Side days compared
Pirate Boat or a Private Gulet in Side: Shared Fun or Your Own Boat?
One is a shared, themed day with a costumed crew and other families on board. The other gives your group a boat of its own. Both are good days out; they are just good at different things.
Short answer
Book the pirate boat if your group has children who want costumes, a treasure hunt, games and swim stops, and you are happy to share the deck with other families. Book a private gulet if your group wants the boat to itself — a celebration, a party of adults, or a family that wants its own pace. Large family groups can do the pirate day as one booking of up to 20 guests.
What you are really choosing between
The pirate boat trip is a ready-made day. You book seats, not the boat: the crew in pirate costume run the programme, the children get costumes, the day brings games, stories and a hunt for treasure, swim stops along the coast and lunch on board. Everything is planned, and all you do is turn up at the hotel pickup.
A private gulet day is the opposite idea. The boat is yours and your group's alone, and the day is shaped around you rather than around a programme. That privacy is the whole value of it.
Side by side
| Pirate boat trip | Private gulet day | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is on board | Your party plus other families | Only your group |
| The day's shape | A set pirate programme with swim stops and lunch | Shaped around your group |
| Suits | Families with children | Groups wanting privacy |
| Price basis | Per person: €20 adults, €14 ages 2 to 10 | Explained on our sister site |
Big families and groups
A grandparents-cousins-and-all holiday is where this choice comes up most. On the pirate boat trip one booking takes up to 20 guests; for more than that, message us and we will see what can be arranged rather than you filling in the form twice. Each guest pays their own age band, and children under 2 come free. The big groups guide explains how to book a party that size.
If the group would rather not share the day with anyone else, a private gulet is the honest answer. A shared pirate day is lively precisely because other families are on it.
Groups of adults
Our pirate days are designed for families, and a hen party or a group of friends will find the costumes and treasure hunts aimed squarely at children. The guide for adults and couples says plainly who should skip us. For a group of grown-ups, a boat to yourselves is very likely the happier day.
Couples are in the same position. A coast cruise with swim stops and lunch is pleasant in itself, but on our pirate days you will be sharing it with costumed children and a treasure hunt, and the crew will be in character from start to finish.
Using both on one stay
Some families split it: the pirate ship for the children's big day, a private boat for a birthday or an evening the adults want for themselves. Our sister site describes a private gulet day from Side, including how it is priced and what comes with it.
The pirate booking itself asks for nothing upfront. Bring euros on the day for the fare, and know you can cancel free of charge as long as it is 48 hours or more before departure.
Side Pirate Boat Trip: prices, what is included, and booking
