We had a great time - much better than expected. We had a balcony cabin this time which we loved. Bigger than many other ships. Similar formula to most other cruises except for no casual evening buffet. We had opted for late sitting so didn't really notice it. We also arrived from an overnight flight and just changed at the airport and got a taxi to port and dropped our bags off then taxi into Dubai. I noticed lots of people sitting in terminal building and some asking to get on at that time!!! They seemed a bit annoyed that they had to wait until 3pm, but no other cruise would let you on at this time so why would Costa?We returned about 6'ish and got straight on with no queues. We sat around for a short time as everyone was told that cabin entry would be 8.30pm. We thought this quite odd that they would all be ready at the same time so went and had a look and ours was ready and I'm sure others would have been too. Food the first night was awful but perfect after that so no complaints. We did take our travel kettle etc with us so that also made a difference. No problem taking water on board from ports. Great time for a great price - would now go with Costa again. Ports were easy but been to all before so Muscat was new for us and we had a fantastic beach day at Shangri-La resort with lunch. Beautiful place and would love to return. The souqs were good if you want souvenirs. Biggest tip for anyone going to Dubai would be to get around using the metro. Its a really cheap way to see the sights. You can download a map of the metro stations and just get a taxi to the nearest stop. You can also get a separate mono rail to Atlantis which has wonderful panoramic views. Dubai is getting a bit more expensive all round but the quality is always there and always so much to see. Our last night was spent at Meydan Racecourse which has the wow factor and only costs a few pounds each for an upgraded seat.