UAE & Oman cruise.

[nigkar]

This January we will be taking our first Middle East cruise.

we visit.

Dubia for half day, ( it’s actually there 1 1/2 days ,but after flight, customs, etc, we will be looking at half a day)

Muscat, Oman. - 1 and half days.

Khasab. - 08:00 till 18:00

Abu Dhabi. - 2 days.

 

can anyone give me any information on places to visit, how best to get around, and any scams to watch out for.

is it best to have local currency, or could you get by using a credit card?

ANY information would be great.

thank you.

[mom says]

Aside from scanning through a few pages of this forum, I always find TripAdvisor a good place to start. TheIr "Things to Do" section for each city will give you a good idea about the major sights and activities. The Travel Forum for each place should provide the best info about transportation options, places for currency exchange, and scams to watch out for.  Another source that I've been using for our current Middle East cruise is Lonely Planet. You'll find very good info for most, if not all of your places there. Of course you'll also want to join your ship's  Roll Call here on CC to see what your fellow cruisers have planned.

 

Plan on needing local currencies. CCs should be accepted in hotels and larger restaurants and stores, but not in the souqs or smaller places. Don't count on using CCs  for taxis. If you're flying into Dubai or Abu Dhabi, you'll find ATMs and Currency Exchange in Arrivals.

[little britain]

Abu Dhabi. We caught a cab to the Mosque for 60AED and then we hired free abayas for those who were not suitably covered. Interesting to note that they would not allow any tee-shirts with slogans on them or trousers with cartoon animals or decorations. My friend was wearing Thai type trousers with elephants on them and she had to wear the abaya. We then hired free headsets and did a self guided tour. You have to leave your driving licence as security. The mosque also offers free tours on a Saturday at 10:00 am - 11:00 am 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm. No need to book the inflated shore excursions in this port! After the tour we caught a cab to the fabulous Emirates Palace hotel for 40AED and we had tea there. Cab back to the ship only cost 26AED. Note that in AD there is a 20AED surcharge to leave the port so it is always more expensive to leave than to come back! The same applies in Dubai port too. In Abu Dhabi they offer a complimentary shuttle bus to the World Trade Centre shopping Mall which apparently ran hourly. The HOHO busses come right to the port in both AD and Dubai.

[little britain]

In Khasab you  must go Dolphin watching - the scenery of the fjords is amazing. We used www.dolphinkhasabtours.com

 

 

[buchhalm]

Good tips from Little Britain. 

The free guided tours at Shaik Zayed mosque are well worth it.

They do start ON TIME.  No need or opportunity to pre book. Just be at the clearly marked meeting point.

To get one of the free audio guides, you need to leave some form of ID  as deposit.

There is a ban on foot wear.

It's bare feet or socks / stockings ONLY. 

 

Taxis in the UAE are inexpensive and always metered.(no meter, the ride is free). Dubai taxis may take CC, those in Abu Dhabi do NOT. Drivers generally understand English,  but don't expect to discuss Proust.

Since fares are quite low, have small notes on hand. 5/10/20. Anything larger and they have trouble making change. 

A rounded up tip is appreciated but not expected.

For Muscat, there are lots of links on these pages.

I myself have posted several, if you care do dig for them. 🙂

[nigkar]

Many thanks for all the information.