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Review of: Global Village Entry Ticket
Really nice, you need to plan a few hours for a visit and be prepared to spend some money inside. The tickets are cheap but there are thousands of shops, street food restaurants and attractions for kids and adults. Talented dancing crews, acrobats and other artists start with there sows when it is getting dark so do not miss it!!! 🙂…
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Date of experience: January 2021
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Response from GlobalVillageUAE, Manager at Global Village
Responded 4 days ago
Thank you for your review! We look forward to welcoming you again!
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We happened to visit there one fine january evening with the weather so apt. It is a very colorful place with the pavillions of many countries of the world showcasing their food, culture and traditions. we got to try foods from different countries which otherwise is not available. Enjoyed performances and shopped some unique stuff. Their were swings and games for both kids and adults. Overall, a great place to have fun with friends and family.…
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Date of experience: January 2021
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Response from GlobalVillageUAE, Manager at Global Village
Responded 1 week ago
Thank you! We look forward to welcoming you again!
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From the time the Global Village started (in the Dubai Festival City grounds), we have been regularly going to this place every year. Initially it used to be for a month, during the duration of the Dubai Shopping Festival, but now it runs for six months. If you are the kind who likes going to fairs with all the noise and dust and people around, then this is a good place to be. You get more than a hundred stalls of different countries offering all kinds of textiles, domestic products, snacks, souvenirs and various other items from each of the countries. A lot of the stalls offer authentic items from the country (of the stall) but the other stalls offer general products that are available everywhere. Many of the stalls also have artisans doing some kind of craft unique to the country. All items are priced on the higher side and bargaining is expected. There is a play area with quite a few rides, including some 'crazy' ones) that will suit the younger ones in the family. I haven't been in there and hence can't comment. Besides the price of the entry ticket (AED 15/-), there will be two or three attractions inside the fairgound that will have additional entry tickets. Past two years Ripley's Believe it or Not has a stall with an additional ticket. There are food stalls galore and you can taste food from most of the countries. Food, as expected, is quite steeply priced but if you are a foodie, that shouldn't stop you. Hygiene is also pretty decent. As for the negative, I have noticed a steady deterioration in the quality of the whole GV experience over the years. The staff and security on duty are not properly trained these days and it can be seen in the experiences. If you are a tourist and this was one of the very few places you visited, do not count this as a normal Dubai experience. My negative experience this year started at the gate itself with the expat lady at the counter wanting to see an identification for my 80year old mother-in-law who was standing right in front of her. She was on a visit and even though tourists are expected to carry their passport/visas around, we have never ever been stopped for that and neither have I heard of anyone who has been stopped because they were not carrying their passports on them. Even when I used to come here on visit I never carried my passport around. This lady at the counter was quite adamant that we produce identification and I had to tell her to take a good look at my mother-in-law and tell if she was less than 60yrs old (60yrs and above enter free). She finally budged. Additionally, if you are like me and go to this place mainly to take some good photographs with your family, and you happen to own a DSLR with a fast lens and a flash, then expect to be hassled by the security. I have no social media presence and take photographs just for the joy of it. I do not visit any place without my DSLR. There is no mention that DSLR photography is not permitted inside the premises and there is nothing mentioned even in the terms and conditions on the website (the only mention on photography is that 'photographs may be taken by the management inside the premises' and we give our consent when we purchase the ticket). The security are quite rude and annoying and none of them have any single reason as to why photography is not permitted- one told me you cannot use big flash, during another visit one told me 'this' lens is big and is not permitted, another reason was this camera is professional- never mind what your profession is! Another permitted me to use the camera but "don't use the zoom". The reason depends on the whims of the security who stops you. Till around 3-4 yrs back, once the security at the gate waved you in, you were fine inside the premises and no security would hassle you. But all that changed and it can end up as a disastrous experience like mine, even if the security wave you in at the gate. Verbally you will be told that you are expected to get a permit for such cameras from the GV office outside the premises but the office closes at 4pm. GV opens every day at 4pm! So if you are going there on a whim with some friends, like most people do, and expecting to take some good photographs with your DSLR, you are out of luck. You need to plan it out in advance and that beats the very purpose of a fun outing. If these annoyances don't bother you, then you can have fun. I don't think I'll be going back though.…
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Date of experience: December 2020
1 Helpful vote
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Visited on New Year’s Eve - 7 sets of fireworks starting at 8pm for China Time and then further fireworks at Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan new Year times. Obviously biggest fireworks show was for UAE midnight - fantastic set of fireworks displays. We arrived at 8pm wondering if kids would be bored before midnight but after a long delicious dinner at Bundoo Khan and a few rides and watching the fireworks meant midnight was upon us quickly. We stayed for the Russia time fireworks at 1pm too. We didn’t have enough time to visit the national areas (we have done that before). It was relatively full but didn’t feel too busy. Car parks weren’t jammed on arrival and departure either. Kids and teenagers enjoyed the rides. …
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Date of experience: January 2021
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Response from GlobalVillageUAE, Manager at Global Village
Responded 2 weeks ago
Thank you Mohammed! We look forward to welcoming you again!
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The place is vicious and colorful but there's nothing to do except walking and the salesmen would stalk you and try to convince you to buy something, we spent around an hour here because we found it boring, tried some food but it was expensive for the amount and quality.
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Date of experience: January 2021
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from GlobalVillageUAE, Manager at Global Village
Responded 1 week ago
We regret to hear. Please share your contact details to our team on info@globalvillage.ae as we would love to get your feedback and help in giving you a better experience on your next visit.
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