A view of the Dubai Canal. ARCHIVE

Dubai residents cry foul over Dubai Canal dhow cruise for Dh39

Too good to be true? A Dh39 Dubai dhow cruise deal has been given bad reviews by residents who have taken to social media to warn others: “Don’t trust” the offer. The deal for the cheap dhow cruise was advertised on Facebook, with the ad saying “Water Canal dhow cruise 39 AED”. It promised two hours of cruising, with views of the Dubai Canal waterfall and laser show, welcome drinks, buffet, unlimited soft drinks and refreshments as well as live shows onboard the vessel. Dian (full name withheld), a nursing assistant on the Palm Jumeirah, said her dhow cruise experience turned out to be a “curse”. “The food was not good, soft drinks were limited, only given half in a small plastic cup. My experience on that dhow cruise was a curse. It happened last April 22,” Dian said. Josephine J. (full name withheld), a Dubai resident from Indonesia, echoed the same sentiment. “Unpleasant experience, very bad service,” she said. Don M. (full name withheld), an Indian resident in Dubai, said he was disappointed that there was overbooking of seats, which resulted in him not being able to board the cruise. “Do not trust them. They will book your seats online or on WhatsApp. Later, after we reached the yacht, they will simply say that the yacht is full and they can give tickets for another time or day. The staff near the yacht will simply say they can’t do anything. Later, we will be forced to take other yachts and agree to pay much higher rates,” Don said. Vierlyn V. (full name withheld) also shared that she experienced successfully booking a slot online only to be told by the coordinator over the phone that the cruise was “fully booked” after all. “Worst is she ended the call in an impolite manner,” Vierlyn said. Speaking to Expatmedia.net, a company representative admitted that they experienced a surge in customers over the Eid holiday, which resulted in overbooking of seats. “But now things are back to normal so bookings will be in order,” she said, explaining that they also offer a Dh59 5-star yacht cruise on the Dubai Canal. She said that there is no pre-payment required to make a booking in any of their cruises. ICA/Expat Media
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