Gulet trip from hell!!!
Sep 19th, 2006 | 08:17 AM
#21
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
I sympathise with the horrid time that these women had during their gulet trip (and I fully believe their story).
However, to AllyPally and all the other people considering gulet cruises ..... please don't let this experience put you off doing one of these wonderful tours.
I am a 50-something sole female traveller and I did a 4-day round trip out of Fethiye a couple of years ago. There were 10 people on the boat and we all had a fabulous time. And you will find many other people with great stories of wonderful experiences with other cruises.
Just do your homework first and ask a lot of questions about the boat, crew, number of passengers vs. number of actual beds in cabins, exact itinerary, and any testimonials from previous passengers.
To Tara (ma23peas), Turkey is a great country to travel in, with beautiful places to visit and many wonderful people who go out of their way to help you have a great time. I encourage you to go and see it for yourself.
However, to AllyPally and all the other people considering gulet cruises ..... please don't let this experience put you off doing one of these wonderful tours.
I am a 50-something sole female traveller and I did a 4-day round trip out of Fethiye a couple of years ago. There were 10 people on the boat and we all had a fabulous time. And you will find many other people with great stories of wonderful experiences with other cruises.
Just do your homework first and ask a lot of questions about the boat, crew, number of passengers vs. number of actual beds in cabins, exact itinerary, and any testimonials from previous passengers.
To Tara (ma23peas), Turkey is a great country to travel in, with beautiful places to visit and many wonderful people who go out of their way to help you have a great time. I encourage you to go and see it for yourself.
Sep 19th, 2006 | 08:50 PM
#22
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 587
Likes: 0
Dear chriss_hk,
you wrote that:
"I arranged this trip via emails. the email responses from the company regarding arrangements for the trip sometimes come with a Sempatic email address and others come with an Olympos email address "
Would you send me those e-mail PLEASE
Thanks
Sinan Akdeniz
you wrote that:
"I arranged this trip via emails. the email responses from the company regarding arrangements for the trip sometimes come with a Sempatic email address and others come with an Olympos email address "
Would you send me those e-mail PLEASE
Thanks
Sinan Akdeniz
Sep 20th, 2006 | 09:42 AM
#25
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 587
Likes: 0
Hi unaS,
I have been wathing this issue since chriss_hk wrote on this forum then I carried this issue to LP because olympus (I think ANZAK here) is writting there and he responsed that the companies are different BUT According chriss_hk YES. They are working together.
I have to see chriss e-mails then I can say something.
Sinan Akdeniz
I have been wathing this issue since chriss_hk wrote on this forum then I carried this issue to LP because olympus (I think ANZAK here) is writting there and he responsed that the companies are different BUT According chriss_hk YES. They are working together.
I have to see chriss e-mails then I can say something.
Sinan Akdeniz
Sep 20th, 2006 | 08:13 PM
#27
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
Sorry I've been so slow replying to you, Sinan, but I am gathering together all the relevant information that suggests that the 2 companies are related. Once I have all of the facts correct, I'll post again to let you know.
At this stage, all I can say is that all of the emails regarding arranging and paying for the trip were with Sempatik (ie. all emails up to the point of embarkation).
However, as a response to the complaint letter written by my friends, I received an apology/ explanation email from Olympos Yachting ([email protected]).
This was the first hint I had that they were related. If they are <b>not</b> related companies, then why did Olympos Yachting reply to a complaint made to Sempatik?
At this stage, all I can say is that all of the emails regarding arranging and paying for the trip were with Sempatik (ie. all emails up to the point of embarkation).
However, as a response to the complaint letter written by my friends, I received an apology/ explanation email from Olympos Yachting ([email protected]).
This was the first hint I had that they were related. If they are <b>not</b> related companies, then why did Olympos Yachting reply to a complaint made to Sempatik?
Sep 21st, 2006 | 05:22 AM
#29
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Chriss, i got the clue: You have been on the boat Suleymanbey. Owner of the boat is the brother of the owner of Sempatik Yachting. Olympos Yachting had customers booked on the same cruise, therefore everything mixed up. As i wrote, they are different companies and Sempatik Yachting is still NOT known as Olympos Yachting.
Sep 21st, 2006 | 08:25 PM
#31
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Hi,
Just for the record, we 'four 40+ women) would also agree with Never2old2travel.
We recognise that our experience is not the norm...hence the opening of my first email, that we are not seeking to vilify any one person, company or country. Many aspects of the trip were fantastic- the locations, the sights, the swimming and meeting the other passengers......simply being there was a great opportunity, and not one I would deter others from doing.
Again, just do your homework (although I dont suppose that any brochure/advertising will say 'we overbook passengers, we provide sexual harassment, we dont follow the itininary and we operate 4 day cruises lasting only <3 days!!)
My 'new' checklist would include:
* asking others about their experiences- getting the name of the boat and the Captain/crew if the review is good, as well as the name of the company (as clearly there can be great variations between crew standards and the condition of the boats)
* particularly if travelling at high peak times, ask if the boat/crew are part of their normal fleet, or short-term leases/personnel to deal with the increased clientele during these busy times.
* what is the allocated berths/number of beds on the boat on which you are booked, and seek assurances that each passenger will have a cabin/bed space (apart from the sleeping arrangements on deck) for the storage of luggage etc
Our trip was so over booked that some passengers had cabins with a single bed/space but two people were booked into it, and at meal times their were insufficient chairs for everyone- someone had to sit on a gas bottle with a cushion! We dare not even check re the number of life-jackets on board (as they were located under the cabin beds- and not everyone had one of those!)
*Read the agreement fine print well
It is highly biased towards the operator- ie you have no-comeback after you have left the boat, therefore if problems arise you must deal with them whilst still on the boat, via the Captain (too bad if he is the problem) or the company directly (if you have a mobile phone and if it has reception).
Equally the terms and conditions state that basically the Captain has full discretion re where, when, if or how he follows the set itininary- very understandable given his role and responsibility in cases of adverse weather, boat safety etc- not so good, when he is the problem and is very drunk, or suffering from a hangover, at the time of making these decision.
* perhaps, if I was to go ahead on another trip, I would also ask about the level of English of the crew- we were lucky that the Turkish passengers on board were very supportive, and certainly played a major role in calming down the Captain in his drunken state.
Otherwise, simply enjoy a great experience.
Just for the record, we 'four 40+ women) would also agree with Never2old2travel.
We recognise that our experience is not the norm...hence the opening of my first email, that we are not seeking to vilify any one person, company or country. Many aspects of the trip were fantastic- the locations, the sights, the swimming and meeting the other passengers......simply being there was a great opportunity, and not one I would deter others from doing.
Again, just do your homework (although I dont suppose that any brochure/advertising will say 'we overbook passengers, we provide sexual harassment, we dont follow the itininary and we operate 4 day cruises lasting only <3 days!!)
My 'new' checklist would include:
* asking others about their experiences- getting the name of the boat and the Captain/crew if the review is good, as well as the name of the company (as clearly there can be great variations between crew standards and the condition of the boats)
* particularly if travelling at high peak times, ask if the boat/crew are part of their normal fleet, or short-term leases/personnel to deal with the increased clientele during these busy times.
* what is the allocated berths/number of beds on the boat on which you are booked, and seek assurances that each passenger will have a cabin/bed space (apart from the sleeping arrangements on deck) for the storage of luggage etc
Our trip was so over booked that some passengers had cabins with a single bed/space but two people were booked into it, and at meal times their were insufficient chairs for everyone- someone had to sit on a gas bottle with a cushion! We dare not even check re the number of life-jackets on board (as they were located under the cabin beds- and not everyone had one of those!)
*Read the agreement fine print well
It is highly biased towards the operator- ie you have no-comeback after you have left the boat, therefore if problems arise you must deal with them whilst still on the boat, via the Captain (too bad if he is the problem) or the company directly (if you have a mobile phone and if it has reception).
Equally the terms and conditions state that basically the Captain has full discretion re where, when, if or how he follows the set itininary- very understandable given his role and responsibility in cases of adverse weather, boat safety etc- not so good, when he is the problem and is very drunk, or suffering from a hangover, at the time of making these decision.
* perhaps, if I was to go ahead on another trip, I would also ask about the level of English of the crew- we were lucky that the Turkish passengers on board were very supportive, and certainly played a major role in calming down the Captain in his drunken state.
Otherwise, simply enjoy a great experience.
Sep 22nd, 2006 | 03:32 AM
#32
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
ANZAC says: "You have been on the boat Suleymanbey. Owner of the boat is the brother of the owner of Sempatik Yachting. Olympos Yachting had customers booked on the same cruise, therefore everything mixed up."
He is correct about the name of the boat. Maybe this explains a number of the issues that inferred they were the same company, including that my friends checked in for the trip at the Olympos office in Fethiye and that the apology email I received came from Olympos.
Maybe Olympos needs to make sure it doesn't do business with Sempatik in future?
Perhaps it's time for this post to be "put to bed". I agree with AllyHK that the best thing to come out of the horrid experience is to increase people's awareness that there are some gulet operators and companies that are much better than others. Before booking a trip, ask ALL of the questions AllyHK has suggested, read as many travel forums as possible for other people’s comments and post questions on forums such as this asking for recommendations.
One final comment though. I am interested that this forum has had no input / response from Sempatik Yachting. Is this one more indication that they don't really care about their passengers??
He is correct about the name of the boat. Maybe this explains a number of the issues that inferred they were the same company, including that my friends checked in for the trip at the Olympos office in Fethiye and that the apology email I received came from Olympos.
Maybe Olympos needs to make sure it doesn't do business with Sempatik in future?
Perhaps it's time for this post to be "put to bed". I agree with AllyHK that the best thing to come out of the horrid experience is to increase people's awareness that there are some gulet operators and companies that are much better than others. Before booking a trip, ask ALL of the questions AllyHK has suggested, read as many travel forums as possible for other people’s comments and post questions on forums such as this asking for recommendations.
One final comment though. I am interested that this forum has had no input / response from Sempatik Yachting. Is this one more indication that they don't really care about their passengers??
Sep 22nd, 2006 | 06:17 AM
#33
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Please let me add one more thing: Olympos Yachting has it's own large fleet. In peak season, everybody wants to go on a boat cruise at same time. Its a logistical challenge to find a space on a boat, even if a company would have 200 boats, they would be all booked out and customers are still pushing their agents to find one for them. If you really care about many details (checklist of AllyHK) you should not book any boat cruise in Turkey in July / August. All the other times would be fine.
Sep 22nd, 2006 | 09:03 AM
#34
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,337
Likes: 0
Hi Anzac,
I agree with let this post sleep after sometime now.... One thing I can not agree with you;
If clients are pushing to find Gulet question : one should book untill they can handle and leave the rest. You can not have all the best of the world at all times. So suggesting people should not book july and august is a wrong assumption. People should book and book in time.... I know there were very good Gulets vacant even in July and August this year so market is open.
At my travel company I can handle x amount of private tours and x amount of weddings yearly if I get one more and I can not look after the customer & itinerary myself I kindly refuse saying we are fully booked and give a friendly recommendation to a company we belive in their services.
I am terribly sorry to hear such incidents and I do really get angry....on behalf of Turkish Tourism. We have great country, generally speaking good hearted hospitable people and a lot of travel & hospitality professional... Becouse of small thinking or eagerness we loose our face against our guests to be... ( we meaning the country ! ) Thanks god even such a struggled season we have been doing above our expectations, thanks to our service & company ethics.
Happy travels and Enjoy Turkey wheather with a gulet cruise or without.
Murat
I agree with let this post sleep after sometime now.... One thing I can not agree with you;
If clients are pushing to find Gulet question : one should book untill they can handle and leave the rest. You can not have all the best of the world at all times. So suggesting people should not book july and august is a wrong assumption. People should book and book in time.... I know there were very good Gulets vacant even in July and August this year so market is open.
At my travel company I can handle x amount of private tours and x amount of weddings yearly if I get one more and I can not look after the customer & itinerary myself I kindly refuse saying we are fully booked and give a friendly recommendation to a company we belive in their services.
I am terribly sorry to hear such incidents and I do really get angry....on behalf of Turkish Tourism. We have great country, generally speaking good hearted hospitable people and a lot of travel & hospitality professional... Becouse of small thinking or eagerness we loose our face against our guests to be... ( we meaning the country ! ) Thanks god even such a struggled season we have been doing above our expectations, thanks to our service & company ethics.
Happy travels and Enjoy Turkey wheather with a gulet cruise or without.
Murat
