Well….I found out where the money is…., in Dubai. It is the 3rd highest oil producing country. They sure rolled out the red carpet for us (literally) and had Arab bagpipe players and dancers. This city is magnificent and such a huge contrast to India (our last country visited). I guess I was thinking I would see lots of sand and camels. Not so! In fact I only saw one camel on the side of the road. Instead you see a safe, pristine city and so modern and new. (It is ranked one of the safest cities in the world). The homes, skyscrapers and highways are beautiful and everything is so new. I was surprised to see lots of Chevrolets on the roads. It is the Singapore of the Middle East, so modern yet still holds that Arabic mystic. Most of the United Arab Emirates people are Muslims which is prevalent through out with women wearing flowing robes and burkes. This port stop might be the biggest surprise to me (and many). Everyone onboard is raving about this city. The city reeks of MONEY! Yesterday Tom and I went into the town and visited a huge mall (called a “soukâ€) and I see why this city is called “The City of Goldâ€. There are thousands of jewelry stores selling 22 carat gold and this is their passion. This is quite a city for shopping; I bought small things but no jewelry. Although the national language is Arabic, most everyone speaks English so no problem anywhere. US $$ are widely accepted so no need to exchange currency. I understand that one of the Voyager ladies purchased a 10 carat diamond ring. I can’t wait to see that!
At 5:30 we left the ship to go on our World Cruise complimentary excursion to the reception at the.
Burj Al Arab In case you’re not familiar with this hotel, it is ranked #1 in the WORLD. It would be like turning Versailles into a hotel. It is build on a manmade island and to get there you cross a small causeway. It is shaped like a huge sail and towers 1053 feet high. It is so futuristic and luxurious. It has a Las Vegas grandiose feel to it but more spectacular than anything in LV. It is dripping in gold, silk fabrics, vibrant colors, and beautiful flowers. There are also shops which I’m sure are out of sight. There are only 202 suites but each one is a 2 story townhouse style. The prices range from about $1,100 to $7,000 USD per night. We were fortunate to be able to visit a room. We had made friends with a fun couple from Australia who were only on for 1 segment. They did a Radisson post cruise package at the Burj Al Arab and invited us to their room. Jamie (cruise director) and his wife Dana (social hostess) came with us to their room. Each floor has their own concierge, each suite has its own butler and every imaginable tech feature with laptops, internets, plasma TVs, automated everything and a VIEW to die for!! I’m guessing the square feet of their suite was over 3,000 sq. ft. Downstairs is a study area, huge living room, powder room and large entry. There is a wide circular staircase going up stairs with a laser clock on the wall. On the upper floor is the master bath, a large dressing room and a bedroom that is huge! There are mirrors over the bed, separate sitting area with chairs and couches. One whole wall is glass to capture the view. You could easily entertain 25+ guests in your suite with no problem whatsoever. The mini bar charges $11 for a beer….a hamburger lunch at this hotel runs over $100 per person. If you are not a hotel guest and just want to walk around the hotel you must pay $30 entry fee. They have a strict dress code inorder to enter as well.
After touring our friend’s hotel room, we went up to the 26th floor for the Radisson function. It was very nice with champagne, wines and finger food. We all enjoyed this complimentary function so much. Capt. Dag was cute and said “please don’t expect all excursions to compare to thisâ€. How True! Radisson did a tremendous job of pulling this together without any glitches. I tried to take photos but there is so much “glittery effects†that it tricked my flash and some of my photos just look like a fire cracker going off. There is a beautiful fountain outside that has a fire/water dancing effect. They also have a dancing fountain inside which was fun to watch. Going up the escalator there is a floor to ceiling aquarium with illuminating fish. There is one on the opposite wall when coming down that escalator as well.
After our Burj Al Arab party, 8 of us went to a local restaurant to eat. We ate at 8:30pm (on the late side for us) but the locals don’t come into eat until around 10:00pm! The food and service was impeccable and the price was so reasonable, about $15 a person including soups, salads and appetizers and a 20% tip! There was no liquor served. Other friends went to the Hyatt for dinner and they did serve liquor there. Doug and Lynn Burns went on an excursion called “Dinner in the Dunes†and raved about it as well! They took a dune buggy to get there.
We keep moving our clocks back an hour and now we’re only 12 hours ahead of California. Lots of new passengers boarded yesterday, I sure wish Ngaire and Ken could have joined us. They would love it here! I’m so glad we were able to overnight there. We are now on our way to Oman, which is also supposed to be another favorite.
Anyway, as you can see….we LOVE Dubai! It's warm (no humidity) perfect weather! The water is a wonderful greenish color like Bora Bora.
Here are some photos of Dubai (there was so much I didn’t photograph):
They rolled out the red carpet for us!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-07.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-08.jpg Local handicrafts
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-29.jpg Port Authorities
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-30.jpg Local streets
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/baf3339f.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/037229b7.jpg Locals (and Voyager passengers) shopping:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/037229b7.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/b53d2b42.jpg Beautiful new cruise terminal (shaped like a ship)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-35.jpg Burj Al Arab Hotel:
A shop:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-42.jpg Lobby:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-39.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-81.jpg Cocktail Lounge:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-73.jpg Inside a standard suite: (note exquisite wood and gold)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-44.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-61.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-60.jpg Circular staircase with laser clock on wall:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-46.jpg Master bath:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-47.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-48.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-49.jpg Master bedroom:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-50.jpg There is a magnificent view out this window but photo doesn’t capture it:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-57.jpg Ballroom where Radisson Reception was held (note the vibrant carpet):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/marciematassa/Dubai-67.jpg
