Will I get seasick on a Milford Sound cruise?
If you are prone to motion sickness
- Take whatever normally works for you about an hour before departure, not as you board.
- Stay mid-ship, where the movement is smallest.
- Keep the horizon in view. Looking down at a phone is what turns a light swell into a problem.
- Go outside. Cold air on the deck beats a warm saloon for settling a stomach.
The rest of the trip runs 15 km along a sheltered fiord with rock on both sides, which is why people who avoid boats generally manage this one. The full run is described in what to expect on board.
If the sea state at the mouth worries you, book a cruise-only ticket and ask the crew at check-in what the bar is doing that morning. On a rough day some skippers turn short of the entrance anyway, and nobody on board minds.
The most comfortable boat for it
The modern catamaran has large windows and HD cameras projecting the outside view onto indoor screens, so you can sit still, stay warm and still see the cliff the boat is pointed at. It is also the cheapest ticket on the fiord and includes the car park fee. More options in cruise-only tickets.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Milford Sound cruise bumpy?
Rarely. Inside the fiord the water is usually close to flat because walls over 1,200 m block the wind. Only the mouth, where the fiord meets the Tasman Sea, moves at all, and boats spend under about 30 minutes there.
Do the boats go out into the open sea?
Not far. Most cruises run to the mouth of the fiord, go just far enough out to look back at the entrance and then turn. The total time in exposed water is short, as set out in how long the cruise takes.
Can I stay inside for the whole cruise?
Yes. Every boat has an indoor saloon, and the catamaran adds HD cameras projecting the outside view onto indoor screens. You will miss the spray at Stirling Falls, which is the part most people remember.