We are considering an overnight trip on Doubtful sound. If anyone has been on this journey, could you please describe the various accomodations-including the location of the bathroom in relation to the bed. Modest, of course is fine- it is a boat, but bathrooms not too far away is a must!

We did this in October and had a double en-suite cabin (also available as twin beds). The room was compact but perfectly comfortable with a small but useable bathtroom and shower. I didn't see the rooms with shared facilities - the bathrooms can't be far away but sharing would put me off.

Maria, Sharing puts me off too, but the expense of the ensuite seems high.I was trying to find a less expensive alternative.

It does seem expensive - but if you subtract what you would have spent on an evenings hotel accommodation, evening meal and breakfast, it doesn't seem quite so bad. I'm certainly glad we didn't miss the experience, it was fantastic.

Hi, I did the Real Journeys overnight cruise on Milford Sound in January. I used the "middle-tier" boat -- the one with the 4-beds-to-a-room and the bathroom nearby. It was mostly a back-packer crowd. The more expensive boat seemed to be like a hotel room, with double beds and a bathroom.

Have you looked at the Real Journeys web site? They have plans of all the boats. It looks like the overnight boat on DS is a combination of these two.

here is the web site: http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/Doubtfulovernight/ and then click on vessel layout.

hope this is helpful. let me know if you have any more questions. I did a day trip on DS and an overnight on MS and they were highlights of my 10 1/2 weeks in New Zealand recently.

merry in nj

We did the Doubtful Sound overnight with Real Journeys in March 06. We had a berth with two single beds and an ensuite bath and shower. Compact, but complete. Actually we were in the room very little. Too much to see.
Below was the "backpacker" crowd, mostly younger, though not all. Two sets of bunk beds per room (4 persons per room). My son and friend, who booked with us at the last minuete, (no ensuites available) were with two strangers. There were some folks traveling together, but there is no real effort to segregate those rooms by sex or acquaintances, etc. Kinda luck of the draw, so to speak.
There are shared bathroom and shower facilities on that deck. All very nearby and clean and nice.
The splurge for DS overnight is well worth it. Spend it here, and scrimp somewhere else, IMHO.