Verified against the official pages on October 17, 2026.
If you are searching for 'Hornblower Niagara Cruises', you will find older reviews, guidebooks and tickets under that name. This page ties it to what is sold today at Niagara City Cruises. For the wider story, see the history of Niagara Falls boat tours.
The sourced timeline
| Date | Event | Source and confidence |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Ontario orders competitive bidding for the Canadian-side contract after fairness complaints | CTV and others, via search summary; medium |
| February 2012 | The Niagara Parks Commission names Hornblower Canada Co., a subsidiary of Hornblower Cruises and Events, the winner of a 30-year Canadian-side contract and land lease | Soundings, CP24, company blog; high |
| October 2013 | Maid of the Mist makes its last Canadian-side tour: the 24th (CTV headline date) or the 26th (blog) | Sources differ by two days; medium |
| May 14 and 15, 2014 | Ribbon cutting, then public opening of Hornblower Niagara Cruises. The company blog earlier expected mid-April and elsewhere says April 2014 | Company blog; medium |
| April 6, 2021 | Hornblower Group announces the City Experiences brand and places the Niagara operation under City Cruises | Business Wire; high |
| 2021 | The tour becomes Niagara City Cruises | Travel listings only; low |
| February to July 2024 | Parent Hornblower Group restructures; Niagara exclusivity is reported to run to 2043, though 2014 plus 30 years gives 2044 | Globe and Mail, Maritime Executive; secondary |
What is only loosely sourced
- The exact rename day. The City Experiences date is firm. The date the Niagara tour began using the name Niagara City Cruises is not.
- The 2014 start. April 2014 versus May 15, 2014. We prefer the public opening date and flag the other.
- The last Maid day. October 24 versus October 26, 2013.
- The end of the contract. 2043 as reported against 2044 from simple arithmetic.
- A 2016 opening. One search summary mentioned it; we could not verify it and do not use it.
What did and did not change
| Same | Different |
|---|---|
| The Lower Landing dock, the white-sail Main Ticket Plaza at 5920 Niagara Parkway and the 20-minute Voyage to the Falls | The brand, the website (niagaracitycruises.com replaced cityexperiences.com pages) and the Know Before You Go text |
| The catamarans, reported as Niagara Wonder and Niagara Thunder (secondary source) | The website: niagaracitycruises.com now hosts pages that used to sit on cityexperiences.com |
| Tour is run for the Canadian side only; Maid of the Mist stays on the US side | Product names: Voyage to the Falls and Falls Fireworks Cruise appear on the current official site |
We did not find a notice listing every product, price or policy that changed with the rename, so use the current official pages and not older reviews. Prices and rules on this site are always the 2026 figures.
How to search and book
- Search for Niagara City Cruises or Voyage to the Falls. 'Hornblower Niagara Cruises' still returns older pages.
- Book on the official site, niagaracitycruises.com, or at the Main Ticket Plaza on Niagara Parkway.
- Do not assume that a reseller using the old name is selling the official product.
- For fares and fees see 2026 boat tour prices; for the rules see tickets.
Hornblower Group in 2024
Only as sourced: reporting by the Globe and Mail and Maritime Executive says Hornblower Group filed Chapter 11 (with Canadian recognition) on February 21, 2024 and emerged in July 2024 with Strategic Value Partners as majority owner, after cutting about US$720 million of debt. We did not find an operator statement about Niagara visitors, and sailings continued under the Niagara City Cruises name. For the other side of the story, see Maid of the Mist and the comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hornblower Niagara Cruises the same as Niagara City Cruises?
Yes, as far as the sources show. The Canadian-side boat tour opened as Hornblower Niagara Cruises in 2014 and now trades as Niagara City Cruises. The parent company renamed itself City Experiences on April 6, 2021, and travel listings date the Niagara name to 2021. We found no primary announcement of the exact day.
Is Hornblower Niagara Cruises still operating?
Not under that name, as far as we can tell. The current official site is niagaracitycruises.com, and the older cityexperiences.com Niagara pages redirect to it. The boats, dock and Voyage to the Falls tour are the same operation. Hornblower is also the name of a separate parent group that restructured in 2024.
When did Hornblower start Niagara boat tours?
Public opening was May 15, 2014, with a ribbon cutting on May 14, according to a City Experiences blog post. The same company blog elsewhere says April 2014, and the opening had been expected in mid-April. We use May 15, 2014 as the public opening date and flag the April wording as a conflict.
Did Maid of the Mist stop running at Niagara Falls?
No. It stopped running on the Canadian side after October 2013 and continues from the US side. Its last Canadian day is given as October 24 by CTV's headline date and October 26 by a blog. Maid of the Mist still runs two electric boats from Niagara Falls State Park, New York.
Who gave Hornblower the Canadian contract?
The Niagara Parks Commission named Hornblower Canada Co. as winner of the Canadian-side tour contract in February 2012, according to Soundings and CP24. It was a 30-year contract and land lease reported after a competitive bid, which Ontario had ordered in 2009. Dollar figures reported for the deal came from a single source and are not published here.
Is a Hornblower Niagara Cruises ticket still valid?
We cannot answer that. Tickets bought before a rename are an operator matter, and we found no published policy on legacy vouchers or gift cards. The operator says it does not sell or accept gift cards now. Contact Niagara City Cruises with the confirmation number if you hold an older ticket.
What happened to Hornblower Group in 2024?
As reported by the Globe and Mail and Maritime Executive, Hornblower Group filed for Chapter 11 on February 21, 2024, with Canadian recognition, and emerged in July 2024 with majority ownership by Strategic Value Partners. These are secondary reports. We found no operator statement saying anything changed for Niagara visitors.
Sources and further reading
- Niagara City Cruises (official site)
- City Experiences blog: Hornblower Niagara Cruises opens
- Business Wire: Hornblower Group rebrands to City Experiences (Apr 6, 2021)
- CP24: Maid of the Mist loses deal (2012)
- Soundings: new company to run Niagara Falls boat tours
- CTV News: Maid of the Mist completes final voyage from Canada
- Globe and Mail: Niagara Falls boat tours ownership
- Maritime Executive: Hornblower emerges from bankruptcy
- Hornblower Cruises (Wikipedia, secondary)
- Maid of the Mist: history
Facts were last checked against these sources on October 17, 2026. Operator schedules, prices and conditions change; confirm with the operator before you travel.