Dubai - not to be outdone

[celle]

I am taking the Brilliance cruise from Barcelona to Dubai in January.

I wanted to stay in Dubai for a few days at the end of the cruise but the hotel rates are ridiculous. Any decent hotel is over $200 a night. Well, I'm by myself and can't afford that. So I'm going to take a day city tour then fly back to the states that night.

 

I just watched a documentary on Dubai and am glad I'm not staying.

What they are doing looks pretty disgusting to me. Build, Build, Build!!!!

 

We were in Dubai for 2 nights in May, during our repo cruise from Singapore to Rome.

 

We'd been there before and seen building activity 24/7, with huge cranes working day and night.

 

Sadly for Dubai, since the depression much of the bottom has dropped out of their tourism market.

 

This time, we saw cranes standing still and building sites abandonned. We heard tales of migrant workers and ex-pats driving to the airport and just leaving their cars behind, as they flew out of Dubai.

[thetwins]

Sorry but Dubai is way overrated. They want to build the biggest of everything.

 

Well Dubai, build this

 

 

 

Ski slopes in the desert, nice try, This was taken about three miles from my house.

 

 

 

Top of Sky Express at Heavenly? Lucky you, gambling, ice skating, and the view from Heavenly!

[nellydean]

I am sorry if you missed my point, all I was trying to get across is the fact that to many times someone wants to build the biggest of something. But the fact of the matter is that sometimes the biggest is not the best. Yes there did build a indoor snow board park, but is it the best. Please judge for your self by the picture I posted.

 

sometimes building a huge Oasis in the desert like they are in Dubai, and others are building a Oasis in Finland. Does that make it the best or is it just the biggest. Time will tell.

 

Snowboarding in the desert indoors when it is 120 outside. sorry its just not my cup of tea.

 

The USA has always gone in for what it terms the biggest and best, from the construction of the Empire State Building and Walt Disney World, through to the space programme and the Twin Towers etc, just because another country is doing something like that doesn't mean it's not great.

Dubai is a custom-made playground, and you wouldn't go there is you wanted to experience Arab life in its purest form, we all know that. But it's a place you can go to, to have fun and be amazed, just like Vegas (which I equally adore).

As someone has said, the boom has stopped in Dubai and it will take a while to get restarted but, once it does, millions will flock back to its artificial world, because it's a chance to experience something completely over the top and different to anywhere else - just like Vegas.

 

I wouldn't personally go on the indoor snow slopes, and yes, it's obviously much prettier and wonderful to visit somewhere like your picture shows, lucky you, but for many people it's just a chance to have some outrageous fun far away from their everyday life.

[Garyorient]

The USA has always gone in for what it terms the biggest and best, from the construction of the Empire State Building and Walt Disney World, through to the space programme and the Twin Towers etc, just because another country is doing something like that doesn't mean it's not great.

Dubai is a custom-made playground, and you wouldn't go there is you wanted to experience Arab life in its purest form, we all know that. But it's a place you can go to, to have fun and be amazed, just like Vegas (which I equally adore).

As someone has said, the boom has stopped in Dubai and it will take a while to get restarted but, once it does, millions will flock back to its artificial world, because it's a chance to experience something completely over the top and different to anywhere else - just like Vegas.

 

I wouldn't personally go on the indoor snow slopes, and yes, it's obviously much prettier and wonderful to visit somewhere like your picture shows, lucky you, but for many people it's just a chance to have some outrageous fun far away from their everyday life.

 

 

I still believe that the hotels need to take a good look at their pricing.

I have been there on business and pleasure and seen the top hotels from the Burj, Jumeirah Beach, One&Only, Atlantic etc and possibly with the exception of the Burj they are seriously over priced (The Burj can carry it due to its iconic status).

 

Emeriates have done their bit and priced flights to and fro DXB from UK reasonably cost effectively but the Dhiram exchange rate coupled with the absurd pricing makes going their far less sustainable than it was a couple of years ago, regardless of any recession.

[celle]

I wouldn't personally go on the indoor snow slopes, and yes, it's obviously much prettier and wonderful to visit somewhere like your picture shows, lucky you, but for many people it's just a chance to have some outrageous fun far away from their everyday life.

 

One very great advantage of going to the Mall of the Emirates - where the indoor ski slopes (Ski Dubai) are situated - is that the air conditioning there is excellent! :)

 

Believe me, when it's 45 degrees Celsius outside, that is a very real consideration! You don't have to ski, but you can sit in a cafe and look at that wonderful, cool-looking snow scene, before braving the heat outside again.

[TahoeBob]

The USA has always gone in for what it terms the biggest and best, from the construction of the Empire State Building and Walt Disney World, through to the space programme and the Twin Towers etc, just because another country is doing something like that doesn't mean it's not great.

Dubai is a custom-made playground, and you wouldn't go there is you wanted to experience Arab life in its purest form, we all know that. But it's a place you can go to, to have fun and be amazed, just like Vegas (which I equally adore).

As someone has said, the boom has stopped in Dubai and it will take a while to get restarted but, once it does, millions will flock back to its artificial world, because it's a chance to experience something completely over the top and different to anywhere else - just like Vegas.

 

I wouldn't personally go on the indoor snow slopes, and yes, it's obviously much prettier and wonderful to visit somewhere like your picture shows, lucky you, but for many people it's just a chance to have some outrageous fun far away from their everyday life.

 

I guess I should have said in my original post that it is overrated for some people, like me. Its the same thing with vegas like you said its over the top, and that is why I don't go to vegas either.

 

Nothing wrong with either place, but for me if I want to go skiing I will go to a real mountain. In Vegas why would I go see a there copy of New York or Paris when I could go the real thing.

 

Yes people can copy anything, but the original is better.

[nellydean]

I still believe that the hotels need to take a good look at their pricing.

I have been there on business and pleasure and seen the top hotels from the Burj, Jumeirah Beach, One&Only, Atlantic etc and possibly with the exception of the Burj they are seriously over priced (The Burj can carry it due to its iconic status).

 

Emeriates have done their bit and priced flights to and fro DXB from UK reasonably cost effectively but the Dhiram exchange rate coupled with the absurd pricing makes going their far less sustainable than it was a couple of years ago, regardless of any recession.

 

I agree the hotels are way too expensive, and will need to take a serious look at their prices if they are to first of all ride out the recession and then draw the numbers back once it's over

[nellydean]

I guess I should have said in my original post that it is overrated for some people, like me. Its the same thing with vegas like you said its over the top, and that is why I don't go to vegas either.

 

Nothing wrong with either place, but for me if I want to go skiing I will go to a real mountain. In Vegas why would I go see a there copy of New York or Paris when I could go the real thing.

 

Yes people can copy anything, but the original is better.

 

Dubai does have a natural attraction of its own - the desert, so not everything there is man-made

[cruzendude]

I guess I should have said in my original post that it is overrated for some people, like me. Its the same thing with vegas like you said its over the top, and that is why I don't go to vegas either.

 

Nothing wrong with either place, but for me if I want to go skiing I will go to a real mountain. In Vegas why would I go see a there copy of New York or Paris when I could go the real thing.

 

Yes people can copy anything, but the original is better.

 

Not exactly true...I will take New York New York in Vegas ANY DAY over the crowded, stinky, loud and obnoxious original! :D