Guides · 2026-06-01
What Is a Dhow Cruise?
A dhow cruise is an evening sailing trip on a traditional wooden boat that has been converted into a floating restaurant. In Dubai, dhow cruises operate every night on Dubai Marina and Dubai Creek. Guests board in the evening, enjoy a two-hour sail with an international buffet dinner, unlimited soft drinks, and live entertainment such as the Tanoura dance show, all while the city lights drift past the deck.
What exactly is a dhow?
A dhow is a traditional wooden sailing vessel that traders, fishermen, and pearl divers have used across the Arabian Gulf for centuries. These boats were hand-built from wood, with a distinctive curved hull and triangular lateen sails, and they carried everything from spices and dates to pearls between the ports of Arabia, India, and East Africa. Long before Dubai had skyscrapers, it had dhows.
Today's cruise dhows keep the classic wooden look on the outside, but inside they are fully modern: an air-conditioned lower deck, an open upper deck for sightseeing, an onboard kitchen, restrooms, a sound system, and full marine safety equipment. You get the heritage atmosphere of an old trading vessel with the comfort of a proper restaurant.
What happens on a dhow cruise in Dubai?
A typical evening follows a simple rhythm. You arrive at the boarding point about 30 minutes before departure and are welcomed aboard with a drink. Once everyone is seated, the dhow casts off and the two-hour sailing begins. The buffet dinner usually opens shortly after departure, so you can eat while the skyline moves past. Midway through the evening, the Tanoura dancer performs a 15 to 20 minute spinning show on the open deck. Soft background music plays throughout, and the upper deck stays open for photos at all times. The boat then returns to the same boarding point where you started.
Marina vs Creek: the two main options
Dubai has two classic dhow cruise routes. The Dubai Marina cruise sails past the modern skyline: the twisted Cayan Tower, Marina Mall, the JBR beachfront, the Ain Dubai wheel on Bluewaters Island, and a glimpse of Palm Jumeirah. It is the premium, high-rise, photo-heavy option, priced at AED 79 per adult and AED 40 per child.
The Dubai Creek cruise sails through old Dubai, past traditional souks, heritage buildings, and the working water-taxi stations of Deira. It is shorter on glitter and richer in culture, priced at AED 59 per adult and AED 30 per child. Both include the same style of buffet dinner and entertainment. The real difference is the view outside the window, so pick the side of Dubai you most want to see.
What is usually included in the ticket?
Almost every standard dhow cruise ticket in Dubai includes the same core package: the 2-hour sailing, a welcome drink on boarding, an international buffet dinner with a live BBQ station, unlimited soft drinks, water, tea and coffee, and the Tanoura dance show. Children under 3 sail free. What is normally not included: hotel transfers (available as an add-on), alcoholic drinks, and souvenir photos taken by the onboard photographer.
How long does a dhow cruise last?
The standard dinner cruise lasts 2 hours. On Dubai Marina, boarding starts at 7:45 PM and the boat sails from 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM. On Dubai Creek, boarding is at 7:30 PM with sailing from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The sunset cruise is a shorter 1-hour sailing: boarding at 5:00 PM, cruising from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Private charters can be arranged for any duration and are charged from AED 1,200 per hour.
Is a dhow cruise worth it?
For first-time visitors, yes. It folds dinner, sightseeing, and an evening out into one fixed price, and the Marina skyline from the water at night is genuinely different from seeing it on foot. The food is a proper buffet, not a snack, and the Tanoura show gives the evening a cultural anchor. If you have already done the standard dinner cruise once, try the sunset sailing or a private charter next time for a different angle on the same water.
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