The experience with the organizer was not satisfactory. The location that was sent to us as a Google PIN was in the middle of a parking lot. The organizer was not there and had not given us important information (the name of the cruise). We spent half an hour asking around, as there are 23 boats there, all of which depart at the same time. There was no response on WhatsApp, and calls were not answered. We eventually received a very unenthusiastic message via Tripadvisor and were able to reach the boat. Later, we were told that the cell phone with WhatsApp had been lost. No apology. The trip itself was also mediocre and uninspiring. A few days earlier, we had taken a trip in Bangkok that was much better.
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- International buffet dinner
- Live entertainment (subject to local regulations)
- Carnival Glass Boat Dinner Cruise – 120-minute cruise (if selected)
- Traditional Wooden Dhow Dinner Cruise – 120-minute cruise (if selected)
- Unlimited water and soft drinks
- 125-ft Luxury Glass House Boat Dinner Cruise – 90-minute cruise (if selected)
Excludes
- Gratuities
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- Please ensure WhatsApp is active and stay in touch with your tour operator at least 24 hours before your cruise to confirm the exact boat and gate number. Departure points may vary, so confirming in advance helps avoid any inconvenience.
Return
- Please ensure WhatsApp is active and stay in touch with your tour operator at least 24 hours before your cruise to confirm the exact boat and gate number. Departure points may vary, so confirming in advance helps avoid any inconvenience.
Itinerary
If you select the option with transfers, you will be picked up from your hotel or residence in Dubai in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle before the cruise. For guests who choose the option without pick-up and drop-off, you will need to make your own way to the designated boat location. Please ensure you confirm the exact meeting point with your tour operator in advance to avoid delays or missing the cruise. We recommend arriving 15–30 minutes early to allow time for check-in and boarding.
Experience a romantic boat ride that combines the pleasure of traditional and diverse Arabic foods with the modern and exciting skyline of the Dubai Creek. Leave the busy world of modern Dubai behind you and relax with a delicious moonlight dinner.
Enjoy the cozy feel and the hospitality as you start indulging yourself in wide selection of cuisine on your buffet dinner accompanied by some entertainment shows such as Tanura dance and magic shows.
You don’t just get to enjoy the lavish food, the relaxing ambiance and the scenic view under a beautiful moonlight, but also experience a great night of captivating entertainment.
The boat is expected to dock by 10:45pm. Your driver will be waiting and drive you back to your hotel with a memories to keep
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
A beautiful night on the Dubai Marina dinner cruise. The boat was clean and relaxing. Buffet dinner was tasty with many choices. The entertainment show and Tanoura dance were fun to watch. Perfect way to enjoy the Marina skyline and calm waters. Highly recommend this dhow cruise dinner in Dubai.
Advertised as luxury cruise with a show. The staff and dinner was nice, toilets ran out of paper and whilst there was a saxophone player who was very good, that wasn’t a show. Also cruised passed the wheel and back to dock, didn’t go past the palm as expected.
We had a truly magical evening on the Marina Dinner Cruise — a highlight of our Dubai trip! From the warm welcome aboard the beautifully lit dhow to cruising past the glittering skyline of Dubai Marina, everything was perfect. The ambiance was elegant, the buffet dinner was delicious with a great variety, and the Tanoura dance performance added a special cultural touch. Service was smooth and attentive throughout. Whether for a romantic night or a relaxing family outing, this cruise is a must-do in Dubai. ★★★★★
I went on Dubai Marina dhow cruise and really enjoyed it. The Carnival cruise was beautiful, with lights and music that made the evening feel special. Many guests started dancing with the music and had great fun. The views of the Marina from upper deck at night were amazing—everything looked so bright and peaceful from the water. The staff were kind and helpful the whole time. They made sure everyone was comfortable and having a good time. Dinner was nice too—good variety of food, and there was something for everyone. They also served water, soft drinks, and had some light desserts. The ride was smooth, and it didn’t feel crowded. It was a relaxing way to see Dubai from a different angle. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something calm, scenic, and a little different from the usual tourist spots. Great for couples, families, or even just a chill night out.
Our experience on the Marina Dinner Cruise was nothing short of spectacular! From the moment we boarded, the service was impeccable—friendly, attentive, and truly made us feel special throughout the evening. The food was exquisite, with each course perfectly prepared and bursting with flavor. And the view? Absolutely breathtaking! Cruising along the water as the sun set and the city lights twinkled in the distance was a sight to behold. This is an experience not to be missed—we’ll definitely be back!
Exceptionally poor service. Food (buffet style, which to be fair was quite good) was constantly running short, no information on dishes, allergies or whether vegetarian option, no clear order on queues or when to go to eat, no table numbers and at very least 50 people on top cruise and 50-60 more downstairs. Consequently crowded, busy, loud and utterly chaotic. Moreover no drop off and pick up service from many hotels making getting the cruise boat challenging if you are new to Dubai with many taxis finding it hard to find and no any close public transport amenities in close proximity to harbour. On a positive note, the dancing was well choreographed, culturally authentic and enjoyable with the gorgeous night time Dubai skyline breathtaking.
Great atmosphere, lovely decoration, and lighting, very clean, delicious cuisine... Overall, the service was excellent. The boat took off precisely on time, and dinner was ready immediately after. Everything went smoothly. The food was tasty and diverse. The Tanura Dance was new to me. Enjoyed the whole trip a lot. Highly recommended for all age groups.
Beautiful experience.. we just loved it… We went as a family, my kids were really happy.. good food, entertainment was amazing…nice view from the top.
The night cruise was fantastic. The lights of the buildings and the music from the boat was nice. The food was good. I recomand ton book the upper deck.
The meeting point for the Dhow Dinner Cruise 4 years ago was at the Marina and was well organized with a variety of cuisines for our dinner. This cruise met at the harbour and was not well organized, there were hundreds of people waiting for different trips and none of the staff could tell with any degree of certainty which queue you should join. When we did board and food was prepared, we realized that the only food on offer was Indian cuisine, and also realized that we were the only Europeans in the boat, so that's probably the reason. The cruise itself was ok, with the fantastic dancer whirling round&round all lit up, don't know how he did it! Had we been informed of the meeting point and the cuisine before hand, we would not have booked. Very disappointing.
We didn’t know what to expect. This tour was a gift. We were on time and everyone at the marina was super helpful. We got a welcome Turkish coffee and juices. The buffet started kinda early. The staff was so friendly. since my husband was injured, a nice lady helped him to get food from the buffet. There was a nice selection. Everything we tried, was delicious. The staff members were very friendly. The atmosphere was great. The view at the marina and jbr was so lovely. We also had entertainment, which was an oriental dance/show. We really had a great time and enjoyed every moment. Thank you!
Location of the pickup was confusing. Event itself was good food choices were limited. Very enjoyable apart from those two minor issues.
Cruise itself wasn’t presentable. no upper deck provided so no view available from cruise as it was so untidy and too crowdy. also food was not good.
That boat need deep cleaning. The floors are dirty and there was a roach at my table. Take time to clean it up so you can gave happy customers
Worst management. There's no privacy. Sitting arrangement is bad for couples because they made to sit with other people. Good entertainment show, average food.
Very bad experience for couple no privacy. Tables are shared with unknown people. And queue for buffet
Bad experience. Forced to sit with randoms. Food was absolutely terrible. Don’t recommend to anyone. Look else where.
It was an average experience. The pickup was very late. The driver drove crazy. I was seated next to pot of hot soup
The trip was awesome. We hit all of the must see. Wish the safari camel 🐪 ride was longer. Be sure to be fully covered when going to the Grand Mosque. May go back in about 10 years to see all of the new construction 🏗️
The tour company sent another driver then the original one.When he turned up he was extremely rude with no customer skills.He thursted the phone in my face.I tried to explained, he just walked away muttering insults in his own language which I understood.The drive to cruise was terrifying and sickening. The BO from the driver was stomach turning..He thought he was a F1 driver in his 1000cc van.Extremely dangerous with due no due care for anyone.The cruise was lovely .Good choices of food and lively entertainment .Go with another company .Avoid this one.
Do it, great experience. Good not 5 stars but you won't regret doing it either. Hated the long walk to the vessel. There were a few trollies doe small fee but that should be included. Meats selection was very limited and scanti but overall it's an experience worth doing.
Glad we went, might not again. The staff was nice but the other passengers were greedy animals at the buffet. Our table was fed last, as they brought us up by table. By the time our table got to the buffet the other passengers were on their 2nd or 3rd feeding and there were no more plates or bowls left. Most of the food was gone and what was left was cold. When fresh plates were brought in people actually pushed us out of the way to get their 3rd plate, before we could get our first. The actual ride in the canal was breathtaking and the city's architecture is amazing. If not for that, I would say this experience would have been a huge flop!
The city views, the food, the staff and entertainment were good. The guests were a little dry and stand offish. People were with their families and not interested in meeting new people .
This was absolutely horrible. The music was not universal it catered to one particular race. Tour rep was unprofessional every time I had to speak with him.
Driver was one hour late he drove well over the speed limit with a phone held to his ear, food was all Indian and disgusting we didn’t know what we were eating as there were no labels on them obviously it was totally base around all the Indians on the boat as we were the only white people, entertainment was so bad, and we were angry that at the end two men came out in a camel outfit wanting donations, plus one other disgusting thing that we saw two of the staff throw paper napkins overboard where it was clearly sign posted that there is a fine of 500 dirhams fine if that happened,the music was so loud that we couldn’t talk to each other. Would never recommend this to anyone biggest waste of money and will post it on every website to tell people not to go with this company.
The driver to take us to the cruise meeting point was on time, not a minute last as most earlier reviews said. We had to wait a bit longer before boarding which we didn’t mind at all. Just that some form of prior information on waiting time would have been idea so we know exactly how long we are waiting for before boarding. Once we got on in the end we had a good time and again some information on timing of what to expect would be great so guests know sequence of events whiles on board. We had starters - a bit small considering the wait especially for children but lots of juices and can drinks. Dinner was lovely and finally a great entertainment and then the cruise began. On the whole great experience and would recommend to all just have patience and you would enjoy it.
Good way of exploring the marina. In summer there needs to be better air conditioning on top deck and also food is a 3/5 at best. Service team were great.
Part of this package was a pickup and drop off from the hotel. They texted us prior and said there would be too much traffic and we would miss the boat ride. And we could walk as we were so close! It was not close at all. In fact at least ‘so minute can ride (with no traffic btw). Had to pay for a taxi both ways which should have been included!! Had to wait forever to get on the boat outside in the terrible heat. Views were great, food was ok. Stomach issues for two days after.
Nothing special, expected more for money than we paid. Taste of food was horrible and hygiene standards were poor. Avid this if possible!
Your stay at Dubai Marina was amazing. We had small children, and he accommodated our requests. The food variety was very good. We went for the sunset cruise and dinner, which was incredible! The food was delicious, the ambiance was great, and Fred was wonderful at capturing our photos, even better than the professional photographer on board.
The tour was wonderful. Thank you for everything! My children, aged 12 and 17, had a good time. It was an excellent experience! The food was delicious, and I appreciated how well-organized everything was from start to finish. The live music and service were also great.
The top deck of the cruise offers breathtaking views that are truly spectacular. The night cruise, in particular, comes highly recommended as it allows you to witness the harbor lights in all their glory from the water. However, we did encounter some issues during the experience. The food served was cold, and it would be advisable to find a way to keep it hot for a more enjoyable dining experience. Additionally, there was a lack of entertainment onboard, unlike other vessels that passed by and offered entertainment options.
The meal and service provided during the cruise were both excellent. The entertainment was also top-notch, and I wholeheartedly recommend this experience to others. The service was exceptional, and the delightful music added to the overall ambiance. Fanny, in particular, went above and beyond to assist me and made me feel like a privileged guest. This cruise is a must-see for anyone seeking an unforgettable experience.
The trip & entertainment was fantastic..unfortunately the food was a big let down..the taste wasn't great & not enough for everyone
We made a reservation for this tour with a renowned top-10 company, and it truly lived up to its reputation. The sunset views during the excursion were particularly awe-inspiring, leaving us breathless. Discovering the fascinating history of the area was a captivating experience, and the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the mesmerizing traditional Emirati dances. Without a doubt, this is an experience that is an absolute must-do when visiting Dubai.
I wholeheartedly endorse the Dhow Cruise experience. The traditional wooden boat boasts exquisite decorations, and the onboard food and entertainment are nothing short of exceptional. As you gracefully sail along the Dubai marina, you are treated to captivating views of historic buildings and lively souks adorning both sides. Don't miss out on this remarkable journey.
It was a nice experience to see the Dubai Marina during the nighttime. The boat is in a antique, wooden style with outdoor seating on the upper deck and some additional seating downstairs. The food is buffet type and they also offer a dance performance. The food quality was not up to my liking, but overall good value for money and an easy option to experience the Dubai Marina surroundings.
This was so lovely to watch at sunset following a trip around the mall - totally recommend it - we had a meal in one of the many restaurants overlooking the water, which was a lovely way to finish our day there.
The Worst experience we ever had. Waste of money! The boat is OLD, and NOISY! The food was Nasty and Gross. Please don’t waste your time and money with these guys.
Dirty glasses , too hot and the fruit was smell like sour, no management and entertainment was really poor . The direction to the yacht was confusing
From the moment we stepped onboard, we were transported to a world of luxury and relaxation. The boat was beautifully decorated with intricate details and comfortable seating, creating an inviting atmosphere. The views of the Dubai skyline at night were truly spectacular, adding to the overall experience. If you're looking for an unforgettable evening, the Dhow Cruise is a must-do in Dubai.
Over all ok .they need to check food temperature is most important among the all dish (2 dish jeera rice and noodles) was getting off . Because they keep since long time but fire( fuel) was not given enough heating. We know same time Fresh can not make obesely . But temperatures need maintained
We booked this tour through viator. The driver picked us on time. The company reserved upper deck for us. Wehad a great time. The views of Dubai marina from the cruise were amazing. Food was tasty and had alot of varieties.
Beautiful views!!! Everyone was friendly and in a festive mood. Lots of fun. The food was good too. I would recommend thus tour.
The event was nice and food was great . But the driver oh man he was terrible he was not focusing on the road and kept holding his phone 24/7 and once a time he went opposite of the road and also not paying attention . Please chose your drivers wiselly
1 not worth the money food average, no organisation , people kept pushing in , people having seconds when we hadn’t had any food! Entertainment terrible what more can I say🤷♂️
Beautiful to do in the evening and see the lights of the Marina. Good food and well run cruise with good entertainment on the saxaphone.
Horrible - bad food and smell. None of the workers speak English or communicates well. The food was cold and tasted old. The mutton was frankly inedible and disgusting.
Viator and this tour operator Ocean Express would not issue a refund or credit to use for future reservation $110 usd because we missed the start time because they got us stuck and delayed late from Dubai half day tour! Even after what’s app message direct ocean express hours before cruise departure refuse to cancel or refund our money! Beware before booking with Viator and Ocean Express companies!! They will do anything to screw you and keep your money! Customer service is poor and in some foreign country call center where you put on hold for hour and don’t have manager to talk with. Better to spend your money elsewhere with different tour operator and stay away from Viator and Ocean express !!!
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