Fiordland National Park

[NeilonBoard]

We are booked on Coral Princess to NZ departing Brisbane on 5 December 2022. After 3 sea days we arrive at Fiordland National Park on Day 5 on 9 December.

I have noticed that Radiance of the Seas departs Sydney for NZ on 6 December 2022. After 2 sea days they also arrive at Fiordland National Park on Day 4 on 9 December. I was wondering what the procedure is for 2 ships arriving on the same day. I doubt whether the NZ authorities would allow both ships in the same Sound together on the same day. Perhaps they alternate the 2 ships between the 3 Sounds avoiding any crossovers. 

Has anyone had a similar experience?

[OzKiwiJJ]

29 minutes ago, NeilonBoard said:

We are booked on Coral Princess to NZ departing Brisbane on 5 December 2022. After 3 sea days we arrive at Fiordland National Park on Day 5 on 9 December.

I have noticed that Radiance of the Seas departs Sydney for NZ on 6 December 2022. After 2 sea days they also arrive at Fiordland National Park on Day 4 on 9 December. I was wondering what the procedure is for 2 ships arriving on the same day. I doubt whether the NZ authorities would allow both ships in the same Sound together on the same day. Perhaps they alternate the 2 ships between the 3 Sounds avoiding any crossovers. 

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Ships only spend about an hour or so in Milford Sound. They go in to the end of the sound, sometimes they pause there while some passengers are transferred off/on for a 2 day excursion to/from Dunedin. Then they leave the sound and continue on to Doubtful and Dusky Sounds. Both these sounds have two entrances so the ships pass through them then carry on. So the only bottle neck is Milford Sound. I'm not sure if they allow two ships in there at once - probably not, they are probably given different arrival times  - and once the first ship has departed Milford they would not meet at all until they arrived in Port Chalmers. The three sounds aren't adjacent so there is some sea time between each one and it would not be possible to alternate between sounds, they are too far apart. 

Edited March 4, 2022 by OzKiwiJJ

[SinbadThePorter]

According to their itineraries, Coral princess is due at Milford Sound at 7am, while Radiance is due at 8am.

 

I would suspect that those times are pretty nominal, but that unless something goes wrong for Coral she will get there first. Maybe at or near dawn.

[MicCanberra]

Hopefully the weather behaves, lots of rain during the night before fining up for the sunrise.

 Lots of water in the waterfalls,, a bit of cloud to bring out the beautiful colours as the sun rises.

[OzKiwiJJ]

48 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

According to their itineraries, Coral princess is due at Milford Sound at 7am, while Radiance is due at 8am.

 

I would suspect that those times are pretty nominal, but that unless something goes wrong for Coral she will get there first. Maybe at or near dawn.

Sunrise would be around 6am in early December.

[lissie]

Which fiord? There are a lot of them! you are likely going to Milford and Doubtful - but it would be easy enough for ships not to be in the same at the same time. Also they are huge - Milford you'd see the other ship as you passed - but Doubtful not so much. 

 

 

[Hogbay]

What year ? , Doubtful that you will even cruise to NZ . 

[MicCanberra]

7 hours ago, Hogbay said:

What year ? , Doubtful that you will even cruise to NZ . 

The OP said it was end of 2022.

[OzKiwiJJ]

9 hours ago, lissie said:

Which fiord? There are a lot of them! you are likely going to Milford and Doubtful - but it would be easy enough for ships not to be in the same at the same time. Also they are huge - Milford you'd see the other ship as you passed - but Doubtful not so much. 

 

 

Most of the cruise lines go in and out of Milford Sound, then Thompson Sound through to Doubtful Sound, then the Acheron Passage through to Dusky Sound, or vice versa. 

 

We've done the run through coming from Dunedin three times. On one trip we saw a ship leaving Milford Sound as we were approaching. That was the only one. Even if ships are travelling in both directions I imagine their entry into the various fiords is timed to that only one ship is passing through at a time. 

 

Although the number of ships cruising NZ was increasing before Covid hit we rarely saw other ships after leaving Auckland or Tauranga on the three NZ cruises we've done.

[SinbadThePorter]

Wasn't there talk of limiting the number of ships visiting Milford?

[NSWP]

1 minute ago, SinbadThePorter said:

Wasn't there talk of limiting the number of ships visiting Milford?

I am sure I read that the mega ships were being prohibited because of the wash they create.

[lissie]

3 minutes ago, NSWP said:

I am sure I read that the mega ships were being prohibited because of the wash they create.

It was a proposal - but I don't think its happened. Given we've had like zero conversation about cruise ships at all for the last couple of years I suspect it won't be happening very quickly . This was the most recent I could find 

Milford Sound: Cruise ships could be banned from inner harbour | RNZ News 

 

I've cruised the length on a small ship - and the outer sound is the most spectacular. Picture at the entry of  the sound as we were dropped off in zodiacs 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Yes, it's an awesome contrast as the ship moves into the sound through relatively gently sloping hills then the sheer sides of the fiord itself are seen. No matter how often I see it I'm always awed by the sheer beauty of it, especially when the sun is sparkling on the distant glaciers.

 

I've also done two smaller boat trips from Milford, once as a day trip after flying in from Queenstown, the other as an overnight boat trip after driving in. We were very lucky on the latter one - it bucketed down on the drive in so we had the "million waterfalls" effect that evening, then we woke to a glorious blue sky next morning. 

[boeckli]

I can only remember another ship in the sounds one, on my last cruise (Feb 2020) on Norwegian Jewel. We were in Milford Sound at the same time as HAL's Maasdam. Going through my photos I think she must have come in behind us and then we passed her after we turned around at the end.

 

[dillpickle48]

I was on the Maasdam when this happened.

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, boeckli said:

Here is one of those great photos I was referring to, all that is missing is the sunrise colours on the upper clouds

 

[lyndarra]

3 hours ago, dillpickle48 said:

I was on the Maasdam when this happened.

me too.

[boeckli]

4 hours ago, dillpickle48 said:

I was on the Maasdam when this happened.

 

18 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

me too.

 

What a coincidence. Do either of you have photos of the Norwegian Jewel in Milford Sound from that day (22.02.2020)?

[bl262000]

No probs with 2 ships in the fiord as witnessed many times. One ship will wait just up from the Milford drop off point while the other drops off/picks up passenger, then turns and passes the second ship which follows suit.

One of the cruises we did on Radiance had Sea Princess proceed us all the way just in front ...we followed and then waited for their u-turn at the Milford then passed each other and it was our turn.

 

Sea Princess prepares to pass Radiance of the seas in Milford Sound (NZ) after dropping off cruisers. 31/10/18

 

We then both the next day followed each other into Port Charlmers and had to wait for Princess to berth.

 

cya

[valantine80]

In November 2019 when we were on Sea Princess, we passed Ovation of the Seas in one of the sounds. Think it was one of the other sounds later in the day.

[lyndarra]

On 3/5/2022 at 8:51 PM, boeckli said:

 

 

What a coincidence. Do either of you have photos of the Norwegian Jewel in Milford Sound from that day (22.02.2020)?

I don't think it was the same day. We departed Auckland 2/2/20 for Sydney so it would have been around the 9th. We saw a ship so I assumed it was the Jewel. It may have been another. I didn't take any pics as I didn't have my phone on me at the time and also, having been there three times before, already had enough pics.

[boeckli]

1 hour ago, lyndarra said:

I don't think it was the same day. We departed Auckland 2/2/20 for Sydney so it would have been around the 9th. We saw a ship so I assumed it was the Jewel. It may have been another. I didn't take any pics as I didn't have my phone on me at the time and also, having been there three times before, already had enough pics.

 

That was my eighth and I still took lots, every time's different depending on weather and time of day.

[Hunter69]

There where 2 of us inside Milford Sound, back on March 11 2020, (The 2nd & 3rd last cruise ships)Carnival Spirit & MSC Magnifica.. We went in first, did a U-turn at end & then passed her coming back out.. 

Still rate Milford Sound better then Bora Bora, Moorea & Komodo. Oh next Sea day we passed Princess Ruby.. (The last cruise ship to enter I think).

[Ondine]

I was on that cruise Hunter69.  On the way out we also passed the Amsterdam who was just going in as part of her world cruise.  I thought we also passed a Norwegian ship ahead of her but maybe it was the MSC one.  

 

I often think about Ruby Princess and how the virus was already circulating undetected on her when she passed us.  So sad to think what carnage it caused.  We were so excited to see her.  She looked so good.

 

The next day  we passed Golden Princess who was also headed to Milford Sound.  We were excited because we planned to join her when she returned to Melbourne to sail up to North Queensland.  Golden's last Mel to Mel cruise before joining P&O.  However that was not to be because the world shut down.  At least we got in the whole 12 days on the Spirit before lockdown.  We really enjoyed that cruise.  We enjoy all of them!!

 

 

[Hunter69]

Yes, Ondine. It was so surreal. What was happening on board & around the world we where seeing on news & what Carnival was doing onboard.. 

I was doing a B2B2B, this being the first leg, I was very fortunate that the next leg went ahead, the 2 nighter back to Sydney, my home port. After hearing of the cancellation of Formula 1 & A P&O cruise out of Brisbane the same day. So I made it home safe. 

Till we cruise again.👍❤️🚢