Maid of the Mist in 2026

What is new at Maid of the Mist in 2026?

America250 branding, a wait-times planning tool on the website, and the first season without longtime owner James V. Glynn. The boats, the route and the prices stay as in 2025.

The season press release lists the changes. For visitors the useful one is the wait-times tool. The others are about history: the boats carry decals for the 250th birthday of the United States, and the company opened its first season since 1950 without the man who started as a ticket taker and ended up owning it.

Who was James V. Glynn?

The man who ran Maid of the Mist for more than half a century. He joined as a ticket taker in 1950, bought the company in 1971 and died on December 28, 2025, aged 91.

Glynn's story is the company's story. He took tickets on the dock as a teenager, bought the business in 1971 and stayed on as chairman into his nineties. In 2020 one of the two new electric boats was christened in his name. According to the company, his wife of 67 years, Mary G. Glynn, died 17 days after him.

His era also saw the split with Canada. In 2012 the Niagara Parks Commission gave the Canadian boat concession to Hornblower, and since spring 2014 Maid of the Mist has sailed only from the New York side. The red-poncho boat from Canada is a different company; our US vs Canada guide explains the difference. Christopher M. Glynn is the company's president.

What are the electric Maid of the Mist boats?

Two battery-powered catamarans, the James V. Glynn and the Nikola Tesla, that entered service in 2020 as the first all-electric, zero-emission passenger vessels in the US. Each carries up to 600 people.

The boats are welded aluminium catamarans with lithium-ion batteries driving twin electric motors of 400 kW in total, built for the company's switch away from diesel. Naming one after Nikola Tesla fits the place: his alternating current is what turned Niagara into a power town.

For passengers the change is quiet. No engine rumble, no diesel smell on the bow. Departures run about every 15 minutes in season and the trip lasts 20 minutes, the same as it always has.

How does the Maid of the Mist wait-times tool work?

Pick a date on the official website and the Wait Times Trends & Insights tool shows the typical queue pattern for that day, based on past seasons.

The company describes it as a feature that lets guests "click any date" to see expected wait patterns through the season (Maid of the Mist). It does not book a slot, because there are no slots: boarding is first come, first served.

The pattern it shows will not surprise anyone who has stood in the summer line. Midday in July and August is the worst, and the line can stretch back through the Observation Tower. Our advice: in peak season, be there for the 9 a.m. opening or come after 5 p.m. May and October are far calmer at any hour.

How much is Maid of the Mist in 2026?

$30.25 for adults, $19.75 for children 6 to 12, free for 5 and under with a paid adult. The ticket includes the Observation Tower elevator down to the boat.

The 2026 prices on the official page are the same as 2025. In 2023 an adult paid $28.25 and a child $16.50 (Maid of the Mist). Buy online and the ticket is good on any sailing day of the season. Buy at the ticket office and it is good on that day only.

Tours cost more because they add more. The guided walk with the boat starts at $57 and the Ultimate USA-side tour at $125, with pickup, a guide and Cave of the Winds. If you are staying in Niagara Falls NY and happy on your own, the direct ticket is the cheapest way on. Full breakdown in our ticket price guide.

The cheapest guided way onto the boat: a two-hour walk with a local guide plus your Maid of the Mist ticket. No transport, meet at 333 Prospect St.

★ 4.4 · 2 hours · from $57

Explore the guided walk with the boat → Tour details

What is the America250 branding on the boats?

Special logos and decals on both boats and around the dock for the 250th anniversary of the United States on July 4, 2026.

The company put the America250 marks on the James V. Glynn, the Nikola Tesla and the facility at Prospect Point, and across its website and social media. President Christopher M. Glynn called it "a unique opportunity to honor America" for an attraction he describes as an American icon (Maid of the Mist).

It is a photo detail more than a change to the trip, and it lasts through closing day on November 8. For what comes next, see our post on the 2027 opening.

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