Istanbul Private Tour From Cruise Port

Started off bad when they told us to meet at a hotel across the way from cruise terminal because they couldn’t get to the cruise terminal. Two men arrived at the hotel 10 minutes before we were told to meet (good thing we were early) and walked us back to the cruise terminal. Neither spoke English and couldn’t answer any questions. We got to the boat and we’re seated. Almost immediately the waitress came and asked for our dessert order. The description of the tour said dinner included a Turkish dessert. The waitress charged us for dessert. I asked why we were getting charged and showed her that the description indicated dessert is included. She said that all we get is fruit coffee and tea. Not sure how fruit is an authentic Turkish dessert. The food was not great and they never served coffee or tea. The show was okay except most of what the females did was dance seductively to try to get money. The whole atmosphere was more of a dance club than a Turkish dinner show. I very disappointed overall with the experience.

<p>Really enjoyed the experience. The food was good. Service great. The show very entertaining.</p>

<p>We were treated well and totally enjoyed the experience</p>

<p>Driver met us at the ship on time, very professional, and courteous driver. Dinner show was fantastic. The food was so-so. Ride back to the ship was memorable. We definitely recommend!</p>

<p>Fun evening. The food was just mediocre, and we were not given any options on food. The atmosphere was very fun and lively. The show was entertaining. We were the only people in our van, so it was like having a private driver. Other people on the ship were there who had bought the package through the ship and paid much more than we did. Other ship passengers used taxis and paid much more for the taxis than we did for this package. Beware of taxi scams in Turkey. This would be a 5 star if the food was a little better.</p>

<p>The driver was waiting at the port entrance about 10 minutes early with a very beautiful van. Note that the driver does not speak the entire 20 minute drive to the restaurant which was awkward. However, he was a good driver and it was a nice drive through part of Istanbul. The restaurant was beautiful and the staff was so friendly! Entertainment was amazing and so was the food and I'm picky. We loved the food and the dancers were so impressive. The last act was a man that sang national anthems or songs from the audiences native countries. It ended the night on a great note. One of the best things we did in Istanbul! Highly recommend this!</p>

<p>We had a nice night out on this tour. As we were not with the large bus crowds, we got a great table and were served our dinner and drinks first. The entertainment was fun and the food was good.</p>

<p>Pick up and drop off were to schedule, the venue was 90% booked out, seating was not favorable for one of us, we were seated in an alcove behind a pillar parallel to the back of the stage, despite empty seats at the back of the room facing the stage??? When I commented that i could not see, the waiter said it is ok the stage comes out, you will be able to see the show. I think he should have sat there to experience what you actually cannot see. It was impossible to keep leaning over the table to see around the pillar for the whole of the show. The food was not as inviting as in the advertised pictures. The show was enjoyable, well presented, encouraging all to take a part, but i would not go again.</p>

<p>We felt this experience was adequate at best. The dancers were good, but we were not well seated to enjoy the show. The long tables were very crowded and the servers rushed.<br/> The food was OK, the appetizers were the best part, the rest ordinary. Overall the experience was very touristy and we would not repeat it.</p>

<p>The show was OK, the food good, but we were expecting a more professional, authentic show in a classier setting.</p>

<p>do not join this excursion!! its a rip off!! the guide just picked us up with the driver and left us. the restaurant was old and dark inside. everything was super unorganized, there were only one server and one helper taking care of at least 30 people in each section. there were at least 15 minute wait in-between each courses and the food tasted awful!!! all courses combined, was worth probably less than 10 dollars. the server was super rude and ignored what we had to say plus we couldn't get hold of him most of the time because he was too busy bringing food out or hiding in the kitchen. the dance routines were boring and minimal audience participation. nine of us went as a whole family and i felt so ashamed and embarrassed afterwards. i wish i never even though about booking this in the first place. ive had so many tours booked through Viator before and it never let me down except this.</p>

<p>Wonderful evening! The driver picked us up on time and escorted us to the restaurant. We enjoyed a traditional 5 course meal, a bottle of wine and a very entertaining show.</p>

<p>Our tour operator was right outside the port right on time. We had wonderful seats and the food was delicious! The show was lots of fun and even had audience participation. The man at the end carried on a bit longer than probably necessary but he was funny!</p>

<p>The meeting point probably needs to be defined better (is it at the ship or at the security gate). The dinner and entertainment was good unfortunately our table was in a corner at the back of the stage and we didn't have a very good view. We were disappointed at the end of the night when we were taken to the wrong area to return to the ship. The gate was closed and we had a long walk back to the security gate then a long walk back to the ship. ( The bus had let us off opposite the entrance to the ship but outside the security fence).</p>

<p>ok for the price setting arrangements could better for was ok</p>

<p>The tour operator was great. We were picked up on time in a nice small mini van. The food was very good except the wine. The program was not very good. There was one good belly dancer of the four. The rest were not good or danced to modern music as if they were part of a strip club act. This was billed as a folkloric show but it tried to be more of a night club act. The singer did mostly American songs and tried to engage the audience by singing a song for each of the countries that the audience represented. There were some folk dancers but they were not very good at all. I could not recommend this tour as it was not a memorable part of my vacation.</p>

<p>A great night, the food was good and the entertainment excellent.</p>

<p>a very enjoyable evening , show was fantastic and the dinner was great food and great service all round</p>

<p>Viator pickup and return was fantastic. Will book with them again.<br/> The show was very good. The meal was a disgrace for a country like Turkey. I know Turkey has a lot better food to offer. Cannot recommend the food at the venue. Service was good. Go to the show for belly dancing.</p>

<p>Our driver picked us up as scheduled. He pointed relevant landmarks and buildings on our way to the restaurant. We had a great seating location. The dinner was delicious with a bottle of wine and bottled waters included in the price. The show was fun and entertaining. A great night!</p>

<p>So worth it! We were the only ones on our bus and we got there well in advance of the cruise ship crowds (on our second course when they showed up). Beautiful restaurant and delicious food. Show included 4 belly dancers, 3 folk dancing groups (the Cossacks were my favourite) and lots of singing!</p>

<p>Great evening with a nice dinner and great show. We would highly recommend this excursion.</p>

<p>The show was good, although the tour guide turned up half an hour after the time given to us and there were others also waiting for the same tour who had the same time as us. Food was just ok, thought the dessert could have been a bit more authentic.</p>

<p>Brilliant! Small group of 8 compared to busload on ship tours.We were picked up at port in van,whisked to the excellent venue ahead of ship excursions,given a great spot on balcony.Great service from our waiter as we were served good food and drinks and then treated to outstanding show with local Turkish culture,some good pop singing at the end with this guy who could sing any country's songs in their language and the amazing belly dancers-4.Outstanding value-not to be missed!</p>

<p>This being our first Viator Tour we didn't know what to anticipate. We were on a HAL cruise and usually used the ships tours but in comparing the pricing for the same venue we decided to try Viator and we were glad we did. We were met at the pier by the driver and much to our delight three additional couples also booked this tour. Good driver, clean comfortable mini-bus type vehicle and right on time. We did get to see some of the city on our way to the show. We arrived at least 30 minutes before the other big group tours and were seated on the balcony overlooking the stage. Our delicious meal and drinks were served in the normal sequence in a relaxed time frame. The big tours were jammed into long tables on the main floor and we observed the meals being served out of sequence. Talked to passengers later who took the ship's tour and they were disappointed at their seating and not receiving the complete meal. <br/> This was a great introduction to Turkish food and excellent entertainment - belly dancers, knife throwers, folk dancers (even some audience participation with the belly dancers if you are brave enough! ) It was concluded by an entertainer who sang songs from around the world, based on the nationalities in the audience. As we exited the building our driver was there to meet us and a short walk to the van and we returned to the ship. Excellent night, great ambience, hospitality, food and we do recommend this trip.</p>

<p>Night Tour with dinner, Picked up on time in very clean and modern minivans. Dinner was fun. Large crowd treated to a range of dancing acts from folk dancing to belly dancing. Meal was enjoyable and we were picked up and dropped of back to the ship. This tour could be enhanced by the addition of a short tour to see some of the floodlit buildings. The advertisement suggests that his is actually part of the tour</p>

<p>The van pickup was very late (45 minutes) which is very frustrating when there is no way to call them in the evening to confirm meeting location and time. Otherwise, the food, service, and entertainment was outstanding!</p>

<p>wonderful...Driver picked us up at the ship and returned us as well in a clean van on time<br/> The food was good, as was the show.<br/> Same tour as the ships at a better price</p>

<p>Our evening was a delight. Our driver was waiting at the cruise terminal on time. We arrived for the show early and were seated and served dinner just as the masses started to arrive. The food was good, the dacing was delightful and even better was the master of ceremonies who got the entire house singing and participating even though we were representing many different countries and cultures. The driver was waiting for us after the show and we arrive back at our ship before the cruise lines group returned.</p>

<p>Very enjoyable evening. Though the pickup was one half hour late we were still the first party to the event location. Dinner was good, served promptly and sufficeient. Entertainment was excellent and we could have stayed for even more but some in our party wanted to leave before it was done as they had a early morning. All in all it was a wonderful evening and one I would definitely recommend for anyone wanting an "evening on the town."</p>