Queenstown stay 5 nights
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: New Delhi
Programs: Miles n More Senator ,Marriots Platinum, Hhonors Diamond, Miles n Smile elites,ITA Volare Premium
Posts: 163
Queenstown stay 5 nights
I am booked for 5 nights stay in Queenstown in early Jan. Arriving from Auckland & leaving for Sydney after 5 nights stay at Queenstown. Please advise.
1) Do i need to book coach cruise coach trip to milford sound in advance. Iam getting significant discounted deal on this for advance booking on net. This particular trip does not specify any particular company.
2)Any difference in coach comforts by different companies ? because we are likely to spend around 9 hrs in travel in coach. If yes then which company offers most comfortable travel.
3) Besides milford sound, other days what options for travel. ( like Glenorchy/arrowtown/ Wanaka/ Mt. Cook. ( we are 2 adults , like relaxed sight seeing , not much interested in self drive option. )
1) Do i need to book coach cruise coach trip to milford sound in advance. Iam getting significant discounted deal on this for advance booking on net. This particular trip does not specify any particular company.
2)Any difference in coach comforts by different companies ? because we are likely to spend around 9 hrs in travel in coach. If yes then which company offers most comfortable travel.
3) Besides milford sound, other days what options for travel. ( like Glenorchy/arrowtown/ Wanaka/ Mt. Cook. ( we are 2 adults , like relaxed sight seeing , not much interested in self drive option. )
#2
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 261
I just spent 4 days in Queenstown at the Hilton and had a wonderful stay. If you want to book a trip to the Milford Sound there are many places to do so when you land at the airport and in town. The cost is around $150 NZ per person. I also highly reccomend the Skyline Gondola and Luge for beautiful views right in Queenstown. I also notice that you are Hilton Gold. We used points for a stay after booking the base room and we were upgraded to a Suite with a lake view.
#3
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Blue, VS Red
Posts: 3
I am booked for 5 nights stay in Queenstown in early Jan. Arriving from Auckland & leaving for Sydney after 5 nights stay at Queenstown. Please advise.
1) Do i need to book coach cruise coach trip to milford sound in advance. Iam getting significant discounted deal on this for advance booking on net. This particular trip does not specify any particular company.
2)Any difference in coach comforts by different companies ? because we are likely to spend around 9 hrs in travel in coach. If yes then which company offers most comfortable travel.
3) Besides milford sound, other days what options for travel. ( like Glenorchy/arrowtown/ Wanaka/ Mt. Cook. ( we are 2 adults , like relaxed sight seeing , not much interested in self drive option. )
1) Do i need to book coach cruise coach trip to milford sound in advance. Iam getting significant discounted deal on this for advance booking on net. This particular trip does not specify any particular company.
2)Any difference in coach comforts by different companies ? because we are likely to spend around 9 hrs in travel in coach. If yes then which company offers most comfortable travel.
3) Besides milford sound, other days what options for travel. ( like Glenorchy/arrowtown/ Wanaka/ Mt. Cook. ( we are 2 adults , like relaxed sight seeing , not much interested in self drive option. )
Other activities: you could really do with a car there. Roads are really quiet so driving yourself around is not stressful and gives you the freedom to go to places like Wanaka etc. Plenty of nice vineyards to visit too. Also look at the TSS Earnslaw. Loved Arrowtown, was disappointed with Glenorchy. Drive over to Wanaka very scenic. Scenery is just Remarkable (couldn't resist the pun).
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: New Delhi
Programs: Miles n More Senator ,Marriots Platinum, Hhonors Diamond, Miles n Smile elites,ITA Volare Premium
Posts: 163
I just spent 4 days in Queenstown at the Hilton and had a wonderful stay. If you want to book a trip to the Milford Sound there are many places to do so when you land at the airport and in town. The cost is around $150 NZ per person. I also highly reccomend the Skyline Gondola and Luge for beautiful views right in Queenstown. I also notice that you are Hilton Gold. We used points for a stay after booking the base room and we were upgraded to a Suite with a lake view.
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: New Delhi
Programs: Miles n More Senator ,Marriots Platinum, Hhonors Diamond, Miles n Smile elites,ITA Volare Premium
Posts: 163
We booked our trip to Milford Sound after arriving in Queenstown. Could not face the prospect of a full day in a coach so flew over and back with Air Milford. Bumping around in a little plane scared the bejeesus out of us, but we are so glad we did it.
Other activities: you could really do with a car there. Roads are really quiet so driving yourself around is not stressful and gives you the freedom to go to places like Wanaka etc. Plenty of nice vineyards to visit too. Also look at the TSS Earnslaw. Loved Arrowtown, was disappointed with Glenorchy. Drive over to Wanaka very scenic. Scenery is just Remarkable (couldn't resist the pun).
Other activities: you could really do with a car there. Roads are really quiet so driving yourself around is not stressful and gives you the freedom to go to places like Wanaka etc. Plenty of nice vineyards to visit too. Also look at the TSS Earnslaw. Loved Arrowtown, was disappointed with Glenorchy. Drive over to Wanaka very scenic. Scenery is just Remarkable (couldn't resist the pun).
#6
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA Mileage Plus Premier Gold 1MM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,467
We'll be in Queenstown in mid-Feb 2013. How much was your plane into Milford ? I'm a plane geek and if it's not terribly expensive (a couple hundred bucks), a bush plane into Milford sounds great!
#7
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA Mileage Plus Premier Gold 1MM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,467
I have a question for those of you who've been in/out of Queenstown(or even those who might live there )
What's been your experience with the reliability/variability of getting in and out flight-wise ?
I noticed from the Wikipedia article that ZQN finally has lighted runways but is otherwise still not considered a full-service airport. What's been your experience with delays/cancellations ? Would you recommend getting first flight out or is an afternoon departure realistic ? We'd be flying one-way to AKL in prep for our trip home. I've toyed with the idea of flying out of IVC but the airport there is even smaller and seems more dodgy.
We're going to be in Queenstown for about 4-5 days, thinking of a late afternoon->evening departure to AKL on a Friday, leaving for SFO on Sunday.
What's been your experience with the reliability/variability of getting in and out flight-wise ?
I noticed from the Wikipedia article that ZQN finally has lighted runways but is otherwise still not considered a full-service airport. What's been your experience with delays/cancellations ? Would you recommend getting first flight out or is an afternoon departure realistic ? We'd be flying one-way to AKL in prep for our trip home. I've toyed with the idea of flying out of IVC but the airport there is even smaller and seems more dodgy.
We're going to be in Queenstown for about 4-5 days, thinking of a late afternoon->evening departure to AKL on a Friday, leaving for SFO on Sunday.
#8
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,589
Occasionally ZQN is shut for a few consecutive days, but not often; you don't say when your trip is, but with 2 day buffer in AKL you should be OK. Multi-hour delays seem to be more the norm than the exception in the past, so same-day connections from ZQN have been problematic historically. As you note, there have been some minor airport improvements, but these are mainly tangential to the causes of past delays. Also big difference between airlines at ZQN (Air NZ has a capability edge over Jetstar, for example).
#9
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,589
#10
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA Mileage Plus Premier Gold 1MM, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,467
Occasionally ZQN is shut for a few consecutive days, but not often; you don't say when your trip is, but with 2 day buffer in AKL you should be OK. Multi-hour delays seem to be more the norm than the exception in the past, so same-day connections from ZQN have been problematic historically. As you note, there have been some minor airport improvements, but these are mainly tangential to the causes of past delays. Also big difference between airlines at ZQN (Air NZ has a capability edge over Jetstar, for example).
It sounds like we want one of the ZQN->AKL flights rather than trying to go through CHC or WLG.
#11
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: London
Programs: BA Blue, VS Red
Posts: 3
I can't remember the exact figure but it's certainly a few hundred dollars more than the coach-cruise-coach option from Queenstown to Milford Sound. As posted elsewhere the scenery is outstanding and your almost close enough to touch the snow-capped peaks before plummeting down to the airstrip at the head of the Sound. We did our trip in April and, prior to our arrival in Queenstown, there had been no flights over for about 10 days due to cloud cover.