They appear to be ready for booking. :)

While you're in Dubai, hope there's a way you can meet someone staying at the Burj so you can get into one of the rooms (they have concierges on each floor so must know a hotel guest). It'd be better than an excursion :D

Marcie, I'll put Marilyn in charge of hi-jacking a Burj guest. The CAMEL Caravan knows no bounds! :D

With Marilyn in charge it'll definitely happen!!! :app: :app: :app:

Atta girl!! We've all done worse....(guess I should just speak for myself)

I sure wish I were on this trip with you guys... :)

Umm, has anyone looked over the excursions for CAMEL--particularly the excursions in Jeddah? I'm having a little problem with the requirement for women to have to purchase and wear an abaya (i.e. burka)in order to go ashore there. Can't quite picture myself walking around in a long black robe--looks like I'll be staying on the ship. Maybe I'll sit out on our balcony in my bathing suit :D . Is it just me, or does anyone else have a problem with that? On the other stops, modest clothing (long sleeves and long pants will suffice).

I think that requirement is most unfortunate. You might derive a bit of solace by going to the State Department's web site and reading the warnings about travel in Saudi Arabia. They don't mince words about the need for women to appear in "proper" dress. This is one cruise where Fred and I have decided to stick largely with ship's tours to enjoy the perceived safety of being part of a group. It is probably not wise for "two men" to be poking around by themselves in some of these ports! Pat

I'm not going (wish I was), but I *think* I'd be okay with it. As long as someone (the ship?) provided fairly nice, inexpensive abayas. I think they are probably fairly cool to wear, although too bad they are not white. Do you really have to cover your face completely with the net thing?

When I was 21, I went to Morocco. Being a young blonde, I decided to try to cover myself, since the men were kind of grabby. So I covered myself with a jellabah, which was really comfortable (it was early spring and coolish). Of course, it is men's garb, not women's, so any foolish idea I had of "passing" was treated with derision.

Now this is interesting....I've gone on many excursions in this part of the world and never was I instructed to wear a burka!. We did dress conservatively and kept our shoulders covered. I also had a scarf for my head (in my purse) that I could use if required.

In Dubai I purchased a silk burka with sequins etc. that I've worn on informal/formal nights. Quite a few of us did this since there are some beautiful ones...Peggy, you're welcome to borrow mine but it is dressy.

Thanks, Marcie--I don't mind having to buy the thing (the ship is only charging $39 for them), what I mind is having to wear it. I've certainly always been sensitive to the mores of other cultures, but I think this is kind of over the top. I'll probably prefer doing my own little silent protest by not spending my money there.

Here is the description of the abaya and the requirement to wear it from the Silversea website:

"Ladies reserving tour JED-A Jeddah Past & Present must also pre-order an abaya, a light weight black cloak, on our website at www.silversea.com, by the deadline as listed above. Please select the appropriate size for you. Abayas will be delivered onboard the ship only to those guests who have placed their order before the published deadline. Abaya orders are non-refundable, and will be billed to your shipboard account. Measurements are from the shoulder to the ankle.

"Your abaya will be given to you by the Tour Office after arrival in Jeddah, just prior to your tour’s departure. It is yours to keep, as a souvenir of your visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

"We suggest you bring a head scarf with you to accompany the abaya. Although non-Muslim women are not required to wear a head scarf, it is highly recommended, especially if you have blond/light hair.

"The dress code in Saudi Arabia is strictly enforced by the religious police and violations can result in police detainment."

It seems that there is no requirement for a veil, Wendy; but it looks like the blond sistahs may have to wear headscarfs. Lordie, (pun intended), the idea of dress codes being enforced by the "religious police" is certainly a bit of culture shock, no??

It appears that the only dress code for male tourists is not to wear shorts or muscle shirts without sleeves. Rats, I was going to use the dress code as an excuse to buy a Lawrence of Arabia outfit.

Well, this is a load off my mind. No worry about what to wear or how my hair looks in Jeddah. Can the head scarf be Hermes? :rolleyes:
editing to add: What a photo op! :app:

I'm with you Peggy...something about this just doesn't sound right!

Suzie, you will for sure have photo ops!! We have photos where Tom looks just like Lawrence of Arabia!!

I would hope this isn't right about the burka, but if you come to Houston and talk to the women that have lived in Saudi with their oil company husbands, I think you will find it is true. I would probably view one day there and having to wear the burka as an adventure. Two days or more - not fun.

I would do it. It is their country, and they have it posted. I know in Oman, the scarves were quite important, and Silversea did not let women on the bus if even 1/4 inch of ankle was showing. One woman had on an abaya, head to toe and was sent back for socks. All over Arabia, certainly men wore slacks except Dubai. In Dubai, people wear what they want, including bathing suits at resorts and all sorts of things, even Speedos, which we thought stuck out like sore thumbs there.

I would certainly wear the appropriate dress in Saudi. Not only will you need the described for women, but do not show any ankle or wrist at all. This is important and will also be important when you go on the Fujairah/Sharjah excursion. They did loan the abayas there.

Also be aware in Dubai. The watchdog group Fair Trials International is seeing an increase in the number of drug arrests for very minor and innocent cases of drug possession. This includes a 4 year sentence for someone having some poppy seeds on his shirt from a muffin he ate at Heathrow before his flight to Dubai. Make sure your prescription drugs are clearly labeled and you may even want to bring along a prescription note from your doctor. I'm sure these are very isolated cases, but it's still a good idea to be prepared even when traveling to the "liberal" countries in the Middle East.

See this article from BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7234786.stm

All that said, I still wish I was going on this cruise, and I still want to get to Dubai one day! I think it's going to be a great, exciting experience for all!

The advice last year from our female guide in Jordan is unless you are Margaret Thatcher or Condi Rice or at that level of governmental position, the veil (burka, abaya, whatever) is required for women.

I am on the fence about leaving the ship and wearing it. On the one hand, nothing ventured nothing gained and it is a rare opportunity to visit Saudi Arabia as a tourist. On the other hand, I hate to support those kinds of traditions that rub me as beyond wrong for a world coming to grips with the 21st century. It is perfectly true it is their country and their choice to make laws that suit their beliefs and laws. Not at all sure, though, I want to even tacitly support it.

Still thinking ....

Cheers, Anne

I saw that article last week, and it scared me mindless. I wonder if labels and notes from doctors would even make a difference.

For a country akin to Las Vegas on Red Bull I find these warnings suspect.I travel with 2 prescriptions only but I printed the warning for my Doctor to read so he can verify. Maybe I should CAMELFLAGE the bottles? :rolleyes:

Here's a link to the list of restricted medications for the UAE, from the US Embassy's website:

http://uae.usembassy.gov/restricted_medication_.html

Yikes, it even includes some types of Robitussin cough syrup!! Further, Roger Clemens should be careful there, as it appears that a lot of testosterone-type drugs are also banned. No steroids for the Dubai baseball team, I guess.

The process of getting the necessary paperwork to back up the possession of the restricted items is not at all simple: Prescription and letter from the doctor, which is then notarized. That notarization is then attested by the Secretary of State's office in the state of residence, after which that state attestion is attested by the U.S. State Dept. That whole process is usually call "Super Legalization" in the corporate law world and is neither fast nor cheap. One does get a very cool seal on the U.S. State Dept. document, sometimes even with a ribbon attached. If a passenger must go through that process to be able to carry one of the restricted items, it is much better to use a service to do the super-legalization steps, as they are very difficult for an individual to figure out how to do.

As for me, I'm going to leave my usual stash of cold and cough meds (which I always take and have never needed) at home and trust that if I need something, the Whisper's doctor will have managed to protect his pharmacy from being pillaged by the religious police.

Oh well, at least I don't have to wear an abaya (although unless I lose about 20 lbs before the cruise, I may just go for a caftan anyway...).

Cheers, Fred

I am curious whether the cabins are searched if the ship is in transit and stops in Dubai. I have a problem with the idea of travelling in these countries since I do not want to give them more money than I already do (via oil) and hate their attitude towards women. For these reasons I will probably never take a cruise that embarks or debarks in Dubai. (And I would not set foot in Saudi Arabia, especially after what I have read on this board.) However, on a long cruise I might end up in Dubai. Do they check individual cabins? We always travel with “just in case medicine” which is legal in most places. Does anyone who has been on long cruises know the procedure in Dubai when the ship arrives?
Merril

Merril, I do hope the Dubai security don't search our cabins as I will be on the Navigator in October. For some reason, I think the med alert is for those flying into Dubai. Am I right on this?

I don't think you have anything to worry about. We've flown into and out of Dubai as well as cruised into and out of Dubai and never had any problems whatsoever. We took all our usual meds. There was a dog sniffing at baggage claim but no different than any other airport. No one checks any cabins either.

I think this is just a "warning" to make people think twice. Relax.....

Thanks Marcie...the voice of reason. If this is such a big deal why haven't red flags gone up on all cruise stops in and out of Dubai... :( not to mention hundreds of flights. Neighbors just returned and I called to ask their advice. Not to worry, no one was detained, searched or put in prison.

Marcie - I agree with you. We were in Dubai last year and the only slightly odd thing was that they x-ray your bags before entering the country (I believe they are looking for firearms). On second thought, not that odd since New Zealand and Australia does the same thing (looking for plant matter). The only glitch we had on that trip was that during the stop in Hamburg, Germany, security wanted to confiscate Mark's 1/2 empty 4 oz bottle of contact lens solution - this forced us to check the bag before continuing to Dubai.

I have made the leap and signed up for the Saudi Arabia tour in Jeddah (the shorter Past and Present excursion), with my purchased abaya. It is really not a burka at all, just a long black robe, no headgear involved like we have seen from Afghanistan where even the eye holes were woven. I will bring along a scarf or light pashmina to follow the rest of the protocol. After three days at sea, I am going to be itching to set foot on land, and likely won't have another opportunity to visit this country. We have enough sea days on this cruise, and I'm not willing to add another silent protest that will not impact the women in this country in any positive way!

Linda and I are going to be owners of an abaya as well. We also are on the same excursion Olivia so we will all be in our black robes together. I also feel that if I am there I want to go ashore and see something of the country. Everyone just has to make their own decision.

We have had to wear similiar clothing before and it really was not that big a deal. Ken and Ron had to wear the robes too so we four were all "robed" together.

I'll be waddling along as well since I took the plunge and measured & ordered my frock last week for the l/2 day adventure in Jeddah. I'm not too wigged out about it. I had friends who lived there (though pre-9/11) & had no problems, following the protocol. Adding, just don't leave without us! I'm counting on some interesting photo ops.

OK, OK, I guess I'll get over my snit about the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia and join you guys. Maybe we can find a place with no religious police around and we'll all lift up our black robes and do the can-can--how about it??
And how about the other ports,y'all--have you signed up for anything in Fujairah, Oman or Sharm-El-Sheikh?

Hope the weather is nice for you in Sharm-El-Sheikh....nice little beach resort town, I suggested to Regent on comment card that they should do an overnight there....very happening place at night!!!

WE're signed up for the same excursion in Jeddah. Initially not that happy having to buy and wear an abaya but got over that in a blink as this is an amazing opportunity to go to a country that we'll probably never visit again. It's all part of the experience, we're really looking forward to this cruise.

Can you imagine Anne's missive from this excursion in Jeddah? Since we are about to enter March Madness, she is probably off somewhere this weekend watching basketball!

I did a search of pix from Sharm-el-Sheikh on smugmug, and it looks to be quite a happening place. The snorkeling pictures are fantastic as well!

My sister sent me this article that appeared in the NYTimes re: Saudi Arabia and foreign visitors. For those of us going (or those just interested), it is a good read, and makes me realize how lucky we are that Regent is a pioneer in taking advantage of the somewhat loosened visa requirements that the government has had for foreigners entering the country.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/travel/24journey.html?emc=eta1

Olivia I am so glad you posted this. I am now quite "pumped" about this port of call. Of course you look so young we will have to convince the authorities that you are over 30 and allowed to go ashore! Maybe Ken can be your brother! You are my adopted sister after all.

It really did really make me excited about seeing this country and experiencing the sights and sounds of this culture.

I meant to send that to you O - glad Sandra did - very interesting - you are in for great trip!!!