AIDA Transfer Cruise 2017 · Page 2

After 3.5 hours we took a taxi back to the ship. On the way there we had been dropped right in front of the main entrance, but you can't get a taxi there. Instead there's a special taxi area in the basement of the mall, sometimes with waiting times of 30 minutes, so please allow for that. Before boarding we wanted to buy something to drink in the shop in front of the ship, but decided against a big shop, as even a small can of cola was supposed to cost almost 2 euros – so better to look in the mall beforehand.

In the evening, as always, we had our holiday cocktail in the AIDA Bar.

The next morning we sailed into the port of Fujairah, UAE.

Here we had booked the excursion FJR03 "Desert Safari" through AIDA. At 8.15 a.m. sharp we got into jeeps in groups of four; they were already waiting for us in front of the ship.

The jeeps were all fairly new and equipped with every refinement. Our English-speaking driver was very competent. In convoy we drove about 1.5 hours inland to the desert. On the way we already got a good impression of the country, and our driver told us a lot about life and the people. Just before the desert there was a short stop to let some air out of the tyres.

We very quickly noticed that our driver was very experienced, as some others got stuck and our driver had to help them.

After 30 minutes there was a stop where we could explore the desert a little. Unimaginable expanses opened up before us.

After another 60 minutes' drive through the desert, we reached a camel farm, where camels are bred for meat and milk.

The drivers used this stop to pump the tyres back up.

After a total of 4.5 hours we were back at AIDAbella, just in time for lunch. As we still had some time before departure, we took the free AIDA shuttle to the mall. Disillusionment set in on arrival at the mall, which really shouldn't bear that name.

The small shopping centre with a few shops doesn't really invite you to browse. After 30 minutes we were already back on the bus to the ship.