The new Dubai Harbour cruise port is the city’s newest cruise terminal, but is also a tourists destination in its own right.

The Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal is located next to the world’s largest yacht marina and within walking distance of the Dubai Media City and Dubai Marina neighbourhoods

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If you’re cruising to or from Dubai aboard a Carnival Corp-owned cruise ship, chances are you’ll be calling in the city at the new Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal.

The new cruise port, the regional hub for Carnival Corporation in the Middle East, will be a little Monaco on the Arabian Gulf, with one of the largest marinas in the region, a yacht club, 24 residential towers, a skydiving runway, helipad, event space and three restaurants.

There are also, of course, two cruise terminals, which have made Dubai’s fast-growing cruise sector part of the city’s skyline, thanks to their location right off JBR between Palm Jumeirah and Bluewaters Island.

The New Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal

The development is spearheaded by Shamal Holding, which also manages other popular Dubai tourist attractions such as Kite Beach, Skydive Dubai, and Deepdive Dubai. According to Abdulla Binhabtoor, Chief Portfolio Management Officer for the company, the new district was designed with the maritime lifestyle in mind.

“The space is open and accessible to visitors whether they choose to live in the district or visit,” he said, adding that while the development hosts one of the largest marinas in the region, “you don’t have to own a boat to come here. You can spend time around the marina and enjoy that lifestyle and enjoy being close to the water and the many amenities that we will have.”

Dubai Harbour is the region’s first purpose built cruise port

Visitors to Dubai Harbour will be able to walk easily between the three marinas, two cruise terminals, 24 residential towers, hotels, restaurants and shops. In this way, it has taken its inspiration from the European seaside towns and marinas of the Mediterranean.

The new yacht club opened in December and includes a variety of shops and restaurants catering to boat owners, residents and visitors alike. Two restaurants, one called L’Amo Bistro Del Mare, opened to the public in December.

The district will also include the Dubai Harbour Pier Club for VIP guests, which is located further from shore near the superyacht berths. With a helipad, executive gym and a fine-dining restaurant called Bar Du Port, which is designed to attract the mega-rich.

Some 7,500 residential apartment are being built in Dubai Harbour, which will be located on the Emaar Beachfront, a waterfront retail, dining and entertainment hub. So far only a few have been built, but one tower is to welcome its first residents in early 2022.

Dubai Harbour with cruise terminal adjacent Palm Jumeirah Island

Built on a beach, the towers have views of The Palm Jumeirah in one direction and the skyscrapers of the Marina in the other, and will provide a picture-perfect backdrop for cruise tourists’ social media posts as they disembark.

Key for cruise tourists arriving in Dubai through the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal is its central location, within a short taxi ride of the Palm Jumeirah, Blue Waters Island, The Walk at JBR and the wider Dubai Marina area.

While the original Dubai Cruise Terminal in Port Rashid is centrally located in Old Dubai, the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal is centrally located in New Dubai. Both cruise terminals will complement one another in boosting the appeal of Dubai as a cruise destination.

The Dubai Cruise Terminal will continue to operate as the city’s primary cruise port, catering to all non-Carnival Corporation cruise ships docking in the city, while Dubai Harbour will be for the exclusive use of cruise lines belonging to Carnival.