Cruises - Arabian peninsula cruise: newbie questions

My partner and I will be leaving mid-December on an Arabian peninsula cruise (Costa cruises) from Dubai to Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah and Khasab. This will be our first cruise.

I have looked at the cruise company's excursions schedule and the prices are insane! EUR 70-90 (USD 95 - 125) per person per excursion to load you on a bus, go to a local mosque and market, some lunch and drop you at the cruise port again.

We are used to travelling independently, so we don't have a problem to arrange our own day trips, however as this will be our first cruise (and our first time in that part of the world), I have some questions:

1) are taxis normally available in the ports mentioned above? Do people have experience taking these taxis, and how much should I expect to pay if I want to hire a taxi for 4 or 5 hours? Or better just take a one-way into town, and take a taxi back at the end of the day?

2) Or would it be better to reserve a taxi/tour with a local company before we leave for Dubai? Any recommendations for reliable companies in the places mentioned above?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Can't help with the guides question, but there are plentiful, cheap taxis in each of those places (except perhaps Khasab). Oman taxis generally have negotiable prices, while in UAE they typically stick to the meter. May be different for renting the car for a full day trip.

Depending on what you want to see, and how long you will be I port, there is a lot to do in Muscat just within walking distance from the port.

Some of the organized excursions may actually be worth it since you may have limited time in each port to make your own arrangements.

I am in favor of making my own port arrangements. In dubai, which was not on a cruise, i hired a car/guide every day. It wasn't that expensive.
Now, three suggestions:

1. Go over to cruisecritic.com and check out the 'ports of call' forums for your ports. There is a wealth of information there.
2. Then, go to goldring travel' and read the cruise reviews in the luxury travel forum. The cruise that granny lorr' is on stops in many of your ports and her experiences are interesting and fun to read. It's in about the middle to end of the current posts, since the cruise she's on started in dover, uk.
3. Also, on cruisecritic.com there will be a forum on the cruise line and also you can find a 'roll call' for your specific cruise and see what others are doing/have done before.

SOMETIMES A SHIP'S TOUR IS THE BEST OPTION FOR THE PORT, CONSIDERING TIME CONSTRAINTS AND AVAILABILITY OF TOUR RESOURCES. I AM SURE YOU WILL GET LOTS OF SUGGESTIONS AND IDEAS. AND, LEARN A BIT ABOUT THE PIRACY ISSUES IN THE AREA AS WELL! <G>

With Muscat you can easily and cheaply get around to see everything of interest.

The passenger terminal is a 10 minute walk to the Souks, and you can walk along the corniche, all very nice.

The Grand Mosque is free, and can be visited between 8am and 11am, just catch a taxi from the port, (negotiate first), and this should cost you around 5 euro return.

If you have time, and want a good lunch their are a few modern malls on the way back from the mosque with everything from Traditional Arabic to Western Tastes (Chili's, TGI Fridays etc).

You can do all this at your own pace, without being waved on and off the tour buses!

Agree with looking at cruisecritic. This is FLYERtalk for a reason! :D

The prices for shore excursions are fairly standard. I did not say they are reasonable .... but for a cruise line, they are standard.

Are you and your partner petit white women? It might be better to stick with the ship's excursions! And you big and burly men, who can care for yourself. You might be adventuresome.

Taxis are cheap in that area. But cheap does not always = the smart thing to do. Before you hire "just any ol' taxi" do some research on line and find out if there are guides you can hire. Like any trip, decide what you want to see.

One of the risks I have seen .... at the depature time, the ship waits if one of their own excusions is late returning. However, on at least 3 occassions, I have seen the ship depart even when it was known that not all passenger had returned to the ship. It's the pax's own responsibility to catch up with the ship at the next port. (Once, I did see a local sailor with a motor boat bring the couple a 2-3 miles out to sea, and while the ship did not slow down for the transfer, they did lower a ladder for the pax to crawl up.) your call!

One of the risks I have seen .... at the depature time, the ship waits if one of their own excusions is late returning. However, on at least 3 occassions, I have seen the ship depart even when it was known that not all passenger had returned to the ship. It's the pax's own responsibility to catch up with the ship at the next port. (Once, I did see a local sailor with a motor boat bring the couple a 2-3 miles out to sea, and while the ship did not slow down for the transfer, they did lower a ladder for the pax to crawl up.) your call!

The ship permitted boarding whilst under full sail? That's a new one on me. What ship was this?!