FAQ
At Interworld, we design unique and personalized tours, especially in river and cruise tourism, one of the most popular tourism trends in recent years. Whether you're looking for a calm comfort-focused journey, an adventure-packed experience, or a cultural exploration, we aim to be by your side in every journey.
Interworld's goal is not just to make a travel plan for you; it's to help you experience cultures, people, and nature up close, ensuring your dreams come true smoothly and exactly as you imagined.
Cruise tours, one of the leading trends in the global tourism sector, date back to the 19th century. However, modern cruise industry became popular in the 1950s. The TV series 'Love Boat', filmed on a Princess Cruises ship and beloved worldwide, helped make this type of travel even more popular. Cruise travel, which can be defined as inter-port travel with 5-star hotel comfort without the hassle of packing and unpacking, has become one of today's most popular tourism products with high-capacity, state-of-the-art ships built after the 2000s.
Cruise ships provide 5-star hotel comfort and offer different capacities and features for accommodation. Rooms on ships are called cabins. Cabins are generally divided into 4 categories: interior cabin, exterior (window cabin), balcony cabin, and suite cabin.
Ships also have specially equipped cabins for families with children or guests with special needs.
Cruise accommodations are typically full board. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included in the prices. Water, tea, and coffee served with meals, as well as self-service beverage stations in the buffet area, are included. All bottled beverages ordered separately are generally charged extra.
Animation activities, spa access, pool access, deck chairs and towels, and evening Broadway-style shows are also included.
While these are general inclusions, specific included services may vary by cruise line.
Most ships feature multiple restaurants and bar/lounge areas. These areas host various activities throughout the day. These activities range from dance classes to comedy shows, karaoke to quiz nights, live music hours to art exhibitions. These activities and their schedules are listed in the daily program delivered to your cabin. There are so many activities to experience that you might need to prioritize which ones to try.
In the early days of cruise travel, when ship numbers were limited and capacities were low, costs were correspondingly high. Therefore, cruise travel was only accessible to a very privileged minority. Due to its comfort and luxury, it was perceived as a travel option only for the very wealthy. Over time, with the construction of larger and more technological ships, cruise travel has become much more accessible while maintaining the same level of comfort and luxury. From families with children to honeymoon couples, from friend groups to solo travelers, there are suitable activities and travel opportunities for everyone. Therefore, cruise travel is no longer just for the elderly or very wealthy, but has become a travel option for anyone who wants to get the best value for their money.
Our package tours are planned to visit the best destinations of 5-star ships during their most beautiful seasons. Our package tours include round-trip flights, first and last day airport-port transfers, full board cruise accommodation on the specified ship, travel health insurance, all taxes, and Turkish-speaking guide service for groups above a certain size.
Ships dock at ports for pre-announced hours. Dozens of different shore excursions specific to each port are available for purchase from the shore excursions department onboard. You can either purchase a tour you like or spend time in the city independently during specified hours.
For tours accompanied by our Turkish-speaking guide, comprehensive and detailed tours of the ports are organized with Turkish narration. You can get more detailed information with your documents before the tour or from your sales representative.
Cruise travel is possible 12 months of the year. However, cruise tours are planned for you to experience these journeys in the best conditions of the destination. While summer is ideal for destinations like Norwegian Fjords, Baltic Capitals, and Alaska, destinations like South America and Australia stand out during winter. There are also exotic regions like the Caribbean that operate year-round.
River cruises can be considered a subset of cruise travel. The main difference is that ocean cruises operate on seas and oceans with high-capacity ships, while river cruises operate on much shallower and smaller rivers with specially built low-capacity boutique river vessels.
River ship accommodation is basically the same as cruise ships. It includes a luxury cabin, full board accommodation, and various stops.
River ships exceptionally don't have interior cabins; they offer exterior cabins, French balcony or real balcony cabins, and suites.
River ships are typically built with 120-180 passenger capacity, averaging 110 meters in length and 11.4 meters in width. They serve fewer passengers, resulting in more boutique service quality.
River cruises are most extensively conducted on the European mainland. The Rhine and Danube Rivers are the most popular, along with high demand for rivers like the Rhone and Seine. Other tourist river cruises operate on the Volga River in Russia, the Nile River in Egypt, the Ganges River in India, the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia, and the Mississippi River in the USA.
From Turkey, package tours are mainly organized to European Rivers. These tours allow visits to the most prestigious locations in countries like Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Hungary.
River cruises can be easily conducted from March to the end of December when water levels and conditions permit. Additionally, there are themed tours available such as Tulip season, Lavender season, and Christmas Markets period.
In the cruise industry, there's a tradition of collecting tips in one payment. Since cash payments aren't made on ships, all expenses are charged to a special card that's also your cabin key. These charges are collected at the end of the tour after your review. Tips not given directly during the tour are added to your cabin account at the end to be distributed to staff providing high-level service. This service charge, ranging from 10-20 € per person per night, varies by cruise line. You can check current rates in your tour programs.
On large cruise ships, dinner is served in 2 separate seatings, while river ships have a single seating. You can enjoy carefully prepared dinners at tables assigned by the cruise line, sitting at the same table each evening. Breakfast and lunch are generally buffet-style, while dinner is typically served to your table.
All river and cruise voyages legally require an emergency information briefing within 12 hours of boarding. During these drills, called muster drills, ship officials brief all passengers on emergency procedures in a short meeting. Attendance at these drills is mandatory.
Ships typically have at least 2 formal nights during a week-long cruise. These are usually the welcome dinner on the first evening and the farewell dinner on the last evening. While more formal attire than the normal dress code is expected on these nights, the requirement for tuxedo-level formality has decreased due to practicality. Ladies typically choose an elegant evening dress, while gentlemen usually opt for a suit.
Disembarkation procedures are very similar on river and cruise ships. Detailed information will be provided on your last evening. After checking your final statement delivered to your cabin on the last day, payment should be made at reception. Guests who provided credit card information at check-in don't need to visit reception, as extra charges will be automatically charged to the provided card. All cabins will receive different colored and numbered luggage tags based on departure times or transfer bus assignments. After attaching these tags to your packed suitcase, you should place it outside your cabin during the night. Ship staff will transport the tagged luggage outside the ship according to groups.
