Giant slides, whirlpools, bumper cars, non-stop entertainment and food — this is how thousands of football fans in Qatar are spending their time between the matches.
During this World Cup — the first to invite fans to sleep on a cruise ship — a Dubai father and son had an exciting time on board a fan zone that never sleeps.
Saptarshi Bandopadhyay and his son Siddharth spent five days aboard the MSC World Europa, one of three cruise liners that are accommodating 10,000 fans from around the world.
Booking a small cabin on the 22-deck floating hotel made perfect sense to the marketing manager, who was looking to keep his young son fully occupied before kick-off.
You had more time to speak to other fans about their country, football culture, favourite player, what they think went right or wrong
Saptarshi Bandopadhyay,
World Cup guest on MSC World Europa
“It’s a different party altogether on the cruise liner,” Mr Bandopadhyay told The National.
“The tempo changes at night and everyone congregates on the 18th floor where there are large pools, whirlpools and a huge screen to watch games you don’t have tickets for.
“When searching for accommodation, the choice was a stand-alone hotel, the fan village or container camps.
“Since I was taking my son, the idea was to find a place we could relax and he could have fun the entire day with 1,001 activities and we could easily get to the games and back."
Docked at Doha’s Grand Terminal, the liner is a short bus ride away from the eight stadiums being used for the tournament, which are all located within a 50km radius of the city centre.
Theatres, theme shows and nightclubs
The cruise guests were a mixed lot: some were on their own, others shared rooms with friends and there were also groups of families who travelled with younger fans.
The fans spend the day soaking up the sun on the deck at one of six swimming pools, working out at the gym or checking in for a spa treatment before the games.
Returning from the stadiums in the evening, guests watch themed shows, dine at one of the 13 restaurants, or head to nightclubs or the theatre.
Flags of Denmark, Wales, Iran and Croatia were among the multitude of team colours hung outside cabins.
Mr Bandopadhyay often caught the day’s final game on the big screen on deck alongside hundreds of others.
“The atmosphere changes at night when you see the Brazilians and Argentinians come in,” said the Indian citizen, who supports both teams in that order.
“The South Americans brought in a jovial, song-and-dance energy that lifted the entire mood.”
Spiral slide a crowd favourite
Siddharth was devastated when his favourite team Argentina were defeated by Saudi Arabia in an upset that had the tournament reeling.
The nine-year-old kept busy with a never-ending stream of activities, playing football with new friends and slipping down giant water slides with virtual reality headsets that transport guests to snowy wonderlands or an African safari.
Of all the activities on board the mammoth passenger cruise ship, there is a clear favourite — climbing into the mouth of a giant snake.
The spiral 11-deck Venom slide — the longest dry slide at sea — that descends from the 20th to the eighth floor was a winner among younger guests.
“The cruise ship was crazy. It was basically a fun hotel but you were docked on the quay,” he said.
“I would stay on a cruise ship again. I made new friends from Tokyo and played football with them.
“The spiral Venom drop and the VR sets in the water slides were the most cool.”
A true football fan, the real thrill came from watching the games.
Of the four matches he attended, his top choice was Spain’s decisive victory over Costa Rica.
“I know some kids don’t like to watch the whole match because they think it’s too long,” he said.
“But it was very exciting. I was really, really upset that Argentina lost.
“I really liked how many goals Spain got. The 7-0 score was unbelievable.”
He has gathered scarves and team flags from Spain, Denmark and Tunisia to bring back to Dubai as part of the World Cup memorabilia he will always treasure.
Floating city that never sleeps
With an outdoor 90-metre promenade and an indoor walking area, MSC World Europa aims to replicate the offerings of a small city, with conference centres, video game arcades, a theatre, spas, a salon, boutiques and shops.
Prices for a cabin start at $350 per night.
Mr Bandopadhyay selected the full board package for four nights. He and his son stayed in a small room with no view, as he knew they would be mostly outdoors.
The price moves to upwards of $2,600 per night for luxury suites with living areas, a terrace with an outdoor whirlpool and expansive glass doors that open to panoramic views.
The football enthusiast will return to Qatar later in the tournament with a friend and stay in a hotel for two quarter-final games.
He has been to World Cups in Russia (2018) and Brazil (2014), where he said the atmosphere was markedly different.
“If it was Russia or Brazil, I would definitely not have taken a cruise because then you want to be in the heart of the football,” he said.
“There it was natural and free-flowing. People would be playing football in the streets. In St Petersburg, you would see two Argentina fans versus hundreds of fans from Brazil shouting songs at each other.
“That is something you cannot replicate in Qatar — the true spirit of football fans and their passion.
“But they did a decent job of getting people together in fan zones with DJs, people, singing and dancing.”
What was unusual about the cruise experience was the time spent with other fans.
“In the previous two World Cups, you got to chat to other fans but it’s a very transitory phase in a bar or restaurant,” Mr Bandopadhyay said.
“The cruise ship was a different take on the fan interaction.
“You had more time to speak to other fans about their country, football culture, favourite player, what they think went right or wrong.
“And that was the unique and interesting twist to staying on a ship.”
After the World Cup, the MSC World Europa will make the UAE its home port and sail the Arabian Gulf for the winter season.
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Company%C2%A0profile
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
