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Review: At The Top, Burj Khalifa in Dubai — and Why You Should Avoid the Premium Experience
U ntil the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia surpasses it prior to its expected completion in 2018 and grand opening in 2019, Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building in the world; and as I was in the United Arab Emirates, I thought I would give it a try and explore the observation deck…
…but there are two experiences: one which involves going to Level 124 for that observation deck known as At The Top, Burj Khalifa; and the other where you can visit the observation deck on Level 148 — currently the highest observation deck in the world — via a premium experience. There is one issue, which is the major price differential between the two experiences: access to the observation deck on Level 124 can cost as little as 125 United Arab Emirates dirhams; whereas the ticket price to visit the observation deck on Level 148 will set you back as much as 500 United Arab Emirates dirhams.
In other words, the ticket prices are approximately $34.00 and $136.00 respectively. Ouch.
All right — for the sake of informing you, I decided to go against my better judgement and splurge the 500 United Arab Emirates dirhams on the premium experience known as At The Top, Burj Khalifa SKY. The good news is that since I was driving a rental car, it is nice to know that parking is completely free of charge; and I had no problem finding a parking spot at Section M of Level 1 inside of the Cinema car parking garage at the lower ground level of Dubai Mall — which at approximately 12,100,000 square feet is supposedly the largest shopping mall in the world based on total area; and was refreshingly air conditioned on what was a hazy, hot and humid day in Dubai.
In fact, the worst part about driving a car to Dubai Mail is negotiating the traffic around the complex; but that really was not a major issue at all. Plenty of signage directing cars to the Cinema car park will ensure that you do not get lost.
Dubai Mall did not seem to be larger than Mall of America in Minnesota, which I visited some years ago — but then again, I was not exactly armed with a tape measure with the interest of finding out for certain for myself.
For the record, the high temperature that day was 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Break out the parkas and the mittens in preparation for that snowball fight, for that was considerably colder than the sweltering 118 degrees Fahrenheit — or 48 degrees Celsius — which Dubai was to eventually suffer through within the next couple of weeks.
It can take approximately ten minutes to walk from the car park through the mall to the area where you can purchase your tickets; and there is a special desk for At The Top, Burj Khalifa SKY customers across from the main ticket counter for At The Top, Burj Khalifa.
I reluctantly purchased my ticket and requested 5:00 in the afternoon as the time I wanted to ascend to the observation deck, as my plan was to view Dubai and its surroundings in full daylight — despite the brownish haze — and stay through sunset into the nighttime.
Although you can only spend up to 30 minutes at the observation deck on Level 148, visitors then descend to Level 125 — one level above Level 124, where the observation deck is located for those who did not pay for a premium experience — for what is supposed to be a unique experience; and you can stay on that level for as long as you like until it officially closes for the evening.
When the time arrived, I showed my ticket at the entrance, where I was escorted to a private lounge where dates and Arabic coffee were served.
After spending some time in the lounge — perhaps 15 minutes or so — we were escorted to an elevator, skipping ahead of those who were waiting in line. There was nothing special about the inside of the elevator — despite the official description of the experience stating that I should “watch in amazement as specially designed projections give you the feeling of flying over global landmarks as you ascend to Level 125.”
That should have been my first clue that the experience was not going to be as advertised; but perhaps I remembered incorrectly. Regardless, we were not “personally escorted to a dedicated elevator.”
Once we were whisked up to Level 124 — not Level 125 — we were then escorted to another bank of elevators which took us up to Level 148.
A stylishly chic lounge area — complete with waitpeople awaiting us with trays of drinks and small pastries — awaited us when we exited the elevator.
As for the claim of the highest observation deck in the world, the official declaration is framed for all to see.
There were plenty of couches on which to relax at any time; and there were also coffee tables on which to rest your drinks.
Although the three different drinks — each comprised of orange juice, pineapple juice, and a limeade flavored with mint — were plentiful and deliciously refreshing, the pastries were few and far between.
The pastries tasted very good when I was able to sample them. More often than not, the tray would already be empty by the time I was able to get to one.
There was an outdoor part of the observation deck on which visitors were invited to enjoy.
There were more people on Level 148 than I expected; but it was still quiet and relatively uncrowded.
When it was time for me to leave Level 148, I awaited the elevator, which escorted me to Level 124 instead of Level 125; and Level 124 was indeed crowded.
What a contrast to the experience on Level 148.
I approached an employee and asked about Level 125, as navigating through the crowds on Level 124 was not supposed to be part of my experience.
“Level 125 is closed, sir. That is why you are on Level 124.”
“Well, can I then please return to Level 148? I paid for a premium experience.”
“I am sorry, sir; but that is not possible.”
At 456 meters above the ground, and one level above the At the Top observatory, Level 125 offers you a spacious deck to enjoy the stunning 360-degree view of the city. This level also houses one of our newest attractions, Dubai – A Falcon’s Eye View that allows you to explore the city from a unique perspective. Enjoy personalised attention from Guest Ambassadors Learn fun trivia about Burj Khalifa and the Dubai skyline Capture your Burj Khalifa moments forever and integrate reality and special effects with green screen photography See prominent destinations in Dubai through Dubai – A Falcon’s Eye View experience.
I did not get to experience any of that at all despite having paid a premium for that. Instead of a spacious deck, I got to “enjoy” the crowds on Level 124, which had very few places where a person can sit. I made the most of it — but I should not have had to do that. If I wanted to do that, I could have paid significantly less money in the first place.
Summary
At no time was I informed that there were any “irregular operations” with the premium SKY experience, for which I paid an extra $102.00. As a result, I felt like I was cheated and deceived, which left a sour taste in my mouth of what otherwise could have been a pleasant and positively memorable experience at At The Top, Burj Khalifa.
If you must experience an observation deck at Burj Khalifa, I recommend that you do not waste your money on SKY. For one, there is little value of what you get in return for your money with the minimally better view; not having to wait in line; and the ten dollars — I am being generous here — worth of pastries, juices, dates and Arabic coffee. Go for the standard At The Top, Burj Khalifa experience instead if the line is not too long. Give yourself a minimum of one hour to enjoy the experience; and you can stay as long as you like until the official closing time that evening.
Treating customers with deception even once — never mind on a regular basis — will cause customers such as I to be “one-timers”, as I certainly do not intend to return there. They should be ashamed of themselves for not giving customers who are paying premium fees important information which significantly affects the experience as advertised — or, at least, give the customers some sort of a discount as compensation. They chose to do neither. That is simply wrong and inexcusable.
To ensure that my paying an extra $102.00 was worth it, all I ask of you is to avoid SKY and not pay that premium when you visit. Better yet, consider saving your money and not going at all if you are willing to wait for the observation deck at Kingdom Tower in Jeddah to open instead; and bypass Burj Khalifa altogether if all you want is to be in the tallest building in the world.
As for the views itself from Burj Khalifa from both observation decks, I took plenty of photographs which I intend to post in a future article.
