Hey Loves! I am so excited to share our family vacation experience with you to the UAE. If you have been following me on Instagram, I share our adventures traveling to the UAE. You can read about my experience in Abu Dhabi here. Additionally, I share my first time experience traveling to Dubai here. After experiencing all of the beauty that this country had to offer, I knew I had to bring my son for his own “kid-venture” and special experience. So of course we packed our bags and passports and I took him on an adventure overseas to vacay and visit Roy. I am already looking forward to our next adventure this year.
Table of Contents
Traveling With Kids
Planning Ahead
Okay to be real, traveling with kids (especially internationally) is a bit of an adjustment. It takes a lot of flexibility and preparing in the event things go unplanned. I made sure that Jailen had all his proper documentation and medical cards. I also pack his medicines with a note from his doctor for any potentially banned medicines (even the over the counter ones). Because my son was still in school, I planned ahead with Jailen’s teacher to collect his class work for him to complete during some of our down time. My son also had a “Flat Stanley” project due shortly after his vacation (so you may see him in a few pictures).
What I packed
To ensure that my son had everything he needed so that he would be comfortable on the flight, I packed his iPad, blanket, pillow, and his favorite snacks. Packing light is super important because you do not want to carry too many things while transporting between airports with children, especially when traveling solo with a child. All of these things fit inside his book bag. Usually flights have popular children’s movies and games to keep them entertained and include 2-3 hearty meals plus snacks.
Travel time
Traveling to the UAE is about a 14 hour flight from the East Coast. However, we had brief layovers in Canada and London heading to Abu Dhabi, and one long layover in Switzerland heading back to the states. The whole trip took about 18 hours. Additionally, there is a 9 hour (ahead) time difference (we went during fall daylight savings). We departed on a Friday afternoon and landed late Saturday evening shortly before midnight.
Jailen at our London layover 
Arriving in the UAE
I was thankful that Jailen was such a good sport about the long flight and the layovers. He was so excited and curious about traveling overseas. My son was spoiled by the flight attendants and received a lot of “special privileges” and extra treats due to his charming ways haha.
Sanitation Bags
Before Covid, I flew frequently enough to know that planes are not always thoroughly sanitized. I always pack travel Clorox wipes, travel lysol, hand sanitizer, and masks at minimum. It is interesting how I used to be looked at funny for wearing a mask while traveling and now it is mandatory. Not to mention the stares I would get for lysol-ing my seat and Clorox-ing the tray table, armrest, and windows where my pillow and blanket may touch.
Lost Luggage
If you read my past blog, you know my luggage always disappears. Well, it happened again ya’ll! We arrived in the UAE with no luggage. Yep you read right. We just had the clothes on our back. It is one thing for me to experience lost luggage, but when my child’s luggage disappeared, I was livid. Due to my prior experiences, I made sure to pack important things in our carryons in case of an emergency. Thankfully, Roy lives there and took us shopping the next day to get items we needed; taking away that stress. All of our luggage arrived within two days. However, one of my son’s suitcases did not return until over a week after our trip concluded smh.
Once we landed we ready to start our adventure! Well, I was ready for bed but Jailen was bubbling with excitement.
I. Abu Dhabi
Where We Stayed
In my previous posts, I listed multiple places to stay in Abu Dhabi. Our family stayed at the Ritz Carlton Grand Canal (about 20 minutes from the airport) during the brief Abu Dhabi leg of our trip. The Ritz Carlton is located in the Business district of the city on a private beach. This hotel offers opulent service and five-star accommodations; filled with gold, marble, and Swarovski crystals. We arrived to the hotel shortly after midnight. Upon our arrival, the staff greeted us with tea and dates; which are a tradition in Emirati culture. During out stay, we enjoyed the private pools, beautiful gardens, and were able to see the breathtaking views of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque from our hotel. Additionally, the Ritz Carlton had one of the best breakfast spreads that I have experienced while traveling.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
We wanted our son to experience the Grand Mosque on his visit and learn about the culture of the city. Jailen was in awe of this magnificent structure and loved seeing the illuminating lights at the Mosque after sunset.
Gold Souks
Every time I visit the UAE, I make it a point to go to the Abu Dhabi gold souks. We have a wonderful family friend that designs our jewelry at his souk. We took our son to get fitted for his first chain. He was amazed that there was so much gold jewelry in one place!
Al Wahda Mall
We took a brief trip to Al Wahda Mall to eat, shop, and unwind. Many American restaurants are in the UAE. Additionally, there were a lot of kid activities for Jailen to do. He was excited to make and play with slime.
Sugar Factory
I absolutely love the Sugar Factory. To my surprise, Abu Dhabi has this sweet spot. Of course we had to visit!
Other Attractions:
I listed many of the top attractions in my Abu Dhabi Blog post. I have included a few more options below that we did not have time to experience but I believe are worth the time to explore.
Ferrari World
I have heard nothing but positive things about this park. This popular Ferrari themed park is a must see on your visit to Abu Dhabi. There is fun for people of all ages. The rides will give guests the adrenaline rush many thrill seekers desire.
Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi
This amusement park has over 29 rides and attractions, dining, live entertainment, and fun experiences. Guests can enjoy six themed lands including Warner Bros. Plaza; Bedrock; Dynamite Clutch; Cartoon Junction; Gotham City; and Metropolis.
One thing I appreciate about the UAE is there huge indoor amusement parks. They do not disappoint. I was tempted to squeeze this in before we left for Dubai. I knew Jai would love it. However, we did not have enough time. It is definitely on my list for next time.
Yas Waterpark Abu Dhabi
There is nothing better than cooling off in a waterpark in the middle of the desert. This ultimate waterpark has over 40 rides and fun slides to cater to everyone in the family.
Yas Marina Circuit
Here guests can enjoy another popular destination, Kartzone. Visitors will receive training followed by suiting up to tear up the tracks with their go-karts.
Emirates Park Zoo
Visit the zoo to see and feed the animals, look at exhibits, and for interactive games and shows.
I intentionally planned our trip out to have a brief stay in Abu Dhabi so that we could experience all that Dubai has to offer. The next leg of our trip was to the GOLDEN city: Dubai!
II. Dubai
Where We Stayed
In my last blog post, I discussed several hotels to stay at while in Dubai. This time around since our trip was going to be about a week in Dubai, we opted to stay in an Airbnb for comfort and space. We selected a beautiful 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Jumeirah Lakes Towers with stunning skyline views. This location was convenient for the places we planned to experience during our trip.
Things to Do:
LEGOland Dubai
LEGOland has been a longtime wish of my son. We surprised him with tickets to LEGOland Dubai at his birthday party and he was ECSTATIC! Jailen is a huge LEGO fan and loves to build things. LEGO has gotten so much of my coins over the years lol. We purchased the theme park and waterpark tickets to enjoy the full experience. This park is the ultimate place for families to take their children ages 2-12. I loved how the park includes safe and adventure rides that caters to children in this age range. There are so many activities to enjoy. Adults will have just as much as the kids at LEGOland Dubai.
Theme Park
There are over 40 themed rides, shows, an attractions. LEGOland Dubai also includes six themed lands with rides and attractions built around the specific theme. I have each land with a few rides below:
- MINIland: This was one of my favorite parts. It was cool seeing the different structures built out of LEGOs. I love how LEGOland Dubai caters to important monuments around the world. It was the details for me. Each structure includes history facts and the amount of time it took to construct with LEGOs.
The Taj Mahal 
The Burj Khalifa 
Ishtar Gate 
The Spinx 
THh Pyramids of Giza 
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque 
Grand Mosque Details 
Grand Mosque Details
- Factory: This themed land give you LEGO history and production process. You will receive you very own fresh LEGO brick.
- Lego City: Here, children can go to driving and boating school, go to the LEGO airport, Rescue Academy, and Police Headquarters. This themed land is more educational and provides insightful information for children on the day to day lives of some of our everyday heroes in society.
- Imagination: Here, we experienced a lot of building activities at the LEGO Master Builder Academy. Visitors can also build robots and LEGO Mindstorms. Rides include the Power Tower, Technic Twister, and a cool 4D Movie.
LEGO Master Builder Academy 
Power Tower 
Albert Einstein
- Kingdom: This section reminded me of Medieval Times and was fun to explore. This section has The Dragon and Dragon’s Apprentice roller coaster that we enjoyed.
- Adventure: This included an amazing submarine adventure where we looked for hidden treasures and spotted marine animals.
Waterpark
This water park is really fun. I honestly wish we allocated more time here. The theme park had so many lands to get through and I wanted us to fully enjoy the experience before going to the waterpark. During our waterpark visit, we enjoyed a lot of fun tube rides, racing slides, the splash safari, and an incredible build a raft LEGO river, which is a huge lazy pool.
Keys and Gems:
🔑 BEST TIME TO GO
I highly recommend going to amusement parks during the week around late morning to early afternoon (Sunday through Thursday). Most children are in school and the lines are pretty non-existent! It was great having no wait times for the rides. Usually on weekends the parks are super busy with longer wait times.
💎 TICKET ADMISSION
For theme parks that have water parks as well, make sure to see if ticket admission includes access both parks. Sometimes you will need to buy each ticket separately.
🔑 SWIMWEAR POLICY
Be mindful of the swimwear policy at the waterparks. Some bathing suits are not appropriate in the UAE. You can view LEGOland’s policy here.
💎 AVAILABLE ATTRACTIONS
Lastly, inquire about what attractions and exhibits are available for access BEFORE purchasing tickets so that you can know whether you will enjoy the fully experience. Sometimes exhibits temporarily close or have limited hours access.
IMG Worlds of Adventure
The World’s LARGEST indoor amusement park? Sign me up! I had to see what this place was all about. I was impressed with rides and again appreciated that it was indoors. There are four zones and each zone have numerous dining and shopping experiences that cater to each themed zone.
I have listed the four zones below with a few attractions:
- IMG Boulevard: This is the central location of the theme park. It includes, dining options, shopping outlets, and the interactive attraction, The Haunted Hotel. It is important to note that this attraction is open for ages 15 and older.
- Cartoon Network: This zone has Lazytown, which is a climbing adventure and has several interactive play experiences; The Amazing Ride of Gumball; where visitors can compete and zap objects that threaten to take over the town; (now, not to toot my own horn, but I want to pause and say I crushed the boys in this game!); The Powerpuff Girls- Mojo Jojo’s Robot Rampage, which was really fun; Ben 10.5 HD Hero Time; and Adventure Time- The Ride of OOO with Finn & Jake.
- Lost Valley Dinosaur Adventure: Here, visitors can enjoy Adventure Fortress, a huge playground; the Dino Carousel; Forbidden Territory, where you hop in a ride and are transported through time and creatures pop out; and the Predator, (which was one of my favorite roller coasters with Jailen). This zone also has the iconic ride “The Velociraptor” which gives the adrenaline rush that thrill seekers desire. It is important to note that The Velociraptor is not for small children.
Forbidden Territory
- Marvel: This was my son’s favorite part and honestly had some of the best rides in my opinoin. Rides include Avengers Battle of Ultron, which was super fun; a motion seat Hulk adventure; Spider-Man Doc Ock’s Revenge (my favorite ride); The Thor Thunder Spin; and The Avengers Flight of the Quinjets. The Marvel retail stores are incredible products as well. There are a plethora of Marvel items to choose from.
Spider-Man 
Battle of Ultron 
Flight of the Quinjets 
Scenery in Battle of Ultron 
Avengers retail store
Ski Dubai
Ever seen snow in the desert? Well Ski Dubai gives you all the winter feels! Located inside Mall of the Emirates, this fun snowy adventure has rides for all ages. There are even penguins!
Each package includes different levels for access to the activities. Although they provide rental ski outfits, socks, gloves, and boots, please wear some additional underclothes such as long johns or sweats, thick and quality leggings, and undershirts. It is FREEZING in there. The boys had a blast but Mama Bear does NOT like the cold lol. This experience was super fun, but you’re gonna need to bundle up for this excursions Loves!
The Burj Khalifa
Taking my son to The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, was such a treat. He thoroughly enjoyed going up 124 floors in 60 seconds and taking in the impressive views of the Dubai Skyline. He even got some professional shots as well. You can read more about The Burj Khalifa here.
Keys and Gems:
🔑 THE PRICE VARIES
Not only does At The Top admission price depend on the times you go, there are levels to this experience. The sunset experience at Golden hour tends to be pricier compared to other times. Additionally, you can purchase the experience that will take you to the 148th floor with a Guided Ambassador. Lastly, there is the Lounge package, which include levels 152, 153, and 154. Here, guests can enjoy exclusive, spectacular views with either a breakfast buffet, afternoon tea, or enjoy some bubbly at sundown.
💎 BOOK IN ADVANCE
If you plan to take an adventure to At The Top, make sure to book in advance. Often times certain time slots and days sell out QUICKLY!
🔑 GET THE FAST PASS
Seriously, just pay the extra money. It is worth it. The line to get on the elevator is long with general admission. Additionally, the line to get back down is even longer. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
💎 ONCE YOU GET A SPOT WITH A VIEW SNAP YOUR PICS
To be real, the sky deck can get crowded QUICKLY! There is limited space on the observation deck to take pictures. Once you secure a spot, snap pictures. Everyone is trying to get in the spot for their “perfect picture.” Also, there are reserved places for photographers to take professional pictures. Both times we opted to take personal and professional pictures for our memories.
Dubai Miracle Garden
This is the world’s largest flower garden. I have never seen a garden more beautiful than this one. Each season, this garden uses millions of flowers to carve out new and exciting attractions with breathtaking views for visitors. There are weekly shows, floral parades and a variety of attractions, including the infamous Hearts Passage.
Dubai Mall
Dubai Mall is an incredible experience. This place literally has it all. I have previously blogged about it here. Jailen thoroughly enjoyed the two story toy store, shopping, and dining experiences.
Bread Street Kitchen & Bar Gordon Ramsay
Dubai is known for their incredible brunch experiences.
It was important for me to find a kid-friendly Brunch experience. Located inside the world renowned Palm Atlantis Hotel, this Friday Family brunch does not disappoint. Here, visitors will experience the best of Britain. There is a diverse spread of food to suit anyone’s fancy. Guests can choose from the numerous food stations and order specialty dishes from the menu.
I loved how Bread Street Kitchen & Bar catered to kids, and even had an ice cream and mocktail bar! Jailen mixed and made his first mocktail. I think he is a pro now. Book him for your mocktail needs haha.
The Lost Chambers Aquarium
Our brunch included an added treat; a trip to the Lost Chambers Aquarium! There are 21 exhibits, Aquarium dives, and an Ambassador Lagoon to explore.
Engagement/Family Photoshoot
Roy and I planned for us to have our engagement shoot in Dubai since the UAE is a huge part of our relationship.
We wanted to include our son in some of our pictures for family photos. This quickly turned into a family photoshoot starring Jailen lol. The photographer LOVED Jai’s energy. They immediately connected. During our wardrobe change, our photographer told us “Let me know when Jailen is finished so I can get some shots of him!” Jailen was the star of the show and loved every single moment!
In the end, we had an incredible time and made unforgettable family memories! We ended our trip relaxing in the lounge until our flight.
Thank you for joining us on our travel journey, Loves. I cannot wait to share more incredible adventures with you!
This is really great content, exceptional writing. These pictures bring back good memories, looking forward to the next adventure. (:
Author
Thank you! I am looking forward to creating more memories!
Lauren and Roy, the photos and travel experience was exceptionally beautiful. You capture the essence of your love and family while taking us on the full experience of your vacation. Great job, I loved the adventure…..
Author
Thank you so much for reading! We had an amazing time and glad you enjoyed the post!!!
Awesome and beautiful. Time well spent. May your happiness continue throughout the rest of you all’s life. Memories such as these are priceless. Continued blessings!
Author
Thank you so much for reading and for the well wishes! We appreciate them!