While many of us have grown up all our lives in Karachi, a port city, it is difficult to find Karachiites who have ever been out to the sea on a boat. At the most you will be able to find people who have traveled to Keemari and the Manora Island. Somehow the port-city residents do not seem to have access to the sea-going vessels.
Well, that is expected to change now, at least for the financially privileged group. Gulf Dream Cruise, ocean going luxury liner, has reached the Karachi port and is set to launch on its first Karachi-to-Dubai trip on November 7th. This will be the first such trip for Karachi in decades. Several other licenses to other port-destinations have also been issued, including Bahrain, Oman and Qatar.
The luxury liner weighs about 23000 tons, is approx 196 m long, has 540 rooms and with a crew of 400 it can carry approx 1250 passengers. According to its marketers, the Gulf Dream Cruise provides:
a time to relax and be pampered. First time ever in Pakistan, a complete luxury 5 day Cruise trip Karachi-Dubai-Karachi. Take a Gulf Dream Cruise and set sail on a dream.
This cruise ship promises a lot to the vacationing Pakistanis. Many of the items on the menu of offerings will appear quite familiar to the luxury seeking Pakistanis: Halal meals, gourmet dinners, five-star dining, day-care for children, live music, magic shows, card-tables, ping-pong, Karoke, sheesha lounge, teen-parties, 24-hr salon, 24-hr fitness center, and of course not to forget the duty free shopping.
And the prices? An inside facing 3rd floor room starts at Rs 33,000 and the price for a 7th floor suite is Rs 52,000. Frankly, that desn’t sound over-priced compared to what vacationers pay to travel to Middle East and Europe and stay in hotels etc.
I am sure many readers will be wondering how this opulence for the rich compares to the average monthly income of a Pakistani. It is hard for me to be a judge on that? It is an unfortunate reality that most Pakistanis would not be able to afford a luxury ocean liner cruise vacation, and hence the sea is still unaccessible to them. However, there is something to be said for developing an entertainment sector that at least makes options available to the public, especially our youth. And if this helps provide employment at the ports, even better.
Personally, I am waiting for a boat tour to start that will take me to the different islands and communities along the Pakistani coastline. Now that will be a cruise worth remembering!
This is such a shame. I had some hope sfor it, thinking that like most big projects in Pakistan today, it had foreign investors involved who would want to maintain some quality to recoup their investments.
Reading the account on the BBC website, I don’t know if I should blame the management, the government for not working out the details in time, or the people thesmelves, such as the VIPs listed in the article.
With no words minced, it pisses me off how the military people in Pakistan (even low rank officers) consider theselves to be the big cahunas over the general public. As they say, latoun key bhoot, baatoun sey naheen maantey. They need a good whipping, noting short of it. Vice admiral or not.
Yahya, thanks for providing the link to the BBC report.
This is it!. The “Dream Cruise” has run aground — on the very first trip — and now stands suspended. Most of us had expected that.
I have a feeling that Pakistan is genetically incapable of running tourism industry, for two reasons:
1. VIP Culture:
More than half of the passengers were freeloaders — the so-called VIPs. (I don’t think any country in the world has so many VIPs as Pakistan.) And they were the ones who were given priority treatment on the cruise and those who paid for the trip were treated like “Aira, Ghaira, Nathu Khaira”.
2. Lack of Planning and Poor Management: Actually, when you have so many “VIPs” on board you automatically throw the principles of management overboard. Nothing can work in this type of environment.
Wusatullah’s take on this; (http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2006/11/ 061122_dream_cruise_wusat_ra.shtml)
This is Nightmare than a dream
http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/2006/11/14/karachi-du bai-a-cruise-to-hell/#comment-104403
very hop you
Adeem Sahib,
Discussion “Karachi Dream Cruise” ki ho rahi hai, aur aap nay beech main tableegh sharoo kar di.
What does the poverty in India has got to do with progress in Pakistan?
According to you, the West has nothing to offer to the East (I assume by East you mean the Muslim World). Since you live in Dubai just look around and you will find that almost everything that you see or use comes from the West — the cars, the planes, the weapons, the construction machines, the building materials, the oil rigs, the boats, the life saving drugs, the hospital equipment, the computers, you name it. Even the white flowing dress the locals wear, their fine cotton material comes from Switzerland, their sandals are made in Italy. (Only the stuff that Pakistani and Indians workers buy in Dubai mostly comes from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.)
The question is what have you to offer to the rest of world, other than sermons and — more sermons?
dear pakistanees tum ye dekho in k pass kia tha jo ye batain kar rahay hain hamare khon choos k ajj ye yahan tak pohancay hain jab hamaray pass kuch hu jay tu ye kehtay hain k pehaly poverty khatam karo jaiisay jaisay taraqee hu ge kuch na kuch maslay hal he houn gay INSHAALLAH is tara blame karna apnay ap ko badnam karna hai in logoo k halat kia hain main janta houn bewe ghar rehte nai behen bhag jati kud apnay jism gays ko bech k ye paisay kamtay hain in main b saray ameer nai hain bass in k rang goray hain tu is ka matlab ye nai k ye saff hain toilet main bithana nai ata ina main abe dubai main houn aur tum yaqeen nai karo gay k dunayn k sab say unchee 2 builing jab say yahan banana shuru huee hain in goroo k comments itnay khilaf hain k soch nai skatay ye sirf muslims ko tareqe karta nai dekh saktay india main kitne poverty hain magar wo aista aista sare fasilities b lay rahay hain dunyan k sath hain poverty khatam nai hu sakte kuin k awam kud sudarna nai chatee goverment loans day tu ye usay aik month main khatam kar daitay hain na kam na kaj saray saray bahir janay k leye taraptay hain aur jitna bura hal india main hai pakistan ALHAMDULILLA hazar darjay behtar hai hamary sath yahan hain indians buhat saray abe tak banana k leafes pe khana rakh k khatay hain aur tum yaqeen nai karo gay k pak k logo ke zuban aur rehen sehen dekh k inai buhat ajeeb lagta hai kise 2 chezo ko compare karna hu tu 3rd jaga kharay hu k dekhoo recently main england gia aur jis jis nai pocha k whre u from i said i m pakistani but living in dubai then they said then u have lots of money ye goroo ke halat hai magar ye apnay ap ko show nai kartay aur tareeqee is leye nazar ati hai k in k zuban english hai is leye apnay ap pe rehem karo aur quran phar k ankahin kholoo in kambkhton k pas kuch nai siway dunyan k ALLAH PAK ap ko hidayat day ameen
AH
hi
west always jelous form asians i read the comment of eidee man hahahah but its true my friend u have to face it take care