Maid of the Mist — Attraction in City of Niagara Falls

Visited during the beginning of October (they don't operate year round so be sure to check the schedule).

This is a must do experience if visiting the Niagara Falls state park. How else can you get so close to the majestic waterfalls? I mean there's also Cave of the Winds but that's a more intense experience.

I decided to visit during late afternoon so there wasn't much of a crowd. They load the ships every 20 minutes or so as each trip takes about 20 minutes. Definitely wear waterproof clothing or clothing that easily dries if you can because from the knees down, it will get soaked and maybe the sleeves too. I put my phone into a waterproof bag to capture the ride and a good thing I did because otherwise it would've gotten drenched.

Tickets can be pre-purchased online or day of. Check the hours before visiting as they change depending on the season. An elevator took me down to the bottom where I got my poncho and lined up to board the ship. Apparently these ponchos are thicker than the ones at Cave of the Winds (so the rumors say). I made sure to pull the hood on tight and secured it with the plastic strings and it definitely held up against the waterfall winds! I got a blue one when I visited but noticed the next day, they were handing out red ones (twinsies with the Canadian Hornblower).

Top deck is the spot to be to get the best experience. The ship brings us by one of the falls that has a light mist blowing towards us with a gentle wind. Then as we got closer to Horseshoe Falls, boy could I feel the wind and mist blowing my poncho around. My sleeves, pants and shoes were drenched and the water was blowing so fast at me that I could barely see! It was actually so much fun to experience! How else can I get this close to the falls? Wearing sunglasses also helped to keep some of the water out of my eyes. The ship stayed there for quite a while before making a U turn to head back to land. It really felt like I was in the middle of a torrential downpour.

Afterwards, take another elevator up to the observation deck to get another great view of the Niagara Falls.

Honestly this was so much fun, I definitely want to try the Canadian version too next time! And maybe Cave of the Winds (on...

The visit to this place can be a nightmare if Mel, their supervisor is around. I visited this place with my family, my parents (both 75+) my mom used a walking stick and dad had knee caps to support his walk. I was in the line, about to board the cruise. Mel rushed us and in the hussle, I wasn’t sure of all my family members are with me, I paused for a minute to check, meanwhile, the ferry guys announced that they would close the entry and I was asked to wait. Instead of escorting my parents and all of us to the queue, Mel insisted that we all should go back, climb steps and join the entire line again. She insisted that if we miss boarding the boat, we must go back in line again. Although there was a signboard, clearly mentions that if we miss the boat, we can board the next available boat. I am adding a picture of that signboard and Mel, both. She was rude, racist and inconsiderate in her approach with me. She was not listening at all and forced us, including my old parents, (mom with walking stick) to walk upward on the slope, Finally, after she was satisfied that we were behind enough in the queue, she rudely left the spot. She even accused me of lying.

Its a matter of common sense if we take our old parents to such a place we have to pay attention to them to see if everything is good or not. Me taking care of my parents was not accepted by Mel. It was more important for her to drag all of us all the way back in the line. She even told me that people try to do the journey twice. I told her, why would I do that when I have senior citizens who can not even walk properly. However, all my responses were not going through the deaf ears.

I also raised the complaint to Mike, who was compassionate enough to listen. However, I was not sure if he took any actions against Mel. I am posting here so that this information should reach the higher management. I visited this place on 23rd Aug 2025 between 5...

This was by far the highlight of Niagara. There is no difference in cost or experience between this boat and the Canada boat, except for how you get down to the water. The Canada side has a funicular and the American side has a viewing platform with an elevator. The American side also has the park above the falls which is really nice (much nicer than the Canadian side for walking around). There is also a set up stairs which allow you to get closer to the falls (I would save your poncho because it’s located after the trash cans for the ponchos). This is different than the cave of winds which is located on the other side of falls and costs more money.

According to staff, the best place on the boat was the lower level on the left side and this was the less crowded place to see the falls and to get really wet! It’s really cool to be in the power of falls. It is a short ride, maybe 15-20 minutes.

We did not have to wait long to get on the boat. We were there mid afternoon on a Sunday. You can buy tickets online but you still have to wait in line to validate your tickets.

Side note: I kept hearing the Canada side is better. It is true that the Canadian side has the view of the falls from a distance where as the park on top of the falls doesn’t give you this view. We are 6 adults and for us the Canadian side was super touristy, more expensive (in addition to higher Canada taxes), and was mostly tacky experiences geared towards kids. It is cool to see the falls lit up at night from the Canadian side but I would stay on the American side if we had a do over. This was the first stop on our Canadian road trip. IMO you only need to spend one day in Niagara maximum to do the boat tour, walk around the park on the American side and walk the Canadian side closer to night to see the falls lit up. About 30 minutes away, there is a really cute and quaint town called Niagara on the lake that is also...