Are there really Gulet cruise scam?

Perfect boat but ruined holidays – POSSIBLE? HELL YES! This what we call gulet cruise scam.

However imagine the owner’s shock, when:

the clients wanted to have the bar opened all night long
when clients brought a box of vodka along with them on board (this is forbidden in Croatia 90% of the time)
when clients wanted to dance in the saloon and on deck all night long
clients coming back every night from the disco at 5 O’clock in the morning – loudly and in a ” cheerful mood”

Apparently, this was a mistake...

Itinerary proposed by the clients without consulting with agency

Clients proposed an itinerary, which was done by their friend’s couple of years ago, on a different (faster) type of gulet and they said this is A MUST HAVE ROUTE if the owner wishes to get a booking. The itinerary worked perfectly for the other group, but now it was terrible. Clients should always ask for a recommendation from an agency and the agency should always recommend the route to clients. Also, clients should listen to the owner for advice. Owners always wish to make clients happy so if an owner has a suggestion, listen to him.

Why that was a mistake?

Every gulet has a different engine, some have sails some don’t, some gulet owners are more experienced in some areas of the coast than others. So booking a Bodrum gulet cruise with a gulet which is specialized in the Marmaris area is not the best idea. It is not just about hidden coves and bays which some owners know; it is also about the land organizations. Gulet owner from Marmaris knows all the people in his area and can easily organize everything in this area for clients. While in Bodrum this could mean a huge headache for the owner.

So imagine the clients’ shock, when:

they had to cruise every day for almost 6 hours to do the route, while their friends cruised only 3 or 4 hours/day. This is a huge waste of time
they had to pay for transport to discotheques, land trips and other activities almost twice as much as their friends (because the owner was not expert for that particular area)
because of the heavy crowds in ports, they could not visit the same places after all as their friends (their friends traveled in June, while this group traveled in the busiest period in August)

As gulet experts, we always urge the clients to provide us with this info

Approximate budget range:

We operate with more than 500 different vessels, with more than 500 different crews and this means 500 different characters. If clients do not provide the agency with at least an approximate budget range, we will offer you 1 gulet for every category, ranging from the lowest possible (which can be from € 4.000 per week) to the highest possible budget (which can be up to € 25.000 or € 35.000 per week).

We have detailed descriptions of every category, and if you inform us which category suits you, we can then offer several gulets in your proffered category, which will give you more than 1 interesting choice.

The age and interest of clients:

Are you a party oriented group? Do you travel with small children or teenagers? Are you a group of seniors, or a group of several couples? This is very important info for us in order to provide you with a crew that will fit your group best.

The second thing is the interest of your group. Are you a sports oriented group, or do you just like to sunbathe, take a couple of swims and enjoy the best possible food? Do you like to check as many towns as possible or maybe you are interested in the religious type of cruise, exploring medieval architecture?

Gulet cruise experience:

If you have traveled with gulets before, the procedure of sending offers and entire reservation is completely different, then if you are doing this for the first time. For experienced gulet cruise travelers it is much more important to listen to their wishes exactly, and send proposals according to that.

It is much more important that people doing this for the first time, are guided through the entire process and supplied with as much info as possible.

Technical needs:

The last thing is the info on the number of cabins clients need, flexibility on the dates, preferences of the size of the gulet….

The Secret: What is the most important thing on your gulet cruise?

If the agency asks you for as much possible info as possible, do not hold back on the info provided. The more info you provide, the better the chance of getting the best holidays of your life.

And sometimes you can truly have a better time on a gulet for € 7.000 then on a gulet worth € 15.000 – the crew and activities during your gulet cruise are the factors that will determine if your cruise will be the best experience of your life or a disaster you might want to forget as soon as possible!