[mrkireeti]

While I have been a regular visitor to the UAE in the recent past due to work, we couldn't manage to travel as a family. So this March, during the two-week school break, we sneaked in a trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Since we only had this window or would have to wait until October, we chose to travel now. And we are glad that we happened to travel during Ramadan - early March meant the weather was pleasant too.

All thanks to my friend (who has been staying in the UAE since 2015) for helping us plan the trip on such short notice.

On the first day, my friend took us around Abu Dhabi and showed us all the major points. We went to the beautiful Qasr Al Watan palace and were mesmerized by the architecture and interior design.









We got a very good stay-and-play package to cover Ferrari World, Warner Brothers, and Sea World in Abu Dhabi - all costing INR 76k for the four of us with a three-night stay at a five-star beach resort. I would certainly advise stay-and-play packages - you get hotel stay, free transport, and free tickets for as many parks on Yas Island as the nights of your stay. Special shout out to Al Raha Beach Resort and Spa - a five star property with very spatious rooms and fantastic food spread - for letting us checkin early within 5 minutes seeing that we had young kids who were tired from early morning flight.



Ramadan meant we never had any queues anywhere and could take the rides as many times as we wanted without worrying about rush and completing all the attractions in each park. My good friend took us around Abu Dhabi city on all the evenings.

Ferrari World was good for the fans in me and my kids. I would rate 4 out of 5.

I would recommend Warner Brothers for everyone - their rides are definitely the best. Don't miss the Green Lantern ride and cinematic universe shows. The kids were excited to meet the superheroes dressed impeccably in their suits. I would rate 5 out of 5.

I would recommend Sea World for all those traveling with kids - nice rides and many aquatic attractions. Don't miss the sea lion show and dolphin shows here. I would rate 5 out of 5.



On the fourth night, we checked into Legoland Dubai - essentially the same stay-and-play package costing INR 23k for all four of us. It was surprising that simple park entry tickets for the four of us were adding up to more than our stay-and-play package price.

Legoland Beds




Legoland Bunk Beds for kids


While kids had fun in the park, I would rate it as 3 out of 5. Legoland hotel could improve a lot on creativity front.

Sub-marine ride in Legoland - this is a must do ride for both kids and adults.


On the sixth day, we moved to Dubai and checked out The Mall of Emirates and went for a desert safari. Again, due to Ramadan, we got the desert safari in a Land Cruiser for all four of us for AED 228, including pick-up, drop-off, sand dune bashing, snacks, dinner, and three performances.

One of the performances in Desert Safari


On the seventh day, we roamed around old Dubai and went to Dubai Mall in the early evening. We got into Burj Khalifa without any queue with normal entry tickets at 5:30 pm and were able to enjoy the views as the city transitioned from evening to night. I would recommend buying Burj Khalifa tickets online as the staff issuing tickets were not friendly despite the lack of rush. Also, they were not willing to give us normal tickets at the counter - they were only selling VIP passes and said normal tickets would be sold at the counter only after 8:30 pm. The staff at the ticket counter was not entertaining Emirates passes to avail of the discount as well . We booked tickets online right there and the same staff let us in straight away

View before sunset from Burj Khalifa


View after sunset from Burj Khalifa


On the eighth day, we visited Madame Tussauds and The Dubai Frame. Dubai Frame was very good and again had no queue at all - we purchased tickets at the counter. Madame Tussauds Dubai has only around 50 statues and you can be through in 45 minutes to 1 hour, so please don't expect much. We used the city check-in counter to check in early in the morning and thus could roam around on the eighth day without any worries of checking in at the airport in long queues.



Overall, until 2030, it would be a fantastic time to visit the UAE during Ramadan as the festival moves from March in 2025 to January in 2030. Thus, one can avoid typical crowds during December and early January while enjoying pleasant weather and low prices.

Our primary purpose was to let the kids (aged 4 and 7) have a fun-filled week and the trip served more than its purpose.

[Utopian]

Thanks for sharing. UAE now has a lot of offer for small trips. Your trip definitely gave me some good ideas on how to firm up my itinerary, albeit, I am confused between Oman and UAE now. Were you able to also do YAS islands by any chance.

[JediKnight]

Originally Posted by mrkireeti

Our primary purpose was to let the kids (aged 4 and 7) have a fun-filled week and the trip served more than its purpose.

I have similar requirements. (Kids 7 and 11 ) My kids are pushing me to take them to Disney world kids of place somewhere abroad. My guess UAE would be much cheaper and more value than US/Europe/Japan/Singapore. How much did the trip cost you ( including everything: ticket costs, hotel costs etc ) ?

[showboat]

Great quick review. How were the kids rides at Yas island? Were the kids being younger able to enjoy most of the rides at WB and Sea World? My kids are at a similar age.