Mike Rodgers, Peter Shaw and John Clark don't have a grandfather - or any other relative - who fought at Gallipoli but like so many Australians they have found themselves drawn to the famous site.
They arrived at the remote Turkish battlefield by following the route the Anzac troops took to war a century ago: by sea from the Western Australian town of Albany.
Their cruise ship, the MSC Orchestra, travelled via Egypt where they marvelled at the pyramids and the Sphinx, just as eager young diggers did in 1915, before coming to the dusty, inhospitable shores of Gallipoli.
"You don't get a true appreciation of it until you stand there," Mr Rodgers, from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, told AAP.
Mr Shaw, from Colac in Victoria, said his experience was a sombre one.
"You wonder how they did it," he said. "Then you hear the stories about wrong landing spots and poor leadership and you start to think they were put to the task a bit."
"Fairly awesome," was how Mr Clark, from the Gold Coast, described the landscape and the task set for the soldiers.
On a chilly Sunday morning, the three travellers were exploring the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul's old market district after sailing into the city overnight.
Thousands of Australians and New Zealanders are experiencing the Anzac centenary the same way - there are 2000 people on the MSC Orchestra alone.
The Turkish government has not allowed cruise ships to anchor off Anzac Cove so those aboard will be watching the sun come up from farther along the coast.
Mr Rodgers and his cruise companions will have their own dawn service - organised as part of the tour - on board their ship, he said.
The Australian government expects around 10,000 Australian tourists, who do not have tickets for the dawn service, will visit the peninsula in the week leading up to April 25.
Mr Rodgers said he started planning his journey four years ago, long before the ballot for limited spaces at the official service was announced, and he had simply wanted to see and experience Gallipoli for himself.
"I think it was about the birth of our nation," he said. "I think it's the same for the Turks - it's equally important to both Turks and Australians."
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