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Picton CRUISE SHIP Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Tour

Name: Picton CRUISE SHIP Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Tour
Brand: Jade Tours
SKU: 22175P2
Price: 145.78 USD
Rating: 5.0 (137 reviews)

Picton, New Zealand

4 to 6 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

When your cruise ship docks in Picton, take the opportunity to go wine tasting on a tour that visits some of Marlborough’s award-winning wineries. Visit up to five wineries in Blenheim for tastings and vineyard tours, discovering both internationally famous wines and lesser-known New Zealand gems. You’ll also stop for lunch (own expense) and sample locally made chocolates as you head back to Picton at the end of your tour.

Wine tour shore excursion from Picton with port pickup and drop-off
Sample some of New Zealand’s famous Marlborough wines
Taste a variety of wines during stops at four or five wineries
Try chocolates made by local producers
Hear about the Marlborough region’s role in New Zealand’s wine industry
Numbers limited to 12 for a small-group experience

What's Included

Wine tasting at 4-5 award-winning wineries
Local guide
Port pickup and drop-off
Small group tour by minivan
Vineyard tour
Chocolate tasting
Air-conditioned vehicle

Lunch
Personal expenses

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup point

Picton

Start time

09:30 AM

Pickup details

This tour is specifically tailored for CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS. It is only available on cruise ship days and starts from and returns to the Picton Information Centre. Please check emails from Tripadvisor prior to your ship departure - there may be some variation in the tour departure time (variance in docking times). We will ALWAYS send a departure time confirmation email prior to your sailing. This is our only means of contacting you.

What To Expect

Waitohi Picton isite Visitor Information Centre

5 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Minimum age is 18 years
Not wheelchair accessible
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

137 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 137 reviews

Spendid tour of fine wine countryside

Somnath_C, Apr 2024

Lisa our driver cum guide was absolutely smashing! For cruise ship passengers this is a very convenient and intimate small group activity whereby you can enjoy the splendid wine countryside. Enjoy some fine wines while learning about their history and enjoying some hand made chocolates to sum it all up. Costs less than half of what you may otherwise pay!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks Somnath! Very happy you enjoyed the day out. Yes, special wines and countryside; we enjoy the opportunity to show them 😀

Harvest in the vineyards.

Sandra_L, Mar 2024

Had a wonderful time on our tour. We visited four separate tasting rooms/ vineyards. Giving us a sampling of wines made in the region. A must tour when visiting Marlborough.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

We are delighted that you enjoyed your wine tour with us - many thanks for your review. Marlborough is full of stunning wineries and cellar doors - you are most welcome to come and visit some more !

Marlborough Wine tour

Dennis_B, Mar 2024

Mike was an excellent guide and driver. Extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We had a wonderful day.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Many thanks for your lovely review. It's always a pleasure to host engaging people who are enjoying themselves - I am delighted that you enjoyed your day out with us. Safe travels.

A nice tour, but not worth the price.

Rob_M, Mar 2024

The wine tour itself was OK. We went to four different wineries of varying quality. The tour guide Lisa was good. It stated in the description that we were responsible for lunch. That part was OK. the part that ruffled my feathers was it was a preset meal at a preset price that we had to cover. We were not given an option whether we wanted the meal or not. Or if we were, it was not stated. The food was good. It was a preset menu at a preset price and we’re not informed of that either. so, if you take the cost of the tour and the price of the lunch it added up to almost US$400 per couple. We have been in other tours in Australia and New Zealand on our cruise at similar prices where the lunch was included. So overall it was a nice tour, but not worth the price.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

The cost of a tour is always more expensive when booked through a travel agency with their added on commissions. Our tour prices are average for wine tours in the area. On busy cruise ship days, the restaurants find it easier to serve the tour groups a fixed 2 course meal as much of it can be prepared before arrival. This saves a lot of time compared to having to process up to 10 separate a la carte meals. I'll ask them to declare the prices when the groups arrive

We paid $306 per couple...

Susan_B, Mar 2024

We paid $306 per couple for this tour which did not include lunch however lunch was part of the itinerary. When we got to the winery where we were going to have lunch, we were served a pre ordered meal which we had no input to, no choice-- all we were asked was do you have any food allergies. Then we come to find out that lunch was an additional approximately $84.78 USD so in essence the tour cost us $391 USD. we went to 3 wineries and had about 4 wines per winery with very stingy pours. Also the tour said we would get chocolate samples. We got one each which we had to ask for at the candy shop. Very disappointing, extremely overpriced for what you got. Lisa, our tour guide was okay.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

I am sorry that you had problems with your tour. The tour price is an average for wine tours booked through Viator - dealing with operators directly is much cheaper. A stop at a winery restaurant for lunch at own cost is advertised as part of the tour. On busy cruise ship days, the restaurants find it move time effective to serve the tour groups a fixed 2 course meal as much of it can be prepared before arrival. This saves a lot of time compared to having to process up to 10 separate a la carte meals. You had tastings at all 4 wineries that you visited - we cannot control the pourings offered by the cellar door staff. Again we cannot control whatever samples are offered for tasting at the Chocolate factory stop - these are typically offered at the tour when you walk in - perhaps you bypassed the counter ?

Lots of wine!

Cody_W, Mar 2024

This was a great wine tasting around Picton. Chris, our guide, was really amazing and took us to some great places. We visited 4 wineries and he made sure we were back in time to get on our ship. The one odd thing was at one of the stops there was a lunch provided - but it was a family style lunch that we all had to sit down and eat. It was an additional cost which was fine with us, but we didn't know the cost until we were at the venue. I would have much preferred a menu where we could pick a la carte and not a full family style lunch served. Giving this feedback in hopes that the tour operators can work with the wineries to change this for the future. Everything else was amazing! Loved all the wineries we visited.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hi Cody. Glad you enjoyed your wine tour. On busy cruise ship days, the restaurants find it easier to serve the tour groups a fixed 2 course meal as much of it can be prepared before arrival. This saves a lot of time compared to having to process up to 10 separate a la carte meals. I'll ask them to declare the prices when the groups arrive

Amazing tour of the wine regions of New Zealand.

jswar31, Mar 2024

This tour was amazing, got to learn a lot about the history of Marlborough wine making and got to try several different kinds of wine. Lisa was an amazing guide and made this tour amazing.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Many thanks for your review - we are delighted that you enjoyed your day out with Lisa. Keep looking for those Marlborough wines back home !

Great way to see and taste your way through wine country

Christine_P, Mar 2024

Great day! Pick up was easy and the wineries we went to were great! Would highly recommend this tour if you are there for a day or as a great introduction to the area!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

I'm delighted that you enjoyed your day out among the Marlborough vineyards. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed your company on the tour. Thanks for your review and enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Excellent tour of wineries

Richard_M, Mar 2024

The tour itself was very good. Our guide, Mike, was very knowledgeable and organized. Unfortunately, we were delayed by passengers arriving on a different cruise which meant rushing a very nice lunch and skipping one winery. This was certainly not the fault of Jade Tours.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thanks for coming with Jade Tours and for your review. I'm delighted that you enjoyed the wineries and hopefully you will keep an eye out for Marlborough wines in your stores

Marvellous Marlborough

Linda_Y, Feb 2024

Chris was very friendly and informative. The wineries we visited were all good and we particularly enjoyed the chocolate factory. Beautiful scenic area.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hi Linda. Many thanks for your review and for joining us for your wine tour through Marlborough. Glad you had a good time and safe travels

A wonderful winery day out

Marien_K, Feb 2024

Our ship tour was full so we booked this tour and we are so happy we did! We had an intimate group of 8 and our driver, Mike, was conscious of our time constraints as we were all on a cruise ship. We went to four wineries (Villa Maria, Wither Hills, Nautilus, annd Forrest) and had lunch at Wither Hills. Mike got our orders in quickly and our lunch was served promptly. We were in and out at a nice pace. Not rushed and not dragging it out. Be sure to have the green-lipped mussels! The chicken sandwich was big enough for two! Our group felt these wineries were excellent and we could not have been more pleased! Our driver made the very most of our time. Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hi Marien. I'm delighted that you enjoyed your tour with us and had a good time at the wineries chosen. We are really spoiled for good wines and wine makers ! Safe travels

Wine and chocolate

Patricia_D, Feb 2024

I really enjoyed this tour. Our driver/guide Chris was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. We stopped at 4 wineries and tasted wines at each one. We had lunch at the third one. Every one in the group got along well and appeared to have fun. Our last stop was at a chocolate factory, this was a very popular stop. It was a great day and a lot of fun

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hi Patricia. Many thanks for your review. We try to make our tours fun and informative so we are delighted that you enjoyed your day. Chris sends his regards.

Great tour and Jade Tours is fantastic

Donna_Z, Feb 2024

Had a great time with our excellent guide Chris. He was funny and very knowledgeable. The tour was fabulous as we visited 4 wineries and a chocolate factory. It was one of the best tours if my trip so far!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Many thanks for your review. Chris is a load of fun. Many thanks for your support of Jade Tours

Mike was an excellent...

john_b, Feb 2024

Mike was an excellent guide, flexible and full of knowledge about the win, wineries and their history.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for your feedback. It's always fun to interact with passengers off our visiting cruise ships and it's good to hear that you had a great time

Great day with Mike exploring the Marlborough wine region!

Kenny_S, Jan 2024

We enjoyed a day of touring the Marlborough region with stops at 4 wineries and a terrific lunch at Saint Claires winery. Our guide Mike was terrific and provided loads of colorful stories, regional knowledge and fun information about wine and the numerous wine makers in Marlborough. It was a super day for our 4 couples stopping over on a cruise.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hi Kenny and Team. Many thanks for your company and for your review. It's always a pleasure to show off our wineries and the wines are not too shabby ! Smooth sailing and my regards to everyone

Delivered as promised

Betsy_G, Jan 2024

Driver was on time and courteous. Wineries were good. There were some issues with the aftermarket microphone looped through the 10-person van that were a bit frustrating ....the company should have checked the operation prior to pickup ...

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hi Betsy. Many thanks for the feedback about the mic. system. I have twiddled some knobs and it seems to be working fine now. I trust the rest of your cruise was enjoyable.

Pleasant day in Marlborough

Christopher_B, Jan 2024

Had a nice weather day and enjoyed hearing about the vineyards visited and of course the tastings. Lunch was at a great vineyard-related restaurant and very high quality. I think our guide could have provided a bit more background / history about the area along the way, but overall very enjoyable. Would do again.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hi Chris. Many thanks for your review and I'm glad that you enjoyed your tour. Our guide is relatively new to wine tours so we'll make sure that she provides a heap of new local stories

Brilliant company and tour

Rochelle_T, Jan 2024

Wonderful day travelling around four different wineries. All unique and offered a variety of wines. Wonderful staff. Nothing was too much trouble

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you for your company on the day. Marlborough is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy wine. Thanks for your review and safe travels

Great for wine enthusiasts!!

jenbrackeen, Jan 2024

Driving out to the vineyard was a delight! It was a beautiful and hot day so we were delighted to be in vineyards that had excellent wine and a shady place to enjoy as they educated us on the different varieties produced there. Very informative and enjoyable day!

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Marlborough is a fabulous place to explore new wines and get a bit of scenery ! Thank you for your company and thanks for the review

Great day of wine tasting and experiencing the Marlborough region.

Robert_P, Jan 2024

We had a great day in the Marlborough region driving to various wineries where we were able to taste a good range of different locally produced wines.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

I'm glad that you enjoyed your tour around some of our cellar doors. Our style of wines can be very different from other regions so it makes the day interesting. Safe travels

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