Leaving Costa Cruise in Abu Dhabi

[Lunenburg]

I asked this on the Costa Board but no one replied so I hope someone might be able to give an opinion here.  I am looking at a Costa cruise that ends in Abu Dhabi. It arrives the previous day and the cruise ends the next morning.  I am looking at an Emirates flight to Madrid from Dubai that includes catching the bus at 9.45 am. from Abu Dhabi.   How much in advance do you need to get to the bus station?  Is a taxi from the port the best option?  Thanks.

[Jayayeff]

2 hours ago, Lunenburg said:

I asked this on the Costa Board but no one replied so I hope someone might be able to give an opinion here.  I am looking at a Costa cruise that ends in Abu Dhabi. It arrives the previous day and the cruise ends the next morning.  I am looking at an Emirates flight to Madrid from Dubai that includes catching the bus at 9.45 am. from Abu Dhabi.   How much in advance do you need to get to the bus station?  Is a taxi from the port the best option?  Thanks.

 

I looked on the Emirates website but it doesn't give a minimum check-in time so I would just allow a sensible amount of time for them to check you in, stow your luggage etc.  and be on the bus before its departure time.  It did say that bookings should be made at least 48 hours in advance to guarantee space so do make sure you have requested the inter-city shuttle transfer beforehand... Taxi from the port should be fine as the Emirates office in Abu Dhabi is only a 15-20 minute drive along the Corniche from the port but give yourself a buffer to allow for traffic if you are making the trip on a week day...

 

Anne

[Lunenburg]

8 hours ago, Jayayeff said:

 

I looked on the Emirates website but it doesn't give a minimum check-in time so I would just allow a sensible amount of time for them to check you in, stow your luggage etc.  and be on the bus before its departure time.  It did say that bookings should be made at least 48 hours in advance to guarantee space so do make sure you have requested the inter-city shuttle transfer beforehand... Taxi from the port should be fine as the Emirates office in Abu Dhabi is only a 15-20 minute drive along the Corniche from the port but give yourself a buffer to allow for traffic if you are making the trip on a week day...

 

Anne

Thanks Anne. I thought if you book the flight from Abu Dhabi to Madrid on Emirates website the bus was automatically included.  You mean you have to request it seperately?  I will make sure to look into that. The cruise ends on a Friday  - is that an issue getting a cab say at 9.00 am at the port?

[Jayayeff]

22 minutes ago, Lunenburg said:

Thanks Anne. I thought if you book the flight from Abu Dhabi to Madrid on Emirates website the bus was automatically included.  You mean you have to request it seperately?  I will make sure to look into that. The cruise ends on a Friday  - is that an issue getting a cab say at 9.00 am at the port?

 

I believe the complimentary coach transfer should be confirmed prior to travel as does the complimentary chauffeur-drive service for premium class ticket holders.   Friday is the quietest traffic day as that’s the main weekend day here so the transfer from the port should be very straightforward at that time....  If Abu Dhabi port is anything like Dubai then taxis are always readily available when cruise ships are docked however, you will be able to confirm that is the case if you are also there the previous day.

 

Anne...

[sddsddean]

Be aware, if you get a cab, they nearly all run on CNG and have the tank in the boot(trunk), so you might have to have luggage in the front seat by the driver and between you on the rear seat (assuming there are two of you). Not a mega problem for a relatively short journey, but just so you are not surprised!

 

Simon

[Lunenburg]

On 6/1/2019 at 1:42 PM, sddsddean said:

Be aware, if you get a cab, they nearly all run on CNG and have the tank in the boot(trunk), so you might have to have luggage in the front seat by the driver and between you on the rear seat (assuming there are two of you). Not a mega problem for a relatively short journey, but just so you are not surprised!

 

Simon

Just one more reason to keep our luggage as small as possible.   Thanks.