Taking the Interislander ferry across the Cook Strait was one of the logistical pieces of our New Zealand honeymoon that I expected to simply check off the list.

Instead, it became one of the most relaxing parts of our campervan road trip.

My wife, Taryn, and I spent the final two weeks of our 33-day honeymoon traveling around New Zealand. After Auckland, Queenstown and Milford Sound, we traded luxury hotels for a Wilderness Motorhomes campervan and began working our way from Christchurch back toward Auckland.

That meant getting both ourselves and our campervan from the South Island to the North Island. When I saw that the Interislander offered an adults-only Premium Lounge with food and drinks included, upgrading did not require much convincing.

At NZ$89 (roughly $52 USD) per person, however, it is not a cheap add-on. Was it worth paying an extra NZ$178 for the two of us?

For us, yes. But I would not recommend it to everyone.

Interislander Premium Lounge at a glance

The Interislander carries passengers and vehicles between Picton on New Zealand’s South Island and Wellington on the North Island. The scheduled crossing takes about three and a half hours.

We sailed from Picton to Wellington during the campervan portion of our two-week New Zealand honeymoon.

The Premium Lounge is reserved for passengers ages 18 and older. Access includes:

• A guaranteed seat in a quieter lounge
• A grazing-style selection of food throughout the crossing
• Coffee, tea and nonalcoholic drinks
• New Zealand wine and craft beer
• Wi-Fi and charging points

At the time of writing, Interislander charges NZ$89 per person, in addition to the cost of the ferry ticket. The important thing to understand is that you are not paying NZ$89 for a dramatically better chair. You are mostly paying for quiet, space, food, drinks and the certainty of having somewhere comfortable to settle in.

Why we booked the Premium Lounge

Our crossing came near the beginning of a week-long campervan road trip. We had collected our motorhome in Christchurch the day before, driven north to Picton and spent the night at a campervan park only a few minutes from the ferry terminal.

It had already been a busy stretch of our honeymoon. Before picking up the campervan, we had spent four nights at the Park Hyatt Auckland, packed several experiences into four days in Queenstown and taken a scenic flight and cruise to Milford Sound.

By the time we reached Picton, a few hours without driving, navigating, checking into a hotel or figuring out where to eat sounded pretty good.

Then I saw the words “adults-only lounge.”

I told Taryn that food and wine were included, we would have a guaranteed place to sit and we would not have to search the ferry for seats. There was not much of a debate after that.

What the Interislander Premium Lounge was actually like

The first thing that surprised us was how small the lounge felt. This was not a sprawling international airport lounge. On our sailing, there appeared to be room for only about 12 to 15 people, and it felt close to full.

That intimacy was also part of the appeal. The room remained quiet, and once we sat down, we had a comfortable home base for the entire Cook Strait crossing.

An attendant kept the food and drinks stocked, so we could grab coffee, snacks, wine or another beverage without pulling out a credit card each time. After several days of almost constant activity, it was nice to sit down and have nowhere else we needed to be.

I would not describe the lounge as luxurious in the way that word is sometimes used for airline lounges. It was simple, comfortable and peaceful—and that was exactly what we wanted.

Food and drinks in the Premium Lounge

Do not book the Premium Lounge expecting a gourmet meal. The experience is closer to a small airport lounge, with a grazing table rather than formal dining.

The selection can vary by sailing, but Interislander advertises seasonal dishes along with vegetarian, plant-based and gluten-free choices. Coffee, tea, soft drinks, New Zealand wine and craft beer are also included.

For us, the food was perfectly fine. We were not looking for a memorable dining experience; we wanted somewhere comfortable to relax, grab something to eat and have a glass of wine while someone else handled the transportation for a few hours.

The included food and drinks also make the price easier to justify. If you would otherwise buy a meal, a couple of coffees and a beer or glass of wine onboard, the real price difference between the lounge and paying for everything separately begins to shrink.

If you do not drink alcohol and only want a small snack, the math will be harder to make work.

The biggest benefit was the quiet

The regular passenger areas were much nicer than I expected. We saw comfortable reclining seats, televisions, window seating and plenty of places to spend the crossing. Taryn even commented that some of the seats looked a little like domestic first-class airline seats.

Standard seating on the Interislander is not bad. The difference is the atmosphere.

The main passenger areas had families, children’s activities, televisions and people constantly moving around. At times, they felt more like a busy ski lodge or cafeteria. The Premium Lounge felt removed from all of that.

For two adults traveling on their honeymoon, that separation mattered more than having a marginally better chair. If you enjoy airport lounges primarily for the quiet and predictability, you will probably understand the appeal immediately.

Do not spend the entire crossing inside the lounge

The Interislander is more than transportation. On a clear day, it is a genuinely beautiful trip.

Our Cook Strait crossing was almost completely calm, and the scenery around the Marlborough Sounds was a highlight. Green hills dropped into the water, with small coves and stretches of rugged coastline appearing along the way.

The outdoor decks and public viewing areas generally offer better, less obstructed views than the lounge. We treated the lounge as our base: eat, have a drink and relax for a while, then head outside when the scenery became more interesting.

That gave us the best of both experiences and kept the lounge upgrade from turning into an excuse to miss the reason this ferry ride is so memorable.

What about seasickness on the Cook Strait?

The Cook Strait has a reputation for rough conditions, so seasickness was something I thought about before the trip. We were fortunate: our crossing could hardly have been calmer, neither of us felt sick and, for much of the sailing, it barely felt as though we were on a ferry.

Conditions can be very different from one day to the next. If you are prone to motion sickness, bring whatever normally works for you and do not assume the lounge will make a rough crossing easier. You may prefer to move around the ship or spend more time outside rather than sitting in an enclosed room.

Taking the Interislander with a campervan

The ferry was one of the fixed points in our two-week New Zealand itinerary, allowing us to keep the same campervan as we traveled between the islands.

I expected driving a large campervan onto a ferry to be stressful. It was incredibly straightforward.

We checked in with the vehicle, entered the lane we were assigned and waited until it was our turn to board. From there, I followed the vehicle ahead while crew members directed us exactly where to park.

Once parked, we gathered what we needed, locked the campervan and headed upstairs. You cannot return to your vehicle while the ferry is underway, so take your camera, medication, jacket, chargers and anything else you may want during the next few hours.

Campervan travelers also need to turn off their LPG cylinders before boarding and follow the crew’s directions for securing the vehicle. Interislander currently requires vehicles to check in at least 60 minutes before departure, but always confirm the latest instructions for your sailing.

Book the ferry—and the lounge—early

This was one of the biggest planning lessons from our entire New Zealand trip.

We traveled during peak summer season, when vehicle space can fill well in advance. The ferry was not something we could leave until a few days before the crossing. Our reservation became one of the fixed points around which we built the campervan portion of our honeymoon.

That created a problem of its own. We picked up the campervan in Christchurch and had to reach Picton for our sailing the following morning. The pickup process and grocery shopping took longer than expected, which forced us to drive north faster than I would have liked.

We passed wineries and other places where we would have happily stopped. Taryn still reminds me about it.

If we planned the trip again, I would add at least one extra day between collecting the campervan and boarding the ferry. The Interislander was worth planning around. Rushing through New Zealand to catch it was not.

The Premium Lounge should also be booked in advance. Interislander says you can ask about access onboard if space remains, but it cannot be purchased at the terminal.

Who should book the Interislander Premium Lounge?

I think the upgrade makes the most sense for:

• Couples and other adults traveling without children
• Travelers who value a quiet environment
• Anyone who wants a guaranteed seat
• People who would otherwise buy a meal and several drinks onboard
• Travelers who enjoy airport lounges for their comfort and predictability
• Anyone using the crossing as a break during a long driving day

That description fits us almost perfectly. We are happy to spend a little more when an upgrade meaningfully removes friction from a travel day.

Who should skip it?

Families traveling with children cannot use the Premium Lounge because it is restricted to passengers 18 and older.

Budget travelers can also skip it without feeling as though they are sacrificing the entire experience. The standard seating was better than we expected, and food and drinks are available for purchase onboard.

I would also think twice if photography and sightseeing are your main priorities. You may spend much of the crossing on the outdoor decks anyway. The same is true if you do not plan to eat or drink enough to offset part of the upgrade cost.

Interislander Premium Lounge pros and cons

What we liked

• The adults-only space was genuinely quiet.
• We always had a comfortable place to sit.
• Food and drinks were included.
• The small lounge felt more intimate than crowded.
• It gave us a real break during a busy honeymoon and road trip.
• We could use it as a base without missing the views outside.

What we did not love

• NZ$89 per person is not cheap.
• Standard Interislander seating is already comfortable.
• The lounge is pleasant, but not especially large or luxurious.
• The best views are usually outside the lounge.
• The value drops quickly if you do not eat or drink much.

Is the Interislander Premium Lounge worth it?

For us, yes—and I would book it again in similar circumstances.

I would not call it a must-do, though. The lounge did not transform the ferry itself, which was already comfortable, scenic and easier to navigate than expected. What it changed was how the travel day felt.

For three and a half hours, we had a quiet place to sit, food and drinks were taken care of, and there was absolutely nothing we needed to do. In the middle of a packed honeymoon and campervan road trip, that was worth something.

Think of the Premium Lounge less like an upgrade to first class and more like buying access to a good airport lounge. If that sounds appealing, you will probably enjoy it. If you are happy grabbing a coffee in the main cabin and spending most of the trip outside, save the money.

Bottom line

I originally viewed the Interislander as a practical way to get our campervan from New Zealand’s South Island to the North Island. It ended up being one of the most relaxing travel days of our honeymoon.

The Cook Strait was calm, the scenery was beautiful, getting the campervan onboard was easier than expected and the Premium Lounge gave us somewhere quiet to eat, drink and recharge before we drove off the ferry in Wellington and continued toward Lake Taupō.

Would I pay NZ$89 every time I rode the Interislander? Probably not.

But on a honeymoon, after several busy days of travel, with another long drive waiting on the other side? Absolutely.