Istanbul Bosphorus: Dinner Cruise & Turkish Night Magic

Beautiful sites on the Bosphorus River in the evening. The live entertainment of a belly dancer and Sufi whirling was very interesting.

Pick up very prompt. Lots of people on board enjoying themselves. Very pleasant experience. Attentive staff on board. I can recommend this.

Amazing experience! The food was tasty, the staff super friendly, and the shows were so much fun. Seeing Istanbul at night from the Bosphorus was unforgettable. Definitely recommend this cruise!

Pors: Clean, team were polite, Appetizers were good. They accommodated my daughter birthday. Thanks to the team. Dances were good but was so rushed. Cons: Everything was rushed. Food is below average. People were standing, we couldn't see the show from back. Not worth the money.

We had a wonderful time. The show was excellent creating a great atmosphere. I recommend Acetes Travel and Mahir, who did his utmost to make our evening memorable. The only hiccup was the traffic in Istanbul, which meant that our pick- up was delayed and everybody had started eating when we arrived....The meal was very good too. Personnally, I recommend the chicken 🙂

The shuttle for pick up and drop off is in groups so do not expect a personal taxi, it was still very convenient. The food, service, show and atmosphere on the cruise were excellent. The only downside was a photographer that took photos at our table per couple and when he came back with the photos it was in the middle of a show with ridiculous prices. His behaviour also started to turn sour when we told him we wanted to watch the show and he started to negotiate for prices and left a bad experience in this regard.

Good value I think, seems well organised; hotel pickup worked well despite the Istanbul traffic, though you'd probably be quicker taking the tram if you're familiar with it. The 'private table' boast is a bit misleading; the tables are all joined together. Food was OK, not great but had worse. Not sure how a bread roll in a plastic bag could be so dry. The inside deck where the tables are is a bit crowded but there's plenty of space outside to watch the view. There was no commentary on the view after the first hour or so. My problem was with the drinks. You get your two small drinks with dinner - small wine (125ml) or very small beer (about 330ml?), but that's it. I had no idea how to buy another one. Asked one staff member who appeared to point me at the bar (though to be fair his English was not good), went to the bar where they said it was table service only. Sat back down and waited and waited for someone who looked like a waiter. Ordered another round of very small drinks which arrived about 10 minutes later. Then had to go through the same process again. And again. I felt like an alcoholic having to ask so often, but in reality I had less than two pints over the entire evening. Not sure what I was expecting but it was a far cry from the similarly-priced sunset cruise we did in Croatia where they never let your glass run dry. The dancing was well done and entertaining but they haul people up out the audience to dance too. If you want to avoid this, you have to go outside. Yes, I know, I am no fun. So in the end, I spent most of the evening outside, sober, just waiting for the whole thing to finish, which didn't happen until gone midnight. Lots of people seemed to enjoy and it would appeal to many, but if you're a miserable Scotsman who needs a few pints before getting up and dancing like a goon in from of 200 people, it's maybe not for you.

Pick up from our hotel was messy. Wouldn't describe as a cruise, boat did a repetitive zig zagging circuit about a kilometre from the start point. Food ordinary at best. Wait service was attentive however being invoiced and expected to pay for each drink round via card resulted in unnecessary bank fees and felt intrusive. Why couldn't an invoice for total drinks be rendered toward end of the night? Enjoyed the dancing show.

I booked this trip to celebrate my wife's birthday and to see the city by night from the water and was not disappointed. Booking was simple and tickets and info received quickly. Our hotel pick up was late as there was a very large football celebration going on across the city which had closed many roads. The driver was in contact with updates and we did not worry too much about this. After pick up we were quickly taken to the quayside and embarked our tourboat. The ship was well laid out and safe. We were escorted to our table where the appetiser was already served. We had lots of time for photographs inside and out and despite the rain outside the sights were beautifully lit and the sedate pace of the ship allowed for us to see everything. The entertainment was mixed and included a Dervish (he did a more gentle whirl due to space and being afloat!), turkish dancing, belly dancers and a dj. It was all well received. The food was tasty and hot and there were a couple of alcoholic glasses along with unlimited free soda etc. Onboard photography is offered but is not forced upon you and you dont feel obliged to buy. We arrived back at the dock before midnight and were taken back to our hotel. Overall a very pleasant experience and highly recommended amongst the huge choice of companies offering this event. Thankyou.

Very nice dinner cruise of the Bosphorus strait, our wake was Yasim was so helpful and kind. Very good atmosphere on board.