Review Milford Sound Day Tour with Cruise from Queenstown or Te Anau

A wonderful experience, glad we followed a day tour instead of self drive so we could admire the view better, be relaxed and learn more about each of the pit stops (eg. monkey creek). Loved the cruise ride had great weather and views! the food on the cruise was good too! We went for the last tour which set off at 8am from Crowne Plaza and boarded the last cruise out at 2.30pm. It’ll be good to have some light snacks else lunch will be served quite late. We had the falafel (vegan) wrap which was served cold and still yummy while the chicken pie was served warm! both options were yummy!

It was a really nice experience and the guide is really friendly, knowledgeable, and humorous :) The bus transportation was on time, we weren’t rushed at every landmark, and we took lots of pictures!

our driver was really informational the whole trip. i enjoyed listening to his stories along the way to milford sound. Wishing him luck as well to his upcoming retirement! The ride was really long but personally listening to his stories made it worthwhile. The small stops were also nice and help to get some stretches. I especially liked the Mirror Lake which includes a 5mins walk. Another highlight for me was the 1-way tunnel to Milford Sound. For the actual highlight, the Milford Sound, the boarding and offboarding was pretty smooth. The staffs onboard the boat was really nice and friendly. Snacks were also provided onboard, just need to be patient with the coffee/tea machine plus the line for it. Had fun getting wet by the falls.

If Queenstown is your first city, I highly recommend it! 👏👏👏👏👏. I booked the Milford Sound cruise tour as an activity for my last city, Queenstown. The tour goes from Queenstown to Te Anau to Milford Sound, and along the way, we stopped at various viewpoints for photos, and the driver provided explanations (not in Korean). On the cruise ship, you can enjoy the Milford Sound tour for about two hours with a meal. The meal was surprisingly good (I recommend the chicken pie), and we saw waterfalls and seals. It felt like stepping into the movie Avatar, and I could feel the grandeur of nature all around me. If you're visiting New Zealand for the first time, I highly recommend it! 👍 (This was the cheapest option). Even though I had already seen some of New Zealand's scenery, the cruise views were the best. However, the bus travel time from Queenstown is quite long (over 4 hours one way). Here's a tip: get less sleep before you go, and bring snacks and water for when the bus makes brief stops!**

We had such a great experience! Everything was well organized, and the journey itself was just as enjoyable as the destination.

One of the highlights was definitely our guide/driver, who made the trip so engaging. He didn’t just drive — he told stories the whole way, sharing the history of different places along the route, including specific dates and details that made everything feel more meaningful and alive.

We also had a few scenic stops along the way, which made the trip even more memorable. My favourite was Mirror Lake — it was absolutely stunning and such a peaceful spot.

Overall, it was a fantastic day from start to finish. I’d definitely recommend this tour to anyone thinking about visiting Milford Sound!

Real value for money trip. Cal was great. Pick-up was on time, designated stops were well-thought of, and time allotted per stop was good. Our bus was new and had USB-type charging ports. The trip to Milford Sound was as good as the destination. We got a pie, an apple, chips, and a candy bar for lunch. Overall, really good deal. Do recommend.

The Milford Sound Day Tour with Cruise was an unforgettable experience and well worth the early start. The scenic drive to Milford Sound was breathtaking, with plenty of photo stops along the way to capture waterfalls, mountains, and mirror-like lakes. The commentary from the driver/guide added depth to the journey, sharing fascinating stories and facts about the region.

The cruise itself was simply stunning. Surrounded by towering cliffs, lush greenery, and cascading waterfalls, it felt like stepping into a postcard. We were lucky to spot wildlife, including seals and birds, which made the trip even more special. The boat was comfortable with spacious viewing decks, and complimentary tea and coffee were a nice touch.

Overall, it is a must-do experience for anyone visiting New Zealand’s South Island—nature at its most majestic.

We had a wonderful day going to Milford Sound. Our tour guide was wonderful. He knew the area well. Everything was very professional and well organized. Our tour guide was clear and easy to understand. We enjoyed each part of this tour. The bout guides were wonderful and shared interesting facts about Milford Sounds from the water. We had a great day. Thank you for a wonderful tour.

The journey from Queenstown to Te Anau to Milford is quite a long drive, hence joining this tour is very recommendable. We were quite surprised that they will provide you food during the milford sound cruise, which includes pie, chips, apples, snack bar, etc and is very filling so no need to buy your lunch. The bus driver will also stop at some famous photo locations. Initially, I thought the cost is a bit pricey but experiencing how far it is and knowing the price of the milford cruise alone, I would say, this package is worth it!

At first I thought the one-day tour was expensive, but after this full day experience, I can understand its value. The driver and tour guide Joe was very friendly (sorry, I'm not sure if his name is Joe, my English listening is not very good), efficient, good driving skills, and gave introductions and guidance along the way. There are toilets on the bus, and there are also multiple rest stops for passengers to get off the bus to use the toilet every 1-2 hours. During breaks, the driver would go check the toilet; someone happened to be carsick and vomited, and there was a strange smell in the toilet. The driver noticed it and sprayed perfume in the toilet. The hard-working drivers have to drive 8-9 hours a day (more than 570 kilometers) round trip. The itinerary was arranged very smoothly: get on the bus from Queenstown, drive for 2 hours to Te Anau, rest for 30 minutes and have breakfast (at your own expense), then visit the scenery along the way and drive to the Milford Sound boat boarding point. We got on the boat at 14:30. There was a free coffee machine on the boat, so we could drink coffee, hot tea, and hot chocolate. The meals included chicken and mushroom pie/vegetable pie, biscuits, potato chips, and apples. Although we had to wait for almost an hour for the pie to be heated, which was a bit long and I was a little hungry, the merits outweighed the disadvantages. We saw many waterfalls along the way. The captain was very skilled and allowed us to get very close to the waterfalls, which were very spectacular when viewed up close. Unfortunately, the weather was bad that day, with rain and fog, and we couldn't see the fjord clearly. The overall experience is good.