Picked us up in the downtown area. They showed up 5 min ahead of schedule which was nice. Our tour guide for the day was Carlos. He was really nice and an okay tour guide I think. After we confirmed our party name and proof of purchase (email is acceptable), we boarded the coach and proceeded to pick up other passengers from different pick up locations (i think a total of 3 other locations). After that we headed to Te Anau. The pit stop was at Hollyford Cafe. A nice place with 2 restroom areas, a gift shop, and a cafe to buy coffee, hot chocolate, water, juices, and various baked goods. This place even has a currency exchange office. The coffee was decent. One of the baked goods that we had was the egg mcmuffin, the bread was really tough and dry. I would stay away from this. After the pit stop here you drive towards Milford sound Piopiotahi Coach and Cruise area. Basically the driver will stop at Mirror lake and another spot for you to take photos. The cruise was very comfortable. We had provided lunch and water and tea. If you wanted something else to drink, you would have to purchase it. I think to pick between the various cruise companies is what you want to eat. Do you want your ticket to include the meal or not. I know of another cruise ship where the meal is separate and only for purchase. From what it looked like, all the ships took the same route around Milford sound. Just staggered launching times. After the boat cruise you go back to the same area and the coach bus takes you back to Queenstown. It's a really long day. If I had to do this again, I would stay at Milford Sound so I can take photos of sunset and sunrise, but that would be the only reason why. If you don't care for those, then take the cruise. When we went, the weather was excellent, sunny and clear skies. Unfortunately, I would have preferred it to be cloudy or overcast because the sun was too bright to take photos well, lighting was too harsh. read more