Alanya Pirate Boat Adventure

We liked it as a family not to long not to short just right amount of time on both

I’ve done a number of boat trips over the years and unfortunately this one was pretty underwhelming. It wasn’t particularly expensive, so expectations were realistic, but even allowing for the price there were several aspects of the experience that simply weren’t good enough. One difficulty when booking through TripAdvisor is that it’s extremely hard to work out which actual tour operator or boat you are booking with from the photographs and description. In our case, we ended up on a boat called the Titanic – genuinely! There were some positives. The crew on the boat were all lovely and made a real effort with the guests. The foam party was good fun, lasted a decent amount of time and the crew joined in with dancing and entertainment. The food was basic but perfectly edible, served hot and broadly what we expected. Only fizzy drinks were included, which appeared to have changed from the “soft drinks” advertised when we originally booked. Beer and cocktails were available at extra cost, as were photographs with a parrot. We were offered a photo package for €100, which we declined. The actual boat trip covered roughly 10 miles, with two swimming stops and a lunch stop. Unfortunately, the sailing itself was quite dull. Once you leave Alanya there isn’t a great deal to see along this particular stretch of coastline. There were no caves, hidden beaches or particularly interesting sights, and no commentary whatsoever about the area, its history or mythology. Even a small amount of information from the crew would have added considerably to the experience. The biggest problem, however, was the transfer. The minibus that collected us was frankly dreadful. There were no seat belts – including for our nine-year-old son, who we had to physically hold during the journey – and there was no functioning air conditioning. It was unbearably hot inside. The vehicle itself was in very poor condition, as the photographs show, and the seats all seemed to recline backwards into the passenger behind with no way of adjusting them. For a tourist transfer, and particularly one carrying children, the lack of seat belts was unacceptable and felt genuinely unsafe. The transfer also didn’t actually take us directly to the boat. We had a guide with us who seemed rather more interested in flirting with some of the girls in our minibus than getting everyone to the boat efficiently. We did eventually make it, but the whole process felt disorganised. Our original pickup time of 8:30am was also changed to 8:00am the evening before. The driver then arrived at 7:45am – fortunately we happened to be outside and ready. We were the first pickup and our hotel was approximately an hour from Alanya, yet the boat did not leave until around 10:30am. I’m therefore not sure why it was necessary for us to be collected so early and spend such a long time waiting around before departure. On the boat itself, the music was far too loud. At times it was impossible to have a normal conversation with the people sitting next to you. During the foam party it reached a level that, in my view, was uncomfortable and potentially unsafe for prolonged exposure, particularly for children. The toilets were also utterly revolting and badly in need of attention. Overall, there were some enjoyable moments and the boat crew themselves deserve credit for being friendly and trying to create a fun atmosphere. However, the unsafe and extremely uncomfortable transfer, excessive music volume, filthy toilets and rather uninspiring sailing route meant this was not a trip I would choose to do again. I also think TripAdvisor needs to make it much clearer which tour operator and boat you are actually booking with. Had that information been obvious beforehand, it would have been possible to research the operator properly before deciding whether to book. The crew were good. The foam party was fun. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience let them down badly.

It was good . We started by going around the cliffs sticking near the coast before taking a couple of swim breaks scattered around the coast. We got a free lunch which was nice.

Price, collection fee and overall experience were very good; I highly recommend it.

We were told we would be brought back by bus but were supposed to take the public bus. The swimming breaks were just enough to get into the water and right back out. The food was delicious but everything was rushed.