Mina Rashid berths seven mega-cruise ships at once and moves about a million cruise passengers a year — while RTA’s abras, ferries and water taxis carried 18.4 million riders in 2025.
Port Rashid has been Dubai’s maritime face since 1972, and its cruise conversion is complete: two terminals, seven mega-ship berths and the Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal — the world’s largest single covered cruise facility, designed for 14,000 passengers a day. Around a million cruise passengers pass through each year, and the newer Dubai Harbour complex near Bluewaters adds a second homeport built with Carnival Corporation.
The season runs October to April: MSC, AIDA, TUI, Costa and Royal Caribbean homeport here, and the Cruise Arabia alliance now links Dubai with Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Below the cruise layer runs the city water: abras crossing the Creek for a dirham, the Dubai Ferry’s sightseeing runs, air-conditioned water taxis and the marine stations at Al Jaddaf, Marina Mall and Bluewaters. RTA’s marine network reached 151 km with 26 routes — and carried 18.4 million riders in 2025, up 3%.
For visitors the practical split is simple: abras for the Creek crossing between Deira and Bur Dubai, the ferry for the coastline view, and the water taxi when you need point-to-point speed.
Use the water the way the city does, in three layers. The abra across the Creek — a dirham or two, no booking — is the best-value minute in Dubai and the honest way to pair the Gold Souk with Al Fahidi. The Dubai Ferry from Al Ghubaiba or Marina Mall is the sightseeing layer: take the sunset departure, sit right-side outbound for the Burj Al Arab line-up. Cruise passengers: Mina Rashid is close to the airport, but on a seven-ship morning the terminal queues run long — disembark early, or book the ship’s transfer and skip the scrum. Skip the water taxi unless both ends of your trip are on the water; at charter pricing it is an event, not a commute.
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