Walks Canada Priority Boat Tour: Priority Boarding and Journey Behind the Falls

Walks Canada

Exclusive Priority Boat & Behind the Falls

★ 4.7 (1,513) · from $95

Check availability

Prices and timetables checked 2026-10-17. Affiliate note: I earn a commission on bookings made through the links on this page.

The Walks Canada priority boat tour is a 3-hour guided walk in Niagara Falls, Ontario, that adds a Voyage Priority Plus boarding lane on the Niagara City Cruises boat to a visit to Journey Behind the Falls, for $95 per person.

The detail that changes the decision is what the priority upgrade buys. Per the listing, you board through a dedicated lane and step on first to pick a spot on the top deck, then get a gold poncho only priority guests receive. The boat itself is the same 20-minute ride everyone else takes.

The standard-option twin of this tour sells for the same $95, so the upgrade is the point of this page. For the other trips on the river, see the Niagara Falls boat tours page on Harbour Advisor.

What is the Walks Canada priority boat tour and what do you see?

It is the Walks Canada guided walk with the boat made faster at the gate: you board ahead of the standard line, choose where to stand, and then walk the river with a guide before going behind the Falls.

The listing calls Walks Canada an official launch partner of the Voyage Priority Plus upgrade. I could not confirm that on the operator's own site in this run, so I treat it as the listing's claim. What the listing itself offers is a priority lane, first access to the deck and a gold poncho.

1. Priority boat ride - the Niagara City Cruises "Voyage to the Falls" boat, about 20 minutes.
2. Parkway walk - about 2 km with commentary on daredevil history and the American and Bridal Veil Falls.
3. Queen Victoria Place - the restaurant building on the route, used as a landmark.
4. Journey Behind the Falls - an elevator down 125 ft to the lower tunnels.

Where does the Walks Canada priority boat tour meet?

You meet on the lawn outside the Niagara Parks police building at 6075 Niagara River Parkway, 15 minutes before the start. The guide wears a yellow vest and holds a yellow sign.

The pin is here: Niagara Parks Police Station meeting point on Google Maps. The boat plaza, Niagara City Cruises plaza on Google Maps, is a short walk from the Falls on the same Parkway, and the guide takes you there.

Parking is not included, according to the listing. If you leave the car in town, Niagara Parks sells a WEGO pass at CAD 16 for 24 hours (adult), checked 2026-10-17 on the Niagara Parks site.

What is the route, stop by stop?

The listing names eight map points, but most are landmarks you pass rather than stops. The ticketed parts are the boat and the tunnels.

The straight-line walk from the boat plaza to Table Rock is 17 minutes (1.3 km), and from Queen Victoria Place to the boat plaza it is 12 minutes (0.9 km), both OSRM foot routing on OpenStreetMap data. That fits the 2 km the listing gives for the whole walk.

How long is the tour and when does it start?

The tour takes 3 hours, and the boat is about 20 minutes. The listing prints no departure times, but review comments point to an early slot: three reviewers describe an early start, one of them at 8 AM, and a quiet boat.

The boat part is on the Niagara City Cruises season, which companion listings give as May to December, weather dependent. This listing says sites are subject to occasional closures and the operator will contact you if changes are needed, and it names no winter substitute, so ask before a January to April date.

Niagara Parks lists Journey Behind the Falls as open year-round with a visit of about 60 minutes, per its attraction page, which is more than the tour is likely to spend inside.

125 ft is how far the elevator drops visitors to the tunnels behind the Horseshoe Falls.

What is included and what do you pay extra for?

The price includes the guide, the Niagara City Cruises ticket with the priority upgrade and the Journey Behind the Falls ticket. Hotel transfers, tips and parking are extra.

• Included: Voyage Priority Plus ticket, with the priority lane and first onboard access when the option is selected.
• Included: Journey Behind the Falls ticket and a local English-speaking guide.
• Included: a gold poncho for priority guests, if selected.
• Not included: hotel pickup, tips and parking fees. Baby strollers are not allowed.

The tour runs outdoors in all weather, and the operator suggests comfortable shoes and a waterproof bag. US guests should carry a passport: the Government of Canada says US citizens should always travel with one.

How does the Walks Canada priority boat tour compare with the standard version?

It costs exactly what the standard Walks Canada tour costs, so the choice is about options and rating rather than price.

If you want the fireworks at night, the standard tour has a Night Boat option that this priority version lacks, and the fireworks cruise sells on its own for $38.

Is the Walks Canada priority boat tour worth $95 against other boat trips?

It is worth $95 in summer, when the queue for the standard boat is longest and a top-deck spot matters, and less so in the shoulder season, when queues are short.

The price works out at $31.70 an hour, below the $38 median of the 12 Niagara Falls tours on this site, and the 4.7 rating beats the standard twin's 4.6. One reviewer in the sample, a priority guest, says you skip the line for both the boat and Journey Behind the Falls, which is more than the headline promises.

For a first day at the Falls in July, I'd book this over the standard tour. For one evening on the water, I'd book the fireworks cruise alone. In late autumn the queue advantage shrinks, so the cheapest booking gives most of the value.

When is the best time to go?

The best months for this tour are June to September, when the average high is 74 to 84 F and the priority lane saves the most time. The table shows what the Open-Meteo archive recorded for 2025 and for 2015 to 2025.

Early starts shine in summer: sunset on 15 May is 8:34 PM, so mornings are bright but cool. In November sunset is 4:54 PM, and the tour runs outdoors regardless of weather.

The next public holiday is Christmas Day on 25 December per the Nager.Date API, checked 2026-10-17. The listing gives no holiday timetable.

What do passengers say?

All 20 reviews I could read are 5 out of 5, so the sample is positive-only. These patterns repeat.

• Guides: named and praised in 17 of 20 reviews; the rating breakdown gives guides 4.8/5.
• Early start: 3 reviewers liked the quiet early slot.
• Group size: the sample shows groups of 6 and 13, so size varies.
• Tunnels: 1 reviewer was disappointed by the short time at the viewing portals.

GetYourGuide's own summary says clearer details on inclusions and on how far the skip-the-line access goes would help.

Who should skip it?

Skip this tour if you use a wheelchair or a stroller, since the operator rules out wheelchairs and strollers, or if you want a long cruise. One reviewer with a rolling walker said the guide made sure the walker was included, but that is one report against the written rule, so ask first.

Also skip it if you want hotel transfers: the listing excludes them. For other trips, see the Niagara Falls boat tours page.

How do you book the Walks Canada priority boat tour?

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Niagara Parks, Journey Behind the Falls; Niagara Parks, Falls Fireworks 2026; Niagara Parks, WEGO fares; Government of Canada, entry requirements; GetYourGuide listing 416411 (checked 2026-10-17); Open-Meteo archive, sunrise-sunset.org, Frankfurter and Nager.Date APIs (fetched 2026-10-17).