Six Flags Dubailand, the five million square feet multi-billion dirham theme park within the worlds largest tourism, leisure and entertainment destination, has announced the conceptual master plan has been developed.
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More news on Marvel Superheroes Theme Park in Dubailand. The theme park will be split into three districts: City Centrum, the HUB, and The Marvel Academy. Three of the theme park’s rides are already undergoing offsite trail runs. They are, Flying with Spidey, Fantasticar, and X-men: Danger Room
In total Marvel Dubailand will have 17 rides and attractions, nine retail outlets and over 40 refreshment outlets.
Ground breaking for Marvel Dubailand is expected to be in the first quarter of 2009 with the theme park itself due to open on 31 December 2012.
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We’re getting news about 2009′s Dubai Shopping Festival. It’s Due to take place from January 15 to February 15 2009. This news was released at the same time as confirmation of the Dubai Summer Surprises another of Dubai’s main crowd pulling events.
The Festival started in 1996 as a retail event aimed to promote trade in Dubai, but in recent years it’s turned in to an annual shopping, entertainment, and cultural extravaganza that continues to promote tourism in Dubai and draws people from around the world .
In previous years the Festival has featured over 2,300 retail outlets, selling everything from gold, perfume, haute couture, cars, electronics to handicrafts and textiles.
The majority of hotels and apartments will join in by offering attractive discounts as well as running raffles for cars among other great prises, last year 72 Lexus cars, 43 Nissan cars and 32 kilos of Gold were won.
The Emirates and most other airlines flying out of Dubai even offer discounted airfares and much needed excess baggage allowances during the Dubai Shopping Festival!
No doubt more details will be published on their official web site.
We already have LEGO Theme Parks in Denmark, United Kingdom, USA and Germany, next will be Dubailand! This 3 million square-foot theme park is scheduled to open at the end of 2011 by Merlin Entertainments Group, the world’s second largest operator of visitor attractions.
Information released today says we should expect to see more than 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions geared towards families with children ages 2 to 12.
Hopefully we will see a sneak preview on their new web site when it goes live: www.LegoThemeParkDubai.com
This is a movie taken by one of the team over at Hotel-Blogs back in September 2007 showing the site of Dubailand and the Dubailand Sales Centre’s top class signage!
From TravelWeekly
There are more pictures from inside the Dubailand Sales Centre here, including close ups of the roller coaster and race track.
While many people outside United Arab Emirates may not have heard of Freej, the popular locally produced 3D animated series, we’re getting news that it will adapted into a theme park in Dubailand: Freej Dubailand.
We are told that the four main characters in Freej, Um Saeed, Um Saloom, Um Allawi and Um Khammas, will each be ambassadors for other distinct lands within the park. Freej Dubailand itself will be an exact replica of the famous neighbourhood that is portrayed in the TV series.
Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk are all going to part of the first ever Marvel Super Heroes Theme Park officially called Marvel Dubailand. Part of the Dubailand and expected to open in 2012.
Once upon a time, Dubai was just a sleepy trading post, mostly made up of sandy desert. Today it’s built up with skyscrapers that hem the Creek (the natural sea-water inlet which cuts through the heart of old Dubai), shopping malls that have skis slopes, and five star hotels that overlook the beach.
This was all the brain child of the enterprising Sheickh Maktoum and his family who realised that oil reserves were one day going to run out and a new revenue stream would be needed to fund the future of Dubai. What better way to entice overseas money than to make a hedonistic playground for the rich?
This cunning plan has paid off big time; expats at every corner, malls galore, hotels with underwater resorts, and a plam shaped resort built outwards towards the sea.
You can still find the souks (Arab markets), or catch an abra (a small water taxi) to get you around the old part of town where the exotic Arabian culture still reigns.
Here are some must visits/dos for any visitor to Dubai:
1. Dubai Creek
Catch an abra and take a trip along the Dubai Creek. This sea water inlet cuts through Dubai and is the quickest and most quaint way to become acquainted with the old trading port and the dhows (A dhow is a traditional arab sailing vessel with one or more triangular sails). It’s also the ideal way to criss cross the Creek from the Souks of Eira to those on the Bur Dubai side. For an hour-long historical trip, flag an abra from the embarkation point to the mouth of the Creek and further long to the Maktoum Bridge. On the way you will take in many if Dubai’s landmarks.
Birdwatchers should hang around at the inland end of the Creek because this is a large shallow lagoon which has been turned into a wildlife sanctury. Migrating birds love it here and 27,000 have been spotted at one time during the autumn migration. Check out the Greater Flamingos who call this home all year round.
2. Dubai Museum in Al Fahidi Fort
If you don’t believe the ‘Dubai was once just a sandy sleepy port’ story, then a visit to this interactive museum will dispel any doubts. There are countless pictures of Dubai before the developers took over showing a Dubai without the razzamatazz. There’s also life size displays portraying various aspects of life in Dubai. The museum is housed in the 18th century A Fahidi Fort, which is probably the oldest building in Dubai.
3. Murshid Souk
You can shop with the locals here, well, mainly women in Islamic purdah – for household goods. Or follow your noise to the spice section and choose from sacks full of cardamon, frankinscense, ginger, dried lemon, almonds and apricots.
4. Deira Gould Souk
This market has street after street that glitter with gold and all manner of necklaces, rings and jewellry. If you like garish, you’ll find it here among the gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, opals, amethysts and pearls that decorate the windows.
5. Mall of the Emirates
This marble clad mall has all the designers selling their wares. This is also home to Ski Dubai which has five powder pistes and the world’s first indoor black run. There’s also a chairlift and two Alpine-themed restaurants. You can hire the entire gear (except gloves).
6. Burj Al Arab
This world famous iconic hotel, shaped as a sail, is the most distinctive in Dubai. It stands alone on its own artificial island and overlooks the Jumeirah Beach. It has self-styled itself as the world’s only seven star hotel, which some dispute, but at 321 metres (1053 feet) it is definitely the tallest.
This is one of the most expensive hotels in the world offering suites instead of rooms and has the tallest atrium lobby in the world (180 metres/590 feet). The lobby has an amazing waterfall and fountain combined with a lightshow. At its top is the Al Muntaha restaurant which offers superb panoramic views. On its lower level is the Al Mahara restaurant accessed via a simulated submarine. Inside is a huge seawater aquarium.
7. Jumeirah Mosque
This mosque must be the most photographed piece of architecture in Dubai. It is made entirely of stone in the medieval Fatimid style with two minarets. At night the mosque is lit up and quite beautiful to behold.
8. The Grand Mosque
Located on the Bur Dubai section near the Ruler’s Court was newly rebuilt in 1998. The mosque is quite an eyeful of beautiful architecture. It has nine large domes alongside another 45 domes and the largest minaret in the city (70 metres high).
9. Wadi Wadi Water Park
Designed like an Arabian wadi (oasis) this is a 12 acre water theme park offering 30 different rides and slides. If you like water sports this child friendly water park is for you.
10. Palm Islands the the World
They say Palm islands are so big you can see them from space. These man made islands designed to look like palms using land reclamation expertise, are intended to be the larged man-made island in the world that will be home to over a million people. The Palm Jebel will have an aquatic park, the Palm Jumeirah has a mix of residents and hotels and the Palm Deira will be mostly residential with over 7000 villas. The three islands interconnect with bridges. These will be accompanied by ‘The World’ – a series of 300 offshore islands that represent the world.
Note:
If you find yourself in a souk, this phrase may come in handy:
Anta tamzah rhair-ly jidan – You must be joking, that’s too much too much!
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