Dhow Dinner Cruises: The 15 Best in the Gulf

1.Scenic Dhow Cruise with Buffet Dinner and Live Shows

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 612 reviews · 1h 45m · from $16Our pick

Set sail from Dubai Old Village on a traditional dhow for 105 minutes of creek views, buffet dinner, music, Tanoura dancing, and a puppet show. English-speaking staff meet you opposite the British Embassy in Ocean Express shirts. The $16 price makes this a simple evening option for families and first-time visitors.

“As I was celebrating my birthday i enjoyed my cruise and the food was so nice, the view n cruise was so clean most importantly its value for money. The music was so accommodating. We really enjoyed the cruise.”

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2.Dinner Cruise in Dubai Marina onboard Alexandra Dhow

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 544 reviews · from $49

Board the refurbished wooden Alexandra Dhow at Marina Promenade for a 1-hour-45-minute dinner cruise through Dubai Marina. Expect an international buffet, soft drinks, skyline views, music, and possible cultural entertainment. Upper-deck seats give the best outlook, while open-bar upgrades and hotel transfers are not included.

“Great food, good vibes, good serving staff. Definitely worth the money. But the photographer was a little racist and demeaning.”

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3.2-Hour Evening Dhow Cruise and Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 428 reviews · 2 - 3 hours · from $80

You’ll spend about two hours aboard a traditional Arabian dhow, with hotel pickup, an international buffet, Arabic sweets, and nighttime views of Dubai Creek, Dubai Canal, or Dubai Marina. Expect a shared transfer, reserved seating, and a relaxed dinner rather than a guided sightseeing tour. English support is provided.

“Very nice cruise great good and great to meet other people from other places in the world”

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4.Dubai Dhow Dinner Cruise Marina with pickup drop option

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 248 reviews · from $37

Cruise Dubai Marina aboard a traditional dhow for about 90 minutes, passing Marina Yacht Club and Marina Towers. You’ll receive a buffet dinner, welcome drinks, tea, and coffee, with a Tanoura performance and access to air-conditioned indoor seating or the open upper deck. Hotel transfers are optional.

“Our tour guides took care of us really well. They communicated really well and picked us up from right location. The dinner was really good as well. Would definitely recommend”

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5.Dinner Dhow Cruise with Live Entertainment Al Seef

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 234 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $12Best value

Settle onto a traditional wooden dhow at Dubai Creek for a short evening cruise, buffet dinner, unlimited water and soft drinks, Tanoura dancing, music, and a puppet show. You will pass Old Souk, water taxis, Al Seef, and Dubai Creek Tower. Host Naushad is warmly praised, though the boat can feel crowded.

“It was so good everyone was so attentive and kind. The only thing was the entertainment- it was one dancer and we expected a few more live bits to it. But we had a great great great time thanks to the crew and food and the one entertaining. Thanks!”

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6.Dubai Marina: Luxury Dhow Dinner Cruise with Hotel Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 170 reviews · from $91

Board a traditional dhow at Dubai Harbour for a two-hour evening cruise past Cayan Tower, Marina Mall, Address Hotel, and Bluewaters Island. You’ll receive Arabic coffee, dates, and rose-water hand cleansing, then enjoy a buffet of Arabian and international food, soft drinks, and optional beer and wine. Shared hotel transfers are available from selected hotels.

“Very disappointed. Food and experience were way below expectations despite paying over US$ 100 per person.”

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7.Dhow Dinner Cruise on Creek or Marina with Live Shows

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 126 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $32

Cruise Dubai Creek or Dubai Marina aboard a traditional wooden dhow for a buffet dinner, sunset views, tea, coffee, sweets, fruit, and live music or dance. You can choose hotel pickup, though the meeting point depends on your option. The English-speaking driver is not named, and alcohol costs extra.

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8.Dubai Creek Luxury Dhow Dinner Cruise with Optional Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 123 reviews · from $72

Board a traditional-style wooden dhow at Al Seef at 8:30 pm for a gentle two-hour cruise along Dubai Creek. You’ll pass lit wind towers, minarets, bridges, and working creek scenery while eating an international buffet. Hotel pickup is available, but confirm whether live entertainment is offered before booking.

“There was nothing memorable about the cruise. The food was not international as stated in the ad. They were all Indian. I am not really a big fan of Indian food because it has lots of spices and tend to be hot. Likewise, there was no live entertaiRead more”

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9.Dhow Cruise Dubai with Buffet Dinner, Dance & Horse Show

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 94 reviews · from $40Top rated

Settle onto the upper or lower deck of a traditional dhow for a roughly two-hour Dubai Creek cruise. You’ll have a vegetarian and nonvegetarian buffet, water, soft drinks, music, live dance, and a horse show. Fatima is frequently named as a warm host, though staff availability may vary.

“It was perfect, received it as a gift from my girlfriend and enjoyed it very much would highly recommend to anyone who wants to have the best food of their life, entertainment and a nice trip with the bot”

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10.Marina Luxury Dhow Dinner Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 69 reviews · 2 hours · from $108

Spend two hours aboard a wooden Arabian dhow cruising Dubai Marina past Ain Dubai, JBR, Cayan Tower, and the Marina Yacht Club. You’ll receive hotel pickup, Arabic coffee, dates, and rosewater hand cleansing before an international buffet with vegetarian and meat choices. The lower deck is air-conditioned, while the upper deck gives you open-air views.

“overall it was good.. I think drinks should be made available before requesting...also food should include more continental options”

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11.Best 5-Star Dhow Dinner Cruise Dubai Marina Jack Sparrow

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 64 reviews · from $32

Cruise Dubai Marina aboard the Jack Sparrow Floating Restaurant for about 90 minutes, passing Pier 7, Bluewaters, JBR, Ain Dubai, and Skydive Dubai. You get welcome juice, Arabic coffee and dates, a buffet dinner, bottled water, soft drinks, music, and live entertainment. Hotel transfers and alcoholic drinks are not included.

“Heads up, drinks like juice or ice cream are available, but they're not free. You'll get the bill for that later. Photos on the boat aren't included either, and tables are cleared every 30 minutes. The ride lasts a maximum of 90 minutes.”

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12.Dhow Cruise with Dinner at Dubai Marina

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 56 reviews · from $34

Board a traditional-style dhow at Dubai Harbour for a two-hour evening cruise through Dubai Marina. You’ll see the illuminated skyline, Ain Dubai, Cayan Tower, and Marina Torch while eating an international and Arabian buffet. Live entertainment, soft drinks, and optional shared transport are included. Expect a busy group setting rather than a quiet, romantic yacht meal.

“Very disappointed with this trip would not book again my positive was the food was lovely The entertainment was not great a man dam ing I'm lit up dress was not entertainment I was looking for a birthday dinner cruise sadly it was packed full of chairs with a wobbly table and poor music I guess you get what you pay for. Lots of other boats passing by looked better This company needs to look more exciting with better quality entertainment Get some distance between couple tables Not for me..”

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13.Dubai Best Dhow Cruise Dinner Buffet (Multi Cusine)

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 37 reviews · from $24

Board a traditional wooden dhow near Souk Al Seef for a two-hour dinner cruise along Dubai Creek. You’ll see Heritage Village, Sheik Maktoum Bridge, Sheika Palace, and passing abras while eating a continental, Asian, and Arabic buffet. Expect open-air and air-conditioned seating, soft drinks, Tanora dance, and a puppet show, with some uncertainty around seating and boarding directions.

“I was really looking forward to this dinner but was quite disappointed. The location directions were wrong so in dubai heat we were almost running from one end of the river to the other just to try and make the boat. For anyone who knows Dubai heat it was 33 degrees Read more”

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14.Dubai Super Saver: Desert Camp Experience by 4×4 and Dhow Dinner Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 37 reviews · from $135

Spend two consecutive evenings seeing two sides of Dubai. Ride a 4x4 across desert dunes, visit a Bedouin-style camp for camel rides, henna, shisha, dinner, and dancing, then cruise Dubai Creek aboard an illuminated dhow with a buffet meal. Hotel pickup, drinks, and drop-off are included.

“This was a great experience. Just a warning, it's a bit of a car ride out to the desert site. Be prepared for an hour or more drive - once you finally get there, it's a lot of fun. The dinner was very nice, but again, a warning, the boat cruises the creeRead more”

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15.Al Seef Largest Dhow Dinner Cruise with Live Show

★★★★★★★★★★3.1 · 36 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $24

Board the ICL Luxury Dhow Cruise at Al Seef Gate 2A for a 1.5-hour evening ride along Dubai Creek. You will enjoy a buffet with barbecue, vegetarian dishes, desserts, fruit, water, and soft drinks, plus a Tanoura dance and puppet show. English, Urdu, Hindi, and Arabic assistance is available.

“Modification en dernière minute du bateau et de l'horaire. Modèle plus petit .Et dépose du taxi au mauvais endroit ( pas assez précis) . Heureusement qu'un commerçant s'est renseigné pour nous et nous a conduit au bateau à environ 15 mn. Nous avions déjà fait plusieurs fois la croisière à la Marina, plus intéressante.”

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