If you hadn’t already guessed, we’re big fans of Dubai and everything it has to offer, from the luxury five star hotels to the Michelin-starred dining, and from the impressive white beaches to the top quality shopping spread across huge malls.

As appealing as it is to book a hotel stay, it isn’t the only way to see everything that Dubai has to offer, with a number of people now electing to visit the Emirate as part of a cruise holiday - with a range of different cruise lines offering itineraries that visit the Gulf region.

These include the likes of P&O, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and MSC offering trips that range from a handful of days solely around the Emirates to longer itineraries that could see you heading off across Asia, or even sailing all the way back to the UK along ancient trading routes from a bygone era.

Dubai is a fantastic option for a cruise holiday because of how accessible it is to those who arrive by sea, largely thanks to the fact that it is home to not one, but two cruise ports.

Port Rashid was the main port for cruise ships from the early 1970s and is home to the QE2, which has been converted into a hospitality and tourist destination following its retirement from active service.

Whilst big ships still dock alongside the famous old liner in the port a short trip along the coast from the centre of Dubai, some smaller vessels head instead for Dubai Harbour, which is located in the shadow of Palm Jumeirah right in the heart of the action and opened in 2020.

Whichever port your ship visits, you’ll be able to access the main attractions with relative ease, with cruise lines operating a raft of different shore excursions to cater for all tastes.

That means you might be given a chance to discover some of the more traditional sites that show what Dubai used to be like before it was transformed into the bustling modern day city that it is today, or you could head for the likes of the Burj Khalifa - which has become an icon of the Emirates thanks to its position as the tallest building in the world.

You’ll also get the chance to enjoy a taste of the fine dining and shopping that you would find if you were actually staying in Dubai on a hotel break, with the added bonus of then getting to do the same in the likes of Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.

So what options are there if you wanted to book a cruise trip to Dubai rather than a traditional hotel stay?

MSC Cruises offers the chance to spend Christmas 2022 sailing around the Emirates on the MSC World Europa, with a 9 Night sailing that kicks off on 20 December from Doha and includes a trip to Dubai for Christmas Eve.

The full sailing starts at £1,169pp but you can also join the ship for shorter segments if you wish - including a three night trip that is available for under £239pp.

Dubai is a port of call on the 99 Night World Cruise being offered by P&O Cruises in early 2023, but if that’s a bit too long then you could join the Arcadia for the final leg of the voyage which goes from Dubai back to Southampton in late March.

The flight inclusive package is available for under £2,500 so you could spend some time in the Emirate before sailing back through the Suez Canal to Europe.

Alternatively, Dubai features on a raft of 2024 P&O itineraries that include a trip from Singapore to Southampton, and from Hong Kong to Dubai.

Norwegian Cruise Lines offer the chance to do something different, with a stunning trip in December 2022 that kicks off in Dubai before heading over to Africa - visiting the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius en-route to South Africa.

Like P&O, Cunard offers a world cruise that visits Dubai but a more cost effective option in February 2023 on the Queen Mary 2 kicks off in the Emirate before heading for Singapore - visiting the likes of Sri Lanka and Thailand along the way.

It shows the huge variety that is available if you were to consider swapping your hotel break in Dubai for a cruise, providing a taste of the area in the same way that a multi-centre holiday would.

If that is how you would prefer to sample the Emirate, then simply get in touch.