All of the Ride, None of the Soaking
This is the same jet boat trip as our open-top one. Same river, same route upstream from Niagara-on-the-Lake into the gorge, same standing waves at Devil's Hole, same turn at the Whirlpool. The difference is a sealed cabin between you and the water. You watch the Class 5 whitewater break across the glass a few inches from your face and then walk off the boat in the clothes you arrived in.
Read this before booking: jet boats do not go to Niagara Falls. They cannot. The Whirlpool and the waterfalls are separated by a stretch of Class 6 rapids that is unnavigable and illegal to run. What you get is the gorge, the rapids and the Whirlpool at speed, which is a different experience from anything else at Niagara and is not a substitute for seeing the falls.
The covered boat also takes children from four, where the open one starts at six, which is why most families end up here. Booking with us also unlocks the Niagara Fun Pack, a set of local savings sent before you travel.
Why Take the Covered Boat
How the Trip Runs
About 45 minutes on the water, and roughly an hour and a half in total.
Turn Up as You Are
You check in at the dock on the Canadian side and board. There is no kit to change into and no locker ritual, because nothing is going to get wet. That alone takes a good half hour off the trip compared with the open boat, which is worth knowing if the day is already tight.
Into the Gorge
Upstream from Niagara-on-the-Lake with the gorge walls rising on both sides. This is the calm stretch, where the scale of the place registers and the guide explains what the river is about to do. From inside the dome you can actually hear all of it, which on the open boat you cannot.
Devil's Hole, Class 5, Through Glass
The standing waves at Devil's Hole are big enough that the boat climbs them rather than cuts through, and the whole wave comes down over the dome. It is a strange thing to watch a wall of water break a hand's width from your face and stay completely dry. The pitching is identical. Only the drenching is missing.
Turn at the Whirlpool, Then Back
The boat reaches the Whirlpool, where the river strikes the gorge wall and rotates back on itself, and that is as far upstream as anyone is permitted to go. Beyond it the Class 6 water is unnavigable. You turn there and run back down to the dock, and then simply walk away.
Included & Not Included
✓ Included
- 45 minutes on the water in the fully enclosed Jet Dome
- The Class 5 rapids at Devil's Hole and the Niagara Whirlpool
- Life jacket and safety briefing
- Secure storage at the dock if you want it
- A guide you can actually hear from inside the cabin
- Niagara Fun Pack with exclusive local discounts
✕ Not Included
- Any view of Niagara Falls, the route is downstream and cannot reach them
- Getting soaked, which is what the open Wet Jet is for
- Passengers under 4 years or below 40 inches
- Meals, drinks and hotel pickup
Jet boats leave from the Canadian side, with departures at Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls, Ontario. This is a trip out from the falls district rather than something to slot between viewpoints, so allow travel time both ways. Your exact dock and check-in time are confirmed instantly with your booking.
Before You Go
What Guests Say About This Trip
"Our five-year-old could come on this one and not the open boat, which decided it for us. She was thrilled and we all got off dry. Watching the wave break over the dome about a foot from your face is unforgettable."
"Went in early May when the river was freezing. Everyone coming off the open boat looked miserable. Same rapids, same speed, and we were warm and taking photographs the whole way. No regrets at all."
"Worth saying clearly, as the page does, that you never see the falls. We knew going in and it was fine, the gorge and the whirlpool are spectacular in their own right. Do not book this as your falls experience."
"My husband took the open boat and I took this with the children at the same time. He says his was better. I say mine was just as fast and I could hear the guide. We are still arguing about it."
Frequently Asked Questions
No, and it is the first thing to understand. Jet boats run downstream of the waterfalls, upriver from Niagara-on-the-Lake into the gorge, through the rapids at Devil's Hole and up to the Whirlpool. The Whirlpool and the falls are separated by Class 6 water that cannot legally or safely be navigated, so no jet boat on either side of the river reaches them. Book this for the rapids and see the falls separately.
Yes. The Jet Dome has a fully enclosed cabin with the water kept outside, which is the entire difference between this boat and the open one. You take the same route through the same Class 5 rapids and watch it all happen through glass a few inches away. No change of clothes, no towel, no shivering afterwards.
The covered boat takes passengers from 4 years old and 40 inches tall, against 6 years and 44 inches for the open Wet Jet. That is why families with small children take this one. Note the operator's longer Freedom Jet variant carries stricter limits, so check the requirement on your own booking.
Less wet, not less fast. The route, the boat's speed and the standing waves at Devil's Hole are identical, and the dome pitches through them exactly the same way. What you give up is the physical shock of taking the river in the face, which for some people is the whole point and for others is the reason they would never board.
Take the open Wet Jet if being drenched is the appeal and everyone in the group is 6 or over. Take this one if you have younger children, if the weather is cool, if anyone would rather not sit in wet clothes for the drive home, or if you want to keep a camera out. Both cost about the same.
From the Canadian side, with departures at Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls, Ontario. About 45 minutes on the water and closer to an hour and a half in total once check-in and the briefing are counted, which is quicker than the open boat because nobody needs to change afterwards.
No. Like the open boat it is seasonal, running roughly May to October and stopping when ice takes the river. Individual departures can be held for river conditions or weather, in which case you are rebooked or refunded.
The trip runs on the Canadian side with no border crossing. If you are staying on the American side you will cross the bridge to reach the dock, so bring your passport in that case.
