DubaiDecember 24-25, 2024
This morning, we found ourselves at the port of Dubai in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). We were scheduled to be there until 4:00 PM the next day.
Traci started the morning by attending an exercise class on the ship. I joined her for breakfast at the buffet and then we made our way to the Stardust Theater to exit the ship with our excursion group. I had booked Norwegian's New Wonders of Dubai excursion. This was a 4.5-hour motorcoach tour that showed us some of the new construction of the city.
My first impression of Dubai besides the tall buildings was the traffic and construction. Sometimes the traffic was a result of ongoing construction projects; other times, it was the volume of vehicles on the road. The traffic did not bother me since I was not driving.
Just like our visit to Abu Dhabi the day prior, our guide in Dubai was praying for rain on this partly cloudy day, but no rain came. Our guide pointed out some of the city's iconic buildings such as Burj Khalifa (tallest in the world), the Sail (world's only 7-star hotel), Atlantis Palm Resort, The Frame, and more. We made a 20-minute exterior photo stop at the Sail. Next, we were given 45 minutes to walk around the Dubai Marina. There were shops, eateries, tall buildings, and, of course, the marina with its yachts.
The Sail - world's only 7-star hotel
Dubai Marina
Our final stop before returning to the port was the Dubai Mall. This monstrosity contains more than 1,500 stores, an aquarium, an amusement park, a skating rink, and more. We were given an hour to explore the mall, but we had to keep an eye on the time at this stop more than others. Our guide said that if we were not back by the designated time then he would assume that we want to stay longer at the mall. Consequently, you would be responsible for your own transportation back to the ship. Traci and I are not really mall people, so we planned to be at the meeting point on-time.
aquarium at the Dubai Mall
As big and fancy as the Dubai Mall is, it was still a mall to Traci and me. Traci was interested in visiting the Nike store. Other than that, we just strolled along until something such as the aquarium caught our eyes. While waiting outside one of the stores that Traci was checking out, a young man who was cleaning the mall approached me and asked where I was from. After telling him that I am from the United States, he told me that he is from Pakistan and that he had only been in Dubai for 3 weeks. The UAE and Qatar employ a lot of foreign workers. These workers actually outnumber the citizens. The young man and I had a nice conversation about life in each other's country and getting adjusted to life in Dubai. I was floored when the guy told me that he speaks 6 languages! I appreciated our chat. I wished him well in his new city.
The interesting thing about our visit to the Dubai Mall was all the Christmas decorations and Christmas music playing in the background. It was Christmas Eve but being in a Muslim country, the Christmas themes were unexpected. It did not take long for me to be reminded of where we were because at a certain time, the Muslim Call to Prayer began being chanted loudly over the PA system.
Traci and I got back on the ship after our morning excursion and then exited the ship for our afternoon excursion. We did the 4-hour Discover Dubai on Foot Tour this time. I really liked this excursion. We were driven in a motorcoach to the old section of Dubai. This is where our walking tour began. Our guide led us through the Bastakia Quarter which is also referred to as the Al Fahidi Historical District. Here there are simple buildings that are maintained to look as they did in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, these buildings house restaurants, shops, small museums, and, in some cases, residents. We walked through souqs (markets/bazaars). We saw the exterior of Al Fahidi Fort, Dubai's oldest fort. We visited two small museums - a Dubai history museum and a perfume museum. More than anything, I just enjoyed walking the streets, hearing the sounds, and watching people go about their lives. I think most of our group of 14 enjoyed this aspect because we seemed to keep losing people as they wandered off to explore. This drove our guide crazy. He was constantly doing a head count then running off to find the missing person(s). He would then give them a lecture when he found them.
We visited the Creek which looked more like a harbor to me. It was busy with people and water shuttles. I did not care for the number of birds in that area. I thought I was going to get pooped on. Fortunately, that was not the case. There is a promenade along the creek which is lined with cafes and shops. Our group stopped at an outdoor cafe where we were treated to dates and a green slushy drink. I enjoyed the drink, but I did not eat any of the dates because I did not know how long they had been sitting on the table uncovered. Furthermore, I saw a fly land on one of them. Other than that, this was an enjoyable excursion.
Bastakia Quarter
spice shop in the souq
souq
perfume museum
The Creek
culture lesson
We had a small snafu when we got back to the ship terminal. Traci could not find her key card. This was the second time she misplaced a key on this trip. We concluded that she must have dropped it on the tour bus which was now gone. Without her key card, she would not be allowed to exit the cruise terminal or board the ship. We told one of the Norwegian employees who was helping passengers in the cruise terminal. She made some phone calls and then had me follow her onto the ship. I needed to answer some questions and show proof of identity before they issued new key cards for Traci and me. I then needed to exit the ship to give Traci her card so that we could reboard the ship. Whew!
After dinner at Aqua, we exited the ship to take advantage of the fast, free Wi-Fi in the cruise terminal. It was Christmas Eve, so I called my siblings to wish them an early Merry Christmas.
The next day was Christmas Day. It was my first time spending Christmas on a cruise ship. It felt like any other day on the ship except that Traci presented me with a lovely Christmas card that morning. I felt bad because, although I had a gift waiting for her at home, I did not think to bring a Christmas card to present to her on the ship.
Looking at the Dubai skyline from our balcony that morning, I could see that the city was enveloped in fog or smog - not sure which one. Traci and I made our way to the Venetian (main dining room of the ship) for breakfast. Service had been slow at the restaurants we visited on the ship, but this morning was exceptionally slow. Breakfast took more than an hour. This was not a problem for us. We did not have any Dubai shore excursions booked that day. We just chatted as we waited patiently for our food. There was one bright spot that morning at breakfast when we saw a waitress who served us last year aboard the Norwegian Spirit when we did our South Pacific cruise. She recognized us and said hello.
Our plan for the day was to check out the Dubai Frame. Our guide pointed it out during our morning New Wonders of Dubai excursion the previous day. Traci and I took an Uber from the cruise terminal to the Dubai Frame. The Frame is the result of an architecture contest to celebrate the city. As the name implies, the Dubai Frame is a large building in the shape of a picture frame. The architect designed the building so that from one side you see modern Dubai and from the other side you see old Dubai as kind of a picture from whence the city came - clever.
Traci and I stood in lines for quite a while to buy tickets and to take the elevator to the top of this nearly 500-foot structure. While we waited, I was surprised to hear the American accents of the women in line behind us. Traci and I ended up chatting with them while we waited. It turns out one of them was from my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. They had done our cruise itinerary the year prior and decided to fly to Dubai this year on an 8-day vacation.
Our visit to the Dubai Frame was a lot of fun. I was initially caught off guard when we got to the top because I was not expecting a glass floor that lets you see almost 500 feet below you. Despite my fear of heights, I managed to walk across the glass several times during the hour we spent at the top. We took many pictures of the amazing views. Returning to the bottom floor of the Frame, there were some high-tech immersive presentations of Dubai's past and future. Of course, you need to walk through the gift shop to exit. Traci and I ended up buying one of the photos that a photographer took of us.
Dubai Frame
looking through the glass floor at the top of the Dubai Frame
view of modern Dubai from the top of the Frame
view of old Dubai from the top of the Frame
beneath the Frame
We took an Uber back to the cruise terminal. It seems the car of choice in Dubai for Uber drivers is Lexus. This was the second time we were chauffeured in one. The traffic during the ride back to the ship was horrendous. I was so glad that we had several hours before we needed to back aboard the ship; otherwise, my stress level would have been through the roof.
We took some time to walk around in the cruise terminal. Like in Abu Dhabi, the terminal in Dubai was almost an attraction in itself. There were many small shops and, of course, free, fast Wi-Fi. All of the vendors were welcoming and friendly. There were a few who were a little more aggressive when trying to get you to visit their shop but never in a manner that made us feel uncomfortable. I enjoyed the shops that offered samples. I sampled some awesome fruit tea.
Dubai Cruise Terminal
We eventually boarded the ship. The warm weather that day made me forget that it was Christmas Day. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the buffet for lunch and then relaxed in our cabin and on our balcony. Our ship was docked such that our balcony faced the Dubai cruise terminal. Traci discovered that we were close enough to pick up the Wi-Fi signal from the terminal. She used it to call her mother.
While sitting on our balcony, I started to see the runners, e.g., the people who did not make it back to the ship by the all-aboard time. There were quite few runners that day. Several of the people who saw them from their balconies were encouraging them to run and applauding when they made it. Fortunately, the ship did not depart on-time that day. We ended up leaving almost 2 hours late.
Traci and I had reached the Gold level of the Norwegian Latitudes loyalty program and thus were invited to the Captain Cocktail. We did not meet the captain there. Instead, there was a representative from the CruiseNext department doing a presentation on Norwegian cruise itineraries. We were offered free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) during the presentation.
That night, Traci and I attended the Christmas show in the Stardust Theater. It was kind of a Lawrence Welk-style variety performance of caroling, dancing, and illusions. Afterwards, Traci and I had dinner in the Aqua restaurant. Some of the guests wore their Christmas pajamas. There was a special Christmas menu that included choices such as turkey, ham, beef, and salmon. I had the ham and it was delicious!
Before turning in for the night, I went to the upper deck to do some stargazing on this dark night on the open sea. I was hoping to see the Milky Way, but I had no such luck. The lights from the ship prevented me from seeing much. On the other hand, the planet Venus was shining brightly. Continue...
Magnet Purchased At This Destination: (click to enlarge)
Entire fridge magnet collection...