As part of the #VisitDubai initiative, I had the chance to experience a 90-minute budget-friendly cruise around the scenic Dubai Marina. The Dubai Marina is a lush watering hole that attracts an eclectic mix of individuals, who come together to savour the sights, sounds and lights of Dubai’s skyline, silhouetted by glittering lights.

The city’s uber-modern urban landscape and other attractions, such as the world’s largest ferris wheel, the Ain Wheel, elevates the marina experience while one is cruising on calm and tranquil waters. Accompanied by live music and a luxury dinner cruise, things just can’t get any better.

The Dubai Marina Dinner Cruise is the place to be after sunset. It costs a reasonable 200 dirhams (roughly PKR 15,000) and upwards to book a seat and ride on the 125-foot air-conditioned glass houseboat. It’s a popular ride, so you might have to sit in their waiting area to await your turn, at which point you may also be tempted by the extensive marketing merchandise surrounding you. On board, the lower deck houses an air-conditioned dining hall, while the open-air upper deck is where all the real action is at, and thus comes strongly recommended.

Our cruise started at 8.30pm, with a live music act belting out covers of popular Western numbers, with quite a few singles and couples dancing to the beat and enjoying the crisp, cool sea breeze, a welcome treat after the intense daytime temperatures.

The Dubai Marina dinner cruise allows one to explore the city’s vertical skyline from the aquatic angle while indulging in a sumptuous dining experience

The multicultural and multi-linguistic assembly was an experience that can only be had in a place such as Dubai, which attracts visitors from the four corners of the globe.

But there’s one language that is common among all cultures, and that is the language of food. And there was a delectable buffet spread to speak that language. As soon as the boat pulled out of the dock, the buffet was announced and both young and old swarmed around it.

Besides the obvious seafood menu, the various preparations of chicken were a popular choice, followed by red meat, with a live pasta station and deep-fried finger foods that especially seemed to attract the younger lot. The soup and bread corner featured an assortment of condiment-infused varieties to suit every palate, while freshly squeezed fruit juices and detox water beckoned the more health-conscious among the lot.

How can there be a mention of a buffet and nothing about dessert? Here too the colourful pastries and cakes on display beckoned the sweet tooth with their tantalising visual display, textures and aroma. And to wash down the culinary feast were the assorted hot and cold beverages.

The feast over, as our seafaring ride pulled into the dock, people eagerly rushed towards the marina promenade to take selfies or to just hang around the public spaces to take in the soothing and calming oasis in the otherwise-pulsating urban beast that is Dubai.

For our party of five, however, it was a long trek to the parking spot near the Marina Mall, where our ride awaited to haul us back to our hotel in downtown Dubai.

The writer is a member of staff. He can be contacted at quraishi.faisal@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, November 10th, 2024