MSC Arabia: A landlocked girls account

This is the FOURTH post about my 32nd birthday. Why am I so obsessed with it!? It’s not even like a milestone year or anything. But let’s face it, when am I NOT obsessed with my birthday? Fun fact: I’m already planning my 40th, but not yet sure (as at the time of publishing) what I will do for my 33rd. I usually have clarity on my birthday plans in July, and lock them in around October, so I’m keen to surprise myself and see what we come up with.

Aaaaanyway, back to one of the things I did for my 32nd birthday. It was in July when a friend reached out about doing a cruise with some other ladies, two of whom were also celebrating their birthdays in January. While we would only leave at the end of the month, it was still January so firmly counted towards my birthday sherehe (that means celebrations in Swahili).

So off we flew to Dubai, 19 ladies from Zambia and the UK to meet before boarding the MSC Arabia. Getting onto the ship was surprisingly strict. We had to go through customs to have our visas checked, luggage dropped off and boarding passes collected before we were allowed on board.

First sighting of the ship

Once on board, I was taken aback by how “hyper “ everything was. There were so many people, and there was so much food! The first meal I ever ate there was a pizza, some chips, a smoked sausage, and a Fanta orange. Honestly, my diet didn’t veer too far from that for the seven days we were on board. Each deck had its own selection of foods, with deck 15 being a dedicated “food market place.”

I learnt that you had to pre-book almost everything ahead of time, and the rest could be edited using the MSc app. Had I been the one planning my first cruise ship experience, I’d have missed out on so much. Like the formal dinners, for instance, where we all went to one of the restaurants with strict opening and closing times and requiring one to dress up. Our lovely planner had suggested some themes for us and I am glad we took them up. Imagine 19 African women dressed to the 9s showing up in a predominantly white space? We turned heads for sure! Most of the people on the cruise were Eastern European and Eastern Asian… two of the most un-self-aware demographics known to man, so of course we were ambushed for photos, gawked at and even stealthily photographed. Those people are quite…. Strange.

Other than that, the major highlight of the cruise for me was swinging through multiple countries and getting a glimpse of them.

The itinerary was UAE (Dubai) - Qatar - Bahrain - UAE (Abu Dhabi)

3 countries in 7 days!!! I loved it! I’ve already written extensively about Dubai, but Qatar was one of my favorites. It was also special because it marked the 20th country in my quest to see 40 countries before I turn 40. I’d definitely love to go back and explore more. I thoroughly enjoyed the chilled bazaar experience and would have loved to explore more of the museum.

Bahrain felt like the poor cousin among these Gulf countries. Of course, their infrastructure is already far better than many of our own on this side of the world; there was a sense of continuous improvement to “catch up” to the rest. I didn’t feel like going to another bazaar, so I decided to wander into a coffee shop, and I am so glad that I did, because I met two of the coolest creatives I’ve ever met in my life! With their distinct American accents, the two Bahraini guys gave me such insight into their country that I doubt I’d have gotten from even a paid tour guide. The country is so tech advanced that they don’t even accept card, only some some Apple Pay/ G-pay app thing that of course I didn’t have, so I got my tea for free 🤣🤭

It took us about 1.5 days to sail from Bahrain back to the UAE in Abu Dhabi. So that meant we were not leaving the ship at all for a full day and then some. That was no issue because they have EVERYTHING on board. Quiet nooks for reading and watching the water, a fun water park, multiple swimming pools, Broadway-style shows, a night club where they even brought us an African DJ when they realised we were there every night 🤣 and fine-dining restaurants. I think if I did a few more cruises and got used to them, I’d do one where I don’t get off the ship and just fully immerse myself in all the onboard activities. I really craved spending one full day on our balcony (note: always book a balcony cabin) and just watching the water all day. Alas, I couldn’t pass up seeing different countries and sharing the experience with all the other ladies I was travelling with.

Once we got into Abu Dhabi, it was clear that Dubai is the influencer. You can see how, even though it’s the capital and definitely holds its own in terms of activities and the general look, it felt very “Dubai-esque”, but also different in its own way. Another place that I’d definitely like to explore more of. We had two days in Abu Dhabi, so we got to see more at a relaxed pace, and I thoroughly enjoyed (as I always do) walking along the pier.

We visited the famous Emirates Palace hotel and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, which is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates

Would I do a cruise again? Absolutely! They seem to be doing a lot to be a bit more sustainable, too, as the MSC Arabia had posters everywhere detailing measures being taken towards sustainability. That reassurance was nice to have.