MSC World Europa - Arabian Gulf from Dubai

Where this cruise calls, day by day

7 ports and 1 sea day over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Dubai

   United Arab EmiratesDepart

   Dubai is the region's main homeport, and ships use the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid, a purpose-built terminal on the old port close enough to Deira and Bur Dubai that the historic Creek is ten minutes away. The retired QE2 is moored in the same basin as a hotel. The Gulf season is a winter one; nobody sensibly cruises here in July.

   • Dubai Creek - cross by abra for a dirham, then the Gold and Spice souks in Deira
   • Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, the low wind-tower quarter that predates the towers
   • The Burj Khalifa observation deck and the fountain show below it at Dubai Mall
   • An evening desert safari into the dunes south of the city

   Getting ashore

   Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid (Port Rashid), about 15-20 minutes from Dubai International and ten minutes from the old Creek district.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (May-Sep regularly passes 45C with heavy humidity - genuinely unbearable, not just hot)

2. Day 2

   Sir Bani Yas

   United Arab EmiratesPort

   Not a town at all - a large natural island about 170km southwest of Abu Dhabi, half of it given over to the Arabian Wildlife Park, with a stretch of beach set up for cruise calls. MSC, Costa and TUI use it as the Gulf's answer to a private island day. Expect a beach barbecue and an optional safari among oryx, gazelle and giraffe.

   • The Arabian Wildlife Park safari - Arabian oryx, gazelle, giraffe and, with luck, cheetah
   • The beach day itself: loungers, a barbecue and flat Gulf water
   • Kayaking or mountain biking through the island's salt-dome landscape
   • The ruins of a Nestorian Christian monastery, dated to around the 7th century

   Getting ashore

   There is no town and no terminal - ships anchor off and tender passengers to the island's beach landing, and everything ashore is run for the ship.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (a beach day here is unusable in Gulf summer)

3. Day 3

   Abu Dhabi

   United Arab EmiratesPort

   Ships berth at Zayed Port on the northeast edge of the city, roughly ten minutes from the Corniche. Abu Dhabi is quieter and more spread out than Dubai, and the two headline sights - the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Louvre Abu Dhabi - lie in opposite directions, so a single day forces a choice unless you start early.

   • Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - free to enter, dress rules enforced, and mornings are far calmer
   • Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island, under Jean Nouvel's perforated dome
   • Qasr Al Watan, the working presidential palace, open to visitors
   • Ferrari World and the Yas Island parks if you are travelling with teenagers

   Getting ashore

   Zayed Port's cruise terminal is on the city's northeast side, about ten minutes from the Corniche and 35-40 minutes from Zayed International Airport.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (summer heat here is dangerous for any sustained outdoor sightseeing)

4. Day 4 · At sea

5. Day 5

   Manama

   BahrainPort

   Bahrain's cruise berth is at Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Hidd, an industrial container harbour on the northeast coast rather than in Manama itself, so reckon on half an hour into the city. Bahrain is small and flat and easy to cross, and its history runs deeper than the skyline suggests: this was Dilmun, trading with Mesopotamia four thousand years ago.

   • Qal'at al-Bahrain, a Portuguese fort sitting on a mound of Dilmun-era ruins - a UNESCO site
   • Bahrain National Museum, strongest on the Dilmun burial-mound material
   • Bab Al Bahrain and the Manama Souq for gold and spices
   • The Tree of Life, a lone mesquite standing in open desert with no obvious water source

   Getting ashore

   Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Hidd has a passenger terminal but is a working industrial harbour; central Manama is around 25-30 minutes by road and the airport roughly 10km away.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (Jun-Sep combines Gulf heat with high humidity)

6. Day 6

   Doha

   QatarPort

   Doha Port, rebuilt as the Grand Cruise Terminal after cargo moved out to Hamad Port, is about as central as a cruise berth gets - the Corniche and Souq Waqif are a short walk or a five-minute taxi away. Qatar packs its attractions into a small radius, so one day here goes further than in most Gulf ports.

   • Souq Waqif for the falcon market, the spice alleys and dinner outdoors once it cools
   • The Museum of Islamic Art in I. M. Pei's building on its own spit of land
   • The National Museum of Qatar, Jean Nouvel's interlocking desert-rose discs
   • Katara Cultural Village and the Pearl-Qatar for an evening walk

   Getting ashore

   The Grand Cruise Terminal at Doha Port sits on the downtown waterfront beside the Corniche, roughly 15 minutes from Hamad International.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (Jun-Sep is brutal outdoors, routinely over 45C)

7. Day 7

   Dubai

   United Arab EmiratesPort

   Dubai is the region's main homeport, and ships use the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid, a purpose-built terminal on the old port close enough to Deira and Bur Dubai that the historic Creek is ten minutes away. The retired QE2 is moored in the same basin as a hotel. The Gulf season is a winter one; nobody sensibly cruises here in July.

   • Dubai Creek - cross by abra for a dirham, then the Gold and Spice souks in Deira
   • Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, the low wind-tower quarter that predates the towers
   • The Burj Khalifa observation deck and the fountain show below it at Dubai Mall
   • An evening desert safari into the dunes south of the city

   Getting ashore

   Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid (Port Rashid), about 15-20 minutes from Dubai International and ten minutes from the old Creek district.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (May-Sep regularly passes 45C with heavy humidity - genuinely unbearable, not just hot)

8. Day 8

   Dubai

   United Arab EmiratesArrive

   Dubai is the region's main homeport, and ships use the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid, a purpose-built terminal on the old port close enough to Deira and Bur Dubai that the historic Creek is ten minutes away. The retired QE2 is moored in the same basin as a hotel. The Gulf season is a winter one; nobody sensibly cruises here in July.

   • Dubai Creek - cross by abra for a dirham, then the Gold and Spice souks in Deira
   • Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, the low wind-tower quarter that predates the towers
   • The Burj Khalifa observation deck and the fountain show below it at Dubai Mall
   • An evening desert safari into the dunes south of the city

   Getting ashore

   Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid (Port Rashid), about 15-20 minutes from Dubai International and ten minutes from the old Creek district.

   Best months

   Nov-Mar (May-Sep regularly passes 45C with heavy humidity - genuinely unbearable, not just hot)