Tuesday June 4 – Dubai

We arrived in Dubai at midday and from the ship could see the Burg Khalif and the QE2, which is now used as a hotel, through a sand haze. 

At most ports, the ship does all the immigration for us before we even reach port and so we just disembark and go on our merry way.  Not so now in Singapore, Dubai and America.  The process of 3000 people being checked face to face took till about 3:30.  The good thing was that we did not have to stand in long lines but left the ship in small groups.  Nobody was allowed back on the ship until everyone had been processed.  Some passengers in the know say that the officials come on board when all crew and passengers are off to check for drugs.

At night we went out on a Dhow for dinner and the Emeratis welcomed us to their country with a display of fireworks.  Well, not really a welcome for us, but rather a celebration for the end of Ramadan and the festival of Eid.  We were on the boat on the Dubai Creek and so had a ringside view of the fireworks and the brightly lit boats.  The Middle Eastern food was delicious.  We had an overnight in Dubai so look forward to sight seeing tomorrow.