Dubai Marina and the Palm: Yachts, Speedboats and Which Cruise Is Worth It

The Palm Jumeirah is a road system when you drive it and a shape in the distance from an observation deck. It only becomes the thing it was drawn as from the water or the air, and the water is a great deal cheaper.

Dubai Marina is where almost everything leaves from — a canal district of towers built around a man-made waterway, which is itself one of the better sights in the city at night.

The standard route out of the Marina runs past Bluewaters and Ain Dubai, along the Palm's outer crescent with Atlantis at the end of it, and stops off the Burj Al Arab, which sits on its own island and only makes sense from the sea.

What you choose is not really about the route, which is much the same everywhere. It is about the boat.

A speedboat is the better sightseeing hour. It sits low, moves quickly between the landmarks, holds position at each for photographs, and costs less. It is also open, loud and wet — you will take spray, phones need a pouch, and there is no shade. Sixty to ninety minutes is about right, and it is the best value on the water in Dubai.

A yacht is the better afternoon. Deck space rather than seats, an air-conditioned lower lounge for when the sun is high, refreshments, and time to actually sit. The larger boats add a swim stop with a ladder down, which is the single feature most worth paying for and the one most cruises quietly omit.

So: an hour with a camera, take the speedboat. Half a day with company, take the yacht. If it is a special occasion, take the one with the swim stop.

Hotel pickup is almost never included with either. Make your own way to the berth; a taxi to the Marina is straightforward.

Dubai faces west into the Gulf, so the sun sets over open water with the skyline behind you rather than in front. From a boat, the towers change colour for about twenty minutes and then the lights come on all at once. It is the best hour of the day here and the sunset sailings sell out first — book further ahead than feels necessary.

Sunset also moves a long way across the year, from around half past five in December to past seven in June. Check the actual departure time of what you are booking rather than assuming an evening slot.

And read the inclusions properly, because this is where dinner cruises catch people out. On several boats the barbecue only runs on the longer routes; on others, the standard ticket buys deck access with no table, and a seated dinner is a different, dearer ticket. If a meal is the reason you are booking, confirm which option includes it before you pay rather than at the gangway.