We had originally booked our full tour through Cheeky Kiwi Tours but unfortunately they had to cancel out on us due to sickness. They recommended another Tour Operator - Fjordland Tours who were absolutely fabulous and I am so pleased that we went with them as I feel that we had an awesome experience with many extra places visited both en route to Milford Sound and during our return trip. Karlyn our driver on the 16 seater tour bus was an absolute legend. He took time out to explain points of interest along the way. The packed lunch was to die for and included some luxury food items which we did not expect (chocolates, premium juice, fruit, scones, sandwiches) Tea and coffee was served from the tour bus at one of the fabulous lookout points. The boat trip across Milford Sound was very comfortable. Refreshments were available throughout the cruise. Overall this was a very enjoyable and informative day. Fun filled and packed with information. Exceptional views. Thank you.

Fantastic day! Was surprised to see Milford Sound had a Scuba diving, and really glad I ended up diving with them. Skipper Lance and Instructor Zach were both fantastic, and had a great group to dive with on the day as well. Also, I know what rock sausages are now!

There's no doubt that Milford Sound is one of the most stunning places to visit in New Zealand. I first visited about 10 years ago and at that time there had been lots of rock falls on the Milford Road when I was there and access wasn't guaranteed. I was fortune that the road was open on restricted hours and I got there but a shortened boat trip on Milford Sound due to the Homer tunnel being closed by late afternoon. It was raining and low cloud on the day but still worthwhile. Staying in Te Anau for a few days this week I decided to drive up to Milford as it was fine weather and enjoy seeing the dramatic scenery on the Milford Road on the way, especially driving through the Homer tunnel. While waiting for the green light to proceed through the tunnel a couple of cheeky Kea landed on my car, pecking at the rubber surround of the windscreen and fixtures for the roof rack. They are big birds when seen up close. Arriving at Milford and it's amazing. I saw a sign for car parking and turned left into the parking area and then over to the cafe to get a coffee and something to eat. Went back to the car park and saw a sign inside the car park advising a parking fee of $25. This is outrageous because there's no sign of cost before entering. As I only intended to stay for around an hour or so this annoyed me a lot. If I had known I would have parked at a rest area and walked a short distance. What I object to is the sneaky way that you don't find out about the $25 minimum fee until you're actually driven in and you're trapped. Camera surveillance operating. I spoke to other people and they also found it confusing. Today I spoke to some local people in Te Anau and the feedback was that it was to discourage locals from going there. They want overseas visitors because they are more likely to spend money on the boat trips. I've travelled all over New Zealand and visited many scenic attractions that have car parking provided but no parking fee. It's disappointing to see a natural treasure commercialised in this way. It's not the New Zealand that I grew up in.

the rock formations, the waterfalls, and landscape are beautiful, but not stunning enough to be marketed as "8th world wonders" as some travel agencies have claimed. 7-hr of driving from and to Queenstown + petrol $ + NZD 100 pp non-inclusive cruise ticket + NZD 25 mandatory parking fee, I'm not sure if it is worth the price. Certainly not if it is raining, oh, Milford Sound rains 180+ day per year on average. Luckily we got some sunshine and blur sky when we cruised

We did a cruise on the Southern discovery boat. Food on board was good & a reasonable price. Scenery was stunning, lots of waterfalls, we saw a seal & a penguin. Was a bit of rain, but plenty of room to take cover. Don't pay $25 for parking! There is free parking on the left as you arrive, with a free shuttle bus to the ferry jetties!

Simply stunning, spectacular, and fantastic, I could go on, but that sums it up. This piece of natural landscape is simply a must see. It can be very wet at times so come prepared but if your lucky you can get some fine days also. However its the scenery that is the main attractions no matter the weather, the vegetation the waterfalls the sea all add up to a beautiful spot. Then you have the wildlife, look out for sea lions, dolphin and penguins plus an array of seabirds.

amazing boat trip we had one of those rare picture perfect days where the seals were sunning themselves on the rocks. the waterfalls were pretty great and the boat was fine. i did not participate in the ducking inside the waterfall. those would did looked pretty drenched.

A fiord boat ride was the #1 thing we wanted to do in New Zealand, and it lived up to our expectations. We were very pleased with Mitre Peak: commentary was complete without being overdone/disruptive, and the boat was very comfortable with plenty of windows, which is a good thing since there are always a few people who park themselves on the deck and won't move. Skies were sunny on the day we went but I think it would be just as enjoyable if it were raining: i.e. don't worry if sky is overcast on the day you go. Highly recommend this experience for everyone.

My sister,nephew and I chose the overnight boat cruise with RealNZ. The trip was mind blowing with spectacular scenery , seriously knowledgeable staff(Ben) and hospitality staff who were welcoming and friendly . A great idea was to mix us up with guests from other rooms and nationalities to share the delicious three course buffet. The sights , sounds and passion from RealNZ staff for the stunning Milford Sound was just heartwarming that the area is in safe hands. We left from Queenstown in a RealNZ small bus with the most knowledgeable bus driver Branden who regaled us with local information the whole 4/5 hour journey. As the the weather on the Queenstown side was bad and we couldn’t fly out to get our different perspective of the area we had saved seats on the bus back. Branden took us for a 30 minute bush walk that was easy and we felt like we were in Jurassic park on our way back. Would recommend this trip 100% It was awesome value for money for such an awesome experience!!

Definitely a place to visit when in New Zealand South Island. Beautiful, amazing scenery. Surreal views of how earth created such an area. Catch a bus via a tour company which stops at locations for photo opportunities.