We booked Mitre Peak Cruises in Milford Sound since it was one of the smaller cruise lines. The…read morebenefits were taking us closer to viewpoints in Milford Sound and going out farther in the Sound compared to the mega cruise lines. The drawback was being more susceptible to the 70 plus knot winds that hit our ship as we moved further out in the Sound due to a storm rolling in. We rode at the top of the ship which was partially enclosed so we got some great photos of the Sound and experienced some of the intensity of the wind and rain as it picked up. Staff checked up on us regularly and even handed out blankets to ward off the cold. We could clearly hear all of the tour details as we cruised along but eventually the weather forced us to head down to the main cabin at the request of the staff. Inside the cabin were mostly padded bench seating and free hot tea and coffee. Eventually the captain turned the ship around and headed back to the harbor since it didn't seem like the winds would abate any time soon. Of course safety of the passenger and crew were priority and I appreciated that. The positive side effect of the storm was being able to see a huge number of waterfalls that only manifested itself in significant downpours like this one. Will have to come back to repeat in better weather.

This truly was a cool time. Milford Sound is one of the most beautiful places anywhere, and these…read moreguys did the tour right. Very nice staff, just a beautiful way to spend the morning

We purchased this cruise in advance through TripAdvisor so we wouldn't have to wait in queue…read more Parking near the terminal was convenient for NZ$10 per hour and it was about a 10-minute walk to the check-in area. When we arrived, we simply showed the operator our email confirmation number, received a blue boarding card, and were directed to Terminal 3. Boarding was smooth and organized, and with the capacity capped at 75 passengers, we were among the first to get on. We chose to sit in the back on the outside. The cruise itself was roughly an hour 45 minutes and took us through the fjord. Because it had rained the day before, many of the waterfalls were flowing beautifully. We spotted a few seals sleeping on the rocks and even saw a couple of penguins. When the boat pulled up close to one of the larger waterfalls, we got soaked but it was all part of the fun. The weather was sunny and in the mid-50s Fahrenheit, which made for a perfect experience, especially compared to the rainy conditions earlier in the week. Complimentary tea, coffee, and cookies were available on the first floor, and the boat also had a restroom onboard. The staff were warm, welcoming, and even helped take photos for passengers. Overall, it was a smooth, scenic, and memorable cruise!

DATE OF TOUR: End of February 2020 BOOKED: directly through…read morecompany TOUR: 5 stars - bucket list material TOUR GUIDES: 5 stars CONTACT WITH COMPANY PRIOR TO TOUR: 5 stars EASE OF BOOKING ONLINE: 5 stars TIPS: bring snacks and water if you are able (especially if being picked up from Queenstown), 1 bathroom break to/from Queenstown to Milford Sound (there is a bathroom on the bus, but at one point ours was out of order), it was very beneficial for us to have an international cell in order for them to contact us, i recommend a rain coat (I got a lite one off of Amazon and that was plenty) Milford Sound was high on my list when planning our trip to New Zealand. After experiencing it's wonder, I think this is something that should be on everyone's bucket list. Personally, I don't believe that the travel time to experience places should play that much of a role and I 100% feel that Milford Sound is worth it. Our time was just magical here. Out of all the Milford Sound tours, we chose Cruise Milford based on a review we saw saying that their cruises were smaller at meant you got more access to the scenery, etc. And that was true when you saw our Cruise compared to others. I received a call/text the day before from the company to make sure we were set, Because of flooding recently, food would not be available at Milford Sound and we were offered a package to add lunch. They were also very friendly at fielding our questions on food, snacks, bathroom breaks, etc (see below). Thank goodness, T-Mobile offers relatively cheap deals for international phone service. The morning of, our ride never showed. So, I called the lady that we spoke to the night before and by the time she called me back, she already had a Taxi ready to pick us up and bring us to the final bus stop (there was a mixup in the system). We booked our trip with transportation from our hotel in Queenstown. It is a 2-hour drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound, so it was honestly a great plan the day after getting in from our long flight as we slept most of the bus ride. From Queenstown there is a short stop to grab breakfast, coffee and use the bathroom and their grab/go pastries were DELICIOUS my husband and I went back for seconds before we got back on the bus. We stopped at the same stop on the way home and there wasn't much food left by the end of the day and hardly enough time to go to the other restaurants, so I HIGHLY recommend bringing snacks. There is a bathroom on the bus, but as I wrote above, ours was out of order halfway through the trip