Seven Arabian Nights with Celestyal Cruises on Celestyal Journey
The Arabian Gulf is an area not that well known to British cruisers, so it was with interest that I joined Celestyal Cruises inaugural seven day ‘Desert Days’ cruise visiting The United Arab Emirates and several other gulf countries.
This cruise is all about discovering the culture of the region and explores the Arabian Gulf getting under skin of life here both ancient and modern. Some of the modern-day architecture has to be seen to be believed and comparing it as it lays alongside the older Islamic style buildings is a major reason in my opinion for going on this cruise.
There is a wide choice of excursions onboard and I particularly enjoyed the 4×4 safari experience in the desert sand dunes followed by an evening under the stars in a traditional desert camp with an outside barbecue and local entertainment with Whirling Dervish style dancers whose costumes came alive with hundreds of dazzling lights, followed by a fire eater!
Dubai
Apart from anything else Dubai assaults your senses in so many ways with its opulence. You can get an excursion to visit the Shopping Mall and go up Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building to the 124th floor where you look down on skyscrapers!
However, if you prefer doing this on your own then get there early to avoid the queues (which can be up to 50 minutes at the busiest times), and then explore the Mall with its stunning interior waterfalls with aluminium divers suspended in mid-air and the huge aquarium full of sharks, rays and shoals of incredibly brightly coloured fish lining the walkways.
Bahrain
Our tour began with a visit to the majestic Al Fateh Grand Mosque, one of the largest in the world. Named after Bahrain’s 18th century founder, the mosque can accommodate up to 7,000 worshippers at a time. Its architecture reflects a combination of Middle Eastern styles, but its crowning glory is a giant fibreglass dome. As with all the mosques we visited, ladies had to observe the local dress code and wear a full cover abaya before entering.
This was followed by a visit to the Bahrain National Museum and then to the souk in the capital Manama. Here you really get the impression of ancient and modern as it comprises wide streets and narrow alleyways selling everything from spices and Persian rugs to suncream and incense.
Oman
If you’re going to do one excursion on this cruise then I would recommend the sailing deep into Oman’s ‘Norwegian fiord’ of Musandam with white limestone mountains, some up to 3,000 metres high and cliffs all around where we were joined by a dolphin swimming alongside. Musandam’s mountainous backdrop and craggy, fjord-like inlets inspired its reputation as the Norway of Arabia.
This is a half-day excursion, where we cruised along Khawr Shamm, the region’s longest fjord, on a traditional Arabian dhow where you stretch out on cushions and carpets and are protected from the heat and glare of the sun by a traditional awning drinking sweet tea and sampling dates as we made our way past small islands, peninsulas, coral reefs and fishing villages.
Sir Bani Yas
At the island of Sir Bani Yas we had our own private section of the beach with a shaded sitting area and beach umbrellas reserved just for us and many people took the advantage of this plus the excursion to visit the Arabian Wildlife Park which covers over half the island. A sort of ‘Arabian Longleat’ you enter and explore on a safari truck; the park holds over 13,000 animals indigenous to the Arabian peninsula. All developmental work on the island has been carried out with a view to conserving its fragile ecosystem.
Abu Dhabi
Any visit to Abu Dhabi must include the Presidential Palace and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Both are simply stunning with their exteriors covered in Italian white marble that dazzles in the sun whilst their interiors are pinnacles in examples of Islamic art and design.
The Palace is not lived in but used to entertain foreign dignitaries and as such its interiors are spellbinding with an amazing collection of diplomatic gifts given to the Emirates such as Samurai armour and incredibly ornate Indian carvings.
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque – the largest in the Emirates and a stunning example of neo-Islamic architecture. Its 1,000 pillars support 82 marble domes and four minarets in this sprawling complex that covers more than 30 acres. The Mosque is accessed by escalators inside a shopping mall where you can relax, explore and indulge in some retail therapy.
Taste of Arabia
I have to say the locations, lunches and evening meals provided on or excursions were all to the highest standard. The food on board was very good too with the main Thalassa Restaurant offering buffet and a la carte.
There is also a selection of speciality restaurants at an extra charge offering Asian, Mediterranean and prime cut meats. It’s worth noting that drink packages are not valid in these speciality restaurants and that drinks ordered will be at full price.
Showtime
The Amphitheatre Show Lounge theatre has very good shows presented by the ship’s entertainment team, late night dance evenings, piano players, a violinist and live music from a Latin American band.
Celestyal Journey also has a small casino area. The top deck has basketball and tennis courts as well as a table tennis table.
Next steps
To find out more about cruise holidays in Arabia, or elsewhere in the world, call Silver Travel Advisor on 0800 412 5678.
