Queenstown premium coach day trip review
My verdict: 4.6 is the lowest rating on this site and it deserves an explanation rather than a dismissal. Read the middling reviews among the 1,089 and the complaints land in the same two places every time: how long the day is and how big the coach is. Twelve and a half hours is the longest day here, and a full-size vehicle is a full-size vehicle. What almost nobody complains about is the cruise. Set against that, this tour does two things better than anything else on the site — 69 pickup points in Queenstown, and live commentary in a language other than English.
What 69 pickup points buys you
Every other Queenstown tour here asks you to be somewhere. This one comes to you from one of 69 points, which is the widest net of any cruise day on the site and the reason it exists. If you are staying somewhere awkward, out along the lake, or you are travelling with luggage-sized children at 6:30 in the morning, that is worth real money.
The second thing it does well is language. There is live driver commentary in English, and alongside it a free app carrying multilingual commentary with headphones supplied. On a day where the road is most of the experience, being able to follow the road is not a small feature. It is the single most common piece of praise in the reviews from non-English speakers.
The rest is a well-equipped version of the standard day: glass-roofed coach, USB charging, a two-hour Milford Sound cruise, tea and coffee. Lunch is an add-on rather than an inclusion, so if nobody buys it, nobody eats until the terminal. And the day is twelve and a half hours, which is half an hour more than the flagship coach tour and three and a half more than flying back.
Usually included
- Pickup from any of 69 points in Queenstown
- A glass-roofed coach with USB charging
- Live driver commentary in English
- Multilingual commentary through a free app, headphones supplied
- A 2-hour Milford Sound cruise
- Tea and coffee
Not included
- Meals, unless you add the lunch option
- Child restraints — bring your own
What works
- 69 Queenstown pickup points, far more than any other tour here
- Multilingual commentary through the app, with headphones supplied
- Glass roof and USB charging on a day where you are seated a long time
- A full two hours on the water, same as the more expensive coach days
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
Worth knowing
- 4.6 is the lowest rating reviewed on this site
- 12.5 hours is the longest day here
- A full-size coach, and the reviews say so
- Lunch is an extra, not an inclusion
- You must bring your own child restraint
- It lands at the terminal inside the 11am–1pm coach crush
What passengers say
“You can listen to commentary in Japanese through earphones without missing info.”
“Worth the trip regardless of weather conditions.”
“A funny, knowledgeable driver who ensured we were never rushed at photo stops.”
Simon is right, and it is worth repeating on a page about a 4.6. Milford Sound has roughly 182 rain days a year and only two permanent waterfalls, Lady Bowen at 162 m and Stirling at 151 m. Everything else on the walls is rain. Rescheduling this day around a forecast is optimising for the wrong thing — I have argued that out in the best time to visit.
Who this suits
- Anyone who wants collecting from their own hotel door in Queenstown
- Travellers who would rather follow the commentary in their own language
- Anyone staying somewhere the other tours do not reach
- People who want the standard coach day for slightly less than the flagship
Who should book something else
- Anyone who cannot sit for twelve and a half hours — the fly-back day is nine
- Families needing child restraints, which are not provided here but are on the small-group tour
- Anyone who dislikes full-size coaches, since that is the recurring complaint
- Anyone with a car, who should buy a cruise-only ticket and keep the difference
Download the commentary app and pair your headphones before you leave Queenstown. Mobile coverage on the Milford Road is patchy to absent, and the same goes for anything else you meant to download — maps included.
Other ways to do the same day
Top pickCoach & 2-hour cruiseFrom Queenstown: Milford Sound Cruise and Coach Day Tour
Small groupPicnic lunch includedQueenstown: Milford Sound Small-Group Tour w Cruise & Lunch
Fly one way40-minute return flightFrom Queenstown: Milford Sound Day Trip with Cruise & Flight
Frequently asked questions
Why is this tour rated lower than the others?
It sits at 4.6 from 1,089 reviews, and the recurring theme in the middling ones is the length of the day and the size of the coach rather than the cruise itself. Twelve and a half hours is a lot to ask. If that is your worry, is it worth it is the honest version of the question.
Can I get the commentary in my own language?
Yes. There is live driver commentary in English plus multilingual commentary through a free app, with headphones supplied. No other tour reviewed here offers it, which is the main reason to choose this one. What to expect covers what the commentary actually talks about.
Is lunch included on the premium coach day trip?
No — lunch is an add-on option you buy when booking, though tea and coffee are included. Given the day runs twelve and a half hours, sort food out one way or the other before you leave. See is food included.