Silver Shadow has made her maiden port call at the new Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal off the city’s iconic JBR and Palm Island, becoming the eighth cruise vessel to do so since September last year.

More than 120 passengers on board the ship received a warm traditional Arabian welcome with officials from the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Dubai Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation attending a customary plaque exchange ceremony. 

Dubai has seen robust growth in cruise line interest and port calls since the opening of the new terminal in March last year, according to Khalid A. bin Sulayem, Director General, DTCM. 

Bin Sulayem said that Silver Shadow’s arrival, along with the other seven maiden calls since the terminal opened, sends a strong message that Dubai is considered a safe cruise destination by American and European passengers. 

Bin Sulayem’s comments come amid the ongoing Red Sea security crisis, which has seen all major cruise lines cancel voyages through the Suez Canal and Red Sea. Port calls to Dubai have been impacted as a result, but cruise lines continue to prioritise the city as a key destination on East-West itineraries.

Silver Shadow conducted a ‘turnaround’ call during her stay in Dubai, with 110 passengers, predominantly British and American, embarking for a new cruise from Dubai. 

Awadh Al Seghayer, DTCM Manager Heritage Sites and Events, and cruise tourism, said at a press briefing following the arrival of the vessel that Dubai had in a short span of time emerged as a premier destination for the cruise industry and matured from a port of call into a regional hub. 

Some 85% of the cruise ships docking in Dubai this year will conduct a passenger exchange, and Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal was developed in partnership with Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company. The cruise giant uses the terminal as its regional hub, although Silversea is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises.

While Silver Shadow is part of the Royal Caribbean brand, catering to only a few guests in true splendour with one of the highest passenger space ratios of any ship at sea, Carnival owns Cunard, Princess, Costa, AIDA, Seabourn, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, and of course Carnival Cruise Lines.

Of these, Costa and AIDA will be homeporting in Dubai during the coming 2024/25 cruise season, while Princess, P&O, Seabourn, Holland America, and Cunard will all be sailing grand voyages from the city.

Dubai Harbour is the only dedicated cruise port in the Arabian Gulf, and has been designed to attract more cruise lines to winter in the region. It’s 3,300 sq.m. cruise terminal is one of the most advanced in the world, providing streamlined passenger facilities for the growing number of passenger ships using Dubai as a turnaround port. 

The terminal is operated by DTCM, while Dubai’s primary cruise terminal, Dubai Cruise Terminals 2 and 3 in Port Rashid, are operated by DP World.