- General Terms and Conditions
- Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select reserves the right to amend timetables, cancel cruise departures and substitute vessels at any time for safety or operational reasons including due to unsafe weather conditions or vessel maintenance.
- Minimum numbers apply on all trips.
- Milford Sound is a natural environment so wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed.
- All prices are listed in New Zealand dollars (NZD) and are inclusive of GST. Unless otherwise specified, prices are valid as of the dates specified on the website and may change without notice.
- To reduce credit card fraud activity customers must show the credit card that was used for booking online when they check-in.
- Amendments/Cancellations/Refunds
- To reduce credit card fraud activity customers must show the credit card that was used for booking online when they check-in.
- Gift vouchers are non-refundable (other than at the absolute discretion of Southern Discoveries).
- Pre-paid reservations (bookings) can be altered in accordance with the following:
- Up until 24 hours prior to the date and time of any pre-paid reservation: you may change (subject to availability) or cancel your booking at no charge by contacting Southern Discoveries directly.
- Within 24 hours of any scheduled reservation: amendments, partial or full cancellations and ‘no show’ reservations will incur a 100% charge – there will no refund of prepayment. Please note, if you have cancelled due to illness, we reserve the right to request a medical certificate.
- In the event that a pre-paid reservation is not utilised by the customer without any communication or notification to Southern Discoveries, this reservation is deemed to have been used.
- Claims for refunds due to circumstances out of passengers control should be submitted in writing no later than 30 days after the date of departure.
- Passengers are recommended to insure themselves against cancellation charges and possible loss of personal belongings.
- Booking amendments, cancellations or refunds cannot be processed online.
Please contact us:
Email: info@milfordsoundselect.com
Freephone: 0800477479 (NZ only)
- Cancelled Sailings
- Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select reserves the right to cancel any cruise at any time due to unsafe weather conditions, vessel maintenance, or not meeting the minimum passenger numbers required to sail.
- In the event of a cruise being cancelled prior to departure, passengers will receive any pre-ordered food and given the option of an alternative sailing or a full refund on the cruise portion only.
- If a cruise is cancelled during a sailing due to unforeseen circumstances, adverse weather affecting passenger safety and comfort, unforeseen operational reasons or any other issue, passengers will receive a partial refund.
- Full refunds will only be given when a cruise is cancelled prior to departure.
- Milford Road Closure (State Highway 94)
The Milford Road is an alpine road with the highest point at 945 metres at the Homer Tunnel. The road can be closed with no or very little warning from the Land Transport Authority at any time of year. Up-to-date road information is available at milfordroad.co.nz
- Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select accepts no responsibility for disrupted travel plans as a result of a road closure.
- Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select is informed of the road status at 7.30am each morning.
- All agents and passengers can choose to receive a full refund or travel when the road is re-opened.
- Should the Milford Road be closed on your day of travel and this has disrupted your cruise and Milford Sound travel plans, please contact our Reservations team to discuss refund or travel options by Freephone: 0800 264 536.
- Passenger/Guest Information
Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select is entitled, at the passenger consents, to the use of any of the passenger’s personal information obtained in relation to a passenger’s use of any Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select service, whether collected directly by Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select from the person concerned or not, for any purpose associated with the operation or marketing of Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select and to disclose any such information to any of its subsidiaries, associated companies, or any other person engaged in business operations with Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select from time to time primarily for the purpose of operations and health and safety.
- Online Privacy and Personal Information
Your privacy is important to us at Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select and we want to be sure that you understand the terms and conditions relating to the way in which we collect information and the use of that information.
This Privacy Policy tells you what information we collect, what we do with it and your rights to view, correct or change it. Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select is required to comply with New Zealand Privacy Laws and GDPR requirements in respect to personal data.
Southern Discoveries operates the following websites:
The internet offers the chance to collect information about website users. This information can be personally identifiable information or non-personally identifiable information. As part of our operations we may gather certain types of information about the users of our websites. We require some personal information from you in order to enable you to book and purchase our experiences.
When you book one of experiences online, by phone call or in store we collect:
- your name
- your email
- your phone number
- your country of origin
We also ask ‘how did you hear about us?’ when you book a product or service with us. The personal information collected is provided by you when you fill in your personal details on the online booking form or give the information to our staff.
What is the information used for
We have collected this information in order to provide the best possible service to you. We require your personal information for the following reasons:
- to process and complete any transactions that you make on our website
- to provide you with your booking confirmation details and sales receipt
- we operate in various geographical locations that involve coach and cruise travel, we need to ensure we have your contact details in the unlikely case of emergencies
Opt-in consent
During your purchase experience with us, you may have an option to tick a box to opt-in to receive future communications from Southern Discoveries. This communication could be in the form of:
- marketing promotions
- publicity
- direct marketing
- market research
What do we do with Personally Identifiable Information
Southern Discoveries will not use your personal information for any other purpose than those that are outlined in this document.
Southern Discoveries is obligated to provide your personal information (provided by you when you booked and paid for your experience) to our partners who provide services or extensions to our experiences and products. This is for the purpose of:
- ensuring you have confirmed bookings
- ensuring partner product operators are aware of all customers travelling with them
- for safety purposes – we operate in various geographical locations that can involve coach, cruise, flight or jet boat travel therefore there is a need to ensure we have your contact details for potential cancellations, weather disruptions and in the unlikely event of an emergency
This applies to any experience you book with us, including fixed wing or helicopter flights, boat cruises and jet boat experiences operated by Southern Discoveries partners.
Our partners include but are not limited to Air Milford, Glenorchy Air, Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters, Heli Glenorchy, KJet and Real Journeys.
If you have agreed to our terms and conditions during the booking process, this will be deemed as your explicit consent to us providing your details to our relevant partners for the purpose of undertaking your experience with Southern Discoveries only.
If you have checked a tick box to opt-in to our email newsletters, we may provide you with regular newsletter updates. We will not use your email address for any other purpose than outlined in this document.
Security of information
When we collect personal information reasonable steps are taken to keep that information secure and to protect that information from misuse or loss and from unauthorized access, modification or disclosure.
All of your personal information is stored on our password protected reservations software system provided by IBIS technology.
Please note, however, that using the internet comes with risk, so we cannot guarantee and we do not warrant the security of information transmitted to us over the internet.
Your right to access your information
The New Zealand Privacy Act of 1993 and the GDPR provide you the right to access, correct and remove your personal information at any time.
How do I get access to my personal information?
Please email us to request access to all of the personal information we have stored on our booking system. We endeavour to provide this to you within two working days by email. Email your request to: customerservice@southerndiscoveries.co.nz
How do I get my personal information deleted or removed from your systems?
Please email us to request to delete personal information we have stored on our booking system.
We store your personal data on the RTBS reservation software, provided by IBIS Booking Software where it will be stored until requested to be deleted or archived according to RTBS reservation software archival process. We will endeavour to action your request within two working days from receiving your request by email.
Email your request to: customerservice@southerndiscoveries.co.nz
Live Chat
Southern Discoveries Ltd only collect a guests name for the explicit purpose of providing live chat services to assist guests with their queries on the Southern Discoveries website. We do not store this data and do not collect any personally identifiable information from guests using this service. For further details on Live Chat’s services and personal data processing please view their privacy policy here.
Online payments
Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select website uses the RTBS online booking systems in agreement with contracts arranged with the providers of the booking system software.
- RTBS Technology manage Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select online payments and use the third party payment solution, Windcave.
- Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select do not have access to any credit card details under any circumstances.
- In the case of refunds, Windcave use a token for each transaction, which enables Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select to find and refund your transaction, but we do not and cannot view credit card details
- If you would like to view the Windcave/Payment Express Privacy Policy please read here: https://www.paymentexpress.co.nz/privacy-policy
Cookies
All Southern Discoveries websites (and associated sub-domains) use cookies. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website. A cookie is a simple text file that is stored on your computer, mobile or tablet device via your browser, primarily to enhance your experience on the website and to enable certain functions like purchasing our experiences online.
Third parties can also place cookies to monitor your browsing behaviour, analyse traffic to our websites and measure how website visitors engage with our website pages and content. The information in the cookies relates to your IP address, the computer platform that you use (e.g. Mac or Windows), and the browser that you use (e.g. Chrome) and what domain you are accessing our sites from.
A cookie contains anonymous information and allows the website to remember certain information. A cookie does not provide us with any personally identifiable information.
Any personal identifiable information is subject to our data protection requirements outlined above.
The cookies used on the website are either persistent (they remain stored until they expire on the hard disk of the personal computer of the website visitor) or session only cookies (that are not permanently stored on the website visitors computer and disappear when the browser is closed).
- Session cookies are one of the most common. They exist in temporary memory until the web browser is closed. They are not harmful because all their information is deleted when your browsing session is over.
- Persistent cookies are also called tracking cookies. They last on the user’s device until they are deleted or reach their expiry date. They are used to gather information about the user, recording his or her behaviour on a specific website over a period of time.
- Secure cookies are an encrypted cookie that works only when using a secure HTTPS connection. These cookies are used to ensure that website visitor information cannot
be stolen by potential hackers connected to the same network as the user. They keep essential information about the website visitor and are used mostly on websites where users perform financial transactions. Because they are encrypted, they are a lot more secure than other types of cookies.
Why do we use cookies?
Southern Discoveries uses cookies to enable its systems to recognise your device and to offer some features, including easier navigation within the website and to facilitate access to purchase our experiences.
For example, if we didn’t use cookies we wouldn’t be able to provide you with the shopping cart option, know which areas of the website have been visited, be able to diagnose technical issues, provide some social media features or analyse our website traffic and trends.
With this information we can do the following:
- provide you with easy website navigation
- provide you with the ability to purchase our products
- track traffic patterns to our site
- ensure that the most relevant content is being shown
- keep track of items that are stored in your cart
Default/functional and performance cookies: These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services like buying our experience cannot be provided.
Our website uses Google Analytics and Optimisely (provided by Google Inc. or Alphabet Inc.) services for providing details on how visitors use the website. They also provide us with information on how you use the website and allow us to test various parts of the website. These cookies collect information about how visitors use our websites, for instance, which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages.
Advertising or targeting cookies: These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission e.g. Google Display Network. Quite often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organisation including social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content.
Analytics and customisation cookies: These cookies collect information that is used either in identifiable or aggregate form to help us understand how our websites are being used, the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns, or to help us customise our websites for you.
Most of the cookies we use will be deleted when you end the browser session (so-called session cookies). Other cookies will remain stored in your device longer with the exception of the web analytics cookies which can be stored in your device for an unlimited time.
Do you have to accept cookies in order to visit? No, not necessarily. You can prevent your browser from storing cookies and/or delete the cookies from your device at any time via the browser settings. Please consult the ‘Help’ section on your internet browser for instructions on this. You can disable cookies, including those used by our website, simply by turning off the cookie function in your browser.
However, some parts of the website, as well as other websites, may not operate properly when turned off this feature. For example, in the case of access to the checkout process, the website will not proceed in the absence of authentication provided by cookies.
Please note -as part of your acceptance of our cookie notification when you first land on our website, you give consent to enable cookies that will used for provision of non-personally identifiable information for:
- Website Analytics
- Personalisation, which includes tracking pseudonomised data like the User-ID and tracking users across different sessions for analytics and/or A/B testing purpose(s)
- Advertising, e.g. on Google Display Network and Facebook
- Social sharing
Below is a list of some of the third parties using cookies on our websites:
- Bing
- Google:
- Ads
- Optimisely
- Google Tag Manager
- Google Analytics
- DoubleClick
What about advertisers’ and partners’ privacy policies?
- This Privacy Policy only relates to Southern Discoveries websites.
- We only align and engage the services of trusted payment providers.
- If concerned, you should review the privacy policies of any third websites before providing personally identifiable information to them.
How to contact us regarding privacy and data concerns
If you have any questions about this policy, any privacy concerns, or would like to exercise your rights to obtain further information about the safeguards we have in place to ensure that your personal data is adequately protected, please email or call us.
Email: marketing@southerndiscoveries.co.nz
Phone: +64 27 480 1056 (Telephone) 0800 477 479 (Free Call)
- Passengers with Disabilities
- The Milford Sound Cruise Terminal, toilets, promenade decks and wharves are all wheelchair accessible.
- New Zealand Maritime law dictates that all external vessel doors must be water tight and this includes a door sill to prevent seawater entering the vessel.
- Southern Discoveries Pride of Milford is the only vessel in Milford Sound that has wheelchair boarding capability. Disabled passengers may need some assistance to negotiate the door sill. Wheelchair accessibility is confined to the main boarding deck only.
- All vessels comprise either two or three deck levels accessed by internal and external stairs only, there are no elevators.
- Toilets on the Milford Sound and Queenstown vessels are not wheelchair accessible.
- The Milford Underwater Observatory chamber is not wheelchair accessible as it is 10 metres below the water and accessed by stairs.
- For health and safety reasons, staff are not permitted to participate in physically carrying of passengers on and off vessels.
- Southern Discoveries Spirit of Queenstown vessel has wheelchair boarding capability but does not have wheelchair accessible toilets.
- Please seek further advice at the time of booking. Please call us on 0800 477 479 (Free Call) to discuss your requirements.
- Children and Infants
Milford Sound Coach & Nature Cruise, Milford Sound Coach & Scenic Cruise, Milford Sound Coach, Cruise & Underwater Observatory, Milford Sound Coach, Cruise & Kayak from Queenstown and Te Anau and Small Coach & Cruise trips from Te Anau Child and Infant special conditions:
- An Infant fare must be purchased to be allocated a seat on the coach
- A Child fare must be purchased to be allocated a seat on the coach
- In accordance with New Zealand Law, all infants and children aged 7 years and under must be correctly secured in an approved child seat while travelling in any Southern Discoveries coach.
- An appropriate child restraint must be provided by the caregiver (adult) in order for an infant or small child to travel on coach trips. If you need to hire an approved child seat, we recommend you contact Tots on Tour on +64 3 442 0409.
Child and Infant age brackets:
Southern Discoveries products age groups:
- Infants 0 – 4 years (Infants travel free on cruise only products).
- Child 5 – 14 years inclusive.
Southern Discoveries Fly and Heli partners age groups:
- Air Milford – scenic flight partners – Infants 0 – 1 yrs, Child 2 – 12 yrs, Child 13 – 14 yrs
- Glenorchy Air – scenic flight partners: Infants 0 – 1 yrs, Child 2 – 12 yrs, Child 13 – 14 yrs
- Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters – scenic heli partners: Infant 0 – 4 yrs, Child 5 – 11 yrs, Child 12 – 14 yrs
- Online Promotions
Promotions may change or be removed without notice at any time. The online 10% discount is only applicable on adult fares and the discount is applied at the time of booking. The promotion is not available in conjunction with any other offer and is not redeemable for cash.
- Health & Safety
Health, safety and comfort is Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select primary concern. Prior to every cruise departure, the skipper either shows a safety video or gives clear safety instructions over the public address system. Passengers should listen carefully to these messages and comply with all aspects of safety advice. In the unlikely event of an emergency, passengers must obey all instructions from the Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select fully trained skipper and crew.
New Zealand has a ‘no fault’ government-backed medical injury treatment scheme administered by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). Under ACC legislation, passengers are prevented from suing the operator for any mishap or misadventure. Should there be a medical incident or injury Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select will do everything in its power to organise prompt medical assistance. In the case of injury the cost of that assistance will be borne by the ACC scheme. The nearest medical centre to Milford Sound is located in Te Anau (120 kilometres away).
All passengers, while in an area controlled by Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select, must:
- Act in a safe and reasonable manner
- Cooperate with, and observe all instructions from Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select staff
- Follow all signs and notices
- Not smoke
- Not consume alcohol unless available on Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select service
- Not interfere with or use emergency equipment or emergency exits except in an emergency
- Not behave in an unsafe, noisy, violent or antisocial manner
- Not litter or tamper with or damage any property of Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select
- Insurance
Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select carries full Public Liability Insurance for all passengers travelling on any Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select vessels or vehicles.
- Liability and Indemnity
Passengers travel at their own risk (to the extent permitted by law) and Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select is not responsible for any loss, damage, cost, expense or injury suffered by passengers or loss or damage to a passenger’s property.
Without limiting the foregoing, the following conditions apply:
- In respect of all passengers, Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select is not liable for any loss, damage or delay caused by or arising from an event beyond the control of Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select , including any act of God, inevitable accident, riot, civil commotion, strike, lock-out, stoppage or restraint of labour, regardless of the cause and whether partial or general.
- Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select does not warrant that Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select services are available at any particular time or at all.
Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select is not liable to a passenger or any other person:
- for any consequences arising from any variation or delay in the time of arrival or departure from any stop of any vehicle;
- for any loss or damage as a result of a cancellation or any variation of the time of arrival or departure from any stop of any vehicle;
- for damage to any property of a passenger; or
- for the death of any passenger or other person or for injury, harm, disease or damage to health, whether physical, mental or otherwise (including mental or nervous shock or distress) suffered by a passenger or any other person.
- If there is contributory negligence on the part of a passenger or other person, Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select liability is subject to the law relating to contributory negligence.
- Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select may vary or cancel wholly or in part the scheduled services shown in Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select timetable or may vary the point at which Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select will pick up and set down passengers.
- The passenger indemnifies Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select at all times against any loss, damage or cost suffered or incurred by Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select as a direct or indirect result of a breach by the passenger of its obligations under these terms and conditions.
- New Zealand Law
These Rules are governed by New Zealand law in every particular including formation and interpretation. Every contract incorporating these Rules is deemed made in New Zealand. Any proceedings relating in any way to these Rules or to any Southern Discoveries Ltd T/a Milford Sound Select service must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in New Zealand.