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Go deep into Doubtful Sound on this 2 night cruise, with unspoiled, unmatched and unforgettable views. Of course, the views were not dissimilar from those you get on the boat. However, it was nice to be able to get some actions shots of each other.
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Pristine splendor on sailing through New Zealand's Doubtful Sound - Travel Weekly
Pristine splendor on sailing through New Zealand's Doubtful Sound.
Posted: Mon, 05 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMT [source]
You’ll be able to fall asleep to the Sound of the water lapping against the boat and wake up to the sight of mist rising from the fiord. If you stay overnight on the boat option, you’ll not only experience the peace and serenity of Doubtful Sound after dark, but you’ll also enjoy a delicious meal on board. This walk takes approximately 20 minutes and is marked. As evening falls, you’ll enjoy a delicious carvery buffet in the dining saloon – a feast prepared freshly by our on-site chef. Then it’s time to relax in the company of your fellow traveller, indulge in some star-gazing and story-sharing or simply retire to your private cabin. This overnight cruise through the heart of Fiordland provides astonishing views and the ultimate Milford Sound adventure.
How to choose between Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound
They book up months in advance – and I’m not talking just a few months, either. They can book up over 6 months ahead of time, especially during the summer. I like that it covers meals and transportation, so you don’t need to worry about too many logistics.
Is Doubtful Sound worth visiting?

Depending on upgrades, place of departure, and other factors, the cost may creep up from there. Whereas, the Doubtful Sounds overnight cruise guarantees you a sunset, sunrise, and multiple blue and golden hours. If photography is your goal, the overnight option is definitely preferred. Most importantly, however, is the time of day that you will be out to sea. With the Doubtful Sounds day cruise, you will be boating around in the harsh afternoon light.
Many say you have not seen Fiordland unless you have seen it in the rain. When it rains in Fiordland the landscape is dramatic - rock faces stream with waterfalls, mist hangs around the tops of the mountains and rivers and streams rage. From a dry comfortable vantage point on the bus or boat, this landscape is spectacular for sightseeing. After your Doubtful Sound cruise is complete you’ll arrive back to Deep Cove and follow the same bus and boat journey back to Manapouri. Deep Cove is the main interior harbour of Doubtful Sound where you’ll board your final boat and head off on your Doubtful Sound cruise.
Visit Fiordland: New Zealand's Largest National Park That's Home To Many Wonders - TheTravel
Visit Fiordland: New Zealand's Largest National Park That's Home To Many Wonders.
Posted: Sat, 14 Aug 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The Milford Sound voyage, however, is over in a couple of hours at the most. It is very pretty, but we felt that too much of the time on the Milford Sound overnight cruise was spent finding ways to keep us entertained. So, on our last visit to the New Zealand South Island, we decided to book a Doubtful Sounds overnight cruise and see this lesser-visited Fiordland gem. Once we arrived at Doubtful Sound, we boarded our boat and headed up to the mess hall/dining area for a quick safety briefing, crew introduction and to get our room keys.
Our Vessel
You may think it’d be a bad idea for seasick-prone people to spend more time on board but with an overnight cruise, you get to experience the fiord at different times. I found the water in the morning was the most still and least seasick-inducing. Doubtful Sound is the deepest and second longest fiord in New Zealand’s South Island Fiordland National Park. It’s often called the Sound of Silence for its remote, scenic and silent nature. Doubtful Sound is known for powerful waterfalls, rich greenery, tall mountain cliffs, long calm waters, and local wildlife, like dolphins, penguins, birds and seals. The Fiordland Navigator offers a relaxed environment, where you can do as much or as little as you like.
Trips of a Lifetime
Today, Doubtful Sound remains an unspoilt wilderness of many moods; one minute clear blue and sun drenched, the next mysterious and mist cloaked. We Dream of Travel is also a participant with other affiliate programs. All purchases or bookings made through We Dream of Travel come at no extra cost to the reader.

In addition to the infinitely-layered landscapes, the amount of wildlife we encountered was more impressive on the Doubtful Sounds cruise. We have a group of 7 which includes 3 couples and we are travelling with our college student child. Would we qualify for the family room with our daughter? Can you please clarify the options for children under 5. The crew were excellent and did everything possible and more to make sure we had a great time. Overnight parking is available at the terminal for $30, from 3.30pm until 11am the following morning.
As much as we absolutely loved our experience, we would only recommend it if you have 3-4 weeks or more to explore the South Island. You could certainly make it a priority if you have any amount of time, of course. However, you will be missing out on a lot of other very special places.
The Southern Secret has five comfortable and warm ensuite guest cabins. The Master Suite cabin (sleeps 1-2), Double cabins (sleeps 1-2) and the Double/Twin cabin (sleeps 1-4). All have private bathrooms with toilet and shower facilities.
We did a two night cruise on Doubtful Sound which was amazing. The food, staff, services were first class, and our cabin was just as fabulous as a hotel room. Beautiful crisp linen; fabulous shower and perfectly comfortable.I can't recommend this cruise highly enough, and everyone on board just loved their time on the water.
As you sail across the lake, you’ll see the spectacular landscape surrounding you and take in the fresh, crisp air. We went on our Doubtful Sound overnight cruise in April 2023 and it was truly one of the best parts of our three weeks in Aotearoa. It was wet and cloudy providing plenty of amazing waterfalls and great scenery. We’re so glad we included this trip in our NZ itinerary. If you want to sleep on Doubtful Sound, I highly recommend booking this overnight cruise well in advance. This overnight cruise is only available from December through the end of March.
The property also has laundry, BBQ facilities, free parking, and a car wash. These accommodations are quiet, clean, and super spacious – perfect if you like privacy and comfort. There’s not a huge tipping culture here because servers get paid a living wage, so lots of locals will tell you that they don’t tip. However, in Queenstown and popular South Island tourist destinations like Doubtful Sound, tipping is much more common. Tipping is generally just a part of tourism, so in this case, it’s really up to you if you want to tip or not.
Thanks to this forest, a wide variety of native birds have a place to call home and, if you listen carefully, you can hear them sing. It was actually really nice to disconnect for 24 hours and not have as many distractions from the beautiful nature all around us. Embrace the disconnection (or do what we did and download a few shows, podcasts and songs before leaving!).
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