Tourist accommodation in Dubai is relatively expensive. During the last three years, the number of 4 and 5-star hotels increased while the number of hotels of less than 4 stars decreased. Between 2015 and 2017 the total number of rooms increased by 9.25% to 9,98. Up to 2018, the hotels had an average occupancy of 78%. In 2019 the occupancy dropped to 75%, while in 2020 it further dropped to 54% due to Covid-19.
Dubai Accommodation
As of 2020, there were 134 five star hotels with 44,067 rooms and 161 four-star hotels with 34,905 rooms.
In early 2013 the plan to build the first underwater hotel, the Water Discus Hotel, was announced. This will be the world’s largest hotel of its kind. This hotel will supplement the two underwater suites in existence at Dubai’s The Palm: Atlantis accommodation venue.
There are many packages available to suit your preference. You will need to consider timings, locations, what to wear, inclusions in your ticket etc to choose a package. Most tours include return transfers. This option is not applicable for hotels located in Sharjah or Abu Dhabi. Desert safari entertainment options like belly dance, tanoura dance and alcohol serving will not be available during Ramadan and occasions like Eid, Islamic New Year and the Prophet’s birthday.
Pregnant women, children under the age of 2 and adults above 70 are not permitted to try desert safari activities like dune-bashing, sandboarding, quad biking, etc.
You will drive through the dunes on a 4WD vehicle driven by professional drivers.
Evening Desert Safari
Evening is the most popular time for desert safari. The vehicle will stop a while for you to enjoy the sunset. After that you will proceed to the campsite.
Here you have the opportunity to do camel ride, sand boarding and try out a henna design on hand or feet. You will get to enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner and shisha (the Arabic water pipe). There may also be some entertainment like Fire show, belly dance and Tanura show performance around the campfire by starlight.
Dubai Desert Safari
Morning Desert Safari
The tour may start at around 9 AM. After picking you at your hotel, you will be taken straight to the desert. On the way you will enjoy awesome dune bashing and will then head back to the camp. At the camp you may also have options to try quad biking, camel rides and sand skiing. Thereafter the car drops you at your hotel. The whole tour may take approximately 2 hours.
Overnight Desert Safari
The overnight safari is an extension of the evening desert safari and commences once the guests of the evening safari have left the campsite. You can relax at the overnight tent during the night and enjoy the starry desert experience. Tents along with mattresses, pillows and blankets will be provided. There will be washroom and shower facilities at the camp. You will be served breakfast in the morning along with tea/coffee before you head back to your hotel.
Dubai Desert Night Safari
Dubai Desert Safari Dinner in the Desert
This safari is not recommended for those with any back problems, pregnant women, and families with young children, elderly and those with any heart related problems.
You will be picked up from your hotel or place of residence and brought directly to the desert safari campsite. You can choose between camel rides, quad bikes, sand-boarding, dressing up in traditional Arabic clothing, clicking pictures with the falcon, getting a henna tattoo, smoking a bubble/shisha, or just relaxing and enjoying the desert sunset.
Live entertainment shows like the tanoura dance show, belly dance show and fire show may also be available while you are enjoying your BBQ buffet dinner.
Sharjah Adventureland is an indoor family entertainment center in the Sahara Centre shopping mall in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The center has an area of 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2), making it the largest family entertainment center in the Middle East.
The mall offers a host of arcade & video simulators for kids and the whole family and features like the Kukulcan train, a bullet-speed roller coaster ride with about 300 meters of winding multi-level tracks, which go up as high as 9 meters, and the Forest Train, a treat for the entire family.
Adventureland comes out with a re-energized jungle theme ‘IT’S A JUNGLE IN HERE!’ as it features new, first time thrills in the region such as the first Motocoaster, Crazy Swing, 4- Level Soft Play Facility, among other new attractions. Adventureland showcases 3 roller coasters and other outdoor thrills.
Sharjah Adventureland
Sharjah Adventureland Kids ride cars in convoy.
Kids ride cars in convoy. The idea is to give kids the thrill of driving a race car, in the fun company of other kids their age. The Convoy race consists of cars that go around in a jungle safari inspired track.
Sharjah Adventureland Jungle Explorers
These cars in convoy are designed to give kids the exhilaration of driving a race car, in the fun company of other kids their age. The Convoy race consists of cars that go around in a jungle safari inspired track.
Sharjah Adventureland Tree Hoppers
Passengers are lifted to a height of approximately 4 meters in the air, and then begin their vertical descent in a quick series of short drops.
Shara Centre
Sharjah Adventureland Jungle Kids
The Jungle Kids will occupy two separate levels, to suitable both small and bigger kids. It will carry an exciting JUNGLE theme projecting a fascinating array of jungle animals & characters with various creative play activities for children.
Sharjah Adventureland Kids’ Canopy
Here the kids can learn and play for an unlimited time in a safe and clean area. The kids will be exploring their gross and sensory skills.
Sharjah Adventureland Parties & Events
Adventureland offers a total of 17rides and attractions, over 70 video, simulator and redemption games with fantastic prices, party halls, food kiosks, and a host of other high quality indoor leisure activities. In addition, a toddlers’ play area has been added on the mezzanine level. There are various packages available to suit your need. Each package is for 2 hours.
Dubai is an international hub for entertainment. Artists from all around the globe frequent the metropolis for their concerts and shows every year. The Laughter Factory always puts up high caliber shows using the best international artists.
Stand-up comedy
The city is also fast becoming a popular hot spot for stand-up comedy as well. There are some fantastic stand-up comedy venues in Dubai where well-known, local and international stand-up comedians perform their popular routines.
Laughter Factory Comedy nights
The Laughter Factory is the Middle East’s longest-running comedy night, since 1996. In partnership with the UK’s Comedy Store, the Laughter Factory hosts a fresh bill of three different professional comedians every month, many already stars of the screen on UK TV shows. With a reputation for quality and a sharp eye for talent, The Laughter Factory has showcased reams of A-list comics on their way to superstardom. The Laughter Factory’s commitment to comedy has been recognised by numerous publications, winning several accolades over its two-decade history, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from Time Out Dubai in 2013.
The Laughter Factory
Laughter Factory locations
The Laughter Factory locations include Movenpick JBR, Zabeel House by Jumeirah, The Greens Dubai, Grand Millennium Al Barsha Dubai and Hilton Dubai in Jumeirah.
In June 2021 the Laughter Factory celebrated its 25th birthday. Because of restrictions due to Covid-19, the Laughter Factory is currently offering Zoom-based comedy shows.
Laughter Factory 25th birthday. In June 2021 the Laughter Factory celebrated its 25th birthday. Because of restrictions due to Covid-19, the Laughter Factory is currently offering Zoom-based comedy shows.
Other stand-up comedy venues in Dubai There are several stand-up comedy venues in Dubai. Some of them are:
Dubomedy
The second best stand-up comedy venues in Dubai is Dubomedy, a local comedy club known for nurturing local talent. Established over 11 years ago, Dubomedy, or Dubai + Comedy, is one of the pioneers of local stand-up comedy in Dubai.
Over the years, the club has successfully held shows like Comedy Carnival, Funny Girls, Dubomedy International Performing Arts Festival, Monday Night Funnies, Improv Revolution, Sketch@TV and Clowns Who Care Volunteer Project. The events are held at multiple locations across Dubai.
The Courtyard Playhouse
It’s the first and the only improv comedy theatre in Dubai. The Courtyard Playhouse Dubai auditorium has a seating capacity for 70 guests. Besides offering improvisational comedy shows, the centre also offers training and development for budding comedians and artists. The classes are suitable for kids, teens and adults. Online courses are also available for those interested in an entertainment career.
Dubai Opera
Dubai Opera is also a popular stand-up comedy venue. In the past, leading comedians have entertained residents across the city at the Dubai Opera.
Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi is an Emirate-themed water park located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi offering 45 rides, slides and attractions, and a diversity of seasonal events and shows.It is set in 37 acres of land, just minutes away from Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi, and CLYMB™ Abu Dhabi.
Since 2013 the water park has hosted World Flow boarding Championships. It offers special training sessions to learn to ride the waves on body boards called Yas Flow League.
Yas Waterworld is based on a theme originally developed exclusively for the park based on the narrative of The Legend of the Lost Pearl, which is inspired by Emirati culture and history . As a result the entire construction reflects traditional Emirati architecture. Its pearl is seen from outside the water park, and all the characters, attractions, shops and restaurants are also based on the story.
Yas Waterworld
Abu Dhabi Yas Waterworld attractions
The water park’s attractions are grouped into four categories: Adrenaline Rush (extreme thrill), Exciting Adventures (high thrill), Moving and Grooving, and Young Fun (low thrill). The highest rides are Jebel Drop and Hamlool’s Humps, and the fastest is Liwa Loop. The water park includes six rides that can’t be found anywhere else in the world: Bandit Bomber, Bubble’s Barrel, Cinesplash, Dawwama, Falcon’s Falaj and Slithers Slides.
Abu Dhabi Yas Waterworld Bandit Bomber
Bandit Bomber is a 550m long suspended roller coaster which includes on board water bombs and laser special effects. Every seat features laser rays which riders can use to activate water cannons and fountains, which drops massive amounts of water on two footpaths below the track, dumping water on other park visitors. However, unsuspecting visitors can retaliate with water canons near the footpaths which shoot water at the roller coaster, leading to an interactive water battle.
Abu Dhabi Yas Waterworld Bubble’s Barrel
Bubble’s Barrel features a soft, inclined sheet over which 7,000 litres of rushing water per second, creates a ferocious, 3m high wave. You can choose to ride the waves on a body board (lying down flat on your chest and holding on to the board) but more advanced swimmers prefer to stand on the board and surf. However, before you get to ride the Bubble’s Barrel, you need to learn the basics on Rush Rider, a miniature version of Bubble Barrel.
Yas Waterworld
Abu Dhabi Yas Waterworld Dawwama slide
The Dawwama is a gigantic upgrade from the regular water tube slide. This tornado slide offers the chance to 6 adventurous people to ride-board an inflated raft, which is then shot along a 20m high funnel. State-of-the-art hydro magnetic power pushes the riders uphill for a hair-raising ride.
Abu Dhabi Yas Waterworld Marah Fortress
Marah Fortress is an enormous playground equipped with six mini water slides, water cannons, 2 dumping buckets and so much more to keep your child entertained.
Abu Dhabi Yas Waterworld Amwaj Wave Pool
Amwaj Wave Pool can alternate between serene, calm waters to less gentle waves, reminiscent of the beach. The pool isn’t deep; so young children can swim freely here when the waters are calm.
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi is an indoor theme park in Abu Dhabi, developed at a cost of $1 billion. The park features characters from Warner Bros.’s franchises, such as Looney Tunes, DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, and others.
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi Location
The park is located on Yas Island near Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld and CLYMB Abu Dhabi, and is the third Warner Bros.’s theme park. The park contains 29 rides, and shows.
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi : Indoor
The theme park is indoor and fully air-conditioned, as is typical of most major theme parks in the region due to the extreme heat in the summer. Standing at 1.65 million square feet, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi was named the world’s largest indoor theme park by Guinness World Records in 2019.
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi : Themed Lands
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi features six themed lands; Gotham City, Metropolis, Cartoon Junction, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch and Warner Bros. Plaza. Gotham and Metropolis which are based on the fictional settings of DC Comics super heroes Batman and Superman, respectively.
Gotham City
Warner Bros. World Gotham City
Gotham City is a themed land at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. The area is inspired by the dirty industrial city portrayed in Batman comics, and hosts attractions themed to this concept, including Batman’s Night Flight, and The Joker Funhouse. Gotham City features dark imposing warehouses, and faux crumbing amusement park rides.
Joker Funhouse
Gotham City has the most sinister of the six themed lands at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, with thrilling high-tech rides and attractions, immersive experiences, and thrilling shows inspired by DC’s comic book characters and movies. The Penguin and Scarecrow can now both be spotted in the park’s Gotham City section. Guests will be able to interact with the characters and take photographs with them. Every week, the two characters will be featured with a motley group of other DC criminal masterminds including Joker, Harley Quinn, Riddler and Catwoman, during Frightful Fridays, an event that leaves Gotham City in complete control of the bad guys.
The Scarecrow
Warner Bros. World : The Scarecrow
Known as the Master of Fear, the Scarecrow is a former psychology professor who uses hallucinatory toxins and psychological tactics to take advantage of his victims’ fears. The villain was portrayed by Cillian Murphy on screen in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.
Warner Bros. World : The Penguin
The Penguin, otherwise known as Oswald Cobblepot, the self-proclaimed Gentleman of Crime sports a full tuxedo complete with a top hat and monocle. He also carries an umbrella, which is often a disguised sword or gun.
One of Batman’s most prevailing adversaries, The Penguin has been portrayed numerous times on film, most notably by Danny DeVito in the 1992 Batman Returns and by Robin Lord Taylor in the series Gotham.
Batman: Knight Flight
Warner Bros. World : Batman: Knight Flight
Batman: Knight Flight utilizes a next-generation robotic arm dark ride system (the first of its kind outside of Universal Entertainment theme parks) to take guests on a wild flight over the streets of Gotham. With stunning practical sets, effects, and animatronic figures, this state-of-the-art flight experience takes guests to new heights of immersive storytelling. Stepping into Wayne Tech, guests are soon recruited by Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, for a special mission utilizing one of his company’s new “Drone Wing” crime-fighting aircraft. Once again the Joker has escaped from Arkham Asylum and is wreaking havoc on the streets of Gotham using some sort of suspicious “control device.” It’s up to guests to help Batman capture the Clown Prince of Crime and his merry coterie of supervillains, all of whom have a few diabolical tricks up their sleeve.
Warner Bros. World : The Joker Fun house
The Joker Fun house immerses guests into a fun house of mind-bending tricks, tests, and surprises, including a hall of mirrors, a shrinking corridor, a labyrinth, and a hallucination hallway.
Warner Bros. World : The Clown Prince of Crime
The Clown Prince of Crime has requisitioned and repurposed an age-old fun house, welcoming guests to join his gang of miscreant minions. Guests are invited to join the Joker and his gang of goons, thugs, and hooligans as new henchman recruits. To join Gotham’s most feared villains, guests must explore, climb, and slide through a rogue’s gallery of silly, sideshow-inspired rooms filled with mischievous contraptions. Guests take on a series of physical and mental challenges conjured up by Batman’s nemesis in this villainous twist on the classic carnival walk through experience.
Christ Church, Jebel Ali is an Anglican church based in Dubai. It is the southernmost of the five Anglican churches in the Chaplaincy. It is located halfway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It was inaugurated on 8 March 2002.
The church is mainly for foreign workers who constitute the bulk of the population. Most of the foreign workers are manual workers commanding low pay. Taking this into consideration the ruler of Dubai donated the land to build the church, for the betterment of the life of foreign workers.
Christ Church Jebel Ali History
In 1977, as more expatriate Christians came to Dubai, the small fellowship constituted itself as a church, called the International Evangelical Church of Dubai. The church met on Sundays in the Jumeirah American School (now the American School of Dubai), and Sunday School was held there in the afternoons.
In 1990, the church leased a large Arabic style villa in Jumeirah (the “Jumeirah Villa”), which remained the church home until September 2003, and continued thereafter to be used for Sunday evening services and other churches’ meetings until the Dubai Municipality ordered the villa’s closure in June 2006.
The Ruler of Dubai in 1998 granted a piece of land to United Christian Church of Dubai (UCCD) and Arabic Evangelical Church of Dubai (AECD). In September, 2003, the Friday services commenced at the new Dubai Evangelical Church Centre3 in Maranatha Hall at the Churches Complex in Jebel Ali Village.
In 2010, UCCD sent out a number of members and staff to establish a sister church, Redeemer Church of Dubai, on the opposite side of Dubai. UCCD continued to support Redeemer Church of Dubai financially until 2012, by which time it had grown into a self-supporting church.
Generally Muslim nations are less tolerant towards other religions and licences to hold Christian worship or build churches are restricted. But Dubai, and for that matter UAE, are tolerant of other religions.
Generally Muslim nations are less tolerant towards other religions. But Dubai, and for that matter UAE, are tolerant of other religions.
Christ Church Jebel Ali Marriage Services
For Christians, church is the place to get married. The church provides this service along with baptism of babies.
Christ Church Jebel Ali congregations
There are 30 congregations, worshiping in 16 languages in this church building. Christians in Dubai are almost all expatriate workers, mostly Catholics from the Philippines and India.
Given the land and financial constraints, the Jebel Ali church is used by 30 different congregations. Whereas in their country they would have 30 different churches for each of the denominations. Services are conducted in many languages.
Other Churches
The Chaplaincy of Dubai with Sharjah and the Northern Emirates consists of five churches in the United Arab Emirates: Holy Trinity Church, Dubai Christ Church, Jebel Ali – consecrated March 2002 St Martin’s Church, Sharjah St Luke’s Church, Ras Al Khaimah St Nicholas’ Church, Fujairah The emirate of Abu Dhabi is a separate chaplaincy with two churches: St Andrew’s Church in Abu Dhabi St Thomas’ Church in Al Ain
Congregations worshiping in Christ Church Jebel Ali
The following congregations worship in Christ Church Jebel Ali
Christ Church Jebel Ali
Anglican
Abundant Life United Pentecostal Church
New Apostolic Church
Kings Revival Church
RCCG Grace Assembly Parish
The Gatekeepers
Light of Life Ministries
Gateway
Seventh Day Adventist
Shona – The African Apostolic Church
TWI – Victory Bible Church
Christ Church Jebel Ali
Here are some of the services offered in other languages. Afrikaans – First Dubai Afrikaans Church Cebuano – Adonai Christian Fellowship International Church Chinese – Chinese Gospel Church German – German Evangelical Church Hindi / English – Christian Church Bethesda Brother Manuel Ministries Church of North India, Jebel AliKorean – Dubai Korean Full Gospel Church Dubai Sarang Church Malayalam – CSI Malayalam Church of God Prarthana Sangamam New Testament Church Saint Gregorios Orthodox Church Satwa Pentecostal church Sharon Fellowship Church The Brethren Assembly
Nepali – Dubai Nepali Christian Fellowship Victory Christian Fellowship (Nepali) Punjabi – Gospel of Grace Ministries International Portuguese – Insejec International Brazilian Fellowship Sinhala – Kings Revival Church Gethsemane Gospel Church Spanish – Iglesia De Dios Tamil – CSI (Tamil) Kings Revival Church The Goodness of the Lord Church Tagalog – Jesus is Lord Church English / Tagalog – Word International Ministries Telugu – Gospel of Grace Ministries International Reidlands Bible College Urdu – Church of Pakistan
