Istanbul Private Yacht

[rich_cathybrock]

Has anyone ever cruised the Bosphorus on a private yacht?

 

http://www.toursistanbul.com/istanbulbosphoruscruisedinner.htm

 

I saw the company above while looking for ideas, and we have an overnight there in the Fall - it sounds lovely, but I don't want to find out I rented a dinghy for 370 Euro...:eek:.

 

Has anyone ever done this with Tours Istanbul or others? Thanks in advance.

[CintiPam]

I have read on sister website tripadvisor's travel forum about people renting boats that are cabin cruiser size for an evening trip on the Bosphorus, but not about any private yachts.

 

A search on that forum should provide some names of captains to contact.

[harveyCruiser]

Just email them - you won't be disappointed. They will send you all the information and photos of the yacht they use to remove any uncertainties you have.

 

A friend of ours booked this through them last October with his family on a free afternoon from the Celebrity cruise and they have raved about it to us since :). We enjoyed seeing their photos so you can be sure it is the elegant motor-yachts they show on their website for 2-12 people, so definitely no dinghies! They also did some other private tours through them and were very happy. Everything seemed to run smoothly and as they hoped it to be. In his photos it was a beautiful sunny day for them on the yacht and the water palaces look incredible.

 

We hope to do a cruise that will include Istanbul later this year so I have saved a copy of their contact information (email info@toursistanbul.com). We hope to be able to do this ourselves then!

[Hlitner]

Wow! We have been to Istanbul several times (land and sea) and never thought of this idea. It really sounds fabulous. If you do take this yacht please post a detailed review.

 

Hank

[rich_cathybrock]

I have been looking all over for ideas, and what I see is mostly belly dancing (way too touristy for me) or dinner at the Maiden's Tower, which is prix fixe for $100.00 per person US.

 

We are boaters, and would truly enjoy doing this. I am going to email the tour provider, get some quotes, and let everyone know what I get in terms of response.

 

I will post photos and a review when we get back in October. Thanks for helping me make up my mind to do this...

[rich_cathybrock]

We just returned last week from the HAL NA RT Venice on 9/24. We had the pleasure of visiting Istanbul on an overnight.

 

As promised, I am writing a review of this service because I could find nothing on CC about this kind of tour there. In a word, it was FABULOUS!

 

We had a total of four couples including myself and DH. Various ages and states of mobility, which was a worry for me when planning.

 

At exactly the designated time, we were greeted by a huge air conditioned Mercedes Van, escorted to the dock, and a met a 70 ft. custom fiberglass yacht with wrap-around teak decks, and a huge teak table and chairs aft where we sat, sailed, and were told of so much of the history, art, and architecture we passed as we went up the Bosphorus for an hour, then swung around and sailed back down while watching a glorious sunset. They offered dinner as an option when booking, but we opted out. Cocktails were available for purchase while onboard, and they set out trays of Turkish Delight for us.

 

The crew was absolutely lovely, the service professional, and the experience completely memorable. I would recommend this group again and again, and the 8 of us all maintained this was the BEST tour we had on the entire cruise!

 

If I can answer any questions, please reply to this thread and I will do my best. What a treat! You can reach them at info@toursistanbul.com.

 

Bon voyage!

[celyvabeach]

We just returned last week from the HAL NA RT Venice on 9/24. We had the pleasure of visiting Istanbul on an overnight.

 

As promised, I am writing a review of this service because I could find nothing on CC about this kind of tour there. In a word, it was FABULOUS!

 

We had a total of four couples including myself and DH. Various ages and states of mobility, which was a worry for me when planning.

 

At exactly the designated time, we were greeted by a huge air conditioned Mercedes Van, escorted to the dock, and a met a 70 ft. custom fiberglass yacht with wrap-around teak decks, and a huge teak table and chairs aft where we sat, sailed, and were told of so much of the history, art, and architecture we passed as we went up the Bosphorus for an hour, then swung around and sailed back down while watching a glorious sunset. They offered dinner as an option when booking, but we opted out. Cocktails were available for purchase while onboard, and they set out trays of Turkish Delight for us.

 

The crew was absolutely lovely, the service professional, and the experience completely memorable. I would recommend this group again and again, and the 8 of us all maintained this was the BEST tour we had on the entire cruise!

 

If I can answer any questions, please reply to this thread and I will do my best. What a treat! You can reach them at info@toursistanbul.com.

 

Bon voyage!

 

 

 

Thanks for coming back to give a review of the Bosphorus cruise. How much did it cost? Will be doing a Holy Land cruise in Nov 2011 which will end in Rome but will do a side trip to Istanbul. There are 3 couples in my group.

[rich_cathybrock]

It was 399 Euro for up to 8 people. This included the transfer and a two-hour cruise. We had 8 total, so at 50 Euro/pp it was a really good deal.

 

I had to fill out a PDF form to book. They charged a deposit to my credit card, and charged the balance about 72 hrs. before the date of the tour.

 

It was no hassle at all that way, and everyone paid me back in cash on the ship during the Meet & Greet.

 

Their web site is at:

http://www.toursistanbul.com/private/private-yacht.htm

 

They have photos of the yachts and pretty good detail on the itineraries. I should mention that the group minus DH and I went to dinner in the City, and the Mercedes driver was kind enough to drop us off back at port, and then drop them off at the restaurant for the price of a good tip. They were really amiable, and hard-working (running a yacht isn't easy) and I came away from it with a lot of respect for them.

 

I wish you a wonderful time there! Istanbul is an amazing city!

[celyvabeach]

Thanks so much for the info...so glad you had a wonderful time in Istanbul. Heard it's a wonderful city,that's why we are doing a side trip there!

[bw333]

:) Same trip as Cathy. We had 11 people and paid for the tour guide. We all had nice seats around the table. The guide was great, and the views beautiful. We did not have a transfer pick us up, we had some mix up at the port, and we met the boat close to port, we ended up having to

walk about ten minutes back to port. I suggest you get more info about pickup and drop off. My husband and I ordered two wines, however they were small and expensive!

Overall. we enjoyed the trip, the guide and the boat!

[Gamin2008]

Wow! We have been to Istanbul several times (land and sea) and never thought of this idea. It really sounds fabulous. If you do take this yacht please post a detailed review.

 

Hank

 

Funny, I've posted twice on my Roll Call about Bosphorus Cruise and/or dinner cruise and got no reaction, no response. Even posted on Ports of Call and nothing! I guess no one is interested? But I'll go anyways.

[ninkb]

. . . for pulling out this older thread. It's wonderful information to have while planning our time in Istanbul.