Quuenstown Overnight off of Celebrity

My husband and I are on the Solstice in November traveling from Sydney to Auckland. A land tour is offered off the ship as "Queenstown Overnight" while going through the Sounds. The price is pretty expensive - $600.00 a piece. Has anyone done this and is it worth the price? Will we miss going through the Sounds?

This is a very popular excursion and apparently well worth the dollars.

You dont actually sail through Milford Sound rather it is an in and out sail.

The ferry for the excursion picks you up and takes you into Milford township.

You do sail through Dusky and Doubtful sounds though

Here is lots of info compiled by TLCOhio http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

We're doing be same cruise but in December, we're going to fly down to Queenstown after we debark in Auckland and spend a few nights post cruise. It will cost us less to do that then it would to do the ships tour and we get to spend 3 days in the area and not miss any cruise time. Something to consider if you can spend a few days in NZ, it's only an hour or so flight.

We're doing be same cruise but in December, we're going to fly down to Queenstown after we debark in Auckland and spend a few nights post cruise. It will cost us less to do that then it would to do the ships tour and we get to spend 3 days in the area and not miss any cruise time. Something to consider if you can spend a few days in NZ, it's only an hour or so flight.

Great idea.

We're doing be same cruise but in December, we're going to fly down to Queenstown after we debark in Auckland and spend a few nights post cruise. It will cost us less to do that then it would to do the ships tour and we get to spend 3 days in the area and not miss any cruise time. Something to consider if you can spend a few days in NZ, it's only an hour or so flight.

That's what I'd recommend too. The excursion sounds good but there is a lot of bus travel - from Milford Sound to Queenstown, then from Queenstown to Dunedin. Pretty scenery along the way though.

But there are so many great things to see and do in and around Queenstown that would be missed on the excursion.

See also http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2202722, including the threads linked to from it.

We decided to skip the overnight from our Solstice cruise, and glad we did. We really enjoyed our day of cruising through the sounds. There were some spectacular scenery. We did talk to some people that had done the overnight, and they had a great time too. Our thoughts were we paid for the cruise, and I didn't think we should miss out on the days on the ship and pay the added expense for the overnight excursion. It's impossible to do everything on 1 trip. We didn't get back to Queenstown, but we did spend 2 nights in Auckland, then 3 nights in Rotorua before leaving.

I think if you have the time, it is a great idea to stay on the ship so you can see Dunedin, then after the cruise, fly down to Queensland and see what they have to offer.

New Zealand is a beautiful country. The South Island is so very different from the North Island. We loved our time there and hope to go back again.

My husband and I are on the Solstice in November traveling from Sydney to Auckland. A land tour is offered off the ship as "Queenstown Overnight" while going through the Sounds. The price is pretty expensive - $600.00 a piece. Has anyone done this and is it worth the price? Will we miss going through the Sounds?

cassamanda: This is a very popular excursion and apparently well worth the dollars. You dont actually sail through Milford Sound rather it is an in and out sail. The ferry for the excursion picks you up and takes you into Milford township. You do sail through Dusky and Doubtful sounds though. Here is lots of info compiled by TLCOhio http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

Appreciate this mention and connection from cassamanda to check out my live/blog with many pictures' date=' details, etc. YES, there are [b']trade-offs to consider for exploring the super scenic NZ South Island[/b]. BOTH of these options can work out very well. Seeing the NZ Sounds and Fjords can be a little iffy for the weather and conditions, but very rewarding.

We did, along with other couples in our travel group from Central Ohio, the two-day, overnight Queenstown excursion. It's a choice, not cheap. There are pro's and con's to consider. As previously noted, Milford Sound is suppose to be the best of the three you will visit. BUT, the biggest roll of the dice is the weather. These fjords can be spectacular, but you can have iffy weather. Maybe great and sunny. Maybe rainy with overcast, etc. Possible a little of both as your travels that day cover a varied amount of distance/travel among the three different areas.

On my live/blog I detail much on ALL that we did on this two-day excursion. WOW!! What a great trip. Loved it ALL so much. Not just charming Queenstown, but seeing a wonderful rainforest area, the charm of the interior of NZ's South Island, a cute old gold-rush town, a winery, the bridge where bungee jumping got its start, etc. On the Queenstown side of the mountains, there are less weather challenges, etc. With our tour, we still got a nice sampling of Dunedin, its very special train station, etc.

Either one can work well. Much depends on what you most like, seek and enjoy most. Added questions? Below are a few visuals to give previews for what you can see in this excellent part of the world. Many, many more on the full live/blog.

Worth it? It was for us and the others in our group. Personal choice!! The NZ South Island is amazing and being able to sample it was very important for us to "feed" our personal interests to see and learn more about this unique part of the world.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 112,927 views for this posting

Going into Milford Sound on the Solstice, there were great views from our balcony on the tenth floor. We did not like the overcast skies and rain, but it added to the “drama” with the huge number of waterfalls in this area. In this picture, my wife is checking out these great sights from our balcony early this morning. It was a rocky crossing of the Tasman Sea.:

Our first stop after getting off of the Solstice and boarding our bus was a major rainforest areas in the Fiordlands National Park. Amazing site and stop!! Yes, there was some rain that morning. But, here are some facts to consider. In the Milford Sound area, they get an average of 23 feet (that's right FEET) of rain each year. At times, it might go as high as 46' yearly. That means most ever day gets some rain as the churning Tasman sea air loaded with moisture hits these South Island mountains. By sharp contrast, just 25 miles away (across the mountains), Queenstown averages only 30 inches of rain annually. Big difference!!:

Here is a view of the main street in Arrowtown with lots of character and charm. Plus, many shops! High-quality ones!! Just the kind that my wife and others love. There were historic places for beers, cheese, etc., too! Not just clothing and jade/jewelry.:

Here is one of my visuals in connection with this steamship sailing leading to the dinner at the sheep station at the other end of this scenic lake near Queenstown during the two-day Solstice excursion. You will see lots of scenic mountains and areas during this sailing that is a key part of this evening fun. And, there was food!!:

Here is one my pictures from the Kawarau Suspension Bridge and its dramatic gorge nearby to Queenstown. It's a classy bridge design in a setting that is world-class. This bridge is narrow, being built way before cars and trucks had been invented and built.:

Among the highlights in Dunedin was their rail station with its many special design touches. As our guide, John, explained, Dunedin was very rich at the time from its gold and other resources. Why did they make it so fancy? Because they could!! You can see some of the fancy tile work, a stained-glass window, etc., there. They do not build things like this these days. In this below picture, you can see our skilled guide John with some of the folks from our Central Ohio travel group outside in front of this landmark building.:

Great pics Terry.

My suggestion would be that if you don't have the extra time available at the end of the cruise to visit Queenstown then the ships excursion makes good sense.

As an aside. For us, we will always sail all 3 and do a separate land visit to Queenstown. The main reason being that my wife is a direct decendant of the man who named Milford Sound and many other bays and islands in the South Island. He was Captain John Grono who was a boat builder and Sealer in the early 1800s.

Hugh

Great pics Terry. My suggestion would be that if you don't have the extra time available at the end of the cruise to visit Queenstown then the ships excursion makes good sense. As an aside. For us, we will always sail all 3 and do a separate land visit to Queenstown. The main reason being that my wife is a direct decendant of the man who named Milford Sound and many other bays and islands in the South Island. He was Captain John Grono who was a boat builder and Sealer in the early 1800s. Hugh

Appreciate Hugh's nice comments and follow-up. As noted earlier, there are "trade-offs" to consider. Both options can be good. Great to know of your Captain John Grono connections.

From our perspective in coming all of the way from the USA, we only had so much time and money to do this overall "adventure". Could not do it "ALL" during our first trip down under. We were stopping for our first visits to Hawaii, both coming down and going back. PLUS, we wanted to do stops around the Great Barrier Reef and Kangaroo Island before our Solstice cruise started from Sydney. Those time/budget limitations would have made it harder for us to do Queenstown as an "after" trip at the end of the cruise after Auckland.

Choices?? Choices!!

Below are a few more samples of "eye candy" from our sights and fun during this Queenstown overnight trip. Keep sharing the good comments, questions and sharing.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 202,153 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Here are a couple of initial Queenstown visual samples. First, the view towards the famous Remarkable Mountains that tower over the scenic lake and its adjoining town. Second, a statute of explorer William Gilbert Rees, one of the first Europeans to settle the area. Rees established a high country farm in 1860, but the discovery of gold in the Arrow River in 1862 encouraged him to convert his wool shed into a hotel, do other businesses, etc. He got rich and the town grew.:

Early in the morning of our Queenstown visit, before departing to go with our group to the bungee jumping bridge, this was the view out of the window from our hotel room at the very nice Heritage Hotel. Great view? Wonderful, scenic location? Had a buffet breakfast here at the hotel. Not missing any meals while on this ship excursion.:

Here is an overview of the location where we would have our BBQ buffet dinner. Great mountain/lake setting, design and architecture!! Near this building is where the sheep-dog program was conducted later that evening.:

From our near Queenstown stop at the Gibbston Valley Winery, here are two visuals, including our tour guide with our group in the vineyards and inside this large cave for aging the wine. Yes, we got to taste and sample three different wines here. Good!!: