I have received details of the additional excursions available and wanted some more information on the Abu Dhabi trip.  The information I have received states 

"Travel past the world’s man-made port at Jebel Ali and through coastal desert scenery, studded with acacia trees to Abu Dhabi. A short drive 

takes you to Al Husn Palace, the only palace in the country you can enter. Make a photo stop by the Emirates 

Palace Hotel, the dhow yard, cornice and Sheikh Zayed’s Mosque. Pass by the Palace, the Heritage Village and the

fish market before proceeding to the Marina Mall visiting its 400 stores over 5 levels and the 100m high viewing 

platform."

Do we actually enter the Palace as this sounds like a lot of driving by and photo stops with the main part of the day being a shopping trip?  

Many thanks

Happy New year to you and JY.  I realise you will have a big backlog on the Forum but I wondered if you had an answer to my query about the Abu Dhabi optional excursion.

Also does anyone have any advice on whether to take dirham from UK or is it easy to change sterling on arrival.  Are dollars accepted?

Many thanks

Happy New Year to you too! 🙂

Apologies for the delay with this question, we're just double-checking with our supplier and we're awaiting a response from them.

We have sent a follow up email so hopefully we'll hear back soon.

Many thanks,

Vickie

One more question (not promising it will be the last). Do we pay for the BBQ excursion in sterling, dollars or dirham?

Many thanks

Thanks Vickie

Been to the UAE a few times, have always got a much better rate at the currency exchanges in the malls than if I've bought in the UK before traveling.

Did you take sterling or dollars?

Regards

Apologies for the delay with this one, we just had to wait for our supplier in Dubai to get back to us with confirmation.

Optional excursions must be paid for in resort with cash. US dollars are preferred however Dirhams will also be accepted. It is not possible to pay by card.

For the excursion, here's a breakdown of the day:

Drive from Dubai to Abu Dhabi

• Visit Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

• Abu Dhabi Corniche

• Etihad Square

• Lunch stop in Marina Mall ( lunch not included )

• Drive past the Emirates Palace Hotel

• Drive to Dubai and stop on Yas Island, close to the Yas Marina F1 Circuit

• Tour End in Dubai Hotel around 17:00 pm / 17:30 pm .

I hope this helps! 🙂

Many thanks,

Vickie

However this doesn't really reassure me.  How much time are we actually spending visiting the Mosque?  Do we actually visit the Corniche and the Square or are these just photo stops.  How long do we spend at the Mall? 

This still feels like a shopping trip to me.

Regards

No problem, I will ask our team to check with the supplier about timings and get back to you ASAP 🙂

Thanks,

Vickie

Much appreciated

Chris

Many thanks,

Vickie

I don't think this has been asked yet.  Who is the Tour Manager and will they be flying out with us?

Regards

Your TM will be Caroline Godfrey 🙂

Thanks,

Vickie

I am still waiting for an answer to my query regarding the Abu Dhabi excursion.  I need to decide before I travel whether to book this. 

Many thanks

Apologies, I'm still waiting for the information, I have asked again and will let you know as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Vickie

Would you confirm the no of travellers and if anyone ese is flying from Birmingham?

Many thanks

Regarding the excursion, here are the timings:

You will spend 1 hour visiting the mosque, Corniche and Etihad square are then for photo stops and you will be at the Mall for 1 hour.

There are 25 travellers on this trip, 6 men and 19 women. Their ages range from early 30s to early 80s.

There is just one person flying from Birmingham at the moment.

Many thanks,

Vickie

That one person will be me then :D

Thanks for the timings on the excursion - now I can decide what to do.

Regards