The coach trip to and from the cruise was good and the tour guide, Bruce, was very helpful and informative. We made a few stops along the way for pictures and the coach was large and comfortable with huge glass windows and a glass roof. However the positive coach ride was not followed by a positive boat cruise. It was a unorganised chaos of people running everywhere and pushing past eachother, it was like people had never been out before. There was no queuing system and people were pushing to the front and barging through. I was hit with umbrellas several times and also had my feet stood on many times too. About 99% of tables were reserved for tours, buffet food and other food options so if you tried to save money, like me, you didn’t have a seat option reserved and had to walk round and round hoping to find a seat, this was near on impossible as I was one of the last to board the boat. The whole journey was carnage and everyone was shouting and speaking so loud you can’t even hear the caption speaking and informing you of your surroundings. I understand the company cannot help the weather but it was so misty and cloudy you couldn’t even see the amazing views that you paid to visit. I at least expect to be able to hear about the history and facts about the area. Had I of been able to hear the announcements, the madness and stress of the unorganised people would have been worth it but instead I had to listen to everyone shouting and seeing no views for the entire journey. I wouldn’t recommend this company purely because of their lack of control of the guests on board and the inconsideration of people who have bought their own lunch. I paid a lot of money for this tour and didn’t enjoy the main attraction.
Such a great trip. Much preferred taking the cruise from te anau so we could look at the scenery. We had heavy rains it was awesome. Bruce our driver was great
Brilliant Coach Driver with his commentary. Awesome views. the Captain on our boat Milford Haven went the extra mile to show us sights close up.
We were very pleasantly surprised with the whole experience, from booking online, to the check-in, the bus ride, and the boat, everything was seamless and easy. We were expecting a gong show, but it was anything but. Our bus driver from Te Anau, Reynald, was excellent, providing pertinent information along the way, and stopping at prime locations that weren't too busy. It was a very comfortable trip. The boat was excellent too, not over crowded, and again the comentary from the guide was very enlightening. We were going to drive to Milford ourselves, but are happy we didn't. We'd definitely recommend this tour with RealNZ to anyone.
I could not rate RealNZ highly enough, for the tour and also the service. Following a mixup with a different operator the previous day; an awful experience with the company concerned, we decided to book with RealNZ. Brilliant decision! It started with a happy friendly reception, Brandon, and just got better.