Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal has opened in the United Arab Emirates.

Carnival Corporation celebrated the official launch in partnership with Shamal Holding following a strategic partnership signed in 2018 to develop the new cruise port.

The occasion was marked with a walk-through by Abdulla Binhabtoor, chief portfolio management officer of Shamal Holding, and several Carnival Corporation executives, including Giora Israel, senior vice president of global port and destination.

With the arrivals of Costa Firenze and AIDAbella from the Italy-based Costa Cruises and Germany-based AIDA Cruises brands, the official opening was also marked by two passenger cruise ships visiting the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal for the first time.

The arrivals coincided with the start of the cruise season and the ships’ homeporting seasons from Dubai.

The opening represents a significant milestone in realizing Dubai’s goal of becoming the world’s most visited city, underscored with the October launch of the highly popular Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Through Costa Cruises’ partnership as a Gold Sponsor of the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, cruise guests are provided with exciting shore excursion options to explore the event.

As the region’s first-ever dedicated, twin-terminal cruise port, Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal is capable of accommodating two large cruise ships simultaneously.

The facility spans over 120,000 square meters (nearly 1.3 million square feet) and includes two purpose-built terminal buildings that offer passengers and crew a safe, comfortable and seamless embarkation and disembarkation experience.

The state-of-the-art terminals are equipped with four bespoke Seaport Passenger Boarding Bridges that can simultaneously support the full turnaround of the largest class of cruise ships in the industry.

The cruise terminals, which are part of Dubai Harbour development, offer a wide array of amenities and services for passengers and crew – from ample seating areas to washrooms, currency exchange outlets, ATMs, cafes, retail outlets, duty-free, dedicated parking, taxi stands and more.

The facilities are designed to be fully accessible for all visitors and complimentary Wi-Fi is enabled for guests and crew to stay connected.

Located in the heart of modern Dubai, the new twin-terminal facility is conveniently positioned for international visitors traveling in and out of Dubai.