Leisurely leisure

This is Part 3 of my review of Resorts World Cruises' packages in the Arabian Gulf. Click Part 1 and Part 2 for the rest of the review. Khasab fjords in Oman are dotted with craggy mountains and rocky islands. After the ship returned to Dubai from Sir Bani Yas Island, we set sail for Oman’s Khasab and Muscat the next day. As mentioned in Part 1, the trips to Sir Bani Yas and Oman are separate packages, but guests may combine them to enjoy an extended holiday. Up until this point, I hadn’t heard much about Oman, let alone Khasab, so this journey was especially exciting for me. Rich history, nature Khasab Castle was built in the 17th century to defend against maritime threats. Waking up in the morning and stepping out onto the balcony, I was greeted by a scenery that was both foreign and picturesque. The ship had docked at Khasab Port, and all around me were craggy, beige mountains — an impressive contrast to the glitzy Dubai metropolis. Though Khasab is one of Oman’s 11 governorat...

This is Part 2 of my review of Resorts World Cruises' packages in the Arabian Gulf. Click Part 1  and Part 3 for the rest of the review. I am here! Sir Bani Yas Island. Welcome to Part 2 of my Resorts World Cruises review.  Sir Bani Yas Island is an 87sq km nature reserve located 170km from Abu Dhabi. This island is a savannah and home to 30 species of land animals and 170 types of birds. It was set up in the 1970s by the UAE founder and first president Sheikh Zayed Sultan Al Nahyan aimed at preserving regional biodiversity. According to our guide, while most species here are native, some are brought from other countries. Trek across wilderness Fellow journalists and I were taken on a safari, winding across the landscape where we saw zebras, antelopes, ostriches and giraffes roaming freely. Visitors are taken on a safari to check out free-roaming animals. We also saw cheetahs, which were kept inside an enclosure, and Barbary sheep, which our guide described as “lazy animals.”...

This is Part 1 of my review of Resorts World Cruises' packages in the Arabian Gulf. Click Part 2 and Part 3 for the rest of the review. Sailing across the Arabian Gulf, the Resorts World Cruises ship can accommodate up to 1,800 passengers. A FEW years ago, my mother and I saw a documentary about cruise ships. It quickly became our favourite TV show, drawing us in front of the screen once a week to satisfy our curiosity. To me, cruise ships seemed like a marvel — part resort and part shopping centre, floating out at sea. It's the type of holiday only the wealthy could afford, I often thought, wistfully hoping that one day I too, could go on such a trip. So imagine my delight when my editor texted me one afternoon asking if I would like to go on the Resorts World Cruises (RWC) maiden voyage across the Arabian Gulf. “Absolutely, I would love to go,” I replied within seconds, barely able to contain my excitement. The trip was special, because it combined two itineraries to create...