Camels are prized possessions in the Gulf. Photo / Caroline Gladstone
Camels are prized possessions in the Gulf. Photo / Caroline Gladstone
From drifting through Omani fjords to dune bashing in Dubai, a week cruising the Arabian Gulf is full of contrasts - topped off with a martini and a cabaret at sea, writes Caroline Gladstone.
Dusk descends on Mina Old Port as we pull away from the wharf. An Arabian village of pastel pinks, blues, creams and ochre and interlaced with cobblestone streets and staircases leading to hidden alleys, it’s a fanciful new development on a dilapidated site. Some might call it twee, but it’s a colourful change from the drab cruise terminals that are often the first introduction a passenger gets to a new city.
Beyond this Fruit Tingle town, I see the spiral minaret of Fanar Mosque and trace the wide sweep of the Corniche, the promenade leading to West Bay and its jumble of multi-shaped and sized skyscrapers. I’ve only been in Doha two days but I feel I’ve cracked it and can pick out landmarks from the balcony of my deck 10 cabin.
Staying in the old town where I can walk to many attractions and accepting a random taxi driver’s offer to show me around for three hours helped me get my bearings on the capital city of Qatar, which was a British Protectorate until independence in 1971.
It’s the first port on my four-country seven-day cruise through the Arabian Gulf. Some friends say I’m “brave” to head off to this part of the world, but I don’t feel remotely intrepid. I’d been to Bahrain and Dubai 30 years earlier and am more intrigued by what I’ll find decades on, plus I want to cruise through this waterway that most would know as the Persian Gulf. The name is a little contentious, but either moniker will do, for now, I’m told.
Celestyal Journey was once Pacific Aria, cruising under P&O Australia. Photo / Caroline Gladstone
When I embark on Celestyal Journey that afternoon, I know I’ll find it familiar despite the newly painted blue hull dotted with its star motifs. I’d been on board when it was Pacific Aria and cruising for P&O Australia. Its slated sale to another line in 2021 was interrupted by Covid, however, it found a new home when Greek-based Celestyal Cruises bought it, treated it to a US$21 million ($36.6m) refurbishment before rechristening it in September 2023. Looking incredibly fresh, I’m thrilled to find the public rooms are still a funky mix including a 1950s-style martini lounge, blue-furnished jazz club, and dining rooms that exude timeless elegance.
Celestyal Journey is mid-sized, not a behemoth, or “box with windows” as Captain Ioannis Fountoukas calls those giants. With around 1100 passengers sharing the week’s cruise, there’s a genuine sense of space and moving around is free and easy.
The captain joined Celestyal in 1990 after a career on cargo ships and has been at the helm in the Gulf for a month when we meet. He says Celestyal Journey is the ideal size, well-constructed and stable and he enjoys cruising these uncluttered waters; we only see two other cruise ships during our week at sea. Celestyal has long been a Mediterranean operator but decided to move one of its vessels to the Gulf for the winter when the weather is ideal with temperatures hovering around 24C.
The ship’s refit in 2023 cost US$21 million and added a stylish martini lounge and jazz club. Photo / Caroline Gladstone
The season began in late November 2024 to coincide with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and continued with 16 departures with the option for passengers to board in Doha and Dubai. It’s been such a success Celestyal will return in December, this time with two ships to do the rounds.
The captain advises me not to confuse the Gulf with the Middle East.
“This is a safe, crime-free region, with good ports and excellent terminals,” he says. In other words a far cry from the well-documented troubles of other parts. But that perception lingers with many and no doubt explains why there are few Americans onboard.
Fellow passengers are mostly Europeans, many from Eastern Europe, Brits, and surprisingly passengers from Central Asia, including Uzbekistan. I only meet three other Aussies, but Australians and New Zealanders make up 10% of all Celestyal’s clients, both in the Gulf and the Med.
Celestyal offers boarding from either Doha or Dubai, catering to flexible itineraries. Photo / Caroline Gladstone
Our schedule is packed with a port every day, so my friend and I choose a mix of the ship’s shore excursions to maximise time; we will bump over sand dunes and dine in the desert, stare at bling and man-made follies in big-is-always-better-Dubai, cover-up modestly to enter a mosque, go on safari and take a trip in what’s called the “Norway of Arabia”.
We ease into it with a visit to Bahrain’s Al Baraha Souq, whose shops occupy nooks in long corridors of Arabesque design with blue wooden doors draped with bougainvillea. It’s a new complex but the traditional foods on offer and the heady smell of oud (the incense produced from burning agarwood) evokes an old-world feel, as men in their long white thobes and women in black abayas shop and sip coffee in a dozen cafes.
Man with a falcon in Dubai during a desert tour. Photo / Caroline Gladstone
Day two and we’re in Dubai for an overnight stay, a treat on any cruise. We jump aboard a big white Landcruiser, the vehicle of choice in these parts, and head to dunes an hour away. Midway we stop to let several camel trains of lightly roped beasts, led by their trainers, pass by. We’ve reached the Al Marmoom Camel Racing Club and dozens of dromedaries are out for their afternoon exercise. Later with our tyres deflated and in single file, our convoy drivers gun the engines as we tackle the dunes – up, down and around imaginary sharp corners – as we hang on tight and attempt one-handed videos of this rollercoaster ride.
Bone-rattling works up an appetite and we’re rewarded with a lavish feast in a desert camp. There’s also entertainment and I witness my first Tanoura dance, a frenzied display not unlike a whirling dervish dance, where men in spinning skirts of coloured lights make us dizzy and we gasp when the leather-clad star dancer sets his outfit ablaze with flaming torches.
Dancer at the Desert Camp shore excurion in Dubai. Photo / Caroline Gladstone
Dubai’s new “wonders” are next on the agenda where we crane our necks to see the world’s tallest building Burj Al Khalifa and view lavish hotels on the manmade island, Palm Jumeirah, but in hindsight I would have preferred the ‘Bustronomy tour’ that included a gold souk, a boat ride across Dubai Creek and Arabian afternoon tea treats. Next time!
Fortunately, my sense of wonder is rekindled when we board a traditional dhow to cruise through the fjords, or ‘khors’, that cut through the northern range of the Hajar Mountains. We’re in the Musandam Peninsula in Oman, an area completely surrounded by the UAE. We drift along the 17km fjord, Khor Ash Sham, as a pod of grey dolphins plays around us and our guide Ahmed points out isolated fishing villages whose stone houses blend into the rocky mountain side. This is my favourite day trip and there’s even time for a swim.
Swimming in the fjord is part of the dhow boat excursions. Photo / Caroline Gladstone
A beach day on Sir Bani Yas Island and a safari through what was once the private game reserve of the late UAE founder and ruler Sheikh Zayed follows, while the last tour visits the magnificent Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi named in the sheikh’s honour.
It’s a whirlwind week, a metaphoric dipping of toes in the Gulf waters. At day’s end there’s always the comfort of good food, conversations with new friends, a cosy cabin and if there’s energy left, a martini and a cabaret.
Khor Ash Sham, Oman’s largest fjord, is 17km long and home to playful dolphins. Photo / Caroline Gladstone
CHECKLIST
Celestyal Journey
Getting there:
Qatar Airways and Emirates offer direct daily flights from Auckland to Doha and Dubai, respectively.
Details:
Celestyal Journey and sibling Celestyal Discovery will operate cruises in the Gulf beginning on December 6 and 12, 2025 respectively for three months. Cruises are three, four and seven nights with calls at ports including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island, Khasab and the new port Ras Al Khaimah (RAK). Positioning cruises of 14 nights between Athens and Abu Dhabi begin this November and similar return cruises in March 2026 are available.
Two-for-one fare deals for seven-night cruises start at A$2078 for two people for bookings until May 31, 2025.
