Seats and tables
Choosing a table on the cruise
Private, window-side, close-stage or VIP lounge: how the table choices on a Bosphorus dinner cruise differ and which one suits your party.
Book a table on the Bosphorus ↗Quick answer
Dinner is at a private table, except for solo bookings, which share a table. On the GetYourGuide ticket a window-side table and a close-stage table are add-ons chosen per person at booking. A VIP lounge table on the upper deck is seating only and does not include the VIP menu. Choose the window for the view, the stage for the show and the standard table for the best value.
The standard private table
A standard booking gives you a private table in the dining saloon. It is the plainest option, and the ticket does not promise any position in the room. That suits a party that mostly wants the cruise and the dinner, and for a family or a group of friends, it is the simplest choice. If the position of the table matters to you, buy the add-on that guarantees it.
Window-side tables
The window-side table is an add-on priced per person and chosen at booking. It puts your table at the glass, so you look out at the lit shore as the yacht passes it. The window seat is guaranteed only when you select it, and a standard table does not guarantee a view. Some reviewers ask for clearer seat allocation and unobstructed window and stage views. If the shoreline is the reason you are going, this is the add-on to buy, and it is worth choosing for every person in the party.
Close-stage tables
A close-stage table puts you near the show area. It is also an add-on chosen per person. The dancers are within a few tables of you, you hear the music at full volume, and the DJ and the dancing are close. That is the place to be if the show is the main reason you are going, and to avoid if you want a conversation. The two add-ons pull in different directions, so a party that cannot agree should pick the window and walk to the floor when the dancing begins.
The VIP lounge and the VIP menu
A VIP lounge table is on the upper deck. The ticket stresses that this refers to the seating location only, and it does not include the VIP menu. The VIP menu is a separate option, and the ticket states that its skip-the-line feature is usable only with VIP tickets. A guest who wants the upper deck and a VIP dinner has to select both. The lounge holds fewer guests than the main saloon, so it is a smaller room.
Solo guests and celebrations
A booking for one person is seated with other solo guests, so the private table does not apply. Birthday guests can add a celebration package with a cake, a mocktail and a birthday song for two people, chosen at booking like the other add-ons. A party of four or more can pick any seating type for everyone, but the add-ons are per person, so every guest needs the same one to sit together at the same kind of table.
A simple rule
Choose by what you came for. If it is the lit shoreline, take the window-side add-on. If it is the dancing, take the close-stage add-on. If it is the dinner and the evening as a whole, take the standard table and put the money elsewhere. If you want the upper deck, add the lounge seating, and add the VIP menu separately if you want that too. These choices are made on the booking page, one per person, before you pay.
Read next: Bosphorus dinner cruise: how to pick
Frequently asked questions
Is a window seat included?
Only with the window-side add-on. Standard tables do not guarantee a view.
Does the VIP lounge include the VIP menu?
No. The lounge is seating only. The VIP menu is a separate option.
Do solo guests get a private table?
No. Solo bookings are seated together with other solo guests.
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