Dubai cruise

[Twolittleboys]

I am seriously considering a cruise from Dubai on the Serenade of the Seas over Easter. However, I am a bit concerned as basically noone is active on the roll call. I am taking my two sons (10 and 8 at time of cruise) and while they do not need a massive amount of children I am not sure how enjoyable the cruise would be for them if there are no other (English speaking) children along.

 

Does anyone have any experience with cruises in this part of the world? Are there usually children aboard? Where are most passengers from?

[Keith1010]

I haven't been on this ship but when we were in Dubai a couple of years ago we were in port with one of the RCI ships in Dubai and a couple of other ports around this time frame. I do not remember seeing any children when we would see people getting on and off the ship. You will likely see very few children given both the itinerary and the time of the year.

 

You will see a lot of passengers from places including North America and Europe.

 

Keith

[Twolittleboys]

I haven't been on this ship but when we were in Dubai a couple of years ago we were in port with one of the RCI ships in Dubai and a couple of other ports around this time frame. I do not remember seeing any children when we would see people getting on and off the ship. You will likely see very few children given both the itinerary and the time of the year.

 

You will see a lot of passengers from places including North America and Europe.

 

Keith

 

Thanks, I was afraid of that. I was hoping there would be at least some children as it is around Easter vacation.

 

Due to school we are limited in when we can travel and this is really the only RCI cruise I could find which doesn't involve a massive flight. Also, I think the ports would be fascinating. But I did want the kids to have fun onboard as well...

[Jimmys Chippy]

We did the RCI Dubai cruise a couple of years ago without the kids. Although there was a distinct lack of kids on the cruise as a whole the ports would be quite good. Dubai has lots of things going on, as does Abu Dhabi. Muscat is a trip back in time and a great experience but Fujeirah, if you stop there, is rather disappointing, I would suggest taking a trip there. As for the ship all the leisure activities were virtually deserted so if your kids are up for the wall climbing and sports they'll virtually have the facilities to themselves. One tip I think is worth passing on is that taxis in Dubai are extremely cheap, so rather than using the confusingly ticketed monorail to get to the sights, jump in a taxi.

[Twolittleboys]

We did the RCI Dubai cruise a couple of years ago without the kids. Although there was a distinct lack of kids on the cruise as a whole the ports would be quite good. Dubai has lots of things going on, as does Abu Dhabi. Muscat is a trip back in time and a great experience but Fujeirah, if you stop there, is rather disappointing, I would suggest taking a trip there. As for the ship all the leisure activities were virtually deserted so if your kids are up for the wall climbing and sports they'll virtually have the facilities to themselves. One tip I think is worth passing on is that taxis in Dubai are extremely cheap, so rather than using the confusingly ticketed monorail to get to the sights, jump in a taxi.

 

Thanks for the feedback and the tips. It really seems not too many families go on this itinerary. Though this trip is over the Easter vacations so maybe there will be more kids aboard during that time?

 

Still, I do think it sounds fascinating and will expose the children and me to a variety of new experiences. We would probably add on a couple of days in Dubai for some fun experiences (waterpark, aquarium, ski Dubai, fountains, malls, beach, etc.) at the end. The mosque in Abu Dhabi should be interesting. Not sure yet about Fujairah - we might take the tour to a local resort and spend some time at the beach.

 

So far, I am planning to spend one day in Muscat exploring the town. The second day we might take a tour to see more of the countryside. If anyone has experience with the various excursions offered (e.g. Nizwa) I would appreciate it.