Captain Walker

Sorry for my original reply...I noted that was not aimed at me. I do apologise.

rossmacd

My point is the poster I quoted has no idea what they are talking about, whereas you clearly do

Captain Walker

Cheers...silly me!

londonba2014

You would be correct in thinking that, as living in a Tier 4 zone I have been unable to travel lately..

Raffles

We have just returned from 17 days there. Would have stayed on but my wife didn't like the idea of working 1pm to 9pm. She will probably regret that very soon.

'Quiet' is an odd concept in Dubai. It is certainly quieter than usual but nowhere near a ghost town. Virtually all prime hotels were full over New Years Eve and Christmas Day, helped by the fact that both fell on the weekend when many locals move into hotels anyway. InterCon Festival City was very quiet on Sunday when we left. No major difficulties keeping your distance from others.

Having been multiple times due to having family there, it was interesting to visit over Christmas. It is ideal weather for a long stay, like a decent British day in June but 100% guaranteed daily. Sun cream is not essential but at the same time you're unlikely to get much of a tan. The upside is that you can spend a lot of time out and about without (literally) breaking into a sweat, which is ideal if you are planning a longer stay.

I am always amused at this 'boozy lunches' idea. You will never see more expensive alcohol in your life. We paid £70 a bottle for house prosecco for my daughter's birthday dinner. Apart from that I didn't pay for a single drink in 17 days.

Wozza2404

Brunches are an institution in Dubai. An absolute staple of the social scene. And one of the cheapest ways to drink in the country.

When I've been in the UAE recently (November and then December) things have been quieter than I'd typically expect, but mostly business as usual. Brunches have been running, pubs like McGetts were being allowed to push their opening hours back out to 2am and having food was no longer mandatory when drinking.

Hotel occupancy was low, so it was important to check which facilities were open when booking a hotel.

I imagine the influx of tourists from the UK and elsewhere has contributed to the rise in their numbers recently, but the new UK restrictions will likely ease the throttle on that somewhat now I would think.

13901

Dubai in a nutshell.

MaxFlyer

Dubai is in high demand for Christmas 2021 too as I've been trying to book an Avios 241 flight in December for the last few days but I keep missing out by a few seconds (telephone and website). Never had this issue before. Also, I class availability has mostly gone/not loaded, again never seen this before so far out.

On a related note, BA only seem to have loaded one flight back from Dubai at the moment (BA106 at 02:15) for December 2021, despite having 2 flights going out.

Wozza2404

From a schedule persepctive I can't imagine BA are overly concerned about Dec 21 at the moment.

From an availability POV - don't forget the postponed Expo 2020 is due to start in Oct 2021 so Xmas 2021 will be very, very busy in Dubai (assuming things are back to 'normal').

Harchy

Does anyone know what happens when you apply for a future FTV that had already been part paid for by a previous FTV?
Will the old voucher automatically be re-credited or do you think I need to call due to the added layer of complication?

KARFA

Hi. You will get one FTV email which will include the value of what you originally had in your first FTV + whatever extra you paid when you used the first FTV to make a new booking.

Your new FTV email may show two voucher numbers, but that won't be an issue and it is still all on there. You can request it view the online form as usual.

Fossiebear

Just took my 8 and 10 year olds to the semi derelict Wafi Mall, thankfully their understanding of English was good enough to understand how ridiculous this description is. Someone should tell Chopard they are selling in a semi-derelict mall.

Well I guess its as semi-derelict as Dubai Mall Fashion Mall is a regular mall....

GumshoeW12

The recent influx of influencer types in Dubai (and elsewhere) has been picked up by BBC News.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-55546760

A predictably vague and non-committal response from the government, but also confirmation that BA is currently reviewing its schedules.

TGLoyalty

by the fact they are self employed as an “influencer” perhaps doing public appearances and the like they are abroad for business reasons.

SingaporeDubai

If I can buy Chopard somewhere does that mean it’s not derelict?

I’m sure you could find the odd Chopard pieces at pawnbrokers in very derelict parts of cities.

Wafi was always at the luxury end, even when it was busier, but the fact that nobody really goes there now is correct.

Its was an odd location even when it was new, not quite in the old part of the city, sandwiched on the wrong bridge (Garhoud vs Maktoum bridge) before the airport and miles away from the then newly developing centre of Umm Suqiem and beyond.

It also didn’t help that most of the shops sold high end goods, but it was basically only convenient for blue collar workers travelling from Sharjah to Dubai.

I saw a table made of jade in one of the shops there and it was priced over £200,000. That doesn’t mean the mall was thriving. I bet that item still isn’t sold.

I do know Dubai enough to also know some very wealthy local families have huge “farmhouses” close to Wafi, but they would certainly spend time at City Walk or the like, in the more desirable “locals” area.