Side family days compared
Pirate Ship or Green Canyon from Side? Families Compared
One day is noisy on purpose and built around the children. The other is a quiet cruise through scenery. For a family with grandparents along, the choice often comes down to who the day is for.
In short
The pirate-ship day is for the children first: a live show, a treasure map, the hunt for the pirate Ferhat, lunch from a children's menu and foam to finish, at €23 for every guest from 2. A Green Canyon day is a quiet catamaran cruise on a lake between steep green walls, made for looking rather than playing. Pick the pirates if the children are the reason for the trip; pick the canyon if the scenery is.
Play or scenery
On the pirate ship, the river and the sea are the backdrop and the deck is where everything happens. The animation team paints faces, hands out a secret map, organises a tug-of-war and stages a pirate show, and the afternoon ends in foam, upbeat music and Halay dancing.
A Green Canyon day turns that around. The landscape is the event: a calm stretch of water, steep slopes, a boat moving slowly through it. It suits people who enjoy sitting with a view. Children can enjoy it too, but nobody is there to keep them busy.
Seen from the grandparents' seats
Grandparents on the pirate ship are free to play along and swim, or simply to watch the grandchildren have the day of their holiday. It is lively, and it is meant to be. Our guide for grandparents and parents covers how the day feels from the adult side, and what to tell us about mobility before you book.
If the grandparents would rather a quiet day with a view and little noise, a canyon cruise is the closer match. If the grandchildren are the point of the trip, the pirate day gives them more to do and the grown-ups more to watch.
Lunch on each day
Lunch is in the pirate-ship fare: a children's menu of spaghetti, fish fingers or chicken fingers, chosen so that no child goes hungry. Every drink on the big day comes from the bar and is paid separately. The lunch guide has the details. For what the canyon day serves, ask the site that sells it; we do not describe another day's menu.
Side by side
| Pirate-ship day | Green Canyon day | |
|---|---|---|
| Mood | Loud, playful, musical | Calm, scenic |
| Where the boat goes | Down the river to the delta | A lake between canyon walls |
| Children kept busy? | Yes, by the animation team | Not the purpose of the day |
| Best for | Families travelling for the children | Families travelling for the view |
Is the pirate day worth it for your family?
For children between the costume age and the early teens, the pirate day packs in a great deal for one fare: the transfer, the lunch, the animation team, the foam party and travel insurance. Our honest look at whether it is worth it sets out what is and is not in the price.
If the canyon wins, our sister site sells it: the Green Canyon catamaran tour. If the pirates win, book the pirate-ship day here and pay in euros on the morning of the trip.
