DAY 98---DABAI, UAE

 

        We arrived at the Dubai cruise terminal at 4pm and will be here overnight.  It is a very pleasant 78 degrees with 56% humidity and a nice breeze up on deck.

        At about 7am this morning we started our transit of the Strait of Hormuz.  It is a strategic sea passage as it is the only passage way from the Persian Gulf to the oceans.  It is 90 miles long and the width varies from 52 to 21 miles.  A third of the liquified natural gas and 25% of the global oil consumption passes through the Strait.  Even though it is very hazy this morning I can occasionally see the coast of Iran.  To the south of us is the coasts of Oman and the UAE.

        To reduce the risk of collisions, ships use a "Traffic Separation Scheme".  Inbound ships use a two mile wide lane and outbound ships use another 2 mile wide lane.  The two lanes are separated by a two mile "medium".

Historical/Background Info:

        I find this part of the world very interesting.  We were here in 2013 and 2017.  Back in 2013 we spent more time in the Middle East.  We spent 2 days here in 2013 and are spending 2 days again this cruise. 

        Dubai is the most populous city, at 3.5 million, and capital of the Emirate of Dubai.  It is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates.  It is known for luxury shopping, ultramodern architecture, and a lively night life scene.  Oil revenue did not begin until 1969 which accelerated the city’s early development.  Today, less than 5% of Dubai’s revenue comes from oil.  Its main revenues now come from tourism, aviation, real estate, and financing services.  The city is well known for its skyscrapers and high rise buildings.  The world’s tallest building is the Burj Khalifa, 2717 feet high.  Another place of note is the Burj al Arab, a luxury hotel frequently described as “the world’s only 7-star hotel”.  The cheapest room here goes for $3,000 per night. Breakfast will set you back $195 per person and dinner $295 pp. 

        In 2013 we visited the Dubai Mall.  It had every luxury store you could imagine from NYC to Paris.  There was a huge aquarium that you could actually walk through the middle of, plus ice skating rink, a water falls, theater, and outside a huge fountain that shot water 3,000 feet in the air.  If you want more shopping, there are another 70 malls in the city.  Again, markets in the Middle East are called, “souqs”.  

LAST EVENING

Rebecca needed some pants hemmed so Agusto the ship's tailor came up to mark them and will do it.

                                                                 Potato soup was good.

                      Mussel and vegetable cassoulet with a puff pastry crust was very good.

                                         Aldrin, a new bar waiter from the Philippines.

Ok, we both selected the seared cod filet for our entrees.  Mine was way too salty so I sent it back.  Rebecca likes lots of salt and even she admitted it had too much salt.  I sent mine back.  The second one they brought me was equally as salty so I asked for spaghetti marinara.  Well I meant spaghetti bolognese.  My mistake so I sent it back. 

During all of my sending back the replacements came right out.  BUT, now the spaghetti was not cooked well enough as I had asked.  I told them I was happy and had a nice dinner so not to worry about me.  I had plenty to eat.

            This dessert was guest chef, Tim Clark's, chocolate mousse, Bailey's cream brulee.

                              The chocolate sauce was too much chocolate however.

                                              Our favorite production show, "Blazing Boots".

            The production cast of singers and dancers are so talented.  Choreography amazing!

Paul, our cruise director so far, will be leaving us for a 3 month vacation when in Dubai.  He is fantastic and we shall miss him.

TODAY

        It was quite windy this morning as we entered the Strait of Hormuz so the water got a lot rougher but we were still able to do the treadmills.  As the wind calmed down some it got smoother.  The pilot arrived at 3pm and we were docked at the cruise terminal at 4pm.  We were not scheduled to be docked until 5pm but Captain Abhi did a high speed run to get here earlier as ALL passengers will have to do a face-to-face in the cruise terminal with Dubai immigration officials starting as soon as the ship is cleared by officials.  There are a couple tours that are to depart at 5pm.  Over 300 will be going on those tours.  Of course that means they won't get to us until about 6pm.  

I went up to deck 12 (top one) to take photos during our sail in.  This is the breakwater at entrance to the harbor.

                           There is a cruise ship already docked at the terminal we will be using.

                   This is the tallest building in the world, the Burg Khalifa.  It is 2722 feet tall.

                                         QE II (Queen Elizabeth II) is a tourist attraction here.

                                    We will dock right in front of the MSC Opera cruise ship.

                              Strange looking thing is supporting the highway overpass.

                                                    The pier where we will be docking.

                                     Looking back at the new part of downtown in the distance.

        Ok, I will finish this post and let you know tomorrow how the immigration inspection went.  So our plan is to have cocktail hour in the Mariner Lounge while we wait to be called for the inspection in the terminal.  Just hoping it does not delay our dinner too much.

        Tonight's Compass Rose menu.  We have made special requests for fried calamari for our appetizer and panko coated shrimp for our entrees however.

        This is the last night of this segment and last segment dress code is always casual.  Since over 300 are going on tours this evening Prime 7 and Chartreuse restaurants are closed tonight.  There is a casual buffet up in La Veranda from 9pm to 10:30 for the returning tour folks.

         There is a movie at 9:15 in the theater, "Angry Neighbors".  Some music in the bars also.