Review Time
BIGGEST SCAM I EVER EXPERIENCED. DO NOT RECOMMEND... So very disappointed. We booked a sunset cruise and it was all fine and well (except for the 40+ min bus ride in the old town to collect everyone). The guide/host was well-prepared, informative, and professional, and we appreciated his work
However, we had a very unpleasant experience with the photographer on board, which significantly affected our overall impression of the tour.
The photographer lady approached us and asked, “Can I take a photo of you?” After we agreed, she took a few pictures but did not show us all of them. Later, she disappeared (without showing us all the photos or us approving them- at this point I thought she was just being nice and considering GDPR regulations for website or so) and only after the so-called “Bosporus shopping stop” did she reappear with a printed photo album containing extremely poor-quality printed pictures of us. At that point, we were told that we were required to pay for them. Said it is “mandatory” to pay 50€ right away. Not an offer, not an option. I mean 50 EUROS! I found it outrageous. This feels like a clear tourist trap, and furthermore,uthe price charged for four poor-quality photos — which we neither selected nor approved — was unreasonably high and this whole practice is just disgusting. - I mean to confront a tourist at open sea with no chance to say no… come on…
We find this practice extremely misleading and unacceptable. At no point were we informed that the photos would automatically be printed and that payment would be mandatory. DO NOT RECOMMEND. SHOULD BE REPORTED
BIGGEST SCAM I EVER EXPERIENCED. DO NOT RECOMMEND... So very disappointed. We booked a sunset cruise and it was all fine and well (except for the 40+ min bus ride in the old town to collect everyone). The guide/host was well-prepared, informative, and professional, and we appreciated his workHowever, we had a very unpleasant experience with the photographer on board, which significantly affected our overall impression of the tour.The photographer lady approached us and asked, “Can I take a photo of you?” After we agreed, she took a few pictures but did not show us all of them. Later, she disappeared (without showing us all the photos or us approving them- at this point I thought she was just being nice and considering GDPR regulations for website or so) and only after the so-called “Bosporus shopping stop” did she reappear with a printed photo album containing extremely poor-quality printed pictures of us. At that point, we were told that we were required to pay for them. Said it is “mandatory” to pay 50€ right away. Not an offer, not an option. I mean 50 EUROS! I found it outrageous. This feels like a clear tourist trap, and furthermore,uthe price charged for four poor-quality photos — which we neither selected nor approved — was unreasonably high and this whole practice is just disgusting. - I mean to confront a tourist at open sea with no chance to say no… come on…We find this practice extremely misleading and unacceptable. At no point were we informed that the photos would automatically be printed and that payment would be mandatory. DO NOT RECOMMEND. SHOULD BE REPORTED
True Blue tours gave our production crew the trip of a lifetime! As someone who is very experienced in world travel and have shot in 37 countries, TB made our journey best I’ve ever experienced. Super knowledgeable, professional, personable, and just dang good at smoothing out every ripple. You have NEVER experienced being taken care of like being in the hands of Serkan and his crew. Obviously, I can’t recommend enough.
True Blue Tour was recommended by my sisters who went with them on a private tour of Turkiye three years ago and they did not disappoint!Ali was my first touchpoint when I inquired about having a private tour for three - my son, a close friend and I. He was very timely in his response and professional. He was on top of things and communicated all the way. He even got boarding tickets for us to and from Cappadocia. Whenever I text him with questions, he responds ever so promptly!We did an aggregate of 2.5 days tour of Istanbul with Serkan and he was an incredible guide and historian. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul, gave us very good tips on where to exchange foreign currency and provided restaurant recommendations amongst other things. I enjoyed our conversations very much from doing business in Türkiye to learning the history and culture of Türkiye. He was genuinely warm and welcoming and very professional.We also had a wonderful food tour in the Asian side with Feyza. We enjoyed the delectable dishes and as well as insights about Turkish cooking and food. Feyza used to be a chef in her previous life, so, we really got lucky to have a food expert with us!We also had the pleasure of being with Dilek for 2 days in Cappadocia. She took us around Cappdocia and showed us the sights and we had scrumptious lunches!It was a pleasure to meet everyone in True Blue Tour - Ali, Dilek, Feyza, Anastasia and of course Serkan. If I do another tour of Türkiye, I’d do it with True Blue all over again! Teşekkürler.
We are a group of eight family members and friends who recently visited Türkiye, and our experience with True Blue Tour made it one of the best trips we've ever had. This travel agency created a custom six-day itinerary for us—three days in Istanbul, two in Cappadocia, and one in Kusadasi. The schedule was thoughtfully planned, with no time wasted, and it covered all the top sights in each city. Our tour guide, Serkan Eser, was exceptional—one of the best we've ever had. He was incredibly knowledgeable about every city we visited and patiently answered all our questions, even those unrelated to the tour. His warm personality and genuine passion for his work made our trip even more memorable. The entire True Blue Tour team exceeded our expectations. A special thanks to Ali Fuat, who ensured everything ran smoothly from beginning to end. We also want to commend all the drivers in each city—they were friendly, courteous, and always patient. We have nothing but praise for True Blue Tour. We were extremely satisfied with their service and will definitely use them again when we return to Istanbul in October. They’re simply the best!
We recently went on a Turkey tour with True Blue Tours, and it was truly an unforgettable experience. The itinerary was beautifully crafted, and everything ran so smoothly from start to finish. It was a one week trip to Istanbul, Cappadocia and Kusadasi. All breakfasts and lunches were included. The restaurants were first rate and food was delicious.We also appreciated the thoughtful extras: visiting local spots where we could bring home a true taste of Turkey, trying pistachio coffee (a delicious first!), and most meaningful of all—arranging Mass at the House of Our Blessed Virgin. That gesture touched me deeply.Highly recommended for anyone looking for a heartfelt, well-organized, and culturally rich travel experience with an excellent tour company!
We chose True Blue Tour because several friends of ours from the Philippines raved about them, and we were not disappointed. First, they listened to what we told them we wanted to do, made helpful suggestions, and really tailored our trip so that it would hit all of the most important points/places/experiences, and keep things flexible because we were traveling with six kids (ages 12 to 16). Yes, there were three sets of parents (so six adults too), but taking two local flights, staying in three different hotels, and spending time with three tour guides and three bus drivers - along with several optional activities - leaves much room for lack of coordination, balls being dropped, or general dissatisfaction and whining (you're going to compare across your different guides, experiences, etc).This entire trip was spectacular. There were no gaps, no "oh we didn't think of that" - everything went according to what was planned and what was communicated to us. To be fair, a big part of this is luck and fit. True Blue Tour does not control the weather, or airlines, or restaurant staff. But they were with us every step of the way. Merve Aydin was always preternaturally present, answering questions at all times of day or night despite time zone differences (one family was in Denmark, two were in the U.S.). From planning our itinerary to sending our boarding passes for our local flights in time - we never had to follow up with Merve. The entire True Blue team - Eyup Karapinar, Anastasia Aksu, our guides Alp Watmough, Recep Yüce, Nizam Adsız (shout out to Nizam for somehow getting me Ayran for every single meal while we were together!); our drivers Göksel (Yoko) Özlük, Ömer Kanlı, and Erdal Acıg... they were all incredible. From the time we arrived at the airport in Istanbul to our early morning Sunday flight out of Izmir (which required a 2:30am drop off), everything went smoothly, with nothing to worry about.But how does the tour company respond and handle any mishaps or misunderstandings? They were great, too. They found a 5-star hotel for us in Kapadokya, which as it turns out was an upgrade from our cave hotel (at no additional cost). We put up a fuss, actually: "Hey we're tourists, we want a cave hotel!" But Eyup and Merve were gentle and persuasive and convinced us to give this one a try. We LOVED IT. From a fully equipped gym to sauna, pool, etc, to fantastic food and an amazing patio view of the sunset - so happy they "convinced" us to do this. Two of our kids also ended up eating foods at a restaurant that triggered allergic reactions: this was NOT True Blue's fault, they had called ahead and told the restaurant of these allergies; I spoke a little Turkish and reemphasized the allergy risk when we were seated - apparently my Turkish need a LOT of work. But the kids ended up allergic anyway - our driver Ömer Kanlı made multiple trips to make sure we were okay, resettled back in the hotel, and safe. I'm not even sure he needed to be there that evening (dinner was not included and the tour for the day had ended), but there he was, driving us to and from the hotel and looking out for us.And what about the post-trip follow-ups? Heck, I am still bugging several team members of True Blue Tour. "Hey, how is this place's name spelled again?" "Could you recommend a book or movie I'd enjoy that would reinforce our visit? I mean, aside from Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century) - of course I've watched that...?" "Do you remember taking a picture here and can you send that to me?" "Hey Nizam can you send me some Ayran?" (Just kidding, I already figured out where to source them here where I live in the US). Just really good peeps, super kind, super responsive.I'm not going to spend too much time talking about Türkiye because I will then write an entire book or two about how amazing the place is. It's been more than a week since our trip ended and I am still posting 2x a day or more on my social media accounts, sharing details about our INCREDIBLE (all caps required) experience that we just didn't get to share "real time" - even though we were posting 3-5x a day WHILE we were in Türkiye from April 12-20! I actually can't wait to go back. There are so many more things I want to do, places I want to see - people I want to meet and talk to (in my 'rather mid' Turkish)!All of this I attribute to the Divine (thank you!), or luck if you prefer (it's hard to thank "luck"). And really and truly - True Blue Tour. I can't say enough fantastic things about True Blue Tour and our trip to Istanbul. I am now in fact looking up whether they offer tours in other places, as I would not hesitate to hire them again for our next tour. They are PHENOMENAL.
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As a leading tour operator based in Istanbul, True Blue Tour is your trusted partner for unforgettable journeys. We specialize in crafting bespoke tours that cater to your unique travel aspirations. With a passion for exploration and a deep understanding of our diverse destinations, we bring your dream adventures to life.
