A birthday on the Bosphorus, on a yacht of your own

A yacht birthday party, with the whole deck to yourselves

A birthday in a restaurant is shared with the noise from the next table and the kitchen's closing time. On a yacht there is nobody on deck but your guests. You decide when the cake comes out, and you put the music on yourselves through the yacht's sound system.

The view looks after itself. As the yacht heads south from Arnavutköy, Ortaköy Mosque and the bridge lights move into frame. When you cross to the Asian shore in front of the Maiden's Tower, the return begins and the waterside mansions fall behind one by one. For the photos of the night, there is no backdrop to go looking for.

Age does not come into it. A group of friends for a thirtieth and a three-generation family for a seventieth fit on the same deck; what changes is the size of the yacht and the layout of the table.

Nor does the preparation land on your shoulders. The captain and crew are waiting at the pier, and you pick the cake and the laser message for the bridge as extras in the booking form. What is left for you is deciding who to invite and what time to leave.

The guest list and choosing a yacht

First turn the guest list into a number, because the number decides the yacht. For a family table or a birthday with your closest friends, SU and SU Prestige are enough: SU takes up to 12 guests and SU Prestige up to 12.

If you are inviting colleagues and your old school crowd to the same night, SU Orion (up to 24 guests) or SU Royal (up to 36) will be more comfortable. Orion's upper deck and wide open areas suit a party on your feet on a summer night; Royal's air-conditioned panoramic glass saloon gathers a crowd indoors for a winter birthday.

If the guests do not know each other, say colleagues meeting your family on the same yacht, a standing layout makes conversation easier. A table where everyone sits together works well for small, close groups. Children count towards the guest numbers too.

If you are laying a table, read the dining column; a standing party takes more people. The price is for the whole yacht, not per person, so in a large group everyone's share drops noticeably. If your guest list goes beyond 36, we do not suggest a two-yacht event, so build the list around that limit.

Setting up the cake moment and the surprise

The main photograph of the night is taken the minute the cake arrives, so that minute needs setting up in advance. If you add the cake as an extra, it is made to order before the tour; if you bring your own, there is no charge. As the cake comes out, two volcanoes are lit on deck, and the sparks shooting up from the floor mark the moment.

For the laser, you wait for the bridge. As the yacht passes beneath it, the message you wrote is projected by laser. Keep it short; a line like "Happy birthday, Deniz" is enough.

You can also put the two moments in one scene. Ask for the cake as you approach the bridge, and as the message appears on the bridge the two volcanoes are lit and sparks rise from the deck. Write this sequence in the booking note; the note is passed to your captain.

If you are surprising the birthday guest, make the booking yourself. The guests meet at the pier and board first, and the birthday guest arrives last. Just add to the same note who is bringing them and when the guests should appear.

For live music, a violinist (9.750 TL) accompanies the table, while for a big, lively night a fasıl ensemble playing Turkish tavern songs (19.500 TL) fits better. Whichever you choose, say in the note what should be played at the cake moment.

The right time for a birthday with a laser

For the laser to show clearly it has to be fully dark, which is about 90 minutes after sunset. The tour must then continue for at least another 45 minutes. In July the sun sets around 20:36, so a laser birthday should start after 21:00; in November, after 18:30.

If you also want photos in daylight, leave an hour before sunset and choose a tour of at least 3.5 hours, and the sunset and the laser fit into the same night. The sunset time for every month is in the table on the Istanbul sunset cruise page.

For children's birthdays a daytime tour can be easier. The earliest departure is 09:00; the laser is not visible in daylight, so bring the cake and the two volcanoes forward in this plan. At the other end of the day, the latest departure is 00:30 and the last return 02:30.

A birthday on an October evening, hour by hour

As an example, picture a three-hour tour in October that leaves after sunset. The times shift with the season, but the order stays the same:

If you have not chosen the meal menu, the first half hour goes to music and photos. At a standing celebration, the package of unlimited soft drinks, fruit and nuts takes the place of the table.

What you can bring with you

You can bring your own cake free of charge. If you bring ready-to-eat food and drinks besides the cake, there is a charge of 600 TL per person and our crew does the serving. Nothing is cooked on the yachts, and there is no barbecue either.

On dinner tours the table is laid simply and elegantly; beyond that we have no decoration service, and you can bring your own accessories. A favourite photo of the birthday guest, T-shirts made for the group or your presents come with you and appear whenever you like. Save the presents for the way back, when the bridge and the cake are behind you and the music has been turned down.

There are two options for a photographer. You can bring your own, who counts towards the guest numbers, so put them on the guest list. Or our professional photographer can shoot throughout the tour for 18.500 TL.

What the price includes, and the extras

The yacht price includes captain, crew and fuel, and prices include VAT. Departure from Arnavutköy pier is free, as are Kuleli and Beylerbeyi on the Asian shore. At piers such as Beşiktaş (3.750 TL) or Karaköy (3.750 TL) the fee is per docking, with boarding and leaving counted separately.

The starting price on this page is 12.500 TL (2 hours on SU). A three-hour tour costs 18.750 TL on SU and 23.850 TL on SU Prestige. Everything you add to the celebration goes on top of that, line by line:

• Celebration cake, 2.950 TL.
• Two volcanoes, 1.500 TL: sparks shooting up from the deck at the cake moment.
• Laser show, 2.950 TL: your message projected as you pass under the bridge.
• Unlimited soft drinks, fruit, nuts and Doritos, 1.275 TL per person.
• Meal menu, 2.750 TL per person: cold mezes, a hot starter, a main course, a seasonal salad and a fruit platter.
• Professional photographer, 18.500 TL.
• Live music: violinist 9.750 TL, fasıl ensemble 19.500 TL.

Extras are chosen at least 24 hours before the tour, and the meal menu at least 1 h before.

Book the date and write the plan in the note

The card on this page opens with the birthday party already selected. Enter the date and the number of guests and you see the yachts free that day with their prices; choose the time, add the extras and write the surprise plan in the booking note.

The total is in front of you before you pay. Secure your place with a 50% deposit or by paying in full; the balance is paid on board on the day, in cash (TL, USD or EUR) or by card.

There are 4 yachts in the fleet and each goes out with only one group at a time. If the birthday falls on a Saturday, book that evening early. If you are getting friends together for another reason, see the yacht party page, and for a family celebration built around dinner, the Bosphorus dinner cruise page.

If anything leaves you undecided, call +90 850 840 30 30 or message us on WhatsApp, and we will settle the yacht and the time together.

Once the time and the cake are settled, all you have to do that evening is turn up at the pier.