Blue Voyage Cruises

Blue Voyage

Blue Voyage Cruise With Our Family

The best way to describe my personal Blue Cruise is to reflect on our experience. During “high season” it is a best practice, to use a travel agency who specializes in travel to Turkey, such as Artun Travel, and book your Blue Voyage trip in advance. Nearly every boat, particularly the nicer ones, book in advance in the summer months.

We arrived in Dalaman Airport in Turkey via Istanbul and then traveled to Fethiye by taxi, where our Gulet was docked. The taxis in the Dalaman airport are plentiful due to the number of tourists who flock to the Mediterranean each year for a Blue Voyage cruise. Most of the taxi drivers have a set price for the trip, and though we were able to haggle slightly, the fare is set due to the long ride and the cost of fuel in Turkey (much higher than US prices).

The drive to Fethiye in the hot sun after a long flight seemed endless but the view was lovely. Once we arrived, we were able to ask around the port until we found our pre-reserved vessel. The Gulet captains know each other and they are polite and helpful.

Gulet

The Gulet
I was not certain what to expect, I viewed multiple photos of our Gulet, a wooden, motor, sailing yacht built for cruising mostly in the Mediterranean, I had concerns that what we saw in photos would not become a reality once we found our Gulet in the dock. As soon as we located our Captain, he took us on board while his crew ran back to our taxi to assist with our luggage. The Gulet was beautiful, we were most impressed with our vessel. Another reason it is important to work with a trusted travel agency, to ensure that you get the boat you saw in the photos.

Life on the Boat
Day 1 of our 7 day cruise, our Captain handed us a groceries list and we circled our grocery items including: Raki, various cheeses, Efes Pilsner Beer, olives, fresh fish and other delicious Turkish foods.  We paid for our groceries in addition to the cost of the boat that we negotiated & paid for back in the U.S.  Each morning in the port, one can see the “first mate” of each ship cleaning their Gulets.  Our Captain had been working on the Mediterranean since he was a boy.  His dream of becoming the Captain of his own Gulet had materialized by the time he was 30; he was a young yet knowledgeable, stern and respectful.  Our cook, who was phenomenal, prepared incredibly delicious and authentic Turkish meals three times daily, better than most restaurants.  We also had a first mate who was a sweet & polite high school student off for the summer working on our boat.  He attended to our every need, including rowing us to shore and back in a dingy on nights that we wanted to hit the own.

Our group had ten people total and the ship had six cabins so it was the perfect size. The Gulet was approximately 25 meters (or about 80 ft.) and the front and back decks were spacious. The front deck was used mainly for sunning with comfortable and clean sun mattresses. The front deck was also where the cook’s small grill was affixed; this grill cooked all our fabulous Mediterranean meals for the week. The center of the boat was used for eating and entertaining. We also had indoor space, a saloon, with a television and DVD player in case of poor weather. Each cabin was air conditioned and slept two with a private bathroom with a shower. Our Gulet had one master suite that was approximately 1.5 times the size of the other cabins. I was pleased to find our Gulet very clean, our staff hospitable and professional, and amenities extremely modern.

My Cabin on the Gulet

There are various tours one can take on a Blue Cruise, 3 day, 5 day and 7 day. Our trip was pre-arranged for 7 days, therefore our captain sat down with our group and discussed the two routes that were available for a 7 day cruise. Because this was our first cruise on a smaller vessel, he explained that of the two routes, one will rougher waters than the second and that perhaps we should consider the more mellow waters. We were traveling with three seniors (ages 69, 72 and 82), therefore, we took our Captain’s advice and went with less turbulence. The seniors did not have any problems with this voyage, in fact, it was very suitable for them.

Each morning, our captain would set sail around 6AM and we would head to a new location. Upon arrival, we would drop anchor and the cook would begin our breakfast preparation. In the meantime, my family and I would go for an early morning swim in the Mediterranean. After a quick dip in the Sea, we would dry off and breakfast would be served. One can expect a breakfast of feta cheese, Kasari cheese, black and green olives, seasoned tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, eggs and toast with a multitude of jams, Nutella or olive spread. On the less traditional side, our cook also prepared Omelets, pancakes and French toast. Tea and coffee are always served with breakfast.

Sails

After breakfast we would set sail again for approximately 45 minutes and before lunch time, we would drop anchor in a new harbor. Once again, we would swim, snorkel, canoe and then head back to the Gulet in time for lunch.

On certain days, we had activities planned. On our path, we headed for a more cultural or historical area where we docked for the day and headed to Ancient ruins and Ancient Greek Royal Graveyards. The Graveyards are carved into the side of a small mountain, it was an hour walk from the dock to find the graveyards so on that day, I went alone.

Ancient Greek Ruins

Most days, expect to pull into small port towns and shop for trinkets and Turkish souvenirs such as jewelry, rugs or smaller copper items. The Blue Voyage is a tremendously relaxing way to spend quality time with friends and loved ones. An unexpected surprise is when a vendor approaches you at sea. Villagers in their make-shift vessels will pull up next to your boat and sell you food or good they’ve made. You might find a more modern boat pulling up with a Jet Ski in tow and they rent the Jet Ski by the hour or by the day.It is pricey and they only take cash but what service!

Nights on the boat are spent playing cards, backgammon and drinking Efes Pilsner beer or Raki. The Captain may tell stories of other passengers he has hosted in the past. Mostly, we would eat, swim and laugh while listening to music or simply admiring the other boats in the harbor under the beautiful, Mediterranean night sky.

Efes Pilsner

For more information or to book a similar trip, please phone us at 312.263.1991 OR send us an email info@artuntravel.com

For more information or to book at trip please contact us HERE OR phone us at 312.263.1991 or 800.677.8875

Tagged as: Blue Voyage Cruise, Dalaman, Efes Pilsner, Fethiye, Life on the Mediterranean, Senior Travel