Maid of the Mist Ticket Price: the Booth Price and the Bundle Arithmetic
The 2026 Maid of the Mist ticket is $30.25 adult, $19.75 child 6–12, free under 5 — sold only by Maid of the Mist, not timed, first come first served. What tour bundles add to it and when they are worth it.
The Maid of the Mist has one ticket, one seller and one price — and everything sold on booking platforms under “Maid of the Mist tickets” is a bundle built on top of it. This is the arithmetic.
If you want the pass that does the whole US side in a morning: the boat + Cave of the Winds pass — 4.6 from 700 verified guests, from $99, boat ticket included.
The ticket itself
| Price | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $30.25 | Includes the elevator down to the landing and a souvenir poncho |
| Child 6–12 | $19.75 | |
| Child 5 and under | Free | With a paying adult |
Sold by Maid of the Mist at the ticket booths beside the Observation Tower in Niagara Falls State Park, and online at maidofthemist.com, where the voucher is valid any day of the season. Tickets are not timed and not reserved: you board first come, first served, with boats about every 15 minutes. Buying online skips the ticket window, not the boarding line. Nobody resells the bare ticket.
Season 2026: April 24 – November 8. First boat 9am daily; closing 5pm in the shoulder months, up to 8pm from late June to early August (details in hours and season).
Where do you get tickets?
At the booth, or online in advance. “Should I buy in advance?” — buying online costs the same, saves the ticket-window line and carries no risk (any-day voucher); it does not give you a boarding time. What genuinely benefits from advance planning is the Cave of the Winds, which is a timed state-park ticket ($23 adult in season) — the park itself says reserve it first thing.
What the bundles add, and cost
Every “Maid of the Mist tickets” product on the platform is boat + something. High-season adult prices:
| Way in | Headline | Contains the $30.25 ticket? | What else you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booth / maidofthemist.com | $30.25 | — | The boat, elevator, poncho |
| Boat + Cave of the Winds pass (4.6 · 700) | $99 | Yes — first in the includes | Cave of the Winds ($23) with its timed slot handled, Observation Tower, Luna Island, Terrapin Point, Goat Island, park film, ponchos, licensed guide EN/ES |
| Small-group boat + cave with local guide (4.9 · 564) | $115 | Yes | Cave, observation deck, small group, local guide |
| Boat + deck + guided walk, no cave (5.0 · 53) | $79.99 | Yes | Observation Deck, storyteller guide, Luna Island, Tesla monument |
| Bliss tour, no pickup (5.0 · 170) | $109.99 | Yes | Cave, tower, Goat/Luna Island, guide |
| American Tour, hotel pickup (4.8 · 678) | $124.95 | Yes | Cave, tower, coach with pickup, live commentary |
| Premium Mercedes van, max 7 (4.8 · 557) | $139 | Yes (seasonal) | Cave “skip-the-ticket-line”, tower, pickup downtown |
Two tickets (boat $30.25 + cave $23) and the tower come to about $53 done yourself. The featured pass is $99 — roughly $46 for the cave slot handled, the sequencing and a licensed guide — and the small-group version $115. Whether that is worth it: boat vs Cave of the Winds and the homepage lay it out; short version, buy the ticket at the booth if the boat is all you want.
Does it sell out?
The bare ticket does not “sell out” in the timed sense — there is no timed inventory — but boarding lines on July–August afternoons are the longest wait in the park (see wait times). Tour bundles can sell out on peak days because they carry a fixed group size.
Related
Hours & season 2026 · Boat vs Cave of the Winds · US side or Canada · Wait times · With kids · all tours · check availability
The Boat + Cave Pass, If You Want More Than the Boat
US Maid of the Mist & Cave of the Winds pass — boat ticket, Cave of the Winds entry, Observation Tower and a licensed guide, 4.6/5 from 700 verified guests, from $99. Free cancellation. If the boat alone is what you want, the booth price is $30.25 — that is the whole answer.
Check Availability & Book