alexandra floating restaurant

buffet dinner + cruise + live show

Alexandra is a dinner + cruise conceptual restaurant that offers daily dinner cruises in Dubai’s premium water canal - Dubai Marina.

full course BUFFET DINNER

Onboard Alexandra we serve a diverse menu which caters to the diverse clientele that we serve on a daily.

Live entertainment

Onboard Alexandra we have 2 resident entertainment programs a female vocalist and a male tanura dancer.

CRUISING IN DUBAI MARINA

The Dubai Marina water canal is a renowned piece of architecture and a premium area for a dinner cruise.

OUR BOATS

We operate 2 similar boats in Dubai Marina, Alexandra I and Alexandra II

live show

Onboard Alexandra we have 4 resident entertainers - 1 female vocalist and 1 male tanura dancer per boat.

Female Vocalist

Who doesn’t love a beautiful female voice? Our lovely singers will add a little flavor to your dining experience with some pieces that you will surely recognize!

Live Tanura Dance Show

The tanura dance is a flurry of movement of light that is extremely visual and will definitely leave an impression for someone seeing it for the first time.

OUR MENU

 We have done our best to put together a menu that would work for the diverse nationalities that visit our restaurant.

PRICE + TIMING

all prices subject to 5% VAT

price

160 AED/AD [12+]

100 AED/CH [5-11]

BELOW 5 FREE

timing

8.30 pm boarding

9.00 pm cruising

11.00 pm parking

optional

sedan - 150 aed (MAX 4 PEOPLE)

previa - 200 aed (max 6 people)

RESERVATIONS + CONTACTS

contacts

Reservations

Victoria + Oxana

+971 52 899 6301
web @ absea . ae

Location

West Bay, Berth A11 & C18, Dubai Marina

book now

Please fill in the form below and our reservations team will confirm availability

reviews

We have said everything about ourselves, but that doesn’t really mean as much as what others say about us.

We make mistakes and we learn from them. Below are 3 platforms with links.

VIATOR

TRIPADVISOR

GOOGLE

DINNER CRUISE IN DUBAI MARINA

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is included in the standard price?

The price of 160 AED/adult and 100 AED/child includes:

• 2 hour cruise

• Live show: tanura dancer and female vocalist

• Full Course Buffet Dinner

• Water, Soft Drinks, Juices, Tea & Coffee

• Does NOT include 2 way transfers which can be purchases at an extra cost

Q2: Where is the boat located? How do we get there?

You can find us on google maps as ‘Alexandra Dhow Cruise Dubai Marina”

Q3: How does seating work? Upper deck vs. Lower Deck?

We do not accept bookings for specific tables and operate on a first come first serve basis.

If you wish to have an upper deck table you should arrive early.

Q4: Is the boat safe? What if we are prone to seasickness? What about children?

The boat only operates inside canal waters and thus we do not experience any turbulence. The boat has been certified by all relevant ministries and equipped with all necessary safety equipment. Small children are welcome onboard.

WHAT IS A DHOW?

A “Dhow” is a traditional wooden vessel that is common in the Middle East and has been used historically for a variety of purposes, primarily for trading.

Dhows are made in a variety of sizes and in the UAE have been most used for trade between UAE and Iran aswell as for pearl diving.

Over the last decade the demand for dhows has gone down and has been replaced by more modern vessels.

Nonetheless, Dhows have played a cruicial role in the history and evolution of the gulf and are iconic as a mode of sea transportation.

In the last couple of decades, a lot of the ‘Dhows’ have been repurposed for tourism purposes, one of them being dhow cruise dinners.

A Dhow Cruise Dubai Marina is a nice concept. Read on.

HISTORY OF THE DHOW CRUISE DINNER CONCEPT

In the 90’s, some entrepreneurs began converting the larger dhows that were traditionally used for trading into refurbished floating restaurants that would operate dinner cruises in the Dubai Creek.

That segment has grown and over many years has evolved into a rather important and iconic type of tourist attraction in Dubai.

Starting with only handful of Dhows in early 90’s the segment has grown into over 30 dhows in the Creek and 8 in Dubai Marina.

One the elements of the Dhow Cruise ‘culture’ has been to have live entertainment onboard in a variety of forms.

Originally, belly dancing was most common, but with time, Dubai Government has been eliminating this form of entertainment and has now been almost entirely replaced by ‘Tanura’ – a traditionally Turksih dance that is usually performed by a male dancer that is spinning in a flowing and elaborately decorated dress, creating a very interesting sight.

DHOW CRUISE MARINA

The dinner cruise in Dubai Marina as a concept began in 2010 with some operators bringing the dhow boats to Dubai Marina and operating floating restaurants. The Dhow Cruise Marina attraction began gaining momentum and popularity and currently is a household product among inbound tour operators in Dubai.

In 2018, the dinner cruise in Dubai Marina is considered to be a much more upscale option that any other area in Dubai.

DINNER ONBOARD A DHOW CRUISE IN DUBAI MARINA

As always, with the opening of Dubai Marina as a new area and tourist destination, there was room for starting new business ventures.

Alexandra was one of the first boats that began its operations as far back as 2009.

Now there are around 7 boats that operate in Dubai Marina.

DUBAI MARINA DHOW CRUISE VS. CREEK

So what is the difference between a Dhow Cruise in Dubai Marina versus a Dhow Cruise in Dubai Creek?

Well, this article will give you a very detailed answer, but funadmentally – the main difference is location.

Dubai Creek is the old part of town, and Dubai Marina is a new area in Dubai.

Fundamentally, that is the only difference, and the difference then lies in the actual operators of each boats. There are many good boats in Dubai Creek and some in Dubai Marina.

It must be noted however that Dubai Marina has MUCH less boats 8 versus more than 25 in the Creek.

As a rule of thumb, the quality of operators in Dubai Marina on average is higher, due to the the higher parking fees and the need to compensate by attracting a higher quality clientele.

DINNER CRUISE DUBAI

A dinner cruise generally is a great combination of dinner and cruising, but a cruise dinner in Dubai Marina is a particular excellent fusion

MARINA CRUISE DUBAI

A dinner cruise in Dubai Marina is an excellent way to combine a sightseeing experience with a dining experience.

We try our best onboard Alexandra to make it a pleasant one and entertain you with our live performers and meticilous approach to food.