Earnslaw dinner cruise: which option to book

What you're booking

This is a package, not a bare cruise ticket. You cross Lake Whakatipu (also spelled Wakatipu) from Queenstown to Walter Peak High Country Farm, eat a buffet BBQ lunch or dinner at the Colonel's Homestead Restaurant, watch a farm dog show, and cross back. The operator is RealNZ, which runs both vessels and the farm. Allow about three and a half hours in total, and up to four according to RealNZ, with around two hours at the farm. The booking calendar and your confirmation show the departure time.

• Return cruise on the vessel you choose
• Buffet BBQ lunch or dinner, with desserts
• Farm dog show and other farm animals to see
• Commentary on board

Earnslaw or Spirit of Queenstown?

You choose the vessel when you book, and the fare differs between them, so check both for your date. The TSS Earnslaw is a coal-fired steamship from 1912 where you can walk down to the engine room and watch the stokers work. Her crossing to Walter Peak takes about 45 minutes. The Spirit of Queenstown is a modern catamaran with panoramic windows, an open-top deck and a café and bar, and its crossing is shorter. The meal, the show and the cancellation terms are the same on either. Pick the Earnslaw if the ship is part of the reason you're going. Pick the catamaran if you'd rather keep the crossing short.

Read next: TSS Earnslaw cruise: what to expect on board

When the Earnslaw is out of service

Once a year the TSS Earnslaw is taken out of service for scheduled maintenance. RealNZ says Walter Peak trips run on the Spirit of Queenstown during that period. The dates differ from year to year, so this guide gives none. If the steamship is the reason you're going, check which vessels the booking calendar offers for your date before you commit to a day. The Spirit of Queenstown has its own yearly maintenance too. Either way, the meal, the farm show and the return crossing stay the same.

Lunch or dinner?

The same booking covers a BBQ lunch or a BBQ dinner, depending on the sailing you pick, and the booking calendar shows the starting times. There is no single fixed time to rely on, so go by your confirmation. A lunch sailing gives you daylight on the lake and in the gardens. An evening sailing gives you a later night, and depending on the season the return crossing may be in the dark. RealNZ recommends booking ahead because space on the vessels is limited, and says evenings book out well in advance in peak season.

Other Walter Peak options

RealNZ sells other ways to reach Walter Peak. They are separate products and suit different trips. Choose the BBQ package if the meal and the show are the point. Choose a farm tour if you'd rather spend time with the animals than sit down to dinner. Choose Garden to Table for a slower, food-focused visit built around the gardens. Choose the cruise only if you want the Earnslaw but not the farm.

• Farm tour: a guided look around the farm grounds, with afternoon tea instead of the BBQ
• Garden to Table: a guided garden walk, a lighter meal and planting a native tree; RealNZ says it isn't suited to wheelchair users
• Cruise only: the Earnslaw lake cruise without the farm visit
• Horse trek: a guided 40-minute ride for small groups

What the dining is like

You eat at the Colonel's Homestead Restaurant, a lakeside colonial homestead that was reconstructed after an accidental fire in 1977. The meal is a buffet cooked on a wood-fired BBQ and built around local and homegrown produce, with a wide range of desserts. The menu changes with the season and the chef's choices, so this page lists no dishes. Vegetarian dishes are available. Tell RealNZ about dietary needs when you book, because the kitchen needs notice. Dining is indoors, so rain changes only your walk between the jetty and the homestead.

The farm show

The show comes after the meal. Farm dogs demonstrate sheep herding, RealNZ also describes a sheep-shearing demonstration, and you can say hello to other farm animals. If time remains, you can walk through the lakeside gardens before boarding for the return. This is a show, not a farm tour: RealNZ says the BBQ package doesn't include a full tour of the farm. If you want to walk the grounds and meet the animals up close, look at the farm tour instead.

Read next: The farm demonstration: shearing, the dogs, and the animals

Booking here or booking direct

You can also book with RealNZ on its own site, where prices are shown in New Zealand dollars and RealNZ says 1% of direct online bookings goes to conservation. Through GetYourGuide you see the total in your own currency, can reserve now and pay later, and can cancel free up to 24 hours before for a full refund. If the cruise is cancelled for poor weather, that booking offers another date or a full refund. If you book direct, RealNZ's own terms apply, so read them before you pay.

Language on the day

The host language on the booking is English, and commentary on board is included, so expect the spoken parts of the day in English. The crossing, the dog work and the meal need little explanation. If English isn't your first language, you'll follow the sights easily and may catch only part of the commentary. If you have questions about dietary needs or access, send them to RealNZ in writing before you travel, so that nothing depends on a conversation on the day.

Getting to the wharf

Departures leave from Steamer Wharf in central Queenstown. RealNZ's Visitor Centre is at 88 Beach Street, a short walk from the vessel, and your confirmation shows where to meet. No hotel pickup is listed. If you drive, RealNZ says to allow an extra 30 minutes to find parking before check-in, because free street parking is limited. The vessels and the farm are cash-free, so bring a card for anything you buy.

Read next: Getting to Steamer Wharf, timings, and which sailing to pick

Who this isn't for

If you use a wheelchair or find stairs hard, ask RealNZ before booking. Neither vessel is fully wheelchair accessible, and the path from the wharf to the restaurant is an inclined gravel path. If you want a short outing, note that this runs about three and a half hours or more. If you carry only cash, it won't work on board. If you want a full guided farm walk, choose a farm tour. And if you need strict control over allergens, a buffet may not suit you, so speak to RealNZ first.