Small boat scenic cruise review
My verdict: 4.8 from 3,043 reviews is the biggest and best-rated sample on this site, and having sent a lot of people onto this boat I am not surprised. It is two hours, cruise only, with the smallest passenger numbers of the Milford operators — which in practice means you are not queuing to get to a rail. The catch is in the words “cruise only”: you have to get yourself to the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal on State Highway 94, and that is a serious drive from anywhere except Te Anau. If you have a car, this is the ticket I would buy.
What the small boat changes
The fiord is the same 15 km whichever hull you are on. What changes with passenger numbers is how often the boat stops and how close you get to the rail when it does. This operator makes frequent stops at scenic points and the skipper does the commentary rather than a recording, which is why so many of the 3,043 reviews mention the captain by name.
Two hours covers the run down to the mouth, where the fiord opens to the Tasman Sea and the water finally moves; that leg is under about 30 minutes and it is the only part anyone ever feels. On the way back the boat noses in under Stirling Falls, 151 m, one of only two waterfalls in the fiord that run in dry weather. Lady Bowen, 162 m, is the other. Everything else you photograph is rain, and there are 6,412 mm of it a year across roughly 182 rain days.
Because this is a boat ticket and nothing else, the terminal car park is your problem: NZD 10 an hour before 3pm, NZD 5 an hour after, paid by card at the machines with your plate number and no receipt. Deepwater Basin is free but it is a 25-minute walk and the spaces go early. I have put the whole arithmetic in cruise-only tickets.
Usually included
- Two hours on the fiord
- Live commentary from the skipper
- Indoor and outdoor viewing areas
- Complimentary tea, coffee and hot chocolate
- Frequent stops at scenic points
Not included
- Food on board
- Transport to the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal
- Terminal parking — NZD 10 an hour before 3pm
What works
- 3,043 ratings at 4.8 — the largest and highest-rated sample here
- The smallest passenger numbers of the Milford operators
- A full two hours, at the cheap end of the ladder
- Hot drinks included, which reads better in July than it does on paper
- Indoor and outdoor viewing, so bad weather does not end the trip
Worth knowing
- Cruise only — reaching State Highway 94 is entirely on you
- No food on board, and the terminal is the nearest alternative
- Parking is charged by the hour and is not included in the fare
- Queenstown to the terminal is 291 km, so this is not a Queenstown day-trip ticket unless you are driving it
- Morning departures in summer sell out first
What passengers say
“The boat is small compared to the others, so there were fewer people.”
“Our captain took every opportunity to stop for animal sightings.”
“Exactly what we were after, with a perfect amount of time.”
Sergio’s line is the whole product in one sentence, and Kai’s is the reason I book it. New Zealand fur seals sit on the rocks near Seal Point all year, the world’s southernmost resident bottlenose dolphins live in the fiord, and a skipper who can hold position is worth more than an extra fifteen minutes on the clock.
Who this suits
- Anyone with a car, a campervan or a lift to the terminal
- People already staying in Te Anau, two hours down the road
- Anyone who wants the longest cruise at close to the lowest price
- Travellers who would rather hear a skipper than a soundtrack
Who should book something else
- Anyone in Queenstown without a car — you want a coach day trip instead
- Anyone who wants the car park fee covered, which is the catamaran cruise
- Anyone who needs lunch provided; nothing edible is included here
- Anyone hoping to sleep on the fiord, which only the overnight cruise does
Book a departure from about 2pm if you can. The car park and terminal are at their worst between roughly 11am and 1pm when the Queenstown coaches land together, parking drops to NZD 5 an hour after 3pm, and the afternoon light on the cliff faces is better anyway.
The other terminal tickets
Best valueCar park fee includedMilford Sound: Nature Cruise on a Modern Catamaran
From Te AnauPicnic lunch includedFrom Te Anau: Milford Sound Coach, Cruise, and Walks
Top pickCoach & 2-hour cruiseFrom Queenstown: Milford Sound Cruise and Coach Day Tour
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a car for the small boat cruise?
You need some way to reach the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal on State Highway 94 — a car, a campervan or a lift. The fare is the boat and nothing else. If you have no vehicle, a coach day trip bundles the transport and the cruise into one booking.
Is two hours long enough on Milford Sound?
Yes. The fiord is 15 km long and the cruises that run it take 105 minutes to two hours; two hours is at the generous end. More time on the water is not the thing most people are short of — see how long the cruise takes.
How much is parking at the Milford Sound terminal?
NZD 10 an hour before 3pm and NZD 5 an hour after, paid by card at the machines by entering your plate number. Deepwater Basin is free but it is a 25-minute walk with limited spaces. Cruise-only tickets covers the real cost of turning up under your own steam.