Since I suddenly had a free day on Monday, I started thinking maybe it would be fun to book a tour from Toronto to Niagara Falls. That way I wouldn’t have to deal with any of the logistics. Once I started browsing I found a lot of offers, but they were all operated by Grey Line – so I just booked direct. And what I learned was….I should’ve just driven myself.
The tour was too long in all the wrong places (you do not need 45 minutes at the whirlpool – that is a 15 minute photo/bathroom stop), and too short in all the wrong places (30 minutes at the ice wine place? Come on!). It was a lot of hurry up and wait.
The included lunch at the Sheraton was nice for the view (the food was exactly what you’d expect from a hotel buffet lunch).
I opted out of the Hornblower cruise because nothing sounded appealing about being hot, wet, and covered in plastic. The Maid of the Mist used to have exclusive rights to cruising around the falls, but when it went up to bid, the Hornblower won the right to operate from the Canadian side of the falls. Maid of the Mist still operates from the American side. During lunch I watched the boats cruise into the mist pit of Horseshoe Falls and then just stay there for what seemed like forever.
I visited the American side of the falls when I lived in Philly and did not do Maid of the Mist then. I have never regretted it, so the decision to not go on Hornblower seemed the right one.
Most of the others of the tour were saying “once in a lifetime” and “you have to see it at least once”, but I haven’t regretted it for the last 9 years, and I still don’t regret it now. HOT. WET. COVERED IN PLASTIC. NOPE!
The tour was too long in all the wrong places (you do not need 45 minutes at the whirlpool – that is a 15 minute photo/bathroom stop), and too short in all the wrong places (30 minutes at the ice wine place? Come on!). It was a lot of hurry up and wait.
The included lunch at the Sheraton was nice for the view (the food was exactly what you’d expect from a hotel buffet lunch).
I opted out of the Hornblower cruise because nothing sounded appealing about being hot, wet, and covered in plastic. The Maid of the Mist used to have exclusive rights to cruising around the falls, but when it went up to bid, the Hornblower won the right to operate from the Canadian side of the falls. Maid of the Mist still operates from the American side. During lunch I watched the boats cruise into the mist pit of Horseshoe Falls and then just stay there for what seemed like forever.
I visited the American side of the falls when I lived in Philly and did not do Maid of the Mist then. I have never regretted it, so the decision to not go on Hornblower seemed the right one.
Most of the others of the tour were saying “once in a lifetime” and “you have to see it at least once”, but I haven’t regretted it for the last 9 years, and I still don’t regret it now. HOT. WET. COVERED IN PLASTIC. NOPE!
