Dubai Cruise Terminal Transfers
A private car or van between Dubai's two cruise terminals and the airport, your hotel or Abu Dhabi, sized for cruise luggage and timed to your ship.
Select your service
Choose the type of transport you need
Dubai has two cruise terminals: the Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid (Port Rashid), close to Bur Dubai and DXB, and Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal, between Palm Jumeirah and Bluewaters. We run private transfers from both to Dubai International (DXB), Al Maktoum International (DWC), any Dubai hotel and Abu Dhabi, at one fixed price with the luggage space you need.
A cruise transfer works like our Dubai airport transfer, with one difference: the timing follows the ship, not the flight. On a turnaround day, one set of guests is leaving the ship while the next is arriving, and everyone wants a car at the same time. A pre-booked car means yours is already waiting.
Reviewed by Arshad Hussain, chauffeur operations specialist, dubai · Updated
Which Dubai cruise terminal is your ship using?
Check your cruise documents. They name the terminal, and the two are about 30 km apart.
| Mina Rashid (Port Rashid) | Dubai Harbour | |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal name | Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal | Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal |
| Where | Old Dubai, near Bur Dubai and close to DXB | Between Palm Jumeirah and Bluewaters, next to Dubai Marina |
| Operator | DP World | Shamal, the developer of Dubai Harbour |
| Key facts | DP World calls it “the world’s biggest single, covered cruise terminal facility”, with room for seven mega-cruise ships at once | Took its first cruise passengers in November 2021; a quay of over 910 m |
| Closest airport | DXB | DWC and DXB are a similar distance |
| Handy for | Downtown, DIFC, Deira, Business Bay | Dubai Marina, JBR, Palm Jumeirah |
Mina Rashid has been a cruise homeport since 2007, and DP World puts its traffic at about a million passengers a year. Dubai Harbour is the newer of the two, and the easier one for hotels on the Palm and in the Marina.
Dubai cruise season in 2026–27
Dubai’s cruise season normally runs through the cooler months, from late October to about March or April. The 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons opened on 29 and 28 October.
The 2026–27 season is much thinner. After the spring 2026 regional disruption, several big lines cancelled or moved their Gulf winter programmes, among them MSC Cruises, Costa, AIDA, Celestyal and Explora Journeys. AROYA Cruises kept its 2026–27 Gulf programme, and some premium lines kept their transit calls. MSC Cruises plans to return with MSC World Europa from December 2027.
If you’re sailing this winter, check the latest itinerary with your cruise line before you book flights and hotels. Cancellation of a transfer is free up to 6 hours before pickup, so a changed sailing doesn’t cost you the car.
Boarding and leaving the ship: timing
Leaving the ship: guests usually leave in groups through the morning, at times the cruise line sets. Send us the ship name, the date and your group or time for leaving the ship. The chauffeur waits outside the terminal. Message them when you’re through the luggage hall and the car is at the door.
Boarding: your cruise line gives you a check-in window on your boarding documents. Aim to reach the terminal at the start of it, not the end, so a slow road or a long check-in line doesn’t eat your margin.
Flying out the same day: don’t book a flight you can only make if everything runs on time. From Mina Rashid, DXB is a short drive, but you still need about three hours at the airport before an international flight. From Dubai Harbour, DWC and DXB are about the same drive.
Drive times from the cruise terminals
Off-peak times are for late morning and evening. Rush hour, roughly 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. on weekdays, takes longer, as shown.
| Route | Distance | Off-peak | Rush hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mina Rashid → DXB | about 15–20 km | 20–30 min | 35–50 min |
| Mina Rashid → DWC | about 60 km | 50–65 min | 65–85 min |
| Dubai Harbour → DXB | about 36–40 km | 35–45 min | 50–70 min |
| Dubai Harbour → DWC | about 37–41 km | 30–40 min | 40–55 min |
| Mina Rashid → Dubai Harbour | about 31 km | 25–35 min | 40–55 min |
| Mina Rashid → Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal | about 147 km | 1 h 40 – 2 h | Longer |
| Dubai Harbour → Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal | about 121 km | 1 h 20 – 1 h 40 | Longer |
Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal is in Zayed Port, run by AD Ports. Some Gulf itineraries start or finish there, and some guests fly in or out of Dubai either side of an Abu Dhabi sailing. We drive both ways at a fixed price. See Dubai to Abu Dhabi private transfer for the intercity details.
Which car for cruise luggage?
Cruise luggage is bigger than airport luggage: formal wear, two weeks of clothes, often a case of shopping on the way home. Book by cases, not people.
| Party | Car | Passengers / large cases |
|---|---|---|
| Couple with two cases | Business or first-class sedan (E-Class, S-Class) | 3 / 2 |
| Couple with three or four cases, or a family of four | Luxury SUV (GMC Yukon Denali, Cadillac Escalade) | 6 / 5 |
| Family or friends with a case each and more | Luxury van (Mercedes V-Class, Hyundai Staria, Toyota HiAce VIP) | 7 / 6 |
| Two families travelling together | Two vans, or a van plus an SUV | Book as one job |
For groups, see van rental with driver in Dubai. The chauffeur loads and unloads the cases at the terminal kerb and at your hotel.
A day in Dubai before or after the cruise
Many guests land a day early or leave a day late. If you have a gap between the ship and the flight, book the car by the hour: the chauffeur holds your bags in the car while you see the city, then drops you at the airport. Our private Dubai city tour has sample routes that fit around a cruise day. Hotels arranging transfers for cruise guests can book on account through hotel transportation.
Dubai Cruise Terminal Transfers: frequently asked questions
At two terminals. The Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid (Port Rashid) is in old Dubai, close to Bur Dubai and DXB. Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal is between Palm Jumeirah and Bluewaters, next to Dubai Marina. Your cruise documents name the one your ship uses.
It changes by season. For winter 2026–27, several major lines, including MSC Cruises and Costa, cancelled their Gulf programmes after the spring 2026 regional disruption. AROYA Cruises kept its Gulf sailings, and MSC plans to return from December 2027. Check the latest itinerary with your line.
Mina Rashid is about 15–20 km from DXB, usually 20–30 minutes by car outside rush hour. Dubai Harbour is roughly 36–41 km from both DXB and DWC, so from Dubai Harbour the two airports are about the same drive.
Yes. Dubai Taxi serves Port Rashid, with a starting fare of AED 25 plus AED 2.62 per km. A pre-booked private car means you don’t depend on the rank when several ships turn around on the same morning, and it’s sized for your luggage.
Book your chauffeur
Send your pickup, drop-off, date and time. We reply with a fixed, all-inclusive price, usually within minutes, 24 hours a day.