Ocho Rios Canopy Tour, Anyone?

[Keisele]

Anyone have a review on the Canopy Tour in Ocho Rios?

[mjkjhick]

I'm interested in that too! Please let me know!

[takeabreath3]

me too, we have this booked for our cruise in september!!!!

[paula2051]

Add me to the people who wants some info on this tour. It sounds great, but would like to know more.

[paula2051]

For all those interested I found the following website on canopy tours from Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. Check out the video.

[url]http://www.canopypago.com/[/url]

Hope this helps. Hopefully someone who has done this excursion will step forward and give us a review.

paula

[sashapoo]

I am wanting to do this as well and when I tried to click the link it would not let me view the page.

[paula2051]

Surely there is someone out there that has tried this excursion from RCI. We all want the scoop please.

Takeabreath3 please fill us in when you get back. I'll be on the Mariner on 10/10 and could really use the review.

[sun_and_fun]

I am just back from a week on the Caribbean Princess. Last Tuesday my 16 year old daughter and I took the Canopy tour. We took it from Montego Bay, booking through Princess, but it is all the same tour.

In short - it is fabulous. We both had a great time and the staff at the canopy tour are excellent with an extremely high level of safety.

The tickets advised bringing a back pack with a change of clothes and bugspray. Good advice, though it was dry for us and we did not need the change. However there is a reasonably high chance of rain, so do take the towel and change of clothes, but you will leave it on the bus. When actually on the tour you need take nothing but your camera - make sure that it is in a case that you can hang securely from your body. We took our own bug spray, but they did provide some. You should use it before putting on the equipment.

I was unsure whether to wear shorts or long pants since all the photos showed long pants, but shorts were just fine. One woman in our party was wearing open toed sandals, but I recommend sneakers or similar.

On the bus we signed the release form. This is scarier than the reality. It talks about climbing a 20 foot ladder (which we did not do) and standing on a 3' by 3' platform - which I guess we did do, but always with a big tree by us and always clipped on.
From Montego Bay it was about a 30 minute bus ride, it is probably quite a bit longer from Ocho Rios. Our driver, Kingsley, was a lot of fun regaling us with facts about Jamacia and a rendition of the Jamacian National Anthem. The road goes up a windy hill until we turned off down a dirt track through an orchard, eventually ending at the Canopy Tours base. (It is also a base for a rafting trip). There are a lot of staff - each with over 200 hours training - and all the equipment is top of the line. After spraying yourself with bug spray the staff put on your equipment. You do not touch it yourself. It consists of a harness, or if you are tall like me, two harnesses, attached to a pulley and safety clips. After a short uphill walk to the first base we get a quick safety talk and cross the bridge to the first traverse. You are clipped onto the bridge while crossing it.

We were all perhaps a bit apprehensive before the first traverse (there are 8 in all), but once launched any fear is gone. There were about 15 in our party and we were almost the last to go over. If at the end you will wait a little for the first traverse, but afterthat it all moves quickly and you catch up with the front runners at the end. Again, saftery is paramount. At no time are you ever unclipped. The safety does not come off until the pulley is fully attached and the staff check your equipment before every traverse. You are told to have one hand on the vertical rope and one on the main traverse cable to stop you fromspinning and to act as a braje as needed. (Both hands are in heavy duty gloves) The biggest problem is in braking too early, you really do not need to brake much at all.

I discovered the best technique towards the end - lie almost flat with your legs out and back down, this avoids any spinning.

It was over all too soon. On the short walk back the guides instructed and entertained us with details of the local plant life. Then it was back on the bus and back to the ship for a needed shower.

Do try it, you will enjoy it.

[paula2051]

Sun and Fun Thank you so much for the review. It really sounds awesome. I went ahead and booked it yesterday and I am so ready to go. I appreciate the little tips and techniques you gave. Maybe I can look like a pro. lol

[jrtmouse]

How long did the actual canopy experience last? 30 min? 60 min? Thanks.

[sun_and_fun]

It was about an hour.

I may have been incorrect in saying that Ocho Rios and Montego Bay passengers all use the same canopy tour. My wife says that there are two in Jamacia, but both run by the same people.

[wbarger]

Just returned from trans canal cruise on Princess and stopped in Ocho Rios. While there, wife and I did the Canopy Tour and found it to be very good. I would echo the same comments as the one about the MBJ Canopy tour. The one in Ocho was started first and then the one in Montego. This one has the zip lines and also has two short (easy) rappels.

I have done the Sky Trek in Monteverde, Costa Rica. In comparison, this one was shorter and not as difficult but it had the added safty factor of more helpers along the way. I got the impression that the one in Ocho Rios was a little better run. So if you have any fears about the safty you can put them away. You do need to be physically fit as there are some pretty steep steps to negotiate.

If you are interested, they also do a video that they will sell you at the end of the tour. Just watch the rum punch you can get at the end of the tour - I think it is made from 151 overproof! Gets you flying while still on the ground.:p

[GummyBear]

Is it possible to take pictures, our are your hands always otherwise occupied?

[sun_and_fun]

It would be tough to take pictures while sliding across. You are wearing heavy gloves that you do not want to take off. You can take pictures while waiting either to leave or after landing. I have some nice ones of my daughter taking off.

[myneverland]

My husband and I are considering a canopy adventure like this in Ocho Rios on our cruise in a couple of weeks. I will be about 4 mos. pregnant, but not showing. I was wondering how the harness fits -- around the legs/bum or up toward the stomach area, or both. Basically, what I need to know is if it would put any unusual pressures on the lower abdomen area -- preventing me from doing this. From the pictures I've seen, I don't think it'll be a problem.

Is there anything else about the excursion that you think would prevent me from doing it?

Thanks for any details you can give!

[Orleanstar]

[quote name='wbarger']Just returned from trans canal cruise on Princess and stopped in Ocho Rios. While there, wife and I did the Canopy Tour and found it to be very good. I would echo the same comments as the one about the MBJ Canopy tour. The one in Ocho was started first and then the one in Montego. This one has the zip lines and also has two short (easy) rappels.

I have done the Sky Trek in Monteverde, Costa Rica. In comparison, this one was shorter and not as difficult but it had the added safty factor of more helpers along the way. I got the impression that the one in Ocho Rios was a little better run. So if you have any fears about the safty you can put them away. You do need to be physically fit as there are some pretty steep steps to negotiate.

If you are interested, they also do a video that they will sell you at the end of the tour. Just watch the rum punch you can get at the end of the tour - I think it is made from 151 overproof! Gets you flying while still on the ground.:p[/QUOTE]
So I can take it that you didn't note any damage from Ivan to the treetops etc. that negatively affected this tour, since you don't mention it in your review?

[paula2051]

Just got back from Mariner Western Carib.

Orleanstar treetops are intact. We had a wonderful time. If you are looking for excitement, this is it.

Myneverland You cannot take this tour if pregnant. The harnesses are very tight and the tour group does not allow pregnant women to take the tour.

[Orleanstar]

Thanks paula2051 -- I wasn't sure and you certainly put my mind at ease about this one.
We're also looking forward to the tour -- it really looks like a blast (sse the link provided in post #5) and quite different from anything else that is offered at that port.

[YOW]

My wife and I are heavily considering the Canopy Tour in January, maybe in tandem with doing the Falls later in the day.

How fit need one be? We can both walk and climb fine, but neither of us is exactly an avid runner or extreme enthusiast.

btw Orleanstar we live cross-town from you in Kanata.

[paula2051]

Yow There is quite a bit of walking, but luckily it's mostly downhill. It will give you incentive to do the canopy ride as the only way back out is by going back uphill! My dh is a 61 yr old retiree and weighs about 200lbs and had no problems with either the canopy tour or climbing Dunn River Falls back to back. If you take the early canopy tour (9:15) and ask your tour guide to set up a taxi on the way back to port, you can easily fit in both tours and still make Margaritaville at the end.

[YOW]

Thanks, Paula!

[quote name='paula2051']you can easily fit in both tours and still make Margaritaville at the end.[/QUOTE]
You read my mind. :)

[Orleanstar]

Another fellow Ottawan?? What a small world!

Which week are you doing your W. Carib. tour -- maybe we can catch each other at Margaritaville??

On that front, have you found "Jimmy's Lost Shaker of Salt" at the Margaritaville site??
See [url="http://margaritavillecaribbean.com/"]http://margaritavillecaribbean.com/[/url] and follow the link under the singer pictured in the top right corner of the page. It took me a little while to find it (I think I did the whole site -- that's the idea, right??) but it's worth a free magarita on your visit (which I hear are excellent) so that's incentive enough!

All the best

Scott

[CruiseFever]

bump

[captainmac]

Does anyone know whether it would be possible to do the 9 am 3 hour dolphin swim and still be able to make the 12:30 canopy tour?