Blue Cruisin’ on the Turkish Mediterranean!

Turkey

comment 13 Comments

By Ryan Gargiulo

Alaturka Blue Cruise

ALATURKA BLUE CRUISE

When I learned that part of our 12-day tour of Turkey with AlaTurka included a blue cruise on the Mediterranean, I was beyond excited! I mean who wouldn’t want to cruise along the southern coast of Turkey?

Prior to receiving our itinerary from Alaturka, I had never heard of a blue cruise before. After chatting with my neighbor in Chiang Mai about our itinerary, she gushed with excitement telling me that a blue cruise has been on her bucket list for a long time now. It was from that point on that I knew we were in for a treat.

When we arrived at the port in Demre we had a few hours to kill. While we waited at the bus stop for Alaturka to pick us up, two older couples arrived who had just docked in Demre as part of a one week cruise and decided, after four days, to cut the cruise short and get off in Demre. They claimed that they simply “had enough” and hopped off in Demre.

The couple proceeded to inform us about how rustic the boats were and how it was pointless to have an actual room onboard when everyone slept on the deck in the open air instead of their cabins due to the extreme heat in the cabins. Basically, they made the experience sound terrible at best. Ryan and I looked at each other, without saying a word, and thought “Crap, how do we get ourselves out of this mess before it even begins?”

From that moment, I assumed the cruise was going to suck and lost all anticipation. Boy, was I wrong!

Alaturka Blue Cruise - Docked in Kekova

ALL ABOARD!

We boarded the gullet and almost immediately were assigned to our rooms. When we opened our cabin door there was barely enough room for Ryan and I to stand next to each other! Yes, the cabins are small. No, they are TINY, and the bathrooms are even smaller. But, who signs up for a blue cruise and spends their free time in their cabin anyway?

Alaturka Gulet Cruise

A GOOD CREW

As soon as we started cruising I knew it was going to be an experience to remember. The four crew members and the fourteen passengers on board quickly became friends. Everyone was so nice and friendly. Neither Ryan nor I are big drinkers so we were hoping the other passengers weren’t young 20-somethings looking to get wasted and act a fool. Luckily, there was a good mix of people and we all got along very well.

To describe the next 4 days in one word would be… Paradise.

Floating in the Mediterranean Sea

THE SLEEPING SITUATION

What that cranky couple at the bus station forgot to mention was that sleeping on the deck, under the stars, was a privilege not an alternative to a hot cabin room. Ryan slept out on the deck two of the three nights and absolutely loved it. I, on the other hand, had a bed all to myself where I could sprawl out and avoid anyone stealing all the blankets. Can you say perfect?

On our last morning, I awoke to a local woman selling gozleme (a traditional Turkish pancake made either sweet or savory), on her small boat right outside my cabin window.

Gozleme

I woke up, ordered a pancake through my window and was quickly reminded again how sweet life is!

HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE!

I have traveled to more than 17 countries and have had many amazing experiences throughout my travels. From jumping out of planes and riding in hot air balloons, to island hopping in Greece, making pizzas in Rome, riding in a jeep through the Sahara Desert and rescuing an injured kitten in Thailand. Throughout all my travels, the blue cruise with Alaturka ranks among my personal top 5 travel experiences.

I have never felt more relaxed, free and more blessed in my entire life.

Alaturka Blue Cruise

When travel becomes a lifestyle, it is very easy to forget how fortunate you are. Sometimes we need to remind each other how lucky we are and to live in the moment that we are experiencing, not to take things for granted and not to let the little things bog us down.

There was something about cruising the Mediterranean, laying out in the gorgeous weather, and swimming amongst turtles with gorgeous scenery, away from civilization and the Internet that made me realize exactly how fortunate I really am.

LIVIN’ THE GOOD LIFE

So, what did we do for four days on the Mediterranean Sea? We spent our days making new friends, lying in the sun, swimming in the sea, paragliding over one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, eating delicious food, drinking wine and dancing our nights away.

Alaturka Blue Cruise Crew

I can definitely see why a blue cruise has been on my neighbor’s bucket list for a while now. One thing I continuously said to Ryan during our four day trip was, “EVERYONE should experience this once in their lives!”

DEMRE TO FETHIYE CRUISE MAP

ITINERARY:

Depart Demre — Arrive: Fethiye

Day 1: Blue Cave, The Sunken City of Kekova, Simena Castle

Day 2: Kas, Limangazi Bay, Aquarium Bay

Day 3: Butterfly Valley, Oludeniz, St Nicholas Island

Day 4: Arrive in Fethiye

DETAILS:

Duration: 4 days / 3 nights

Food: All meals (B, L, D) are included except breakfast on the first day and dinner on fourth day.

Drinks: All drinks are cost extra but are priced very reasonably. Drinks get added to a tab and tallied up on the final day of the cruise.

Interested in taking a blue cruise like us? Be sure to view our full blue cruise itinerary. If you’re interested in a more private experience, check out Alaturka’s private yacht charters.

Our 12-day trip to Turkey was courtesy of Alaturka Turkey. As always, all views and opinions expressed above are our own.

13 thoughts on “Blue Cruisin’ on the Turkish Mediterranean!”

  1. Next time you do one of these can I please squish into your suitcase?!

    And I love that you mentioned DaveyBoy from CM as one of your highlights! LOL

    Reply
    • Thanks Jill! I know Ryan said “Isn’t that kind of out of place as a highlight of your travels?” Absofreakinlutely NOT! Haha Such a cat lady! xoxo

      Reply
  2. If I may to add your comment…I would say AT least once in their life. I had a pleasure of cruising in 2011. It is a magical unforgettable experience. At as not everything might be perfect..it is all in the eyes of beholder. The freshly caught fish, fall asleep under the stars, being awakened by the gentle touch of the fresh breeze! No doubt I am going back for more of that!

    Reply
  3. This looks and sounds like a unique experience. When I go back to Turkey, I definitely want to spend more time exploring the country’s coasts, and this looks like a fabulous way to do it!

    Reply

Leave a Comment