always done.  Not drinking in public means out in the open, i.e the street, on beaches, at parks etc....... The Dubai local law change is that non-Muslim visitors can now purchase alcohol from the official off-licenses that were previously only available to license holding residents....

 

The link was to an article in the Daily Mail which I’m sure you can access if you Google it (which is what I did to pull it up)...

 

Anne..

 

So no change from what I originally thought, interesting you can now buy from what I assume is similar to our off licences though I expect they will be more expensive than ours.  Don't think I will tell DH as it is nice to have him dry out at times 🙂

 

Perhaps you do not use an ad blocker or refuse cookies - I find virtually all newspapers etc. and a number of other sites do not allow me access, which is fair enough as they are there to make money, which they will not do from me.  I do not think I am missing much though from sites who work on that basis.  I can usually see a bit of the writing around the flag asking me to change that stance, but cannot scroll up or down.

 

Thanks for all the help and information you give - I have often benefitted from your comments, even though I have not asked the question.