Getting to Dubai was no small feat. We took the Skytrain to YVR on the evening of December 9th since our flight was at 12:30am on the 10th. We flew all the way to Shanghai, where we had an 8.5 hour layover before our flight to Dubai. We then experienced long lines to clear Customs before taking a cab to the port. With a 12 hour time zone change between Vancouver and Dubai, we didn't finish the embarkation process until well after 10pm on December 11th. After unpacking our bags (a luxury we rarely experience during our travels), we were very happy to discover pizza was available and a midnight snack buffet opened at eleven. |
After breakfast, we enjoyed the warm weather outside while we waited for the free shuttle to the Dubai Mall in the heart of the city's downtown. At 10:30 am, the mall next to the famous Burj Khalifa was nearly deserted. We walked through long connecting corridors from the mall to a metro station, where we purchased day passes and boarded the metro to the Dubai Marina. This was a beautiful area to stroll along the water's edge admiring beautiful boats and commenting on the city's cleanliness. We made our way to the Observatory Bar on the 52nd floor of the Marriott building to view the famous Palm Island and the ongoing expansion and construction of new wealthy residential areas. Next we took the metro to the First Gulf Bank stop and walked through an affluent community of international schools, foreign embassies, and private homes, to the world's only "7 star" hotel, the Burj Al Arab Hotel. We visited the nearby Umm Suqeim Beach where people were surfing. The walk to the coast was longer than we'd anticipated (about 48 minutes), so we hopped in a cab for a quick ride back to the metro station. We then continued by metro to Al Fahidi to explore the historical district and walked to and through the Old Souk and along the creek. We had chosen to skip lunch in order to sightsee, so we especially appreciated our first dinner in the ship's main dining restaurant. Afterwards we attended the mandatory safety drill before I indulged in a couple of glasses of "welcome champagne". I met a friendly family from Manchester at the "sail-away" who kindly used their unlimited drink package to order me a beer at the "Arabian Night Party".
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