Ocho-Review- LONG!

[Love2cruisegirl]

9/20/05-RCCL/Navigator (Western)-Ship arrived in Jamaica's port of Ocho Rios at 9am. The day was partly cloudy w/temp of 85. There was only 1 other ship in port that day, a Carnival. Next to the massage structure of the Navigator, Carnival's ship looked like a Barbie toy. My DH & I had booked the Original Canopy Tour excursion (you can only book thru your ship @ this time). We were to meet at the end of the pier by 9:30am. The actual pier area was not too big & there were LOTS of tours there waiting to pick up the passengers. We found our group easily (CHUKKA COVE) & were on our way. Our bus driver (Winston) from Chukka Cove was great. He gave us lots of information as we drove to Chukka Cove's main facility (horseback riding done there, a gift shop, bar, food stand). The ridge was about 25 minutes & we got to see some of the 'real' Jamaica. A mobile McDonald's, gas stations @ $4.00/gal., road work, an open air medical facility, nice homes, shacks. The land is beautiful & the people are friendly. Once at the Chukka Cove facility, we had a chance to use the facilities (nice, clean & air-conditioned), we met our tour leader for the Canopy Tour. Everyone w/Chukka Cove was very friendly. Then, we were off-we drove down the hwy. and then turned off on a one-lane road going up a mountain. The ride up the mtn. was an adventure itself. The road was poorly maintained & was gravel & potholes. The road twisted & turned hanging on the the edge of the mountain. We had some very good views of the ocean off in the distance. I was glad though that I had taken some Bonine. The driver had turned off the air & between the heat and the bumps...it could have made for a rough ride. After at least 30+ minutes we made it the the Canopy Tour area. We were suited up w/our harness, hat, gloves and given a good briefing on how to be safe & ride the zipline. After that, we walked for about 25 minutes on a trail thru the jungle. It was mostly downhill w/lots of stairs built into the side of the mtn. Everyone said their legs were like jelly when we got to the starting point of the tour. Then, the guides (there were about 6 for our RCCL group of 20) hooked you up & off you went! WOW! It was amazing & scary all at the same time!! I don't ride roller coasters, go to theme parks, etc. But this was fantastic!! There were 2 'surprises' that were thrown in. Basically it was a traverse STRAIGHT DOWN! Very scary for someone like me who isn't normally very adventurous! All those in our group really had fun...would do this again in a heartbeat!! We saw tons of beautiful trees, flowers, etc. At the end of the tour, we walked about 25 minutes thru the jungle back to the plantation area (where other tours take place)-there we got some drinks & our bus picked us up. Zoomed back quickly to the main Chukka Cove staging area. Bought a t-shirt ($15 nice quality) & got a true Jamaican meat pie ($1.99 for beef). Had about 1-2 hours once the bus dropped us off back at the pier. We walked to the Island Village (about a 5 min.walk) and did some shopping. Went to the infamous Margaritaville. Nice beach area right in front. Our experience in Jamaica was super. Everyone we came in contact with had a super smile & great disposition. YEA MON!! Please let me know if you have any questions...our friends did some of the other excursions. Would be happy to answer any questions.

[Tom_n_Sara]

Thanks for the review. My wife and I are doing the canopy tour in 2 weeks!:D

[Love2cruisegirl]

To those wanting a recent review of The Canopy Tour....