The 16-storey-high falls make an awesome sight from the boats. Photo / Bloomberg
Old and new set sail from opposite sides of the river, writes Carolyn Thompson.
For more than 150 years Maid of the Mist tour boats have been all alone below Niagara Falls as they've ferried tourists close enough to be drenched by the spray.
But this tourist season, a second set of boats is navigating the Niagara Gorge.
The Maid of the
Mist Steamboat Co continues to launch from the American shore but lost its Canadian contract to rival Hornblower Niagara Cruises, which set sail from across the river, last week.
The Maid of the Mist, with its two 600-passenger steamship-style vessels, and Hornblower's pair of 700-passenger catamarans offer much the same daytime experience: sailing poncho-clad passengers up to the 16-story walls of whitewater for views unrivalled on land.
