Milford or Doubtful sound

If you are in the area for a day or two (te Anau) do the doubtful cruise, but definitly drive up to milford and check out the views. The drive is almost the best part of the trip to milford. Plus you get the classic views of the sound from the foreshore in milford. The cruise in doubtful is cooler, as you see lake manapouri (which is amazing on its own) and then you spend three hours in the sound. In milford you only get maybe 2 hours. It is a little more expensive, but this is what was recommended to us, and as we just came from there, this is what we would recommend.

With the helihikes I dont think it really matters, the glaciers are right next to each other and when you are in the helecopter it wont really matter. The walk into Franz josef is maybe slightly better, but if you are taking the chopper it is 6 of one, half dozen of the other. (although fox is probably cheaper.)
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Same questions but seeking more advice.
Sounds: I'll be in Queenstown for a one day Sound trip on 2 Oct 07, with only one backup day in case of bad weather. I'm leaning toward an air trip into Milford and choosing that Sound instead of Doubtful because of the air option for the view. Pilot has told me that air into Doubtful would be high cost due to lack of passengers that time of year. I'll have flown into Queenstown so I'm wondering if a bus trip to Doubtful and its 3 hour cruise is better than an air trip into Milford and its 1 hour cruise, considering the two Sounds' boat trips and the time of year. I've read that the mountain views in Milford are better than Doubtful, and the 1 hour cruise is sufficient. But every post I read concludes that Doubtful is a better visit.
Glacier: Has anyone driven a rental car from Queenstown to Franz Josef and then visited a Glacier in the same day or is the Glacier too far from the town to make it the same afternoon? Reply to this

Thanks, Jo. I should have been clearer because I meant the plan was to take the air trip into Milford and then take the short cruise on the sound, not just take an air trip. In either alternative I'll cruise a sound.

Since you took the Milford cruise, did you find it long enough or did it leave you wanting to come back to cruise Doubtful?

If I do choose the flight into Milford over the bus, I'd miss the apparently great drive in favor of an aerial view, but at that time of year a bus might be a safer play. Reply to this

I think that whatever sound you get to, just getting on the water will be nice. Some of the companies in the Milford do have a two hour cruise option as well. Look into the mitre peak cruises. They have a small boat, and do a longer cruise. The bus trip from queenstown is around 12 hours return. So a flight really cuts down the time. They do have a flight/cruise/bus option too. Reply to this