Boddens Ziplining safety experiences wanted

[tweety33]

I have been reading several comments lately regarding the safety at Victor Boddens Zipline. We have his zip & dip tour booked, now I have second thoughts. We booked this one because it seems to be more for beginners, not as high or long, not over real jungle, etc. If you have done his zip lines would you please comment on the safety. Thank you.

 

p.s.We have done his best of the Roatan tour with Tex and it was a fabulous tour. I highly recommend it.

[laketimeaz]

Bump for this one - thinking about booking it today for our cruise in 2 weeks!

[mitsugirly]

Victor and his crew come highly recommended on here by almost everyone that has been with them.

 

However, we did have 2 issues when we did the zip and dip back in September. And I will give you the link to my full reviews on them some you can form your own opinion on them yourself.

 

I had an issue with the zip line portion (safety issue) and my daughter (who is 3) had an issue with the monkey portion (safety issue as well).

 

I would like to say that we had a WONDERFUL day with them in spite of what happened to us and we are not the type of people to let much of anything spoil our day. We take the good with the bad and we turn it into a positive experience the best we can (trust me, last years cruise I fell at the first port we went to and broke my hand and sucked it up and snorkeled twice after that LOL) :D If I return to Roatan would I go back with them, no I wouldn't. But not because we had a bad time because we didn't. My daughter had a wonderful time and that alone was the best experience ever to watch how much fun she had zip lining. She is fearless. :D

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=30662590&postcount=23

[lovevacadays]

Victor and his crew come highly recommended on here by almost everyone that has been with them.

 

However, we did have 2 issues when we did the zip and dip back in September. And I will give you the link to my full reviews on them some you can form your own opinion on them yourself.

 

I had an issue with the zip line portion (safety issue) and my daughter (who is 3) had an issue with the monkey portion (safety issue as well).

 

I would like to say that we had a WONDERFUL day with them in spite of what happened to us and we are not the type of people to let much of anything spoil our day. We take the good with the bad and we turn it into a positive experience the best we can (trust me, last years cruise I fell at the first port we went to and broke my hand and sucked it up and snorkeled twice after that LOL) :D If I return to Roatan would I go back with them, no I wouldn't. But not because we had a bad time because we didn't. My daughter had a wonderful time and that alone was the best experience ever to watch how much fun she had zip lining. She is fearless. :D

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=30662590&postcount=23

 

Wow, it was interesting and informative reading your review of the zipline and monkeys. That doesn't sound to be the best experience. Although we had a fabulous time in Roatan with VB tours - we did primarly an island tour and lunch - as we didn't want to see the monkeys - it sounds like not all of their tours are as wonderful as the experience we had. I do think people who are thinking of specific things to do on the island should really should spend some time searching these boards and getting a good overview of experiences.

[mitsugirly]

Wow, it was interesting and informative reading your review of the zipline and monkeys. That doesn't sound to be the best experience. Although we had a fabulous time in Roatan with VB tours - we did primarly an island tour and lunch - as we didn't want to see the monkeys - it sounds like not all of their tours are as wonderful as the experience we had. I do think people who are thinking of specific things to do on the island should really should spend some time searching these boards and getting a good overview of experiences.

 

Yea I agree. We enjoyed ourselves a lot, just the few minor things. I guess I was just a little disappointed myself that when I was hit, the guy that hit me didn't even say anything like sorry and he put his clip on the next line and left. The guy that was helping us come in ask if I was ok and I could tell that he really "yelled" at him (in another language) as I tried desperately to catch my breath. :cool: It was just the lack of concern. Even with my daughter it was about 1/2 hour later before someone came up to us (we were getting ready to leave) and made the comment that they had "injected the monkeys" and not to worry (I'm assuming vaccinated is what he was referring to). :( Just the lack of caring and acknowledgement that something went wrong was a real issue with me.

[Monkeylala]

For virtually any of these types of things, Zip lines, Scuba, Snorkeling, Climbing, Scooters, Monkeys, etc. We all must remember, You arevisiting a third world country, one of the poorest in the world, there is no OSHA, PETA, public safety department or any other type of agency out there looking out for the consumer. No matter how "safe" a zipline looks, unless the one looking is an engineer knowledgable in the full configuration, there is no way of knowing if it is even structurally safe, Are those clips all rated for what they are being used for? Are they replaced like they should be? Just like the scooter rentals, None or few of the rental places provide helmets that are DOT certified, The cute monkeys in the petting zoo? They are wild animals.

Sure, we can all get hurt doing almost anything but remember, when in third world poor countries you do not have the agencies and laws at least designed to provide public safety and if something were to happen the only one responsible is yourself

[Kiagirl]

We did the zip line and monkey tour on Nov 17th, 2011. All the equipment looked new and was (in our opinion and my husband's who has zip lined before as part of work with professionals) very safe. Our guide Josue was absolutely awesome, enthusiastic and very helpful. We had so much fun on the zip line. The monkeys were delightful. Most of the staff we met and dealt with were very friendly.

[tweety33]

We did the zip line and monkey tour on Nov 17th, 2011. All the equipment looked new and was (in our opinion and my husband's who has zip lined before as part of work with professionals) very safe. Our guide Josue was absolutely awesome, enthusiastic and very helpful. We had so much fun on the zip line. The monkeys were delightful. Most of the staff we met and dealt with were very friendly.

Thanks, thats all good to hear.

[sailorschelle]

We did this tour last week, my husband (43), his father (67), myself (38), my three year old, and her cousin (4). We had a great time, the ziplines seemed very safe, very careful and concerned guides, especially with the little ones. The monkey tour portion made me a bit more uncomfortable, I don't think that I would personally go into the enclosure with them again, or allow my daughter, too, either. They were aggressive, and overwhelming, IMHO. All in all, we had a great time, though, and really enjoyed Roatan (beaches were gorgeous!).

[mitsugirly]

I agree with the equipment. It is in very good condition (the equipment). My problem was with the negligence of the employees who were not watching to make sure that we were out of the way and slamming into me forcing me into a tree. If it wasn't for that, there wouldn't have been an issue with the zip lines. :) They did take good care of my little one (who was 3 at the time), however, did catch them once not attaching her line to the safety harness while standing on one of the platforms (I ended up grabbing her and holding onto her).

[mkleblanc]

We are booked for the Zip and Dip in March. I'm making my husband do this even though he doesn't handle heights all that well. I think once he gets going, he'll be ok. I am a little concerned about the weight limit though. Bodden tours says the limit is 290lbs. My DH is around 250-260lbs and I'm nervous that might be pushing the limit a little. I'm not interested in seeing the monkeys. Worried I should just skip the tour all together and do a beach trip instead!