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Six meals, special events: New ship in Dubai to offer affordable cruises for 6 months

Offering six meals a day, rain dance parties, curated performances and special events, the cruise promises non-stop entertainment for its passengers

As cruise tourism gains popularity in the UAE, a new ship has arrived in the country offering short trips of two and three nights across the region. With weekday trips to Oman and Qatar and weekend trips to Sir Bani Yas island, the Resort World One cruise ship is hoping to cash in on UAE residents’ love for staycations.

With prices starting from approximately Dh2,800, the ship will offer a two-night Sir Bani Yas weekend cruise with Friday departures, a three-night Oman cruise that departs on Sunday and visits both Khasab and Muscat and a two-night Doha cruise with Wednesday departures. Passengers can also choose to combine any of the itineraries to make a four-, five- or seven-night cruise.

Offering six meals a day, rain dance parties, curated performances and special events, the cruise promises non-stop entertainment for its passengers. According to Naresh Rawal, senior vice president of sales and marketing at the company, cruises are increasing in popularity because of the experience they offer. “It's a very different form of a holiday,” he said. “There is of course the beauty of the sky and the sea. Sitting in the balcony with a coffee in the middle of the night looking out at the sky and sea is an experience that cannot be described in words. It is a highly rejuvenating experience. The services on board are also top notch.”

Naresh added that the facilities a cruise offered were also a major factor that contributed to its popularity. “If you were to take a flight to Oman, you have to pack, get to the airport several hours early, take a flight and then get there, unpack and do the same thing again on the return. Here, we are taking you to Oman while you sleep comfortably or enjoy the full-day entertainment,” he said.

Support to the economy

This is the first time that the company has ventured into the Middle East. Over the next six months, the ship’s home port will be Dubai. “We have always believed in developing new ports,” said Naresh. “We've played a role in developing the cruise tourism in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. Now it's time to come into newer geographies and look at Dubai and the Middle East as a bigger perspective. To home base a ship and get our guests used to getting cruising as a form of a seacation option.”

A cruise ship in the city adds immensely to the local economy, he said. “First, out of 24 hours in a day, we are serving free food for about 20 hours,” he said. “That requires a lot of local sourcing of supplies. We will also buy fuel from here. Moreover, we have a lot of bookings from international customers to come here for our cruise. Everyone who comes will stay for an extra few days, adding more income to the economy.”

Naresh said the cruise has seen a lot of interest from various countries. “We have a lot of customers from CIS markets, Russia, then India,” he said. “We have bookings coming in from China, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia as well.”

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