This Dhow Cruise Dinner sails Dubai Creek for about 90 minutes aboard a restored traditional wooden dhow, the type of vessel that once carried goods and pearls along the creek before Dubai’s oil era reshaped the region’s economy. Boarding runs between 7:45 pm and 8:00 pm, with the dhow casting off shortly after 8:00 pm and returning by around 9:30 pm.
Guests are asked to reach the venue on Al Seef Street, on the creek’s Bur Dubai bank, about 30 minutes before departure. Where a hotel transfer is added to the booking, it collects you from a centrally located address in Dubai and returns you there once the cruise ends.
Welcome drink and buffet dinner (from boarding)
Once you step aboard, you are welcomed with a drink before choosing a seat in the dhow’s air-conditioned lower deck or its partly open upper deck, both looking straight out over the water. The buffet is laid out soon after the cruise begins, with a mix of Emirati and international dishes, a dessert spread, and water, tea and coffee served throughout the evening. Separate washroom facilities are available for men and women onboard.
Tanura show and Dubai Creek’s two banks
As the dhow glides past Deira on one bank and Bur Dubai on the other, a Tanura dancer performs onboard to soft background music between courses. Dubai Creek has been the city’s trading waterway for generations, long before Dubai’s modern skyline existed, and the cruise gives you a water-level view of the older buildings on its banks sitting alongside the newer towers that have grown up around them.
The cruise returns to the same jetty by around 9:30 pm, after roughly 90 minutes on the water. Rayna Tours’ own team runs the booking and boarding for this cruise, so you have a direct point of contact from the time you book through to stepping off the dhow at the end of the evening.
While Dubai Creek reflects the charm of old Dubai, a Dhow Cruise Marina showcases the city’s modern skyline, and a Musandam Dibba Tour offers a peaceful escape into dramatic coastal landscapes.
While Dubai Creek reflects the charm of old Dubai, a Dhow Cruise Marina showcases the city’s modern skyline, and a Musandam Dibba Tour offers a peaceful escape into dramatic coastal landscapes.