ID :
102191
Sun, 01/24/2010 - 16:06
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/102191
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Abu Dhabi welcome for Brilliance of the Sea
Abu Dhabi, Jan 24, 2010 (WAM)- What’s a 962-feet-long, 106-feet-wide beauty called ‘Brilliance of the Sea’ doing in Gulf waters? Just cruising along.
The cruise liner, owned by American company Royal Caribbean is on its maiden cruise in the Gulf waters, with 3,000 passengers on board docked in at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Port on Friday, its fourth port of call.
The seven-day cruise began on January 18 in Dubai, to Muscat, Fujairah on to Abu Dhabi, after which it will sail to Bahrain before returning to Dubai. Passengers have one day at each of these ports to explore the city.
“We work with tour operators in each of these locations, so if they wish, passengers may book a guided tour, although most of them prefer to explore the port cities by themselves,” said Dennis Daughters, marketing and revenue manager of Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Sea.
On Thursday, tour operator buses, taxis and even the hop-on, hop-off, Big Bus were lined up in front of the docked liner, next to Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority’s (ADTA) welcoming tent put up recently. “We are supporting cruise liners by offering their passengers information including that about heritage activities,” Saeed Al Dhaheri, ADTA’s Visitor Information manager, told Khaleej Times.
Indeed, as passengers stepped on-shore and walked through the ADTA tent, they got an Arabian welcome by an Emirati folk group singing Bedouin songs, while plenty of brochures and maps containing information about Abu Dhabi’s culture, history and tourist attractions were distributed.
“We also had about 200 four-wheel drives available for those who wished to go on a desert safari,” added Al Dhaheri. With most passengers gone for the day, 860 crew on board prepared to “turn around” the ship.
“No, not literally turn it around. It’s a term we use for cleaning and preparing the ship from top to bottom for the next voyage,” explained Markus Zihlemann, in charge of the food and beverage department. With about 14 restaurants, cafes and bars, 420 people work in his department, 100 of them chefs. “We serve about 14,000 meals every day,” revealed Zihlemann. All food supplies needed for the seven-day cruise are loaded in Dubai, the port of the cruise embarkation.
So what else is on board ‘Brilliance of the Sea’ apart from cafes and bars?
Well, the 962-feet-long, 106-feet-wide ship has 12 passenger decks with 1,055 rooms of various standards, spa, fitness facilities, beauty salon, solarium and swimming pool. There is also a basketball court, a nine-hole miniature golf course, a golf simulator, a rock-climbing wall and even a jogging track. It also has a library, a theatre show for entertainment, cinema, casino and several clubs. Apart from plenty of shops and boutiques, a lot of children’s activities are featured.
“This is our first trip in the Gulf waters and so far, so good,” Captain Hernan Zini told Khaleej Times. “The only difference in sailing here is that there are a lot of boat traffic and oil platforms, which we must go around, and it is a little tricky to keep up the needed speed,” he said.
To reach each port in time, the ship pushes its speed to as high as 23.5 knots (about 48 kilometres per hour), while the vessel’s maximum speed is 25 knots.
“This is the first time we are sailing on this route, though, and next time we will know better how it all works,” he added.
‘Brilliance of the Sea’ will continue its Gulf cruise tours until the end of the season, in April. On this occasion, 65 per cent of passengers, who come from 45 different nationalities, are British. Some are UAE or Gulf residents, but many booked the cruise from their country of residence and flew to Dubai to board the ship.
The cost for the Gulf cruise starts from US$500 per person and can go up to US$3,000 per person. Main meals and entertainment shows are included.
The cruise liner, owned by American company Royal Caribbean is on its maiden cruise in the Gulf waters, with 3,000 passengers on board docked in at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Port on Friday, its fourth port of call.
The seven-day cruise began on January 18 in Dubai, to Muscat, Fujairah on to Abu Dhabi, after which it will sail to Bahrain before returning to Dubai. Passengers have one day at each of these ports to explore the city.
“We work with tour operators in each of these locations, so if they wish, passengers may book a guided tour, although most of them prefer to explore the port cities by themselves,” said Dennis Daughters, marketing and revenue manager of Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Sea.
On Thursday, tour operator buses, taxis and even the hop-on, hop-off, Big Bus were lined up in front of the docked liner, next to Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority’s (ADTA) welcoming tent put up recently. “We are supporting cruise liners by offering their passengers information including that about heritage activities,” Saeed Al Dhaheri, ADTA’s Visitor Information manager, told Khaleej Times.
Indeed, as passengers stepped on-shore and walked through the ADTA tent, they got an Arabian welcome by an Emirati folk group singing Bedouin songs, while plenty of brochures and maps containing information about Abu Dhabi’s culture, history and tourist attractions were distributed.
“We also had about 200 four-wheel drives available for those who wished to go on a desert safari,” added Al Dhaheri. With most passengers gone for the day, 860 crew on board prepared to “turn around” the ship.
“No, not literally turn it around. It’s a term we use for cleaning and preparing the ship from top to bottom for the next voyage,” explained Markus Zihlemann, in charge of the food and beverage department. With about 14 restaurants, cafes and bars, 420 people work in his department, 100 of them chefs. “We serve about 14,000 meals every day,” revealed Zihlemann. All food supplies needed for the seven-day cruise are loaded in Dubai, the port of the cruise embarkation.
So what else is on board ‘Brilliance of the Sea’ apart from cafes and bars?
Well, the 962-feet-long, 106-feet-wide ship has 12 passenger decks with 1,055 rooms of various standards, spa, fitness facilities, beauty salon, solarium and swimming pool. There is also a basketball court, a nine-hole miniature golf course, a golf simulator, a rock-climbing wall and even a jogging track. It also has a library, a theatre show for entertainment, cinema, casino and several clubs. Apart from plenty of shops and boutiques, a lot of children’s activities are featured.
“This is our first trip in the Gulf waters and so far, so good,” Captain Hernan Zini told Khaleej Times. “The only difference in sailing here is that there are a lot of boat traffic and oil platforms, which we must go around, and it is a little tricky to keep up the needed speed,” he said.
To reach each port in time, the ship pushes its speed to as high as 23.5 knots (about 48 kilometres per hour), while the vessel’s maximum speed is 25 knots.
“This is the first time we are sailing on this route, though, and next time we will know better how it all works,” he added.
‘Brilliance of the Sea’ will continue its Gulf cruise tours until the end of the season, in April. On this occasion, 65 per cent of passengers, who come from 45 different nationalities, are British. Some are UAE or Gulf residents, but many booked the cruise from their country of residence and flew to Dubai to board the ship.
The cost for the Gulf cruise starts from US$500 per person and can go up to US$3,000 per person. Main meals and entertainment shows are included.
