Unlike, it seems, almost everybody else, I didn't take time off over Eid this year. And although I had a few weeks off in May and June, I won’t be taking a traditional summer holiday; I’ll be working right through the next few months.
I don’t really mind that because, for one thing, it means not having to deal with the inevitable crush at the airport during the busiest travel time of the year.
Even when I do take a break, I may not be going to the airport at all – I may just travel by road to one of the UAE’s cruise terminals, at Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi or Port Rashid in Dubai. If I do, I won’t be alone.
Cruising is the fastest-growing sector in global tourism, and the biggest operators have discovered the UAE big time. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, because the UAE is an exciting and exotic destination for foreign cruise passengers who, in turn, are often cashed up and prepared to spend a lot of money while they are in port.
The two ports will be buzzing from October through to mid-March next year, with a record number of visiting passenger ships on the schedule.
There will be stopovers by the Queen Mary 2, the Norwegian Star and the Pacific Princess (although, sadly, not the one from the cheesy but celebrity-laden late-1970s television show The Love Boat, which has been sold for scrap), along with a few smaller craft belonging to boutique cruise companies.
And three companies will be basing ships here for all or part of this winter: MSC's Fantasia (with a capacity of 3,900 passengers), Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas (2,416 passengers) and Costa's neoRiviera (1,700).
Between them, they will be making dozens of journeys up and down the Gulf, typically spending a day each in Abu Dhabi and Muscat, with a two-day sojourn in Dubai. Some itineraries go further, to Bahrain and Doha.
Mostly the ships will be filled with Europeans who are on package deals that include their airfares, but the cruise lines are also beginning to target the local market. There are many good deals to be had, and bookings can be made easily online or through the growing number of specialist cruise-holiday agents.
I've sailed twice out of Dubai, in 2014 and in February this year. On both occasions it was aboard the Costa Fortuna, which is now sailing in South-east Asia, and I got a very good deal.
The holiday cost me less than $100 (Dh367) a day, inclusive of food, accommodation and entertainment, although tips, speciality beverages and excursions were extra. That compares very favourably with a room-only deal in an Abu Dhabi or Dubai hotel, or an airfare to anywhere.
If I book soon, I can secure a similar deal for sailings in December, January or February. And if I do, it will be my 11th cruise in four years.
To me, the attractions of cruise holidays are obvious: no packing and unpacking, many destinations on the one holiday, comfortable and slightly exotic surroundings, friendly service and the chance to meet people from all over the world.
The itineraries and the ships themselves are designed so you can do as much or as little as you like – see a Vegas- or Broadway-style show, party in the nightclub, swim in one of the pools, relax in a hot tub, workout in the gym, have a massage or spa treatment, or just borrow a book from the library and sit on the deck with the sea wind blowing through your hair. (Although, sadly, that last option is not available to me due to the curse of early onset male-pattern baldness.)
Cruising may not be for everyone, but it is worth considering as an affordable alternative to an overseas holiday – the getaway you can have without having to get too far away.
It’s a great way to see this country and its neighbours from a new perspective.
Take a moment to imagine the view of Dubai’s skyline as you pull out of harbour at sunset, or yourself swimming with the dolphins amid the Arabian fjords, and you’ll be sold already.
bdebritz@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @debritz
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
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Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
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UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Pakistan - Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Aamer Yamin, Rumman Raees.