Niagara Falls cruises begin

Tourists can get an up-close look at Niagara Falls starting today.

This is the first day of operation for Hornblower, which took over for Maid of the Mist on the Canadian side starting this season. The Niagara Thunder and Niagara Wonder are now taking tourists to the base of the falls.

The state-of-the-art catamarans were made in Wheatley, Ontario. Each catamaran holds 700 people, and the CEO expects just under two million tourists will climb aboard each year.

The Maid of the Mist is still operating, but only from the American side.