Editor's Note: In the wake of the recent death of a Norwegian Spirit passenger in a tragic fall from a Roatan zip-line canopy tour, it may be time to examine the merits of potentially risky shore excursions. Where do you stand on the issue? Are you a devout adrenaline junky or a disciple of safety-consciousness? Share your perspective.
In the wake of the recent death of a cruise ship passenger while on a canopy tour in Roatan, we set out to determine just how safe -- or unsafe -- zip-line rides are. We asked members of the Cruise Critic community for their input (we'll get to that later), but we also spoke to a ropes course expert to get the inside scoop on the dangers of traveling by high-altitude cable.
Steve Gustafson, owner of Experience Based Learning, Inc., has 24 years of experience designing, installing, operating and inspecting ropes courses and zip-lines. His company is accredited by the Professional Ropes Course Association and has set up 13 tours across the U.S. -- among them zip-lines in Hawaii, Alaska and Idaho -- since 2002.
After reading the details of the March 18 tragedy in Roatan , in which Norwegian Spirit passenger Barbara Sue Fojtasek fell to her death when her cable snapped while zip-lining through Gumbalimba Park, Gustafson was anxious to lend the benefit of his experience to the resulting debate.
"Hearing that the rope broke, and knowing what I know and what I've experienced, unfortunately that doesn't surprise me," Gustafson told us.
While he tried to avoid making any blanket statements, and cautioned that he couldn't comment knowledgably on any specific course that he has not personally inspected, Gustafson made it very clear that safety practices for zip-lines and canopy tours outside of the U.S. pale in comparison to domestic standards. With no regulatory body to institute minimum industry requirements or to run inspections, and with no clearly delineated safety criteria imposed in the vast majority of foreign ports, riding these zip-lines is "a crap shoot," according to Gustafson.
"The things we're doing [in the U.S.] are just so uniform," he said. "I see pictures on the Internet [of how zip-lines are operated outside the country], and I just say 'How are they getting away with that?'. It makes me concerned.
"If you're gonna go on a tour outside the U.S., on a scale of 1 to 10 -- with 10 being very concerned, I'd say you should be about an 8 or a 9."
Expert Analysis
According to the Honduras Institute of Tourism, Fojtasek and a guide were traveling down the zip-lines in tandem (joined together so that the guide could control braking, etc.) when the cable snapped, sending both of them freefalling 35 feet to the ground.
The cable that failed was brand-new, had only just been installed in February, and had a maximum capacity of three tons. So there's no way that the combined weight of Fojtasek and her guide could have cause the cable to snap, right? That's what we (mistakenly) thought.
Gustafson points out the stress put on these lines is magnified significantly when the cable is strung horizontally, as is the case in canopy tours. In the U.S., the minimum rating for lines 400 feet or less is seven tons -- more than twice as strong as the line used in Roatan -- and operators avoid stressing cables with anything heavier than one-fifth of their maximum load. The length of the cables used in the Gumbalimba tour range from 120 ft. to 600 ft. in length.
Gustafson estimates that a 250-pound person in the middle of a 1000-ft. run would put roughly 2,000 pounds of pressure on the line. "And guess what? You're in the danger zone already," he says. "If another person comes out [on the line] to assist, the load could be equal to 4,000 lbs. (about 2 tons)."
But Gustafson cautions that if the stress put on the line was a factor in Fojtasek's death, it likely was not the only factor.
"An accident is never because one big thing goes wrong," he said. "It's a combination of a bunch of little things that went wrong at the same time."
Should You Be Worried?
Accidents happen, right? Thousands of people ride zip-lines every year incident-free. So, is there really any need to reconsider signing up for a zip-line excursion on your next cruise? Probably not.
"Keep it in perspective," Gustafson said. "Statistically, you're more at risk getting in your car and going from point A to point B to get to Starbucks."
But you can certainly do a little more homework before you strap into your harness.
Zip-line tours have exploded in popularity since the first incarnations sprouted up in Costa Rica during the mid-1990's, and regulatory efforts have not kept pace. The industry has grown so fast, says Gustafson, that "you've got every Tom, Dick and Harry building them in the backyard."
Cruise lines currently offer zip-line or canopy tour excursions in ports as far-flung as Alaska, Antigua, Barbados, Costa Rica, Mexico and Hawaii -- just to name a few.
Gustafson recommends asking questions before taking flight on any of these tours, including getting details about the tour's insurance status, accreditation (if any), and the credentials of the companies that installed and operate the zip-line.
"The lesson is that you need to open your eyes and do a little more consumer due diligence. You kick the tires when you buy a new car, so why not do the same when your life is on the line -- literally? Some people could say it's inevitable, but in this particular case -- with the limited information I know -- this one looked to be avoidable," Gustafson said.
Member Reaction
We asked you if you thought that excursions such as zip-lining were worth the inherent risks. The responses varied, but many in the Cruise Critic community seem unfazed by the Roatan incident.
As of today, more than 37 percent of responders to our poll said that the experience of zip-lining is worth any potential for bodily harm, either because the probability of a death is so negligible or simply because they believe that living life and taking chances go hand in hand.
Almost an equal amount of those polled prefer to wait and see before making any judgments. Thirty-five percent of responders said their decision "depends on what kind of safety standards are in place."
Of the negative responses, 16 percent answered "No, life is more precious than a cheap thrill" and 11 percent voted "No, I get more pleasure from safer excursions anyway."
What specifically did Cruise Critic members have to say in response? Would they still zip-line -- and who should be held accountable for an accident? Read on:
"I took my first zip-line ride in Roatan a month ago today (February 26) and had a great time. I felt quite secure at the time, but frankly, this impression was reinforced by the fact that arrangements were made through NCL ... NCL is meeting a legitimate passenger demand for adventure trips in its ports of call, but it also has a heavy responsibility to assure the safety of its passengers in a world where these passengers are incapable of assessing the real risks. I hope that NCL makes some statement about its policies, present and future, in this matter as I would want to know them before booking tours on my next cruise." --Mauretania2 fan
"Is the potential risk worth the potential reward? When you analyze the potential risk, you have to take into consideration what is the worst that can happen, what is the chance of the worst happening, what is the worst that is most likely to happen and what is the chance of what is most likely to happen happening? Then consider the rewards and make an informed decision." --Cuizer2
"This was a horrible accident plain and simple. No one is to blame except perhaps for the guide who may have made an error. Reports are conflicting, but it does seem that is the case. We rode that exact zip-line, booked through NCL the day before this tragedy and felt perfectly safe. The guides were very, very careful about making sure your safety clip was attached to something at all times, even when on the platforms. I do not feel that NCL is responsible in any way for this horrible accident. Human error is human error and it is going to occur. We are not perfect, we are human." --ChBoxers800
"It is certainly a tragedy that this young woman lost her life. However, no excursion is completely risk free. Simply climbing aboard a tour bus could result in serious injury or loss of life. People who elect to participate in the more adventurous activities found on a cruise are generally willing to accept the risk. I would hate to see all such activities closed down because of one failure. Our prayers are with the family and we hope that they will be at peace." --Jac31419
"My husband and two kids were about 20 people back in line from the woman who died on the zip-line in Roatan. I was at Coral Cay with our younger kids. I've never been on a zip-line, and now I'm sure I never will be. I drive my car to get to my job, go to the grocery store, etc. -- it's a risk with rewards that I consider necessary to my quality of life. The only reward from riding a zip-line is the thrill. I don't fault those who find that reward to be worth the risk, but for me and my family, we'll be playing it a little safer." --Betsifur
"My husband and I happened to be on the same cruise as this woman. Two days after our Roatan stop we headed to Belize, where we zip-lined there (on an independent tour ... not via NCL). It wasn't until after we finished the zip-line that we heard about the tragedy of the woman from our ship. Had I known about this before we zip-lined ... I may have not been able to go through with the excursion. However, I guess I never really thought about zip-lining as being a 'high risk sport.' Even though I was unaware that a woman had lost her life doing the same sport two days before, I felt completely safe on the excursion. I didn't think anything of it, just as I don't think anything of getting in my car everyday and driving to work even though someone probably lost their life driving to work that very same day." --wisconsincruisers
--by Michael Potter, Assistant Editor
--Alaska zip-line photos courtesy of Alaska Travel Industry Association
--Roatan zip-line photo courtesy of Honduras Institute of Tourism
In the wake of the recent death of a cruise ship passenger while on a canopy tour in Roatan, we set out to determine just how safe -- or unsafe -- zip-line rides are. We asked members of the Cruise Critic community for their input (we'll get to that later), but we also spoke to a ropes course expert to get the inside scoop on the dangers of traveling by high-altitude cable.
Accidents happen, right? Thousands of people ride zip-lines every year incident-free. So, is there really any need to reconsider signing up for a zip-line excursion on your next cruise? Probably not.
Of the negative responses, 16 percent answered "No, life is more precious than a cheap thrill" and 11 percent voted "No, I get more pleasure from safer excursions anyway."
"I took my first zip-line ride in Roatan a month ago today (February 26) and had a great time. I felt quite secure at the time, but frankly, this impression was reinforced by the fact that arrangements were made through NCL ... NCL is meeting a legitimate passenger demand for adventure trips in its ports of call, but it also has a heavy responsibility to assure the safety of its passengers in a world where these passengers are incapable of assessing the real risks. I hope that NCL makes some statement about its policies, present and future, in this matter as I would want to know them before booking tours on my next cruise." --Mauretania2 fan
