Every cruise we run leaves from the marina pier behind Al Majara Tower, in the middle of Dubai Marina. The cheapest way there is the Metro Red Line to DMCC for AED 5-7.5 on a Nol card, then a short taxi or a 15-20 minute walk; the easiest is a taxi to the door, about AED 50-70 from Downtown. Driving works for the daytime hour, because Marina Mall gives 3 hours of free parking, but not for the 4-hour party. Below: the options compared, the metro step by step, the taxi drop-off and the check-in times for the shared yacht tour, the yacht party and a private charter.
By SB Excursions · Published 15 September 2026 · Updated 23 October 2026
Tour on this route: Dubai Marina Yacht Party — $99 per person, 4 hours (9 pm-1 am).
How do I get to the yacht pier behind Al Majara Tower in Dubai Marina?
By Metro Red Line to DMCC station for AED 5-7.5 on a Nol card, then a taxi at about the AED 12 minimum fare or a 15-20 minute walk along the water; or by taxi to the door, about AED 50-70 from Downtown in 25-40 minutes and AED 80-110 from DXB. Pin Al Majara Tower, Dubai Marina, in the app. Marina Mall has 3 hours of free parking if you drive.
This guide also answers:
- Which metro station is closest to the Dubai Marina yacht pier?
- What time do I need to be at the pier for the Dubai Marina yacht party?
- How early should I arrive for the shared yacht tour?
The four ways to the pier, ranked
#1
Metro Red Line to DMCC, then a short taxi
Immune to the 5-8 PM rush on Sheikh Zayed Road that sits right on top of golden hour. Trains run every 3-7 minutes from about 5 AM to midnight or 1 AM; get off at DMCC, exit on the Marina side and take a taxi at about the minimum fare, or walk 15-20 minutes along the water when the weather allows.
#2
Taxi, Careem or Hala to the door
The stress-free option: about AED 50-70 from Downtown in 25-40 minutes, AED 80-110 from DXB, AED 35-50 from the Palm, all metered and payable by card. Four people pay AED 15-20 each from Downtown. The only trap is timing: leave before the 5-8 PM rush or add 15-30 minutes to the journey.
#3
Tram and Marina Walk from the Marina and JBR hotels
If your hotel is in the Marina or on JBR you do not need a car. The tram links the Marina, JBR and the two Red Line stations; from any stop it is a walk along the canal at water level, past Cayan Tower and the moored yachts. Allow 10-20 minutes from JBR and 30 minutes the first time you do it.
#4
Driving: Marina Mall, 3 hours free
Marina Mall offers three hours of free parking a short walk from Al Majara Tower: enough for check-in 20 minutes before the shared hour, the cruise and the walk back. It is not enough for the 4-hour yacht party or a 3-hour charter, and if you plan to bring drinks on a private boat, leave the car at the hotel.
The short answer: metro by day, taxi at night
For a daytime or sunset slot, take the Metro Red Line to DMCC, AED 5-7.5 on a Nol card, and finish with a short taxi or a 15-20 minute walk to Al Majara Tower. For the yacht party, take a taxi to the door: boarding is at 8:30 PM, the metro may have closed by the time the boat is back around 1:00 AM, and a taxi from Downtown is about AED 50-70 for the car, not per person.
With luggage, children or a group of three or more, the taxi wins at any hour. With a hire car, the daytime shared hour is the only cruise that fits inside the 3 hours of free parking at Marina Mall.
The pier is the one place we ask you to travel to. The full-day desert safari, the Abu Dhabi day and the sunrise balloon all include hotel pickup; the shared yacht tour and the yacht party do not, which is why this guide exists.
Where the pier is, and which door you need
The marina pier behind Al Majara Tower sits in the middle of the Dubai Marina canal, on the Marina Walk side, a short walk from Dubai Marina Mall and the round Pier 7 restaurant tower. Al Majara is a residential tower, so there is no big sign saying yachts: you are looking for the tower itself, then the marina level behind it.
Three of our products leave from here, and each has its own meeting point in the same building:
- Shared yacht tour, from $32 for 1 hour: check-in at Level P of Al Majara Tower, 20 minutes before departure. Departures run hourly through the day and the yacht leaves strictly on time.
- Yacht party, $99, 21+: the pier behind the tower, boarding at 8:30 PM for the 9:00 PM departure. The exact pier location is sent when you book.
- Private charters, from AED 400 per hour: the marina lounge on the marina level of Al Majara Tower, 20-30 minutes before your slot. Four boats in our fleet, from 98 to 150 ft, leave from Dubai Harbour next to Bluewaters instead; Dubai Marina vs Dubai Harbour explains which boats leave where.
In Careem, Uber or Hala, pin Al Majara Tower, Dubai Marina as the destination rather than the mall: the drop-off puts you at the tower, and the marina level is in the same building. If you cannot find the door, the WhatsApp number on your confirmation reaches us, and the crew know exactly where guests get stuck.
Every option compared
The Marina is at the south-western end of the city: about 25 km from Downtown, 35 km from DXB and 12-15 km from Atlantis on the Palm. The road and the Red Line run side by side down Sheikh Zayed Road, so the choice is about traffic, luggage and the hour, not the route.
| Option | Time | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Red Line to DMCC, then a taxi | About 1 hour from Downtown door to door, 60-75 minutes from DXB | AED 5-7.5 per person, plus a taxi at about AED 12 | No traffic risk; trains every 3-7 minutes; Gold Class is double the fare |
| Metro to DMCC or Sobha Realty, then the tram and a walk | Adds 15-30 minutes | The same Nol card, a few dirhams more | Pleasant from November to March, hard work at 40°C |
| Taxi, Careem, Uber or Hala | 25-40 minutes from Downtown, 35-50 from DXB | About AED 50-70 from Downtown, AED 80-110 from DXB, AED 35-50 from the Palm | Door to door; cards accepted; add 15-30 minutes in the 7-9:30 AM and 5-8 PM rush |
| Own or hire car | As a taxi | Fuel plus parking; Marina Mall gives 3 hours free | Fine for the shared hour, not for the party or a charter of 3 hours or more |
| On foot or by tram from the Marina and JBR hotels | 10-20 minutes from JBR; 30 the first time | Free, or a tram fare on the Nol card | The best option if you are staying in the district |
Fares and timetables are third-party and change; budget with these figures and check the RTA or Careem app on the day.
Step by step: the Red Line to DMCC and the last leg
This is the run for a daytime or sunset slot from anywhere on the Red Line: Downtown, Business Bay, Mall of the Emirates, Deira or the airport terminals. Sobha Realty is the other Marina station and works just as well if your hotel is at that end; DMCC is the one we give guests heading for the pier.
- 1. Buy a Nol card. A Silver card is about AED 25 including AED 19 of credit; a red paper ticket is about AED 2 plus the fare. Fares are by zone, roughly AED 3, 5 or 7.5, charged when you tap out; Downtown to the Marina is 2-3 zones, the airport to the Marina is the top fare.
- 2. Board towards Jabal Ali and Expo City, away from the airport. The first carriage sections are Gold Class, double the fare, and women-and-children only; the rest of the train is open to everyone.
- 3. Count on the clock, not the map. From Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall allow about an hour door to door, including the 10-15 minute Metro Link bridge from the mall to the station; from Terminals 1 and 3 allow 60-75 minutes.
- 4. Get off at DMCC, the Marina/JLT stop. Station sponsor names change, so follow the Marina and JLT signs rather than the name. Exit on the Marina side of Sheikh Zayed Road; JLT is the tower cluster on the other side.
- 5. The last leg. Outside the station take a taxi to Al Majara Tower, about the minimum fare of AED 12, or the tram towards the Marina and JBR and then walk down to Marina Walk and along the water. On foot from the station it is 15-20 minutes; give it 30 the first time.
- 6. Find your door. Level P for the shared hour, the pier behind the tower for the party, the marina lounge on the marina level for a private charter. Shoes come off before boarding on every boat, so socks are a good idea.
Hours are approximate: the metro runs from about 5 AM to midnight or 1 AM depending on the day, with a later start on Sundays, around 8 AM. That covers every shared departure and getting to the party; it is not something to rely on for the trip home at 1 AM.
Taxi drop-off: fares, timing and what to tell the driver
RTA taxis are metered: flag fall about AED 5, about AED 2 per km, minimum fare about AED 12, and they take cards. Careem and Uber cost similar or slightly more with the price fixed in the app; Hala is the app-booked version of the street taxi. Whichever you use, pin Al Majara Tower, Dubai Marina as the destination; drivers know the tower far better than the pier.
| From | Distance | Time with clear roads | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown / Burj Khalifa | About 25 km | 25-40 minutes | AED 50-70 |
| DXB airport | About 35 km | 35-50 minutes | AED 80-110, with the AED 25 flag fall at the airport ranks |
| Palm Jumeirah (Atlantis) | 12-15 km | 20-30 minutes | AED 35-50 |
| DWC airport | 35-40 km | 30-40 minutes | AED 100-140 |
| JBR | Adjoining | 5-10 minutes, or walk 10-20 | Around the AED 12 minimum |
| DMCC station | A short hop | 5-10 minutes | Around the AED 12 minimum |
Approximate meter fares with no traffic; check the fare in the app before you go.
Timing is the only thing that goes wrong. The Sheikh Zayed Road rush runs 7-9:30 AM and 5-8 PM and adds 15-30 minutes, and the sunset slots sit right inside the evening one: for a 5 PM departure from Downtown, be in the taxi by 3:30 PM or take the metro; for 6 PM, by 4:30 PM. For the 8:30 PM boarding of the party, a taxi from Downtown at 7:15 PM is comfortable on a weekday; on Friday and Saturday evenings the Marina roads are busy, so leave at 7:00 PM. Both cruises are paid in advance and neither waits, so a late taxi is an expensive one.
Driving: Marina Mall parking, three hours free
Dubai Marina Mall offers three hours of free parking, and it is a short walk from the mall to Al Majara Tower along the water. For the shared yacht tour the maths works: 20 minutes for check-in, an hour on the water, the walk each way and time for a coffee on Marina Walk afterwards.
For the yacht party it does not. Boarding at 8:30 PM and a return around 1:00 AM is four and a half hours, so the free window is long gone before the boat is back; take a taxi. A private charter of 2 hours fits with the 20-30 minute check-in; 3 hours and more do not, and if you plan to bring your own drinks on board, which private charters allow for guests aged 21 and over, leave the car at the hotel anyway.
Two practical points. Park at the mall rather than hunting for a space by the tower, walk out onto Marina Walk and follow the water to Al Majara Tower. And check the mall's parking rules on the day, because the free period is the mall's policy, not ours, and it can change.
Check-in times: three clocks that do not wait
Every boat at the pier leaves on the booked minute. The shared yacht and the party give no refunds for late arrivals, and on a private charter a late start simply shortens your slot. These are the times we give guests, with the documents to have in hand.
- Leave Downtown by 7:00 PM on the metro or 7:15 PM in a taxi for the 8:30 PM boarding; by 3:30 PM on the metro for a 5 PM shared slot.
- Leave the Palm by 7:30 PM in a taxi; the tram-and-monorail route is for daytime, not for a boat that leaves at 9:00 PM sharp.
- Leave JBR on foot by 8:00 PM; it is 10-20 minutes along the water.
- Landing at DXB the same evening? A taxi from the rank needs 35-50 minutes with clear roads; leave the airport by 7:30 PM at the latest, and do not book the party for the night of a late flight.
| Cruise | Meet at | Be there by | Departs | Bring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared yacht tour, from $32 | Level P, Al Majara Tower | 20 minutes before the slot | On the hour, strictly on time | Original passport or Emirates ID for every guest (Coast Guard rule); socks |
| Yacht party, $99 | The pier behind the tower | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM sharp, back around 1:00 AM | Original ID or passport, 21+ only, smart casual, no swimwear |
| Private charter, from AED 400 per hour | Marina lounge, marina level | 20-30 minutes before | Your booked slot | Passport or Emirates ID copy on every phone; a card for the AED 2,000-15,000 security hold, released after the trip |
Sunset moves through the year, from about 5:30 PM in December to about 7:10 PM in June, and the slot that starts half an hour before it sells out first on both the shared yacht and the private charters. The shared hour and the party are paid in full in advance, which is what holds the seat; a private boat is confirmed with the marina before you pay anything. Which slot to pick month by month is in the sunset cruise guide, and the party's ID, dress and behaviour rules are in yacht party dress code and rules.
After the cruise, and the trips that come to you
The shared hour drops you back on Marina Walk with the whole district at your feet: dinner at the waterline, the 7 km promenade lit after dark, JBR Beach and The Walk 10-20 minutes away and the Bluewaters footbridge for the closest land view of Ain Dubai. The Marina area guide has the evening laid out.
The party returns around 1:00 AM, when the last train may have gone. Taxis wait at the Marina ranks and the apps work at any hour; budget about AED 50-70 back to Downtown and AED 80-110 towards the airport, and expect the roads to be busy on Friday and Saturday nights. Reaching the Marina from Downtown and from DXB, with the hotel logistics, is covered in Downtown to Dubai Marina and DXB airport to Dubai Marina.
And the pier is the exception in our programme, not the rule. The full-day desert safari collects you at your hotel in Dubai, Sharjah or Ajman in an air-conditioned 4x4, from $45 with no prepayment; the Abu Dhabi day picks up at 8:00 AM and is paid on the day too; the balloon comes before dawn. Send us the date on WhatsApp and the transport is our problem. For a boat of your own from the same pier, private charters start from AED 400 per hour for the 31 ft Sealine, captain, crew, fuel, water and ice included.
FAQ
How do I get to the yacht pier behind Al Majara Tower in Dubai Marina?
By Metro Red Line to DMCC station for AED 5-7.5 on a Nol card, then a taxi at about the AED 12 minimum fare or a 15-20 minute walk along the water; or by taxi to the door, about AED 50-70 from Downtown in 25-40 minutes and AED 80-110 from DXB. Pin Al Majara Tower, Dubai Marina, in the app. Marina Mall has 3 hours of free parking if you drive.
Which metro station is closest to the Dubai Marina yacht pier?
DMCC on the Red Line, the Marina/JLT stop; Sobha Realty is the next station and also works. From DMCC it is a short taxi or 15-20 minutes on foot, and the tram from either station runs into the Marina and JBR if you prefer to walk less. Station sponsor names change, so follow the Marina signs rather than the name.
What time do I need to be at the pier for the Dubai Marina yacht party?
8:30 PM. The yacht leaves at 9:00 PM sharp and does not wait, and there are no refunds for latecomers. Bring an original ID or passport, the party is 21+, dress smart casual and expect to take your shoes off on board. The exact pier location behind Al Majara Tower is sent when you book, and the cruise returns around 1:00 AM.
How early should I arrive for the shared yacht tour?
At least 20 minutes before your departure, at Level P of Al Majara Tower. The yacht leaves strictly on time and late arrivals miss the trip without a refund. Every guest needs an original passport or Emirates ID under Coast Guard rules, shoes come off before boarding, and the hourly slots are paid in full in advance because they sell out.
Is there parking near the Dubai Marina yacht pier?
Yes: Dubai Marina Mall offers three hours of free parking a short walk from Al Majara Tower. That covers the shared hour with its 20-minute check-in and a 2-hour private charter, but not the 4-hour yacht party or a 3-hour charter, so take a taxi for those. Check the mall's current parking rules on the day; the free period is the mall's policy.
Can I get a taxi back from Dubai Marina after the yacht party ends at 1 AM?
Yes. Taxis wait at the Marina ranks and Careem, Uber and Hala work at any hour; budget about AED 50-70 to Downtown and AED 80-110 towards the airport. Do not plan on the metro, which closes around midnight or 1 AM depending on the day. Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest on the Marina roads, so allow a few extra minutes.
Do all SB Excursions yachts leave from Dubai Marina?
All but four. The shared hour, the yacht party and 26 of our 30 charter boats leave from the marina pier behind Al Majara Tower. The other four, from 98 to 150 ft, leave from Dubai Harbour next to Bluewaters Island; we send the berth details with the confirmation, and a taxi is the simplest way there.
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Photos: Driving: Marina Mall, 3 hours free — Jpbowen, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).