Fiordland Discovery — Local services in Fiordland Community

Supreme experience! Very recommended! You can get many offers for cruises on Milford Sound. We had an overnight cruise and was amazed by everything. I'm sure most of the cruises will go the same places, but with this boat you get closer than the others and spend more time in Milford Sound cruising.

The boat was one of the finest in the harbor, and the one out of 10 that I would point at, if I could choose any, as my preferred boat for a small cruise like this.

With the overnight cruise, the boat will only carry a max of 20 people, which turns out to be a great decision! With this few people (+4-5 staff members) you get plenty of room and full personal attention from the staff.

The captain was very informal (in a good way) and made us feel safe on a journey that would only exceed our expectations for service level.

The kitchen chef knew what he was doing. Everything from the small welcome snack (not even advertised when booking) to the 3 course menu (very very very nice, tasty, delicious food - we got local lobster, local blue cot fish and home made chocolate cake with local honey and ice cream) to the breakfast (with cereals, croissants, egg/bacon etc).

The rest of the crew took care of us, was smiling and helpful with any request, plus knew when to suggest us to go somewhere to get an extra experience (like taking a bath on front deck, while ship is cruising very close/underneath a waterfall)

We also went on a free kayak tour (20-40 min depending on if you have more or less than 8 people wanting to attend) where we sailed next to seals.

Normally I would expect a trip like this to try push me to buy a lot of drinks on board to spend more money, but they never did that. They mentioned the bar once and we used it as we pleased (charging the room for very good convenience, so we only had to pay right before leaving the boat).

We could get free water, tea, coffee and hot chocolate, and only needed to pay for wine (60$/bottle ish) and other drinks if we wanted to (bar closes 10PM, since ship will sail 6:30AM next morning - you can choose to stay longer in your cabin, as breakfast is from 7-8AM).

The 2 person cabins are great! You have an insane sea view, nice wide single beds (at least for European standards) and nice showers (with good pressure, high position for higher people with perfect temperature control - yhear.. we slept in campervan for 3 weeks and loved the shower 😂). Speaking of showers, we also used the free hot top at the top deck while sun was setting 😍

The only thing I can think of could be better is air conditioning. We went there on an unusual hot day (full sun), and the boat doesn't have aircondition. It does have air circulation and heating for colder nights. It's only really something you notice when you want to sleep, but it still would be a nice addition to the cabins.

I properly forgot something, but I do hope you read this as a very good review. Properly the most expensive thing we did on our trip - and the one thing I wouldn't think twice about doing again if I went to NZ. Especially if Fiordland Discovery is still...

What an experience! We travelled as 2 adults and 2 children aged 6 and 11 years and for us it was truly once in a lifetime dream! Many people due to the distance and cost might not add Milford to their itinerary but this is a must do. Even more so the overnight experience is much better than the lunch and I promise you well worth the time and additional expense. You only live once!

Tip One: Now when you.arrive into Milford obviously the landscape is stunning but make sure you have topped up with fuel in Te Anau as the fuel is about $1 per litre extra and the tiny self serve on my takes certain cards. We were lucky that we had ANZ from Australia but we had to help out a lot of Americans as their cards weren’t accepted and the machine doesn’t take cash.

Tip Two: there is not much to do in the terminal so I wouldn’t plan to arrive until 2pm at the earliest so you can park your car have a quick bubbles at the little cafe up the road and then wander back for 2:45pm as the desk is unattended until then.

Now the EXPERIENCE… we were greeted by the lovely Abbey who was so welcoming enquired on what brought us and we mentioned it was for a family trip but also our wedding anniversary. We were in a quad room with our kids which she and the amazing Captain Jimmy surprised us with an upgrade to our own room away from the kids as they weren’t full on that sailing.

Now the catamaran I would say is the best in the mooring. It is tastefully appointed with luxury amenities and a wonderful wine list. Upon boarding there is a generous cheeseboard to enjoy.

Make sure you enjoy both the kayaking and jumping into the magic sound waters from the boat. It’s a must do.

Now onto the people…The crew are just exceptional! There is Jimmy the captain who takes great pride in ensuring he gives detailed commentary but also located all of the magic sea life we wished to see - sea lions on day one and a pod of 14 dolphins on day two!

Jack the assistant skipper is great and a Fiordland local. There is great banter between Jimmy and Jack. Chris the chef served up a 3 course dinner that was fit for royalty. Our kids generally don’t eat fish and devoured it as it was so fresh and delicious. Our hosts Abbey and Cora were forever attentive.

The only thing we missed was the hot tub which we wish we were given a few more heads up on its opening and closing as we would have loved to experience that. Alas… we then must return but perhaps for a fishing charter without the children in another part of the South Island.

Thankyou Fiordland Discoveries… I will spread the word wide and ensure anyone I know travelling to the South Island is aware your overnight cruise is a MUST DO! You honestly made our trip.

Much love for 2025, Clint, Laura,...

Got cancelled upon. I seldom give bad ratings but this is an Unreliable vendor. Do think twice before booking or make sure you have a Plan B in case you get cancelled upon like us!

We were so looking forward to the cruise after reading all the excellent reviews BUT THE WORST UNIMAGINABLE SITUATION HAPPENED. We got cancelled upon (by the property!!) two days before our cruise (not because of weather but because of “boat maintenance”).

2 days before the date we were supposed to board the cruise, we received an email (not even a call) from Expedia that Fiordland Discovery has cancelled our booking as the boat would be “on maintenance” on the date we booked the cruise.

How is it reasonable or possible for a property to cancel our booking two days before our trip and leave us with no other alternative plans (esp in a remote area like Milford sound, with only one other Milford Sound Lodge accommodation available)?! Also, is it normal for a “boat maintenance” to be scheduled at the very last minute? why didn’t the company anticipate it and inform us earlier? Or did the property cancel the booking because only 2 rooms on board were booked (and it doesn’t make economic sense for them to set sail)?

The option they offered us was a Full Refund or to switch to another date. But our plans were fixed with many buses and hotels already pre arranged. We had to be on the phone for almost an hour to call Expedia and the property to get a full refund (although we weren’t the ones to initiate a cancellation!) while we were on our holiday! How ridiculous is that?!

We booked this trip months in advance, and were so looking forward to boarding the cruise after our trek. But this was utterly disappointing that last min cancellations by the property is actually permissible. Do think twice before booking or make sure you have a Plan B in case you get cancelled...