Georgia and I visited Toronto during August when the weather was mild and the waters of the harbour were calm.
We booked our cruise through Viator (Toronto 45 minute Sightseeing Harbour Tour) at a cost of £44.60 for two people. We chose the buy now pay later option and opted to book early to secure our place, with the money taken from my account 2 days prior to the cruise. At the point the money is taken the tickets are released to you and can be viewed in the Viator App. You can also save the e-tickets to your wallet. There is also a kiosk on the Quay itself if you wish to purchase tickets on the day.
Ferries run around every 90 minutes during the peak summer months.
The process of booking, reserving, paying and obtaining tickets was extremely easy. The tickets had pick up information quoted – in our case we had to head to Pier 6 City Cruises on Queens Quay West. A contact number is also provided on the confirmation should you need to contact the operator prior to the cruise. Toilet facilities were available on-board and there was a bar serving drinks and snacks.
We were staying at the Westin Harbour Castle Westin on Queens Quay West itself so were 5 minutes from Pier 6. Once on board there were plenty of inside and outside seating. The commentary was interesting, pointing out various landmarks and buildings of interest, the man-made beach, the second airport (Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport) and watching the planes fly low over the boat as they come in to land. The cruise also touches on the islands which are fascinating but you are not given the option to get off and explore. From the boat you do of course get a great view of the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre (home of the Toronto Blue Jays) which I will cover in a separate blog.
To visit the islands separately I would recommend contacting Linda and Susan via Totonto Island Walking Tours (https://www.torontoislandwalkingtours.com/) – they are both long term residents of the islands, and hold 90 minute guided tours of Wards Island during the summer season. To do this you would need to book and pay via their website in advance (£35 each) and make sure that you pick up a corresponding ferry at the Jack Layman Ferry Terminal (journey time 15 minutes) in order to get to the pick up point on the Island in time for the start of the tour). Tickets from the Ferry Terminal to Wards Island are just $9 for a return journey.
On leaving the boat at the end of the tour there are numerous restaurants and bars for drinks back on dry land. We headed for The Goodman Bar and Kitchen to sample the local delicacy of poutine – pricey for chips, cheese curds and gravy sprinkled with spring onion you might think at $16, but crazily delicious and much needed after nearly an hour bobbing around on the water!
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