Is There a Maid of the Mist on the Canadian Side?

If you’re reading this, you’re most probably looking for boat tours that can provide you with proximate experience with the three iconic falls in Niagara Falls. Musing over taking Maid of the Mist boat tour on Canadian side? Wondering if there is a Maid of the Mist on the Canadian side? Unfortunately, you won’t find a Maid of the Mist of the Canadian Side of Niagara Falls because of two reasons: firstly, Canadian side has Hornblower Niagara City Cruise, an equivalent of Maid of the Mist; and secondly, Maid of the Mist happens to be on the US side only since 2014.

Every year, nearly 12 million visitors head to Niagara Falls to appease their love for waterfalls. Yes! Ask any tourist visiting the place and s/he’d cite the magnificent falls to be the major lure for their visit. So, by default, when visitors are here, they weigh the options to get up & close experience with these falls. For this, boat tours are one of the best options! Earlier, Maid of the Mist was the only boat tour service provider on both sides. However, in 2014, Canadian Government awarded the contract to Hornblower Niagara Cruises to serve the tourists on this side of the border. This officially ended Maid of the Mist’s operations on Canadian side, restricting it to the US side only.

Does this mean Maid of the Mist and Hornblower Niagara City Cruises offer different experience? Well, the answer to this is partly yes, and partly no. The ‘yes’ part of this answer predicates on the fact that both boat tours are meant to provide tourists with an up & close experience with the three falls. The ‘no’ part of this answer is based on the premise that both operate on different side of the border, and that Maid of the Mist doesn’t offer Niagara Falls Fireworks Cruise and Falls Illumination Cruise (while Hornblower does). We’d recommend going through this detailed comparison between Maid of the Mist and Hornblower Niagara Cruise to plan your boat tour the right way!

Feeling heart-broken to know there’s no Maid of the Mist on Canadian side? Well, no need to be (unless you’re too loyal of a Maid-of-the-Mist-fan), as you can find equivalent (in fact over-weighing in some aspects) alternative in the form of Hornblower Niagara Cruises on this side of the border. Or if you’re too die-hard fan of it, you’ll have to make your way across the border to the US side and avail yourself of your favorite Maid of the Mist boat tour.