The Foam Party on Side Boat Tours: Who Has One
Some people book specifically for the foam; others would pay extra to avoid it. Either way, you should know which boat you are stepping onto.
Short answer
Six tours have a foam party: Side Boat Tour, Island, Caretta Bay, Manavgat and bazaar, Dolphin Island and Pirate. Relax has none by design, and neither Fishing nor Little Pirates lists one. You are never obliged to join in.
When it happens
- Caretta Bay and Dolphin Island: on the way home, so the swimming is done first.
- Manavgat: once the boat is out at sea after lunch, before the return to the pier and the market.
- Island tour: around lunchtime on the way to the island, with another swim still to come.
- Side Boat Tour: in the afternoon part of the day.
- Pirate tour: as the afternoon warms up, with music and dance routines for children.
Timing is the crew's call, and it can shift with the route.
What the atmosphere is like
Expect loud music and a crowded deck for a while. Halay, a Turkish line dance, features on the Pirate tour. On the Dolphin Island tour you have a choice of dancing all the way back or finding a spot in the breeze, and that is the honest picture of every boat here: the foam occupies part of the deck and part of the afternoon, and people who are not interested sit it out.
If you would prefer to skip it
The surest way is to book Relax, whose whole selling point is the absence of music and parties, or Fishing, a morning spent with a rod. Note that Relax charges children the adult fare, so it is rarely the family choice. See our comparison of the two quiet days.
Little Pirates does not list foam, but it is a busy, noisy, games-filled day for children, so it is quiet only in that one respect. If foam is what you are trying to avoid, ask us to confirm before you book it.
Children and foam
Our records describe the foam as fun for all ages on several tours, and a child remains your responsibility from pickup to drop-off. So the judgement is yours. If your child is small or easily overwhelmed by noise and crowds, keep them with you and watch from the edge at first. For the very youngest, see what we say in our guide to the two pirate days.
What we cannot tell you
We hold no list of the ingredients used in the foam. If anyone in your party has sensitive skin or a relevant allergy, tell us before booking and we will find out what we can, and consider a tour with no foam at all. Keep phones and cameras well away from it either way.
