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A Daily Blog On A Gulf Costa Cruise – Part 1

A Daily Blogg On A Gulf Costa Cruise - Part 1

It is an exciting prospect going on family cruise to a part of the world totally unknown to us. We decide on the 7-day “The Jewels of the Emirates” on the Costa Classica visiting Oman, Al Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

This is the first part of a eight day accout of my cruise with my son Oliver and husband Geoffrey.

Circumstances have meant we have to book late and so the only option is buy our own flights to Dubai, where the boat is boarding. We do this, giving ourselves 2 days of R & R before setting sail. It is great getting acclimatised in the comfortable Dubai Jumeria Hilton with its direct access to the sandy beach and its varied and plentiful breakfasts that really set us up for the day. So it is no surprise to see that the hotel is really popular, especially as it is surrounded by a whole new boulevard of restaurants and shops, all within walking distance. Whilst here we work out exactly where Port Rashid is for the start of our journey through the Gulf.

Our documents state that we can arrive on the ship any time from “3.00 pm but access to the cabin is only be available from 8.00″. The procedures of embarkation are smooth and well organised and within a short time we each have our own ship card and are literally walking the red carpet to what will be our home for the next week.

Our first view is of an elegant sculpture by the artist Arnaldo Pomodoro. We see immediately that the heart of social life onboard is the Piazza Navona and the Puccini Ballroom – places to meet, dance and be entertained. As well as the 5 bars scattered around the boat.

The Classica is one of the older ships in the Costa fleet and our cabin and bathroom while comfortable is not luxurious. The service is superb though. Steve, our cabin steward introduces himself and his hard work is the first example or how well managed the ship is.

Having said that our first half-day is slightly manic in a controlled slightly Italian way. The boat has just arrived from Europe and many of the passengers from that three-week trip are still on board. So while it was an opportunity to meet with the outgoing passengers there is a slight feeling of nobody quite knowing what is happening.

On embarkation we are handed our first copy of “Today” the daily paper printed in 5 different editions; Italian, English, Spanish, French and German. It easy to see how useful this going to be, as it contains all the information for the following day, including a weather report, details of the ports, timings of the excursions, activities for children, teenagers and adults, dress codes for the evening and entertainment.

Straightaway we go for a walk around the boat, which has been completely refurbished in 2001 and has a passenger capacity of 1,302 and a crew of 590. We visit the ballroom, the large theatre, the Internet room, the card room, the casino, the bars, the swimming pools, the Spa the Jacuzzis the beauty salon and the two dining areas.

Then it is time for our first meal – open sitting – in the magnificent Tivoli Restaurant and a walk around the deck viewing the busy and exciting city of Dubai from our new vantage point, ….while watching the sun go down……

You can read day 2 of my cruise on Thursday the 5th of March 2009.

Lucy Daltroff