More than anything our time in Doha had simply been a great chance to relax, the weeks preceding it being a time of continuous travelling – almost every night in a different place. There was an unexpected delight in simply resting in bed as long as we wanted, coming home to a freshly made up room every night and having someone (other than ourselves ) doing all the cooking. Our forthcoming cruise, fortunately, would offer more of the same.

The cruise ship ( Norwegian Dawn ), now leaving Doha harbour, would be home for the next 17 days. We’d been on two previous cruises ( though long ago ), one ironically on the very same Norwegian Cruise Line we were travelling on this time. The check in was simple, and as scheduled by 8pm mooring lines were dropped and the ship pulled out into the Persian Gulf, destination Abu Dhabi, just an overnight away; along with Dubai, one of of two stops in the UAE.

Probably a bit lesser known than its flashier twin, Dubai, Abu Dhabi is nonetheless a strikingly impressive modern city- it seemed a little more spread out than Doha, necessitating a slew of Uber’s to reach the attractions we visited. The stop in Abu Dhabi offered a more modern ( though less impressive ) souk than that of Doha, allowed time for some downtown shopping and a visit to the impressive Founders Memorial, but little else. We quickly learned that sightseeing time on port stops was very limited indeed. Not a terribly “walking” friendly place ( Dubai, we were hoping, might offer better possibilities in this regard ), conscious as we were of the tendency to put on a few pounds by the end of any cruise.

Dubai also offered many more attractions than we could possibly squeeze into the “hours” ( not days ) permitted ashore. The world famous ( and world’s tallest ) building, the Burj Khalifa was seemingly on everyone’s list and the combination of February being high season and there being 3 large cruise ships in port meant that the line ups to visit it were incredibly long. It’s certainly an impressive building, the views are stunning 125 floors up, but I’m not sure with our limited time in port it was the best use of the time we had – what remained was barely enough to visit the Old Town ( souk ) and Dubai Creek, and then only briefly. Note to self: better time planning required with upcoming port visits !

The aforementioned next port visits, would however, be a bit down the track. Leaving Dubai, the ship exited the Persian Gulf through the Straits of Hormuz, hugged the Omani coastline  and then began its longest “at sea” stretch – there would be no sighting of land now for over 4 days until we reached the Seychelles. Through the Gulf the sea was like glass with little wind and clear skies, and it continued this way all the way to the Seychelles, a great start to the trip. While we did have plenty of company early ( passing a continuous stream of large oil tankers in the Persian Gulf ), once out in the Indian Ocean there was only 1 other ship sighted in the next 4 days at sea. Heading further out beyond Oman, one passenger mused that we might (however briefly ) be in range of rockets from Yemeni  Houthi rebels, and/or pirates from the Somali coast but a quick perusal of the local marine geography showed us to be far enough away from both coasts to be out of any danger. In any event they generally seek oil tankers, not cruise ships !!

One thing the cruise ships do well is keep you entertained ( and VERY well fed ), especially during the long continuous days at sea. Our 4 sea days passed by in no time helped along by beautiful 26-28 degree sunny weather and extremely calm seas. Days were spent lounging by the pools, reading,  attending shows, regularly using the walking track ( the goal was at least 5kms every day ) and keeping our eyes peeled for the possibility of marine life or even other vessels. A highlight of the passage was crossing the equator, just north of the Seychelles, our first ocean crossing after two on land previously.

Predictably perhaps, much excitement surrounded the ship’s arrival in Victoria, the Seychelles’ capital. The weather was great, hot and dry, and most guests were headed immediately for the renowned beaches and its famed botanical gardens. Managed to get to both and were not disappointed.

There would be 2 days in the Seychelles, the first in Mahe ( the main island ) and the second on La Digue, nearby, and reported to have the very best beaches in all of the Seychelles. Will report on La Digue next week, stay tuned !

Till then…..