Side family days compared
Pirate Ship or Jeep Safari in Side? Which Day for Kids
One day keeps the family on a ship, with the entertainment brought to you. The other sends you inland in open jeeps, bumping along back roads. Here is how they differ for children.
In short
The pirate-ship day is a sea day run for children: a river trip to the delta, a swim, a live show, games, lunch and a foam party, for €23 per guest from 2, babies free. A jeep safari is a road day inland, rough and dusty, with the countryside as the attraction. With young children or mixed ages, the ship asks less of everyone; ask the jeep site who can ride.
Sea or dust
On the pirate ship the family stays in one place while the day comes to it. You board at the Side departure dock, the ship casts off at 10:00, and the river carries you to the delta, where the river's cold current mixes with the warm sea and the whole family can swim. Back on deck the animation team takes over with face paint, a secret map, tug-of-war, the hunt for the pirate Ferhat and a live show; a kids' lunch and a foam party follow.
A jeep safari works the other way round. The family rides in a convoy of open vehicles inland, and the movement itself is the fun: bumps, dust and views a long way from the beach. It is a different energy entirely.
Ages: who pays and who joins
On the pirate-ship day, every guest from 2 pays the same €23, and under 2 is free. On our gentler day, Little Pirates, a child from 2 to 10 pays €14. The ages guide sets out every row.
We do not describe who can ride on a jeep day, because that is the jeep site's rule to state, not ours. If your youngest is very small, ask there before you plan around it.
Big families and groups
A pirate day takes up to 20 guests in one booking, with the transfer included from every area of the Side belt and the fare paid in euros on the morning. A larger party is an enquiry we put to the operator. Our groups guide explains how a mixed group books, pays and is collected from more than one hotel.
On a ship, a group with toddlers, teenagers and grandparents can all be in the same place at the same time and each find something to do, which makes it a forgiving choice for a crowd.
Side by side
| Pirate-ship day | Jeep safari | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | River and sea | Inland roads |
| Pace | Settled on deck, entertainment brought to you | On the move all day |
| Swim | At the river delta | Ask the jeep site |
| Dust and bumps | None | Part of the fun |
The order of the pirate day, and where to book
If you want to see the pirate day from hotel pickup to the drive home before deciding, our step-by-step itinerary walks through it. Then book the pirate-ship day here, with nothing paid until the morning.
If the jeeps win, our sister site sells that day: the Side jeep safari.
