Middle East Cruise on Costa Toscana Day 6 - Abu Dhabi
-MiddleEast.UAE.AbuDhabi-
Day 6 – Of all the stops on our journey so far, I had wanted to see a lot in this Abu Dhabi stop. Partly it is because of someone I had gotten to know through Instagram – Tan is her name and she posts such lovely photos of Abu Dhabi that I was completely intrigued. I had initially thought to meet up with her , however the trip was too uncertain and the time at port way too short to properly plan ahead. I hope I will have another chance to be back at Abu Dhabi in the future.
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Table of Contents
Day 6 - Sailing to Abu Dhabi
We had been sailing from Oman the evening before and continue to sail along the coast to Abu Dhabi scheduled for arrival at 17:30 in port. We were informed that we were able to go on land in batches. The authorities will be checking our passports and visas.
We spent the day enjoying the Costa Toscana. Our cabin has a very large balcony where we could people watch as they walked on the deck below.
As usual I welcome these leisure sea days on board. A lot of people think that it must be boring but that is completely not the case for me. I brought along my trusty kindle to catch up on my favourite past time that I had less and less time for in the real world. Reading allows me to drift into another land, another time, another’s story.
Arrival into Abu Dhabi
We sailed into Abu Dhabi at 17:30 – however we could not leave the ship until the immigration has cleared our passports. We decided to have our dinner before leaving the ship. I must say that I have been very happy with the dinner on board the Costa Toscana. Check out the sumptuous spread below:
During the dinner , from our table we could see the crowd of people who went ashore thinning out and decided to take the opportunity to go down as well. We had to go through the security controls and was then outside amidst the many taxis calling out for passengers. We only wanted to get to the Sheikh Zayed mosque as we had reserved our spot for 8pm.
*Note: We received information of a paid shuttle service that could bring us to the World Trade Trade Center Mall for 15 Euros / per person valid for the whole day.
From the Abu Dhabi Port to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
One thing became clear as we searched for a taxi that could bring us to the mosque – none of them wanted to use the meter. The drivers wanted to bring us on a tour for exorbitant prices. Meanwhile we had another problem: we had no Dirham and needed to search for an ATM. It was obvious that we needed cash as no taxi would be accepting card either. After a while of frustrating search, we still could not find an ATM. We were approached by another driver with a van. As we were slightly away from the rest , we could haggle better with the driver.
Not at my best form for haggling , realizing that we were running out of time to meet our reserved slot and with no Dirham on hand. The final agreement was he brings us to an ATM to get money and then to the Grand Mosque where he will wait for us , then to a view point nearby and then bringing us back to the port for 180 Dirham(AED). For your reference a taxi with meter will cost around 50-70 AED (including the surcharge) for a one-way trip to the mosque but probably less coming back depending on the traffic.
The driver brought us first to Al-Mina supermarket where there was an ATM to withdraw money. Then onward to the Grand mosque. He striked up a conversation on the drive and asked us where we are from while we discovered that he is from Pakistan.
Visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
It was already dark outside as we drove to the mosque. When I looked back : it was a good thing to negotiate the whole package as I was not completely trusting the whole trip would go smoothly. At least this way I didn’t have to worry that the driver took the longer way or used some toll roads that would have costed more. After not too long we arrived and parked at the car park. The driver told us that he will wait for us at the parked spot and when we were done to just come back here. I asked him where exactly the entrance is and he ended up bringing us all the way to the security check.
You can read about our visit in this blog post All about visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
After we were done, we made our way out but had a little bit of trouble finding the vehicle we came in, and our driver was also nowhere to be seen. We went around and finally found the van after a few moments the driver appeared as well. We were then off to our next stop – the Wahat Al Karama. We were brought to another place instead: and the driver got annoyed however I did tell him this was where I wanted to go. After that the climate was not very pleasant in the vehicle and when we arrived I went out and immediately found the spot. Unfortunately at the time : the main domes were undergoing renovation work.
Back at Costa Toscana
It was with a huge sigh of relief when we finally arrived back at the port and the driver dropped us a distance away which we did not mind to walk back to the ship. We paid him with the 200 AED we took from the ATM and expected the change back : which he did not give. At first he pretended not to have change but I insisted that he gave it and very begrudgingly he handed me the 20 AED. If there was one thing that left a bad taste was really the feeling that the taxi drivers were out to cheat. We were happy to have concluded our dealings with him.
As we were dropped of near to the bus station I took the opportunity to look around the bus schedules and especially to look for a machine that I could perhaps purchase the Halifat card but did not find one. I asked the bus driver where I could get one and he did not know either. After getting to know that I am a Malaysian he suddenly warmed up telling me about his cousin who worked there. He mentioned that the government lets the tourists ride the bus for free : only that I have to show my identification in case there was a check. I did not put too much faith in it as I have not read anywhere this was the case. Oh well, a problem for tomorrow I say!
-end of Day 6-
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After reading about your bargaining trip, I should say that if you come to India, you might face a similar situation with private players. So, best to use an Ola or Uber in the big cities, with smaller cities, taking a tour operator with fixed charges will work better. And I loved the interiors of the mosque in Abu Dhabi–watched the video. It felt so paradisical. I wish to take a tour of the Middle East as well, and a cruise is also on the bucket list.
What amazing memories I have from visiting Abu Dhabi and it’s extraordinary mosque. I remember that I took hundreds of pictures of the mosque and the large courtyards and even of the carpets inside the mosque that seemed so interesting for me as they were unexpectedly soft. Abu Dhabi it’s indeed a place that you need to visit in the Emirates and I would gladly go back to see all the updates that to have taken place in the last years. Thank you for this post and for reminding me of the unique experiences I had in Abu Dhabi.
We had one quick day in Abu Dhabi on a cruise and were sad we did not see more. And we definitely are sorry we missed the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Good point about making sure you have local money for taxis and other non-cruise ship organized excursions. Good thing you did your own research and asked for the stop at the Wahat Al Karama – even if it did annoy your driver. Sadly I was not surprised that the taxi driver tried to scam you on the fare. But at least you got back safe and got some good sights.
The mosque looks wonderful, but the trip there definitely doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. It reminded me of a layover I had in Dubai. As I was running out of time and wanted to see a last attraction, I had to negotiate with a taxi driver really aggressive, as they refused the meter as well. Finally I found one who would take me for a relatively ok-ish rate, even though still much higher than what the meter would have been. It’s so off putting when your trip is spoiled by the behaviour of taxi drivers.
A cruise seems to be a nice and convenient way to visit Abu Dhabi. Visiting the Sheikh Zayed Mosque must have been very impressive. Good that you could visit in the evening for some light-up pictures. I have not been yet to Abu Dhabi, but will keep in mind that taxi drivers might be difficult.
Abu Dhabi is a beautiful city and I am happy to know that you were able to visit. So sorry to hear about the taxis taking advantage but at least you were still able to make it work.
I’m sorry you experienced all these inconveniences. When I visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, I came with a friend who has her own car. We drove from Dubai to Abu Dhabi as I heard the prices could be really over than the normal charge. I hope you visit again and maybe the experience will be much better.