Dream Explorer Tourism

Negative experience: Our group was so excited for the desert tour but ended up very disappointed. We signed up for the evening + atv tour. Our guide picked us up and barely spoke - not providing any information about what we would be doing nor what his name was (after several attempts at conversation we found out his name was Jamaal). Throughout the evening, we were consistently harassed by vendors trying to sell us items or upcharge us. Although we paid up front for an all inclusive experience, we were constantly told to wait until a certain time to access what we paid for and if we wanted early access we would need to pay. Our first stop was ATVs which was the only bright spot in our day! After ATVs, we often asked what we were doing next and where we were going and always received a confusing and unclear response. After ATVs we drove to dune bashing and sand boarding. After these activities, we drove to another spot where we switched cars and then drove further out to the camp where we would get food and watch performances. At every turn at the camp, we were harassed to buy souvenirs or pay more for a “better version” of what we had already purchased. For example, one of our group members was tricked into paying $15 for an ice cream cone. She was offered icecream, asked the price, and was told to eat it now and pay later. Afterwards, he told her it was $15. Later, we were waiting in long line for camel rides (which was part of our package), and a man came around selling a longer camel ride with no line for more money. We ended up going waiting for 10 minutes and then giving up on the camels. When we sat down for dinner and performances, where we were told we should pay to upgrade to VIP so that we didn’t have to wait for 500 people to eat before us. We denied the offer and waited knowing that we had already paid for dinner and had paid for snacks and drinks. However, each snack and drink stand we went to said they weren’t open yet and they would open at 7:30 (even though departure time was 8) and if we wanted to eat or drink now, we would have to pay. The constant harassment and confusion throughout the night made for a comically bad experience.