Exotic traditions and harsh landscapes meet luxe cruising

Anticipation is high as I embark on a week’s cruise through the Arabian Gulf, aka the Persian Gulf: the oil-rich waterway that divides West Asia from the Arabian Peninsula.

‘High’ because I love the Middle East: the Islamic design of mosques with their arches, domes and minarets, the calligraphy and intricate patterns on mosaic tiles of dazzling hues.

I love the richness of the trinkets in the souqs, and the smell of incense, the hessian bags of pungent spices, the shape of the coffee pots.

It’s the exoticism, I guess – a hangover from the days I read Tales of the Arabian Nights as a child.

But that foreignness, that unknown,  is the very reason some friends advise  me against it, warning me the area’s just not safe.

But I’m intrigued to see what Dubai and Bahrain are like as it’s been more than 30 years since I was last there, when the sight of women covered head to toe  in black and wearing burqas was the staple and tourism was just in its infancy.

But, to be honest, I’m excited because we’ll be calling in to Oman, albeit briefly, which I’ve yearned to visit, and new ports in the United Arab Emirates are on the agenda.

As perception is indeed everything, our ship’s captain Ioannis Fountoukas tells me not to confuse the Gulf with the wider Middle East where, in some quarters, conflict is distressingly an everyday event.

Swimming in the fjord is part of the dhow boat excursions

The captain, who has worked for Greek line Celestyal Cruises for 30 years, loves cruising in the Gulf. He says it’s a safe, crime-free region with good ports and excellent terminals … and nowhere near as busy as the Mediterranean where he’s spent his career on seven-day cruises from Piraeus to the Greek Isles and Turkiye.

I have to agree. During my week at sea, we encounter only two other (and much bigger) cruise ships doing a similar course.

After taking the political temperature, Celestyal Cruises launched a new program of Gulf itineraries in November 2024 to take advantage of the mild winters with temperatures hovering around 25C, which appeal to Europeans wanting to escape the northern chill.

For we Antipodeans, it’s not just an opportunity to metaphorically dip our toes in Gulf waters but also a tempting stopover enroute to Europe, as cruises leave from three ports in the Gulf: Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, all with good air connections.

We begin the journey in Doha, capital of Qatar: a country that was, until 1971, a British protectorate.

At first glance, it resembles the modern-day Dubai I have seen in a hundred magazine stories. But with a little exploration, I find its Arabian heart in the old 19th century bazaar, Souq Waqif.

While this market flourished some 150 years ago, its fortunes waned in the mid-20th century when modern air-conditioned shopping options appeared.

However, a restoration has brought back its soul and I love getting lost in the maze of alleyways, where storekeepers still practise traditional trades.

In one alley, I find rows of tailors busily hand sewing metres of white cloth into flowing thobes. And down another alley, windows display a bewildering array of swords and weaponry.

There’s an entire area dedicated to falconry, with high-priced birds for sale, along with all manner of falcon apparel.

We depart from Doha’s Mina Port  and, from our Deck 10 cabin balcony,  my travelling companion, a high school friend, and I trace the wide bay that  curves around from the old town  where we stayed to the modern high-rise in the distance.

We have chosen a variety of shore excursions from a desert camp to a cruise through Omani fjords to make the most of our time.

In Bahrain, we take the ship’s shuttle to the new Al Baraha market: a modern twist on the traditional souq.

There, bakers turn out Arabic crepes, called raqaq, and half a dozen coffee shops serve their delicious brew. Salesmen offer perfume samples and the smell of oud (an incense made from burning agarwood)  fills the air.

So popular is our next port, Dubai, that we have an overnight stay, giving us a chance to take an evening trip to a desert camp dinner, preceded by dune-bashing over the sandhills in convoy with a dozen Land Cruisers.

The highlight is the dinner entertainment of Tanoura dancers,  who whirl like dervishes and wow the crowd with a finale of flaming torches from which performers set their  costumes alight.

After a three-decade absence, I feel the urge to see the ‘new wonders of Dubai’.

The sail-like Burj Al Arab hotel and world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa have many enthralled, but I’m more impressed with the Miracle Gardens, where 150 million flowers and 250 million plants adorn a variety of floral structures, including a fairy-tale castle and an Emirates 380 aircraft.

In the remote Musandam Peninsula, a tiny outpost of Oman completely surrounded by the UAE, we take a dhow trip down the 17-km fjord Khor Sham, one of several that cut through the majestic Hajar Mountain range.

The landscape is beautifully harsh, the antithesis to the bling and billion-dollar buildings of much of the Gulf.

Our last port bedazzles, as befitting Abu Dhabi’s status as the UAE capital.

We queue with a hundred others to view Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, topped by 82 domes. Under the glow of gigantic Swarovski crystal chandeliers, we admire marble tiles inland with Arabesque floral designs and the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet created by 1200 artisans.

The cruise takes place on the Celestyal Journey: a mid-size ship, taking just 1260 passengers. While not new, it is smart, having been treated to a $32 million upgrade in 2023.

It’s a perfect week for us. A great introduction to a region much maligned.

I get my exotic hit. I buy a pashmina and Arabian perfumes and have my  photo taken with a falcon perched on  my arm, just as I did in Bahrain three decades earlier.

* The writer travelled as a guest of Celestyal Cruises.

 Visit celestyal.com/au

ARABIAN voyages

CELESTYAL Cruises’ 2025-26 winter season begins in the Gulf on December 4 this year.

Two ships, Celestyal Journey and Celestyal Discovery, will operate different itineraries, with a handful including the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Journey will operate seven-night Desert Days departing from Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi; Discovery will operate three and four-night Iconic Arabia cruises from Abu Dhabi. New ports include Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE. Prices start at $AUD1018 for two people for a three-night Iconic Arabia cruise.

Positioning cruises of 14 nights between Athens and the Gulf cities are offered at the beginning and end of the season. New ports of call include Jedda in Saudi Arabia and Muscat, Oman.