Milford Sound Mariner Overnight Cruise from Te Anau

Te Anau, New Zealand

An overnight cruise amidst spectacular Milford Sound, is a once in a lifetime experience. While on board the Milford Mariner you will cruise the full length of this spectacular fiord to the Tasman Sea before anchoring for the night in sheltered Harrison Cove.

To begin, board your luxury coach in Te Anau where you can enjoy a spectacular journey along the Milford Road. Your coach driver provides an informative commentary and there is time for a photo stop and short walks along the way.

Upon arrival at Milford Sound, you will board the Milford Mariner for the overnight cruise. The vessel explores many points of interest, with plenty of time available to view waterfalls, rain forest, mountains and wildlife with the experienced nature guide on board.

The Milford Mariner offers you a very special dinner, bed and breakfast experience. With a nature guide at hand you can explore in the tender craft and kayaks or simply relax on deck. After the days activities, enjoy a delicious evening buffet in the spacious saloon before retiring to your private cabin. The Milford Mariner caters for visitors who enjoy comfort combined with activity. It has a spacious dining saloon, observation lounge and large open deck areas for viewing the scenery of Milford Sound.

After reaching the open sea, subject to weather and favorable conditions the sails are hoisted for a period. The vessel returns to and anchors overnight in sheltered Harrison Cove. Activities include kayaking and exploring the shoreline on the tender craft. The overnight cruise includes a delicious three course buffet evening meal and hearty cooked breakfast. Beverages are sold at the licensed, on board bar. The next morning, following breakfast, there is further cruising before returning to the Milford Sound Wharf.

After disembarkation on the morning of the second day you will return to Te Anau by coach allowing time to reflect on the beauty of the morning scenery.

USD $262.00

Review by:   Anne,    April 2015
Overall a lovely experience, however I believe the timing needs to be revised. Although interesting there are too many stops en route from Te Anau to Milford, lots of waiting to get on the bus and get on the boat resulting in too little time on the boat. Let's face it, the cruise is the main event and getting on board by 3.30 pm and off at around 10.30 would be excellent. The entire time on the fiord felt rushed - we boarded at 4.30 after a safety briefing we powered madly part way up the fiord to an anchor for the night and in the morning we were powering again at full speed to the Tasman Sea in pitch darkness 7 am only to reach the mouth in half light, to swiftly turn around head back to the wharf by 9.10 am to wait again for the bus. The time on the fiord in the tender boat was interesting but again very short and restricted to one bay. Dinner and breakfast were delicious, the staff were very helpful and informative and the cabin was functional and clean. Coffee was shut down about 8.15 am meaning we had to travel all the way back with no morning coffee break - tough for addicts :. I would recommend the experience however be aware it is very quick!!

Review by:   Gary W,    April 2015
Although the scenery was amazing, the 'overnight cruise' was a disappointment. After boarding we cruised for about 45 minutes before mooring for the night within a mile of the dock where we'd begun the trip. Cruising began again at dawn and was finished by just after 9am._br/_ Save yourself the time and

Review by:   Bruce T,    October 2014
The tour was a fantastic experience. Great crew who looked after our every need. Good food and wine in the evening. The sleeping quarters were a good size and being at the bottom of the boat meant a gentle rocking that put us to sleep nicely. Time frames around the activities were well planned. The morning was the highlight when we were taken towards the entrance with the weather adding to the experience. All the rain had the sides of the sound alive with falling water. Bruce and Donna Thomas Mandurah WA

Review by:   darren g,    April 2014
Brilliant. Excellent tour. Lots to see, good food and well looked after by a great crew.

Review by:   Brian B,    February 2014
Our trip on the Milford Mariner overnight cruise was magical from start to finish._br/_ The crew on board were so helpful, nothing was a bother. The cabin was very good and the food terrific._br/_ This would have to be the best part of our recent South Island trip. I would recommend this overnight cruise to anyone.

Review by:   Diane,    April 2013
This was a highlight of our trip. cabins great, staff great, food beautiful, Milford Sound is just an amazing place.

Review by:   Michael C,    April 2013
This trip was more than we could ever have imagined. We had a fantastic time. The scenery, the food, the wine and the staff were outstanding. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone!

Review by:   Gary R,    February 2012
Absolutely fantastic- the highlight of our trip to New Zealand- the bus ride to Milford Sound was incredible ( glad we decided not to drive ourselves), great views and excellent commentary. Overnight on the Mariner was excellent- delicious food, comfortable cabins and the commentary from staff was knowledgable and very entertaining. I will never forget our trip to Milford sound- surely one of the wonders of the world.

Review by:   Elise J,    May 2011
Overall the experience was wonderful but was mislead into believing it was 2 days. However, the cruise wasn't even 1 day as it began at 4.00pm and ended at 9.00am the next morning. The worst thing was that we let the supplier know we were celebrating our 34th Wedding Anniversary and they appointed us to Cabin 1 which was the worst cabin on the whole boat. It was right next to the engine room on the bottom level. After much insistence on being moved, an attendant managed to move us to another cabin on the same level but it had single beds. This was really disappointing but I guess we got some sleep not being right next to the engine room.