Beachcomber Cruises. Queen Charlotte Cruise & Track Adventures — Local services in South Island

My partner and I were the only persons who booked this boat for cruise. There were around eight people who were also on the boat but they are locals and they took the boat as a public transport and got off the boat halfway. As a result, only three people spent all three hours on the boat: my partner, me and the boat driver. Before the cruise started, the driver talked to us and suggested not going to Ship Cove because “it is windy and we can go to Furneaux Lodge to have some coffee.” I politely rejected. Going to Ship Cove is the reason why we booked this cruise.

The company advertised that there would be live commentary about the area and its history. This is totally fake as the driver did not tell us anything. NOT EVEN ONE SENTENCE. The only time he talked to us was when we got on and off the boat. Also, on Tripadvisor and the brochure, it says visitors will have 30 mins on Ship Cove. But when we got off the boat at the cove, we were told to stay only 15 mins because “there is not much to see, only the monument.”

The boat driver looked pretty laid back possibly because there were only two visitors on the boat. He sat on a high chair and occasionally drove the boat using his shoes and legs. He is a cool guy with a pair of sunglasses and a poker face during the whole cruise.

The cruise was not 3.5 hours long. When we got off the boat, it was 12:04.

I think because there were only two visitors so we had very special treatment. I’ve done probably over 100 cruises in several countries and this is definitely the worst experience. I did water taxi in Abel Tasman two days ago with another company, that one...

Admin team disappointing and unprofessional - room for improvement: We have supported and travelled with beachcomber for over a decade. We have always been satisfied with their service. However our recent experience travelling with them had been less than satisfactory. It is time for their team to review their practise and retrain their staff. We booked and paid for a return trip with them a month ago. I double checked my return booking with them when we checked in when we checked in on our way out to queen charlotte. They assured us that the return trip was booked that everything was in place. But as soon as we got off the boat at Picton today we were stopped by their staff, they were adamant we were not on their list today. They asked questions such as if we were suppose to travel with them or if we travelled on the correct date. I told them we paid for a returned trip and their staff assured us our return trip was all booked. I could see they didn’t believe me so I showed them the receipt they sent me. They realised they booked my return trip on the wrong date and wrong year even ( leaving on 2025 and returning on 2024 according to their booking) Their response once they discovered they made a mistake was particularly unprofessional. There was no explanation as for how they messed up the booking even when I double checked the return trip upon check in and certainly no apologies. They were very quick to brush it under the carpet. Saying ‘ you dont have to worry about it. ‘, and trying to laugh it off, and swiftly...

On arrival/check in we were told the usual guide was unavailable and replaced with a stand in. In the Brochure it stated that there was a commentry about history and wildlife and afternoon tea. There was neither. We were told that the replacement guide/skipper would chat to everyone individually. (Did NOT happen) We were assured we would still have a great experience. There was no safety instruction for emergencies or instructions regarding lifejackets we werent told where we could find lifejackets. At one stop (Ship Cove) while getting back on the boat, the side/gate wasnt open. There was a ladder going up and over the side of the boat (going into it). A lady while going up the ladder slipped and fell onto the wharf/ jetty and nearly went into the water/inbetween the boat and wharf/ jetty. Her Husband caught her. ( Their umbrella went into the water and could not be rescued) When this was happening the guide/skipper was busy on board talking (the only time he spoke to anyone) and smoking a cigarette. He wasnt paying attention to passenger safety while boarding or disembarking. We found this very distressing.After this happend we spoke up to make access easier by opening up the gate/side of the boat. (Which he did when we made the request) On the way back there were multiple stops. On every stop he had a smoke/cigarette on the jettys. This is very unprofessional. Overpriced for what we got.Didnt feel safe. We have been on many water tours around New Zealand and never experinced...