To be honest, I typically don’t go on these boat tours because I expect them to be a dinky lame cruise where the boat just lazily floats along the marina. Thankfully, my friend urged me to check out the Yellow Boat Tour in Dubai – assuring me that I would thoroughly enjoy the experience as not only would it be an exhilarating high-speed ride, but it would also let me see a whole new side of Dubai’s landmark from a watery point of view (sans all the tourists!)

Well after hearing all that, how could I NOT go??? But first…

How do I book this Yellow Boat tour?

Head to the Yellow Boats site, and it’s pretty straightforward from there. You’ve got a couple of tour options – but I’d recommend you go with either the 75 minute tour (AED 200), or the 90 minute one (AED 280). Otherwise, it’ll feel like a cop-out, since the boat won’t have enough time to head out to the open waters and start speeding! On my part, I chose the 75 minute tour option, as it covered all the interesting landmarks I was interested in, namely: The Atlantis, Burj Al Arab, and Palm Jumeirah

Next, you’ve got to decide on the tour time – with the times ranging from 9AM to 6PM. If you have the time, I’d suggest going as close to sunset as possible – (google Dubai sunset time as this would vary depending on the month). Doing so will spare you the heat + allow you to take nicer photos as the lighting would be just right! For my part, I was flying out that night so didn’t want to risk it – instead I opted for the 9AM trip, hoping that the sun would be a bit more forgiving during this time (it wasn’t…)

Finally, it’s time to bring out your credit card to pay – but wait! Key in this discount code (TYB17) in order to avail of a 25% discount. It’s valid until December 31, 2017. For the mechanics, check out this link. Supposedly, it should only work for the 90 minute tours – but I keyed it in for my 75 minute tour, and it worked – I only paid AED 150!

It’s finally D-Day, what to expect?

Don’t be late!

The brochure says you should be there at least ~15 minutes before the call time. Honestly, you can get there ~5 minutes before – it’s fine. But try not to be late, as you will either miss the entire tour OR the tour group may end up having to wait for you, which would be quite embarrassing. When plotting your travel time, do keep in mind that work hours in Dubai are from Sunday to Thursday – so expect heavy-ish traffic if it’s during the early morning or late afternoon hours, since most office workers would be heading in or heading home during this time

The adventure’s truly about to start now – choose your seat carefully!

Put on your life jacket, request the skipper to place all your loose belongings (sans camera) onto the bags compartment, and decide where you should sit. Each yellow boat can accommodate up to 12 people – if you’re an adrenaline junkie (aka willing to sit through all the turbulence, while feeling the wind whipping through your hair), then you should definitely sit in front! Middle seats get decent bounce, but it’s not as bad as the front; while the back seats are pretty mild.

Enjoy the skipper’s commentary, the amazing Dubai cityscape, and the priceless photo opportunities!

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!

For other Dubai-related posts (including day trips)

The other highlights of my Dubai trip were as follows:

• Abu Dhabi side trip: Sheikh Zayed Mosque was just AMAZING
• Dubai Desert Safari: Definitely an adventure to remember
• Deira (Old Town): Reacquainting myself with the history of Dubai

For first time travelers to Dubai, you may have questions regarding visas, how to get around the country, where to stay, and so on. If so, you might be interested in reading my logistics and travel guide to Dubai blog