Mark,
Firstly, so you don't hack them off, its just Emirates ( no Air ). Its too early to give much information on this but Emirates is a very slick operation and Dubai is an incredibly modern airport so you shouldn't encounter many problems. July is the very hot season in Dubai and so tourist traffic is lower than in the cooler months. You'd need to check up on the Visa requirements for US citizens but us Brits just get a visa on arrival ( i.e. just the normal stamp in the passport valid for 60 days ) ... see <a href="http://www.government.ae/gov/en/index.jsp" target="_blank">http://www.government.ae/gov/en/index.jsp</A>.
Note also that you can get Duty Free on arrival in Dubai.