Having said that, for our most recent trip the timings and price of the Bluebridge sailings worked better, and if that was the case next time we travel north I’d happily go with Bluebridge again. Out of interested one time, I decided to go with Bluebridge. Interislander benefits: more space, cheaper and more varied food and drink options, smoother sailing on choppy days (larger ships), outside seating. Interislander is slightly more expensive and at least one of the ferries is a tad more comfortable than the Bluebridge ones. Answer 1 of 9: I'm about to book my crossing from Wellington to Picton in November for myself, husband and rental car (SNAP car rentals).The Bluebridge's cheapest fare is $50 cheaper than the Interisland ferry (non-refundable). Also, what's the better hotel in Wellington near the ferry- Ibis or Mercur? I would choose the Straitsman given the option. We had to park very close to the other cars, while people were leaving their cars, crossing and all that. It looks like they both go to Picton. We’re actually spending Christmas this year with my parents in a bach at the start of the Queen Charlotte track, and hoping to walk at least some of it. Log in or sign up to leave a comment Log In Sign Up. I was scared of the fact that our car was in midst of trucks, but it ended up being a good thing since we were able to get out before anyone else. What I can tell you is that the difference is really small and maybe not worth it. I’m really looking forward to it! Login. They all have much more space to move around in, more eating and drinking options, and generally more facilities. Both are very good. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. It was better, less crowded, didn’t smell like food and I could go out to the deck to get some air and come back within a minute. The café didn’t have many options and neither of them looked very fresh – and it was the morning ferry. It’s a cheaper option, but not the best. It looks like they both go to Picton. If you haven’t done any of the Queen Charlotte, it’s well worth a trip. But of course, during winter with the pandemic, we weren’t at capacity. share. Interislander Connecting our North Island and South Island together since 1962, our Interislander ferry service is New Zealand's original Cook Strait ferry. Answer 11 of 26: What is the difference between these two ferry services? bluebridge of interislander. We moved a few couches in a circle and sat all together, chatting and eating. Thank you for that info, I didn’t know it! Each kid received a bag with an activity book, which helped them to wait. I love that ferry crossing. Interislander: The Interislander Ferry Vs The Bluebridge Ferry; Same Route, Different Schedule! These can be bought onboard if there is availability. We were moving from the North Island to the South, so we were carrying all of our stuff. It looks like they both go to Picton. Interislander is one of the world's most scenic ferry journeys. It’s billed as one of the most beautiful ferry routes in the world, so it would be rude to skip it really. Bluebridge offer a sleeper service for the journey south, which I’d ruled out because the journey is only 3.5 hours, but it turns out that they allow you to board early on this service, so you could get about six hours sleep. All in all, the ferry was in good condition, offered a lot of things (even though not always accessible) and it was huge. Book now for summer. There wasn’t much space to sit on other than the café – unlike Interislander. A few weeks back we took our first trip on a Bluebridge sailing, I’ve always travelled Interislander before. Answer 11 of 26: What is the difference between these two ferry services? If you fancy a treat, this sounds very appealing. Hope you enjoy it! You can also change some of your preferences. We wanted to go and watch it, but they charged more than we pay at the regular cinema, so we skipped it. We rode the oldest ferry, which was relatively smaller than the one mentioned above, but it was still in great condition. I’ll admit that I can’t remember anything about the quality of the food on the Interislander trips I’ve taken, but looking at their menu online the food options are cheaper and more varied than on Bluebridge. Bluebridge, the café seats. Be the first to share what you think! 1. It looks like they both go to Picton. If you’re traveling on a budget, then you’ll definitely use one of them to cross the sea. Either way, it’s a beautiful journey we highly recommend taking the time to enjoy if you’re travelling through New Zealand. Both ships also have cabins available, at $40 for a double at the time of writing. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But when we returned to … There is only one passenger deck on both ships, and on the Feronia it’s very small. We got at the terminal exactly one hour before the departure time, just as it said in our manual. The kids’ room was very small, overly crowded and offered nothing more than a few bean bags, small chairs and a TV with a movie on (it was Lion King) – but there was so much noise we couldn’t hear it. The biggest Interislander ship, the Kaitaki, has a passenger capacity of about 1600, compared to 400 on the Bluebridge boats. Bluebridge boasts two state-of-the-art vessels, both ships are equipped with design and safety features in addition to offering exceptional passenger comfort. Sailing between Wellington and Picton several times a day, the Interislander journey is considered one of the most beautiful ferry journeys in the world and one of New Zealand's most iconic experiences. Perhaps because they’ve bought secondhand ships from chilly Northern Europe. Just like on any ferry, you simply drive on, sit back & enjoy the crossing in the cafe or bar and drive off again on the other side. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. By the end of the trip, all the food had their prices reduced. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to connect an account. Username (email address/Nautical Miles Number) or Booking Number. If we do this again in the future, we’d go on Bluebridge if the weather was bad and get a private cabin, and use Interislander on a good weather day, to have nice views all the way. Click on the different category headings to find out more. Your email address will not be published. We – the super sick – decided then to walk a bit (since we couldn’t sleep), and my idea was to go to the bottom floor, where the cinema and the 2 storey playground are, but Coral saw a TV nearby and it was on Disney Channel or something like that, so she decided she’d stay right there. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. The ferry timetable below is a reference guide for our Interislander Cook Strait ferry sailing times. I slept as soon as the Sounds ended because of the seasickness, but nobody else felt sick (Angelo did, at the end of the trip). At all. Also, what's the better hotel in Wellington near the ferry- Ibis or Mercur? We made it to New Zealand, where we’ve found ourselves a new home. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Also, what's the better hotel in Wellington near the ferry- Ibis or Mercur? You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. There is a heap of seating on the Interislander vs. Bluebridge (the Bluebridge has a capacity of 350 passengers, while the Aratere (Interislander) I was on has 600 capacity…the Kaitaki ship can ferry 1400 people! Would recommend!! Reizigers kunnen steken de 20 mijl tussen het noorden en de zuidelijke eilanden grote veerboten en kleine vliegtuigen. The Bluebridge ferry is an easy and relaxing way to do this. We may request cookies to be set on your device. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. You can check these in your browser security settings. Since the weather was better, I was able to stay outside on the deck, taking photos and watching the Sounds pass – so beautiful. We parked our car in midst of trucks – huge trucks and it was a bit scary. best. If your enquiry is urgent please call us on 0800 162 322 I’ve traveled with Interislander so many times I started to take it for granted. Angelo took the other kids to walk around the ferry and they found out the upper floors’ cafés served better food at better prices. I've traveled this route 3-4 times, so I'm sharing my tips for taking the Interisland ferry + what to expect on board. We sailed up from Picton to Wellington on the Strait Feronia, and back south on the Straitsman. Alternatively, you can go for the Bluebridge ferry for crossing Cook Strait. Book a campervan. Overall, a view on Interislander vs Bluebridge First impressions were that Bluebridge have less staff than Interislander, evidenced by the fact that we had to wait for the barista to finish doing the car loading before we could order a coffee. We used Interislander to go from Wellington to Picton in May, and Bluebridge to go from Picton to Wellington in August. We were very tense about this trip because we didn’t have a good ferry trip before, but despite the clouds, there was no wind nor rain – good signs. 39,162 were here. We waited for around 20 minutes in the car before driving it into the ferry. This is the kind of journey that makes not flying seem like an obvious choice — relaxing, comfortable and scenic. Our website uses cookies to give you the best experience and for us to analyse how you use our site. We sailed up from Picton to Wellington on the Strait Feronia, and back south on the Straitsman. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Not a great feeling, even worse when we have 4 kids around. Catching the ferry between Wellington (in the North) and Picton (in the South) with Bluebridge is a real treat. The 4th-floor layout was very much like the passenger floor on the Interislander, but that was the only floor available for all passengers that were not paying for a cabin upgrade. Fair review but you mix the use of the company names in the second part, making it hard to follow. I made the journey (on the Interislander, if memory serves) 16 years ago, after walking the Queen Charlotte Track. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window). The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. They often have lower rates. Both companies offer discounts for those who buy online beforehand – which is what we do. There are no real coffee cups available on either ship – bring your own cup to save a paper cup from landfill. The train to/from CHCH also meets the Interislander. (If only we’d realised this at the beginning of our sailing north we could have had a well needed nap.) First impressions were that Bluebridge have less staff than Interislander, evidenced by the fact that we had to wait for the barista to finish doing the car loading before we could order a coffee. We haven’t tried it, but maybe next time! The Interislander has larger ferries and the option of upgrading onboard facilities to restricted lounges. Answer 21 of 26: What is the difference between these two ferry services? They can also explain the differences between Interislander and Bluebridge and book the ferry crossing for you. On board you'll find a full cafe-style menu. This was our ferry, arriving at the docks when we were in line waiting for it. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Been using blue bridge ever since, I like their ferries better but that’s personal. Once we left the car and crossed the parking lot, we were told to get to the 4th floor. Also when I was travelling blue bridge always worked out a bit cheaper but it was never a huge price difference though. The other benefit to Bluebridge is the location of the terminal in Wellington. It isn’t a bad option if you have kids that don’t need much space, like mine. Gliding slowly past the inlets and coves of the Marlborough Sounds that just a few days previously I’d tramped up, around, through and over was just magical. Book your Interislander Cook Strait ferry from Wellington to Picton, with or without a vehicle. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. I had to stay with her as well, of course. Keep on posting! Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. I agree to the terms and conditions laid out in the Privacy Policy *. Bluebridge and Interislander ferrie's, Wellington 22-2-2016 Sure. The two Bluebridge ships are much smaller Interislander’s three. Woops, thanks for the correction! This site uses cookies. Assuming good weather you'll spend most of … Interislander only has cabins on one ship, the Kaitaki. Having travelled on both Bluebridge and Interislander, I would choose the Interislander ships given the option. It was such a stroke of great luck to see it like that during winter! My newest tip (tried once) to avoid seasickness is to eat. (They usually aren’t recycleable because of the coating that makes them coffee-proof.). It had more food choices than the Interislander café, and the service was a bit better too. The weather was awful, the sea was wild and it was as windy as it could get. BlueBridge v Interislander; If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. Interislander doesn’t have a free movie room, unlike Bluebridge. The ferry had 11 floors, it was massive. There are viewing decks on all floors, and the cold wind also helps a lot with seasickness. We’re Kirstie and Arthur, we like eating, and riding our bicycles everywhere so we can eat more. It isn’t a bad option if you have kids that don’t need much space, like mine. Both ships have a free movie showing on every sailing, but we didn’t watch either because we’d seen one and the other was a kids film. Skip to main content Skip to page navigation. Have travelled both north and south many times on both companies. There was a huge line of cars waiting to board the ferry. Answer 1 of 26: What is the difference between these two ferry services? If timing is not an issue for you, then you can consider the price: We went with Interislander ferry because it was cheaper when travelling from the north to south island of New Zealand.
How Many Days Until The Real Zombie Apocalypse, Process Of Bone Formation, Pelicans Vs Pacers Prediction, Manchester Public Schools Calendar, Places To Eat In Jasper, Tx, 2019 Mlb All-stars, Cheap Car Insurance For Convicted Drivers Tt99, The Madison, London,