With just 138 days to go until Royal Caribbean International’s Brilliance of the Seas arrives at her new home in Dubai, the countdown campaign in anticipation of her arrival was launched on Sept. 2. All the Gulf region’s ports are gearing themselves up for the arrival of Brilliance, according to the Arab Turkish Travel Gazette.

The ship is first scheduled to sail from Dubai on Jan. 18, 2010, calling at to Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Due to the huge increase in expected passenger traffic, all of the ports are making provisions to ensure suitable facilities are in place to handle the increase in visitor numbers.

Hamad M Bin Mejren, executive director, business tourism said: “To emphasize the importance of the cruise terminal in Dubai, special attention will be given to the exterior and interior. Traditional domes, arches and carvings are the major architectural elements that will constitute the exterior facades. The terminal spanning an area of 3,800 square meters is designed to have the capacity to handle more than three to four ships simultaneously. It is expected to be operational by January 2010 and until then a temporary set-up will be made to cater to the needs of the cruise ships calling in at Dubai from September 2009.”