P&O Cruises marks maiden port call in Dubai for Oceana as she begins 2019 season

After much anticipation, Oceana finally arrived at the Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid at the end of January to begin her winter Dubai cruise season.

The port call marked the first time that British line P&O Cruises has ever homeported in the Arabian Gulf, and is a sign of the growing prominence of the city as a cruise destination and turnaround port, according to tourism officials.

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“As a leading tourism destination, Dubai is also continuing to cement its position as the ‘Cruise Hub of the Region’, and we are pleased to welcome Oceana and all its guests on its maiden voyage into the Arabian Gulf as it homeports in the city,” said Jamal Alfalasi, Director of Dubai Cruise Tourism.

Dubai Cruise Tourism, a department of Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), welcomed Oceana to Dubai with a traditional plaque exchange ceremony between local officials and the ship’s captain.

“Our partnership with P&O Cruises is testament to the robust growth of Dubai’s cruise industry and further highlights the emirate as a significant destination for cruise tourists worldwide,” Alfalasi said during the event.

With Dubai as its winter hub, the 261-metre, 77,000-gross ton Oceana will cruise roundtrip in the Arabian Gulf from Dubai until March 22^nd, 2019.

P&O Cruises is offering three different itineraries aboard Oceana as part of its Arabian Gulf fly-cruise programme ranging from seven nights covering ports in the UAE and Bahrain; 10 nights covering UAE, Oman and Bahrain; and a 13-14 nights between Dubai and Malta on its repositioning voyages.

The cruise line’s forward bookings for the season show that the deployment will bring in an additional 20,000 cruise tourists to Dubai during the 2018/2019 season.

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On each of her port calls to Dubai, Oceana will stay overnight in port, giving passengers up to 48 hours to explore the city.

P&O Cruises has already confirmed that Oceana will return to Dubai during the coming 2019/2020 cruise season, with an expanded season of 14 roundtrip voyages, bringing an anticipated 40,000 cruise tourists to Dubai.

“Dubai and the Arabian Gulf are fascinating destinations and there’s no better way to discover them than through our diverse range of exciting shore tours, many of which offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” said Paul Ludlow, President of P&O Cruises.

“From desert safaris to camel racing, dune rides, mosques, museums, Arabic souks and shopping, I’m confident that our guests will love the wide choice of excursions on offer across the city,” he added.

P&O Cruises is one of six cruise lines homeporting seven cruise ships in Dubai during the current cruise season. Dubai Cruise Tourism expects 725,000 passengers to use Dubai Cruise Terminal as an embarkation port during the current season.

A further 20 cruise lines will have ships cruising from Dubai during the year, enabling tourists to start or finish their longer international cruise itineraries in the city.

This achievement will further strengthen Dubai Cruise Tourism’s strategic goal of welcoming one million cruise tourists by the 2020/2021 season with 10 cruise lines homeporting in Dubai.