We chose this cruise because they limit the number of passengers on it to make for a less crowded and intimate experience. There were only 40 passengers on our cruise.
The hour and 45 minute cruise took us up along the western shoreline first, providing us close-up views of the very impressive Mitre Peak. It then proceeded up the entire length of the Sound to the mouth, where it opens into the Tasman Sea. From there, we turned around and went along the eastern shoreline. A true highlight of the cruise was our up close encounter with Stirling Falls, which plunges 495 feet down a steep cliff face. The falls cascade from a "hanging valley," which is a valley carved by glaciers that ends abruptly high on a mountainside, creating a dramatic effect.