Hello! We are considering a cruise of Milford Sound in Feb. 2026. I'm interested in a smaller cruise, such as the Scenic Lunch Cruise on the Fiordland Jewel (company: Fiordland Discovery). It gets excellent reviews, but I'm wondering about the pros/cons for smaller vs. larger ships? I could see a larger ship being smoother if the water is rough - how often is the water rough in Feb.? For those who have gone on smaller ships, what was your impression? Any input on the pros/cons or recommendations on these ships/cruises would be appreciated!

We’ve done 3 cruises on Milford Sound and enjoyed all three. The first was on a boat that could carry up to 150 pax but on our sailing there were probably only between 75 and 100 guests. Our second cruise was on a small boat that could hold about 50 people (I say there were about 35 to 40 on our trip). And our last trip was on an overnight trip on a boat with about 125 guests. There was a significant difference in the overall experience (with the exception that the overnight cruise spanned a much longer period of time”time on the water”. You end up seeing essentially the same sights regardless of the size of the boat. The waters of Milford Sound are fairly calm because you are basically inside a fiord. We didn’t notice any appreciable difference in how the different sized vessels performed on the water. All were relatively slow moving (so you could easily view the sights) and calm.

Thank you! Did you happen to go in the summertime, and were the sandflies bad on the cruises?

One trip was in summer, one in the late fall and the other in early springtime. On two of the trips we found the sand flies to be quite prolific and bothersome in the parking lot by the dock but they were none existent once we were on board the boat and during the cruise itself. On the third trip (can’t remember if it was the spring or fall trip) we never even saw a sand fly.

We have done a couple of cruises on Milford Sound. Both were in winter, one in nice fine weather the other in torrential rains, both were in smallish boats <100 passengers. In bad weather the ride was quite rough. It didn't bother me rushing in the slightest but I imagine if one was prone to seasickness , it wouldn't be great. I very much doubt that being on a larger boat would make much difference. Unsurprisingly he roughest part was as we approached the entrance to the sound and the open sea. As I recall that was fairly rough on both occasions