Our Top Tips for Yachting in Turkey!
When you charter your Turkish gulet or yacht for a Mediterranean cruise, here are some important things to keep in mind:
2. You Provide the Entertainment
The yacht's captain and staff are there for your safety and comfort, to direct and maintain the vessel, to prepare meals and to keep everything ship-shape, but they do not provide entertainment, shore excursions, or guide services.
The captain and crew provide the yacht. It's up to you to provide the entertainment. If you want guided excursions, you must hire a guide or arrange for shore excursions yourself.
TTP's recommended travel agencies can usually make all arrangements for both the yacht charter and any shore excursions, but these are separate programs. The yacht cruise does not normally include guiding service or shore excursions.
1. Optimal Packing
Yacht dress is informal, so pack for comfort rather than style. Shorts, T-shirts, bathing suits of course, but also some warmer clothing (trousers, a windbreaker) for windy cruising and cool nights of lying on deck and star-gazing.
Street shoes must be removed on board, so have clean sneakers, sandals or flip-flops for on-board wear...or go barefoot!
It's best to have soft-sided luggage, as luggage storage spaces may be small and oddly-shaped. A bag that folds or scrunches is great.
Don't forget sunblock, hat and sunglasses. On board, the glare from the sun overhead and the reflection off the water give you a double-whammy of sun exposure.
3. Your Fellow Voyagers May Be Different
If you charter the full yacht and choose all of the people who will sail with you, you'll know what to expect. But if you arrange a cabin charter (just renting one cabin on the yacht), you will be sailing with others whom you have not met. They may not speak your language, and they may have come aboard to enjoy the cruise in a different way.
You may want to be active, going ashore to explore at every opportunity. They may prefer rest, relaxation, sunning, sipping, reading and napping. Or vice-versa! You may enjoy conversation, they may enjoy silent contemplation of the natural beauties of the Turquoise coast.
Yachts are small vessels. Everyone lives together in close quarters, which calls for a positive outlook, friendly attitude, and willingness to contribute to accommodate others' preferences as well as your own. In the right spirit, this means you may make valuable new friends, and learn new ways of looking at the world.
4. The Yacht May Change Itinerary
If you charter the yacht, the captain may be able to accommodate your wishes as to itinerary, starts and stops, and ports of call, weather and laws permitting.
If you are part of a cabin charter yacht on a group voyage, however, the sailing itinerary is set in advance, and the captain may not be able to deviate from it to meet individual voyagers' desires.
Check the itinerary description of your cabin charter yacht carefully before you reserve your cabin, and ask questions about specific itinerary stops and features if you're not sure of what is offered.
Keeping these points in mind, you're ready for the yacht voyage vacation of a lifetime!
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