Dubai's public boats are run by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and they are not one network. The ferry, the creek abras and the Marina water taxi are separate services with their own stations and rules. Our Dubai ferry hub lists the routes; this guide explains how to tell them apart and what to check before you plan a port day around them.
1. The cruise terminal and the boats
DP World's Mina Rashid page says the port is home to the Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal and is located close to Dubai International Airport. It gives no distance and does not describe onward transport. We found no official page linking the cruise terminal to the RTA's marine stations, so ask your cruise line how passengers reach the Creek, Al Ghubaiba or the Marina. If you are flying in, our flights index covers the flight leg.
2. Three kinds of boat
RTA's About Marine page describes the Dubai Ferry as one of the best ways to view the city's historical sites and coastline, and says there are six major ferry routes, including one inter-city route. It describes the Dubai Abra as "the city's most traditional mode of transport", and the Dubai Water Taxi as an air-conditioned boat that calls at four Dubai Marina stops: Marina Terrace, Marina Walk, Dubai Marina Mall and Marina Promenade.
RTA's service page describes the whole service as scheduled commuter and tourist trips on board Dubai Ferry, Dubai Abra and Dubai Water Taxi. It says the route of marine vessels is subject to change or cancellation due to weather conditions, and that routes can also change for safety or security reasons.
3. Routes named on RTA's pages
| Service | Route RTA names | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Ferry FR1 | Dubai Water Canal Marine Station - Al Ghubaiba Marine Station | RTA's timetable page names the route. |
| Dubai Ferry FR5 | Sharjah Aquarium Marine Station - Al Ghubaiba Marine Station | This is the route to Sharjah; RTA's timetable page names it. |
| Abra CR1 | Bur Dubai Marine Station - Deira Old Souq Marine Station (On Demand) | The page does not explain "On Demand". |
| Abra CR2 | Dubai Old Souq Marine Station - Al Sabkha Marine Station (On Demand) | Same label. |
| Water Taxi BM1 | Dubai Marina Mall North Marine Transport Station - Marina Walk Marine Station | Marina water taxi. |
RTA's About Marine page also names abra stations at Al Fahidi, Al Sabkha, Al Seef and Baniyas, and electric abras at Dubai Mall, Burj Plaza, The Palace and Global Village (during Global Village operating hours). RTA publishes departure times in downloadable timetables, but the table in its ferry PDF extracted as a garbled grid when we read it, so we do not quote departure times here. RTA's service page gives the time to travel as "Varies according to the departure and arrival schedule" and lists no crossing times, so assume nothing about how long a crossing takes.
4. Tickets, payment and being on time
RTA says you can book online, receive the ticket by email and show it to the deckhand before boarding and after arrival, or buy a ticket at the marine station, or use a nol card and tap it on the validator before boarding and after arrival. For payment it says you must carry cash, because nol and card payments are not accepted everywhere: "You can't use nol, credit, and debit cards at certain stations." Its About Marine page says traditional motorised abras accept cash.
RTA's service page says you must be at the marine station 5 minutes before Dubai Abra and Dubai Water Taxi trip time, and 15 minutes before Dubai Ferry trips. It also says tickets for children aged 2 to 10 on Dubai Ferry round trips are sold only at stations. We give no fares; RTA's pages quote them separately, and they should be checked on the day.
5. Accessibility, children and comfort
- Dubai Ferry: RTA's About Marine page says it carries up to 98 people, including two wheelchairs, is stroller-friendly and has restrooms for men, women and people of determination. RTA's timetable page lists a Dubai Ferry capacity of 100 seats and spaces for two wheelchairs, so the two RTA pages give slightly different capacities.
- Water taxi: RTA says it has a designated wheelchair area.
- Abra: RTA's service page says one wheelchair per trip can be taken on an abra for free, with a People of Determination card, on commuter trips. Its charter listing gives a capacity of 20 passengers including a wheelchair passenger.
- Snacks: RTA says light snacks and drinks are allowed only on Dubai Ferry routes FR1, FR2, FR4 and FR5, not on abra vessels or water taxis.
- Children: RTA says unaccompanied children under 12 are not allowed on marine transport, and accompanied children under 12 must wear a life jacket.
- We did not find stated luggage rules, so ask RTA before travelling with bags.
6. Weather and your return to the ship
Because RTA says routes may change or be cancelled in bad weather, and because its pages give no crossing times, treat any boat trip as an extra with a generous margin rather than as part of a tight schedule. Check the live timetable on the day, confirm which stations accept cards, and work back from your ship's all-aboard time. Our guides on why separate tickets need a buffer and the all-aboard worksheet show how, and the Dubai hub lists the sources for each route.
Checked on 30 October 2026: RTA's timetable page, About Marine page and Transport Using Marine Vessels service page, and DP World's Mina Rashid page. RTA's timetable PDF could not be read reliably, so no departure times are given. We did not read Visit Dubai or any cruise-line or port page on transfers from the terminal. No prices are given; check them with RTA.