Reviews of Grand Experiences (Travel Agency)

Patrick Worden

Would do again but with grand river rafting. Grand experiences was over a half hour late for their pickup. I was asked if I've kayaked before and replied that I have not at which point the conversation ended and no advice was given.

Doug Taylor

Great friendly staff!

kci library

Truly Fantastic Trip Jamie is an incredible guide. He took us down Class 1 Rapids, giving us good instructions and making sure we were safe. The Lower Nith is a great place to kayak in the spring, but I wouldn't do it without a guide. The guide knows the dangers and how to avoid them. A fantastic cooked lunch was provided, as well as all the gear we needed. I can't recommend this trip highly enough. It gave us the thrills of running rapids while doing it all safely. On a personal note, I'd had a mastectomy four months prior to the trip. It was my first time back in a kayak; I count this trip as a personal accomplishment. I had no pain then or afterwards. Thanks so much Jamie for the terrific trip and the awesome video. I know I'll be looking back at it often.

Eugene S

Good, sometimes almost new equipment of all sorts for water fun. Friendly and helpful salespersons. Huge stock of equipment. I've been there twice and both time have had really good time. First time I went for Oneida run trip, that finishes close to their place. Second trip started from their location and lasted ~15 km down the river. The second trip is way easier and is intended for beginners. Make sure you take sun cream as you can easily get sun burned on the water.

Michelle Bullough

A group of friends I did the self-guided canoe trip from Cambridge to Paris through Grand Experiences in July. Most of us were first-timers, and their staff was great at explaining techniques and the route.

marco baroch

We kayaked the stretch from Glen Morris to Paris and it was spectacular! The staff made everything easy and convenient! Love this olace

Andy Ross

This would have been a 2.5 but that was not an option I booked the two day guided hike for myself and three other people. Below are the pros and cons that were experienced. I am keeping the details fairly succinct but to the point. If I was scoring this based solely on the hike it would have received a 4 out of 5. Unfortunately, there were some issues prior to the hike that have dropped the score. PROS – First and foremost the hike was great and well worth it. Elizabeth and Josh were excellent guides. The lunch provided was fabulous and the coupon for our supper was more than generous. We ate at Stillwaters which we would all recommend. The accommodation at Best Western in Brantford was good. CONS – I booked this trip for four people 7 months in advance. From approximately May onward it was one “snafu” after another involving a lack of communication from the company, changes that were not communicated to us in a timely fashion and no follow up to emails and phone calls that were made by me to try and iron out some problems. If you are booking with Grand Experiences please check and double check that things are in place. I learned this the hard way and from other reviews that have negative comments this seems to be a recurring theme. If it had not been for the fact that I was not booking this trip solely for myself I would have cancelled in August because I was so frustrated and, if I had done so, we would have missed out on a good time. A further “snafu” regarding the accommodation two days before the hike just about ruined things for me. Thankfully, all issues were worked through but not without some significant feelings of stress and frustration.

laurent lo

Here is my experience dealing with this company or I should say, the owner (Jamie). Went on their website, spoke to Jamie and gave my credit card to buy one of their canoe. Got told I was gonna receive a receipt but never got it. He ended up not charging my cc. After numerous try to contact the guy, I finally got a call two days later, to tell me the canoe was not new. Was used...Already a bit disappointed but he offered me a discount which I took in consideration and asked to send me photos of the canoe. After agreeing to a time the next day, I waited an extra hour to get those photos (after again a few calls). Pics only showed the hull but not the top part which included the seats. Cut the story short. Rude. Very unprofessional and unreliable with extremely poor communication. BUY YOUR CANOE DIRECTLY TO PALUSKI Company. Pick it up there! That's what I'm going to do. I should have read the reviews before contacting the guy...

Darlene Burgess

I organized an excursion for a large group through this company. What a " Grand Experience" this was for my family! Friendly staff, great prices, and safe! I had people who had never been in a canoe before able to join in the fun...and they were able to navigate brilliantly! Highly recommend Jamie and his team! I would do this again in a heartbeat and will be sure to recommend this company to all of my friends and family!

Brant Danard

The instructions were great but what set them apart was the staffing They worked tieresly and we were always up beat.Theh did me a special favour at ybe end ov yhe trip Thanks Jamie for that.it was a huge help at the wnd of the day. Looking forward to the nexg paddling adventure with your group.

Chuck and Peg Crooker

Always helpful

Vidyakar Gopinath

Downgrading unfortunately. The guides were not actively communicating anything to us and the shuttle was a disaster.

Irene Montpetit

Was not impressed about the pick up at the end... because of covid ( I get it) they only take the drivers of your group back to get there cars ...but don't give them any directions how to get back to us ... So your group is left standing around wet and cold for an hour or more if your driver's don't have any issues finding you

Jenny Wang

Our guide Jamie is amazing! He is very knowledgeable and knows the area very well. It’s this such a great value for your money! An awesome opportunity to experience natural, I will recommend anyone who loves natural and enjoy kayaking. We saw lots of wild life. Jamie is so patient and helpful! You can really improve your kayaking skill. Definitely recommended! It’s one of the must do adventures!

Mustafa Salman

Good location and equipment, however they are very disorganised, and did not give proper safety precautions. No maps were given just some basic instruction (ie 1st and 2nd bridge keep left). So we ended up capsizing the canoe in a very rapid current area and lost 2 new smart phones, speaker, and sunglasses. No one had mentioned anything about it. They did not provide a Wet Bag to secure our valuables. Other company (across from river) are much better; organised, professional, they provide a Map and explicit instructions to what to expect. and they provide Wet-Bags. Side note: I went the next day with the other company and got everything back from the river. After more than one day in water, both Samsung phones work fine.

Tracy Blasko

Awesome time!

Cameran Henderson

great trip down bigcreek, Jamie was the best guide, told us to try the nith river in October and cant wait

Ian Kerr

Great location, bathroom needs an update. Friendly staff but the group could have used a brief lesson on managing their crafts. Scheduled pickup was late, ended up in a cab for the ride back.

Chris

Great guys to deal with. Went tubing and had a great time. The "tubes" are actually little boats with a backrest and drink holders! Awesome!

22nd Markham Scout YHW, SWC

Staffs are great and friendly. The drop off and pickup service are fabulous. It will be great if they can make the access to washroom and office easier.

Mark Diller Harder

In February I ordered a kayak, knowing how hard it would be to find this year. Jamie was excellent in helping me choose the kayak that was right for me. Now in early May, he went well beyond to make sure I could get my new kayak. He even shuttled me to Glen Morris to try it out when I came to pick it up. I will use this kayak for years and enjoy it very much (a 14 foot Paluski Riptide). Thanks.

Emily M

Reliable, good equipment and always an adventure. We use them every year for our trips down the river with a large group of friends. Had to edit this because they are horrible at returning calls or answering the phone. We've had to reschedule due to weather, and we have called and left messages numerous times and haven't heard back about the postponed date. Experience is great, but their customer service leaves a big gap in the experience.

Sid Raman

We did a self-guided canoe tour in Paris ON on May 31st, 2021 with Grand Experiences, and it was a blast. The canoes and other equipment we were given were in great condition. The route from Paris to the portage point near Brant Conservation Area is tricky at times, due to the shallow river and rocks. But we recommend trying it out if you have some experience canoeing! Jamie was particularly helpful. He picked us up at the portage exit point, and he even gave us a bit of a tour of Paris by telling us about the local wildlife and the city's history. Overall, we had a great experience, and would recommend Grand Experiences to anyone looking to canoe in the area.

Linda Geisel

I was one of the group members who took part in the 2 day hike along the Bruce Trail this past weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed the trail and the company of two experienced and knowledgeable guides. They were also extremely accommodating, adjusting departure time and route to avoid the rain. The accommodation and food included were excellent. Although there was some disorganization from the administration end of things, the guides both worked hard to correct the oversights and to ensure we received according to our contractual agreement. Hence, I feel a 5 star rating is appropriate.

Hiren

Equipment rental prices were reasonable and instructions were clear about how to navigate. We would definitely take another trip with you guys next summer. Overall it was great experience. Cheers!!!

Melissa Ann

Wow what a disappointing time. The kayaks were all broken and we waited over an hour to be picked up, while other people just hopped in a cab the company got for them. Would really suggest that the company gets another person to pack up 12 kayaks. It was a nice ride but overpriced and terribly unorganized, I would never go back. Waiting for a hour to go back was way to much for my 3 young children.

Matt Mallette

We did the whitewater guided tour on the Nith. We had an incredible time, and learned a ton about how to control a kayak during fast water and some light rapids. Thomas was an amazing tour guide and we always felt like we were in good hands.

Wendy Humphrey

We had a great time kayaking from Paris to Brant Park.

Miles Gargaritano

I had a positive experience at Grand Experiences. We went spent the whole day learning techniques, safety and finally putting it into action. We went for the whole day and we had Sharon helping us the whole way. Although it was my first time in a Canoe and Kayak, I was able to learn quickly thanks to Sharon! Highly recommended if you are a beginner and would like to learn or get some practice in.

Sara Achim

Very disappointed in the service that we received. It seemed as those the staff answering phones and at the front desk were on their first shift. The information they gave us was inconsistent and incorrect. We were told to be there for 1 o'clock with a shuttle to pickus up at 3. Travelling from out of town we arrived at 10 to 1. Only to be informed that the trip would not be possible in that short amount of time. We were told the price of a shuttle was $25 , we were charged 39.50. We askrd for our money back and did not continue with them

T Zepf

Rent a bike or canoe for the day. Closes at 5pm.

Jason Athan

Had a terrible experience with this company. Booked the self-guided individual tube grand river trip two weeks ago. A day before the scheduled trip, Grand Experiences called to say that the time we booked for through their website was not allowed and that we would have to go earlier. Two people from our group had to cancel because of the time change which Grand Experiences did not want to originally refund the two people for. The day of our trip, we were called while we were driving to the location and told that there were damages to their equipment from the previous day and we would have to take one large raft for everyone instead. We did not want a raft and it resulted in a significantly longer ride time. When we arrived at the final point, we were told that there were only shuttles that ran at 12, 3, and 5pm. As well, only the drivers were allowed to go so you would have to wait an additional 40 minutes for the driver to pick up the car after the shuttle left. We ended up waiting 1.5 hours + 40 minutes to leave the location. Overall, this company is very poorly operated. We went through another company last year and had a significantly better experience. We will not be coming back. The company did acknowledge that they had caused a bad experience and the best they could offer was 10% off.

Cynthia Coulis

The experience with Jamie was excellent. He helped me select a kayak over the phone and then delivered it a week before Christmas. I was surprised and delighted when he gave me a copy of his book. This is what I will wrap and put under the tree.

Debra K

GREAT experiences!!! We go back every year!

Ashley

I booked a rafting trip with friends in Aug 2020 and when we got down to the dock, they were suddenly trying to push us to do a catamaran (essentially 2 canoes duct taped together with a piece of wood) which they outlined as being "more expensive, better fit, more stable". When we said we still wanted to do the raft because it looked more fun, they then told us that some other group had come in half an hour earlier and had taken a raft and so they only had one left and they were now double booked. However they were not pushing the catamaran on the other group and just us (unsure why...). The catamaran was definitely not as fun as the raft seemed and the business owner was giving me some attitude when I reflected that I would like to do the raft WHICH I BOOKED. Overall, would not recommend.

Laura Ross

Very poor communication when our large group went for our tubing trip at Bingemans. Was running almost 2 hours late, with zero communication from the office. The two guys blowing up rafts etc worked their butts off and were very pleasant and polite! Once we got on the river the trip was awesome.

Ana Paula Marques

We had a very good experience from the beginning. Jamie was very helpful and provided us with information about our new canoe and ideas of places to go! I definitely recommend the Grand Experiences! I am looking forward to go in adventures with them!

Dee Kennedy

This place has been around since the late 90's so if you want some exciting day trips give them a try.Jamie Kent , Owen's and runs all sorts of outdoor activities from river run's to bicycle and walking tours with qualified & certified guides.Also has all the equipment needed to rent for his trips! A One service

Sarah Kreitzer

Always pleasant staff who go the extra mile to accommodate paddlers. Convenient town location. Boats are great as is the instruction at the beginning. Reasonable shuttles for those who have their own boats. They support the paddling community and are easy to communicate with. Would recommend to anyone needing a shuttle or renting.

Serg Longlastname

Wonderful experience with these guys. Canoed for a couple days, used them to book the sites and everything for a group of 5 canoes. Was my first time booking a canoe trip so had a bit of a miscommunication over the phone which was handled superbly by Jamie and the staff. Super accommodating all my stupid questions and very friendly. Absolutely would book again, kind of wish there was a Grand Experiences for all outdoor activities in Ontario, I'd totally use them for everything.

Carlos Molina

Just walk by. I never rent.

Mika Pearson

Fairly good staff and the service was fine. But for acess to a canoe and even a ride up the grand to put in its great

Matthew Azzopardi

I recently met with Jamie of Grand Experiences to buy a canoe. He is very knowledgeable and helped me pick the right one. I intended on buying a 14’ canoe one went with a more expensive 16’ without any pressuring or sales pushing. He just gave me the information I needed to make my own decision. On top of that, he spent the extra time to make sure I had the boat mounted to my racks correctly, giving me extra straps and tying hitches to accommodate the too-short straps I had. Jamie also wrote an awesome book about paddling the Grand River. It’s a wealth of information with detailed maps, entry and exit points, and ecological info. Highly recommended if you know nothing about the Grand River.

Kayla Boisvert

Very disorganized and unprepared. Waited over an hour for the trip to start, kayaks/canoes were not ready, we had to help bring them down and do a lot of the legwork and the trip went way past the expected time - we got picked up at night and had to cancel our evening plans. The guides were not trained/prepared and did not offer an introduction as to how to paddle and what to expect on the river. I would not recommend them if you have other plans in the day or if you are not an experienced paddler.

Lindsay Jillson

Despite a late in the season booking (when staff is likely reduced, especially this year), Jamie was super accommodating! Our shuttle driver pointed out several interesting things on the ride, and the whole experience was very Covid 19 friendly. The canoe ride for the self guided "fall colours" tour was beautiful. I highly recommend stopping at the spring, it's beautiful and the spring rock is super cool to see, too. It's hard to beat the Grand River at this time of year.

Tim Schmucker

Last fall we bought three used canoes here. Jamie was very helpful and transparent in describing the canoes. He responded quickly to phone calls and emails, including pictures of the canoes. Now this spring he has delivered the canoes directly to our cottage. Turns out that the canoes are in pristine condition. Thank you Jamie!

CriticalAir

This was our second time with these folks. All 20-is of us in 3 rafts. It was a blast, yet again, even if the water level was a little low, but that's only the fault of Mother Nature. Highly recommended, if you have a fun crowd with you!

Henry Van Dyk

Great experience, seems a bit overpriced and the staff was somewhat disorganized, also facilities aren't super well kept

Eric Hayton

Pros 1. The trips are beautiful 2. The canoes are really good quality 3. Staff was very pleasant to deal with Cons 1. Pricing is confusing (call to verify pricing for your booking) 2. Day of trip staff seemed disorganized and unprepared. We were dropped off to our launch point by cab, then waited over a half hour for our boat and gear to show up 3. Aluminum/plastic canoe paddles (a bit cheap considering the cost) 4. Cost is a bit much (my opinion) Also - If you are planning a paddle down the Grand River be aware that this is NOT a river for the beginner. This is something I really feel they do not make clear enough. Very shallow, lots of rocks, and fast water. You really need to understand how to handle a canoe and how to identify obstacles. If you are a beginner choose a guided experience!

Gregory Lipich

Good canoe paddling experience, a bit more instructions would help. Also had to wait 1+ hrs for a taxi to pick us up and bring back after the paddling experience

Alvin Jinchen Xiong

Extremely dreadful experience. Their website listed an address which we drove 2 hours to. Then, when we arrived at this old building, somebody told us that we had to drive another hour to another location which was actually the correct one (1. wrong address on the website). Arriving to the correct location, we were given life jackets and a paddle by a literal teenager and we literally DRAGGED OUT RAFTS UNDER A BRIDGE (2. Poor equipment and unexperienced staff). Under the bridge was the river and we finally started the "lazy river tubing". Nobody was here to guide us and they gave us directions to a "Yellow dock". As soon as we sat into the boats we were stuck and we had to push them around 10 meters into the river before we had any movement. The river itself is dirty, stinky and extremely dirty (3. The river is really gross and terrible). I can't stress enough how badly my hygenie was violated. Within 5 minutes we had nasty water soaked into our pants,clothes and socks plus it was inside the raft. It was literally a night mare. For another 2 hours we forces our selves to paddle through the gross river. Then when we finished out tubing we were on another side and completely disoriented. We landed on a dock where two more teens took our rafts and said we were done. Then we had to CALL OUR OWN TAXI to drive back to our original destination which was an extra 20 bucks on the original sum of 148. THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION ASTOUNDS ME AND THE TOTAL STAFF AT THE AREA FROM START TO FINISH WAS LESS THAN FOUR. Tldr: We were sent to the wrong destination than had to drive another 2 hours to a gross river where we were given garbage rafts and a paddle. By the time it ended we were stinky wet and we had to call our own taxi to get back to the original parking lot. Terrible.

keith H (GearGrip)

Terrible experience, I'm from the us in visiting friends. The kayaks weren't ready when we got to the place, had to wait on them. Then to top it off they have "water resistant" storage full of water that ended up getting everything I had with me wet, go pro, wallet, phone. Also the kayaks were already full of sand. I'd never recommend anyone to go to this place.

Kasia Michalek

Save yourself the money and do your own hike. We booked the 5 hour hike down Bruce Trail which was supposed to be full of waterfalls, however we only saw one - at the very end of the hike, and we didn't even get to hike down to see it. The hike was not as scenic as it was supposed to be, we mainly walked through forest and tall grass. The tour guide was 2 hours late, and the parking lot was completely full by the time he got there, so my boyfriend was told to park his car on the grass by the "no parking" sign. At the end of the hike he got a $300 parking ticket. This hike was very unorganized, not sure if it's because they're understaffed or what, but I would save yourself the trouble and find your own hiking trails on google.

Thankful Canoer

THANK YOU …. THANK YOU … THANK YOU! A big thank you to GRAND EXPERIENCES for rescuing my friend and I even though we booked through a different rafting company (Grand River Rafting) which we totally regret, should have gone through GRAND EXPERIENCES … for sure! We ran into trouble on the river … long story short, I ended up on the opposite side of the river than my friend who was on the other side of the river trying to bail the water from the canoe all the while in a serious current. I walked up to the road and came across a compassionate stranger named JAMES who drove me to GRAND EXPERIENCES to get help for my friend who was still on the water. Many people have mentioned in the reviews below that GRAND EXPERIENCES goes above and beyond …. that is the truth and I will be forever grateful to Jamie and his staff.

Mason Stewart

The shop is operating on winter hours. Call before you go to make sure the shop is open. Sorry, I should also add that the website didn't state the winter hours and according to google your shop is open from 9am - 5pm. I drove 121 km to get to your shop. Maybe update the hours of operations.

Douglas Grant

Poor kayak buying experience. I cannot comment on the company's guided tour part of the business, so look to other reviews for that. My wife and I ordered two kayaks and paddles. After being called to come pickup one kayak, Jamie informed us at the store that there was no kayak. But thanks to a resourceful employee they found in fact a kayak did come in. But it was the wrong colour. We produced our receipt and when the employee checked they discovered they ordered the wrong color. Given this kayak already arrived late, we took it so as to enjoy this summer. After a number of weeks the call came to pickup again. After arriving we were informed that the paddle we ordered was not in stock. They could offer an inferior paddle or a paddle refund. And finally, the company was so disorganized that they actually had two kayaks there and were expecting me to take them both. Being honest, I only took one. I called a number of times to talk with Jamie and left a message but he has not taken any time to return my call. I would not recommend purchasing product from this company. From our experience, it does not appear this company understands basic business systems or business operations to ensure accurate order fulfillment or a positive customer experience.

Tim Cordery

I can't say enough great things about my dealing with Jamie at Grand Experience. We made inquiries about purchasing canoe, Jamie was great source of information, we ordered the canoe in January he provided our new canoe as promised in May. Very pleased with his response and service.

Rick van der Heide

Does not return calls. The kayaks we finally received are great. I would recommend ordering directly from Paluski Canoes in Peterborough. They called me back quickly twice. We were told by the kayak manufacturers that they weren't getting any replies.

Silka Quinn

Love the trips down the grand river. Been several times and make it an annual event.

Henry Vlaar

My first time canoeing down the Nith, in the spring, was an absolute blast. Learned that's it's harder making quick maneuvers in a canoe but the guides were more than up to the task of getting us out of trouble. The rest stop half way was very well organized and might tasty as well. Thanks Jamie, and a wonderful core of guides.

Rajivi Nadarajah

We had an amazing time with Grand Experiences. We went down the Nith River, learned some skills and paddled some rapids - it was truly a wonderful time. A BIG thank you to our guides, Jamie, Sara, Rob and Jared - who taught us, kept us safe, shared some great stories and entertained us. For lunch we had the best chilli and first time ever tasting cedar tea (yummy!). Since this was the first time I had done this river or canoed rapids, I was trepid and wanted way more info to prepare than provided; however, now I understand that you really cannot prepare till you have the experience of it. Once you are there, it is very easy to put your confidence in the team and know that you will come out more knowledgeable and with a good story. You definitely get your value for the money. We signed up when they were running their 25% off deals and even without the deal it is worth the money. I will definitely be going on some of their other trips as well. Thanks for a great time! Rajivi

Cody Taylor

My girl friend and I went on the self guided kayak trip. When we got there they told us to go around back and some one will be there to launch us, we had to wait 35 mins for some one to come back and help us out. They told us we could call at any time if we had any questions. We tried calling multiple times while we were on the river and no one answered and when we arrived at the finish I tried calling again it took about 5 times to get thru and then the person in the phone couldn’t give me a time that they were picking us up ! ,very poor organization and communication. I definitely would recommend going with a different rental company if you could. The trip itself was awesome

Omar Abouhassan

Drove 6 hours from windsor to find out they did not honour guided tour after confirming the day before. Super unprofessional and ruined our day.

Christine Loder

Very disorganized and lack of communication from staff! A bus was suppose to pick us up at 11am at a hockey arena around corner from business but it did not show up until 12pm. And did not leave till 12:30 until everything else was organized. At the end we then had to carry all of the canoes up a set of steep stairs and a walkway to return to the truck waiting for them and then the driver refused to take the life jackets and paddles. Said we had to return them to the store ourselves. He finally agreed to take them for us. Over all our group had a good trip and made it a great time. The scenery was amazing and the water was warm.

Krishna Patel

Our group went for the first time. We were assisted by Jamie and Emily. They were super helpful and guided us . We enjoyed a lot. The entire team is amazing and kind,

Debbie Todgham

Our group used this company this past Sunday. Really disappointed in the professionalism and organization of this company. Had a fantastic day once we actually got on the water. When are asked to be there for 8:30 and you don't get kayaking until two hours later that isn't my idea of good value or service.

jim henry

great time down the grand river!

Kimberly Vanderburg

What a great paddle today through Big Creek with Jamie and Bailey as our guides. A hidden gem for sure!!! Highly recommend Big Creek Echo adventure guided tour. Thanks for the fun day !

Holly

I have always had a GRAND experience with renting canoes, kayaks and rafts to tour down the Grand River. All staff are friendly and forgiving (sometimes my friends are tardy), I have never had one complaint from myself or any of my friends I have ever brought along for the ride. I would recommend this company to anyone, their expertise and knowledge of the Grand will keep you safe and allow you to find some hidden gems along the way! Start paddling!!!

Jeff Christan

great trip yesterday from Glenmorris to Paris! Our guide was great and the lunches were amazing! the river has some little rapids though so be prepared!

Dave

Picked up 2 kayaks. Jamie worked on solution that was great give production delays so we had kayaks early in the season. Great service. Will be back for accessories as needed

Marcia Bissada

Our experience with this company was fine and we enjoyed our time on the river however some aspects were disappointing. We were on our way pretty quickly with a little advice from the staff. Equipment was good and had no issues with anything. At the end of the trip we disembarked but were not acknowledged by the staff asked to be sure that we were in the right spot. They took care of the equipment and we were told to wait for all the people who would return on the shuttle. Was told ahead of time that due to covid restrictions only the driver could shuttle back to return to pick up family who had to wait about 45 mins for me to return. I was asked if i had a mask for the shuttle but when I rode back with 3 other passengers, there was not space enough to physically distance and the other passengers didn't bother to wear masks and were not made to by the staff. Shuttle van was filthy so I did not feel confident that precautions were being taken seriously. Additionally some signage for the business would be a great start so you can find your way more easily. Based on reviews I would probably go with the competition next time.

Jenn Ann

It was ok.

James T

Unfortunately, my experience with Grand Adventures was terrible. I should have picked up on this from the time I began the booking process. Poor communications, I left several voice mails that went without reply. But, I really wanted the most out of the day and wanted to go all the way down to Paris, On. Once the booking for my Family of 4 were booked, the instructions were easy, so I thought... Due to the COVID and social distancing restrictions we are all currently dealing with, I parked and was waiting exactly where I was told to at 9:10am (Told for 9:30am sharp). No pickup van was there at 9:30am "sharp", and no phone calls to say we are running late... I called many times and left several voice mail, worried that maybe I wrote down the wrong time or location.. Others showed up saying they were told 9:30am as well, but some in different locations. (Maybe something new? but no one knew for sure. I finally walked over to their shop across the river, and was told that they had a large group before, and were almost back to the pick up spot, (while I knew I had booked in their 1st available time slot). The Driver showed up closer to 10:45am, and very apologetic, Also with a different story. Point is, I had my Family sitting up at the Cambridge drop off waiting, wondering, and worrying of what was happening without a cell to call me. The pickup van was filthy (concerns not of the dirt, but our current pandemic, wondering if this thing had ever seen a lysol wipe, (But the Driver did wear a mask, was very friendly, and ensure passengers did wear masks as well. 2 of the 4 Kayaks I rented had broken foot peddles. This, showcasing of their lack of maintenance of their products deepened my prior concern of COVID hygiene protocols. Lastly, instructions at end as to where to leave the Kayaks were as clear as mud. The funniest thing of all, is that now on Monday at 1pm, someone just called asking me if I still wanted to book a kayak for Sat because they were returning calls from 2-weeks ago... In a time where our economy had been shut down for months, this was not only a luxury activity to partake in, but also as a business to have that privilege to be open to offer to those who can spare money to do things, that you would hope that a company would consider this and be more respectful of their clients. Sadly, this will be the last time I book our annual event with Grand Adventures. I hope they do better for you.

sue d'angelo

Very organized and so friendly

Navroz Lalani

Wow! What an experience. I can not recall the name of the gentleman who helped us on board and off board with our kayaks. He was fantastic. Polite, informative and all around amazing. I highly recommend this company and kayaking.

Jason Perry

It was awesome

jean and mike welton

This was our first kayaking experience. It was a lot of fun (despite the water levels being rather shallow). We were shuttled to our drop of point via Brant Taxi as there was no shuttle available. It was fine. Owen (sp) was friendly and personable at the drop off point. He quickly explained details and then we were off. At the end, we left the kayaks at the dam in Paris. We had to walk about 10 minutes across the bridge and then up to the Grand Experiences back door to drop off our life jackets and paddles. It was a bit of a hike after 2 1/2 hours kayaking. All in all a fun afternoon.

Chris G

We have been using them for canoe rental and instruction for several years with our scout groups. They have always been very accomodating, especially with varying group sizes and skill sets, and its become one of the camps the youth look forward to every year.

Beverly Hill

Did the 40$ rental trip from the back of the shop to brant, it was great!, Just make sure to bring sunscreen!

Aad Vermeyden

Never mind the weather forecast! After a beautiful Friday, the forecast for Saturday, when we had booked our Nith River trip was looking rainy. And that is how the day started. But within an hour of starting the trip, the sun came out and it turned into a gorgeous day! The Nith trip is an annual tradition and this year, my friend and I decided to be adventurous and instead of kayaking, opt for a canoe.... In the mildly white water of the Nith that proved to be fun several times over. But we got there dry and even stopped for a tasty hot chili lunch (!) prepared by our excellent guides. Jamie and crew, you guys did a great job in keeping us safe and making it great fun. Thanks!!

cole scheffel

Went for a trip with some friends. Had an amazing time. Staff was very friendly and helpful!!! They have something for everybody from small day trips to full on camping! Would definitely recommend this company to anyone looking for a fun trip with friends or family

Eric Neilson

Late, disorganized and very lazy service - an hour late, gave us moldy, nasty lifejackets. did not provide the required safety equipment, and on top of that we ordered kayaks and they got there with the wrong boats... they offered canoes instead and told us it would be an additional 40 minutes if we did want kayaks, so we took the canoes. These guys are dangerously unprofessional.

jane doe

Don't waste your money! Stick to Grand River Rafting! This company does not care about anything except turning a profit! Garbage left all over Brant Park from their patrons and employees, and they’re only response is “anyone could pick it up” and “I turned up over night and we’ve asked the park to give us a garbage bin”. 1. There is a garbage bin right at the outlet, 2. As a business, you should be picking up any and all garbage that is left at the outlet where all of your customers get out of the water. 3. The garbage had been left there all week! Also staff blaring gangster rap right next to our families campsite filled with cursing and explicit content, not appreciated with my two young children within ear shot.

lucus jamieson

My wife and I recently ordered two riptide model kayaks from grand experiences and we are very happy with our purchase. Jamie was great to deal with and helpful with other information pertaining to the sport.

Kim Cleland

I've bought two boats from Jamie at Grand Experiences, a canoe and a kayak. The selection was great, as was his customer service. He helped me pick what we needed for our boating situation, which is open water, but durable enough to be dragged because of our access point (and my lack of strength)! We know we got the right ones because we use them often. Our canoe was missing a non-essential part and he promptly responded to my inquiry, went and got the part from Paluski himself, and even offered to have one of his staff drop it off to my house! Amazing service, and a friendly, informative interaction. I would highly recommend.

Paul Philpott

Friends of mine ran into your crew in Brant park. I have uploaded the photos of the mess you left behind.... I run a local Scout group and will never use your services or recommend them to other groups.

J Jensen

Had an appointment for friday at 10am, was there from 9:30 since they open at 9 and nobody showed up or answered the phone. Called grand river rafting down the street and got a new appointment right away

Nicola Gailits

TL/DR: Really don't recommend buying your kayak from Jamie. He completely messed up our order, lied to us about his mistake, and left us without our kayak for the whole summer. If you're looking for a great place to buy from, try Trombly's Tackle Box (Orillia) or Clearwater Designs Muskoka Outlet. Full Story: We ordered a kayak from Jamie in early March (March 5), and he informed us we could pick it up first week of May. He was very knowledgeable about kayaks and easily convinced me Clear Water was a great brand of kayak. I had to pay for it in full (no returns possible). The first week of May came and went and I did not hear from Jamie. I finally got ahold of him and he told me that we wouldn't be able to get me my kayak until AUGUST because ClearWater kayaks was under a 2 month lockdown. I called other stores and ClearWater kayaks (the company itself), and they were NOT under any lockdown. They were operating 7 days a week. He lied to me, directly, after he completely messed up my order. I am so grateful to the Clearwater Kayaks Outlet in Gravenhurst! I was lucky they just had a shipment of boats in last week and I got a boat from them, which has saved my entire summer of paddling. When I spoke to an employee there, they told me that it is likely that Jamie ordered my kayak way too late. He likely did not order it March 5th when I placed my order, and by the time he ordered it, they were beyond schedule due to Covid. However, at no point in March, April, or May did he tell me this. I'm really confused by all of the incredible 5 star reviews below. It sounds like Jamie has been wonderful for many people, so I'm wondering why he would lie to us. If he had been honest, and told us his mistake in April, I would have been upset, but more understanding. I also would have had more time to buy from someone else. Holding onto my money for an extra month and then lying to me seems like a very shortsighted business plan.

Lyudmyla Pashkivska

We took the 3 hour self guided trip. It was challenging and fun.

D m

The owner, Jamie, is working really hard to make his customers happy and to describe the route to them, however I do have some recommendations. - being honest and transparent with customers how difficult this route is. There are a lot of currents and big rocks you can flip over onto. I'd suggest going without children until you know this route well. -making sure everyone understands the danger of Dams as there may be a language barrier and people might not take it seriously. -something more to stick out and mark the portage area, it wasnt extremely clear if it was the exit or not and we didn't see the "pink" markers that were described to us. However I have been to the dam before so it was easy to notice and I also paid attention to where we are on Google maps. There's also a HUGE sign that says the dam is approaching on the right hand side. You have to be super vigilant when you're on a route that comes up to a dam. -not stuffing two groups of customers in one cab during covid, while the cab driver is not wearing a mask and is having a verbal argument with his girlfriend. -being able to tell customers the exact kilometers of the trip as they weren't sure and they said it was 3.5 hours but it took us six even though we didn't stop very often other than getting stuck in rocks a lot. -and after describing the dangers, get customers to sign a waiver. And the customers responsibility: Get to know the ending of the route well (check out the wilkes dam and what it looks like) visit Wilkes, visit Brant park. Wear water shoes as you might have to get out constantly to get unstuck from the shallow parts This route is not for a beginner Be vigilant of where you are and where the dam is Ask lots of questions as I'm sure Jamie is happy to answer!

Shamus Marshall

You're not open and it's supposed to be open

Darren Harding

Fantastic

Leesa Woodhouse

6 adults, 2 kids 7 and 8. Did the turbo tube from Paris to Brant park. First year they offer tubing. Tubes are too wide for paddling as you scrap your knuckles off of the top handles of the tube. Last half is slow moving and requires ALOT of paddling. Way too long for kids as the tubes are just too big. They need more well designed tubes for this excursion. Check in was easy, staff was good. Great value for the money except for the tubes.

Suyeon Kim

We booked for canoe rental and wanted to come back to Paris to drop off the canoe, but after we started canoeing, we realized that it is impossible to go back to Paris. So we called them and thankfully they upgraded our plan so we could use the shuttle. Jamie picked us up near Brant conservation park to bring us back to Paris. Jamie was really nice and told us about Paris’s history and lots of interesting facts. It was my first canoeing, so it was a bit challenging than I thought, but it was really fun!

Brandan Power

My brother and I went out on a kayak trip and my brother broke his paddle 2 hours in. The next day we came across Jamie at Grand Experiences as we were paddling past. We stopped in and he quickly helped us fix the paddle so we could get back on our way. He did so with pride and passion. He has published a book on the grand river and it is one of the best maps and information sources I have seen. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. His shop is definitely a new stop along out trips.

Austin Ewen

I purchased a new canoe from Jamie, he was very personable and it was overall a great experience. Looking forward to taking it out in the spring

Iveta Bradshaw

I had a great experience with my family and now we do it every year!

Jimina Almero

We caught the last slot available for the season and had the pleasure of being guided by Sharron, a very knowledgable and experienced instructor. As beginners, Sharron taught us so much - from parts of the boat, paddling techniques, expectations on the river and safety protocols. We started the day on very calm waters to be familiar with the boat and apply the strokes taught. Once getting to the River, it was definitely a fun and thrilling experience thanks to Sharron. Our entire experience was phenomenal and we really look forward to doing it again and recommending this to others.

Traci Bock

We took the Intro to Paddling class and Cole taught us how to safely navigate and not end up in the river. Cole was a fun guide and we had a blast on the river.

Dance It Off

If you are a family with kids, and/or are inexperienced on the water, PLEASE ask detailed questions about water conditions and make sure this outfitter takes a good look at your party. We were ill-informed, and our fun day trip turned into a nightmare when our canoe overturned in currents after hitting a rock. We had our two little ones with us, and thank God for our lifejackets! This happened the last week of August 2014, and just now am I able to even write about the experience. I was terrified, we lost belongings, but worst of all we had to see our babies in danger. They then sent a canoe to rescue us, which was a traumatic experience as the young lady sent to help us was struggling to maintain control in yet more rapids! The owner has admitted that the young man who delivered our boat to the launch point in Glen Morris should have observed us more closely, and he has done the right thing by inviting us back for a free rafting experience. However I am still shocked that they operate so loosely, and want others to educate themselves before there is a tragedy!

footfixerrunning

Do not do business with Jamie Kent of Grand Experiences. Deal directly with Paluski Canoes/Kayaks of Peterborough. Staff ordered the wrong coloured kayak. Jamie the owner has not returned our calls, emails, texts. I did get him on his personal cell early when he didn't expect it. He advised me Paluski (kayak) manufacturers are closed for the winter and he would contact my wife last night. Guess what! No call to my wife. I contacted Paluski Canoes and they are still manufacturing and open all winter.

Enok Kim

Worst experience ever

Sherry S

I only gave two stars because the actual trip was quite nice. But I waited for over 2 hours for a ride back. There was no communication about what was going on or what to expect. People ended up calling cabs to get them because of the long wait. Its disappointing to have an actual nice kayak to then wait forever to get back to your car.

Jared Adelstein

I did multiple trips Kayaking with Jamie on the upper and lower Nith. Had a fantastic experience and really enjoyed the trips. Jamie was extremely helpful with instruction along with great service - he made the trip a lot of fun. Looking forward to the next trip and would highly recommend!

Chad Davis

Fun river day! I did a instructors cours and my 2 grandkids did the canoe camp for the week and it was GREAT!, the kids loved the camp and learned a pretty large amount about the canoe, and i learned a lot about openwater kayaking!

ladyart09

We had a great time!

Rick Shardlow

Called the day before an outing. The sales guy recommended reserving a canoe instead of just showing up. Gave the credit card info but he said he wouldn’t charge the card. Said he’d send a confirmation email. Once we got the email I noticed a no cancellation within 48 hours - never mentioned during the call. On the day of it looked like thunderstorms at the time we were going - granted they can’t predict the weather, we call at 9am for a 1pm reservation to figure out what to do. The office clerk says it’s showing it’ll clear up after 10am on their “radar”. I’m using the Weather Network - what “radar” are they using? I ask about cancelling they say it’ll be half of the cost. So basically we’re forced to show up. So we show up, sign in and they say their radar shows 15 minutes of rain on our 3 hour trip, no big deal, we expect to get wet. Canoes are in decent condition. The clerk tells us there’s four bridges, stay left on the first two, right on the last two due to rocks - COMPLETELY the opposite. End up walking the canoe at the first two bridges before we ignore his directions completely. Tell them we want to stop for a picnic. They say there’s a nice place, big boulder, can’t miss it. Well we missed it. Not exactly the best group of people to guide you along this river. An hour in what do you know, thunder, lightening and a torrential down pour - half an hour. So we get off the river and hide under the 403 bridge which has ZERO cover, but can’t exactly get on the lake with lightening. Finally it clears up but we are soaked head to toe, but again we expected to be a bit wet so not overly upset about that - what pisses me off is that they essentially forced us to come to canoe for $87. Granted we could have cancelled but they make no mention of a cancellation charge over the phone when booking. So...we get back to the pick up at 4pm - last pick up for them is 5pm. We call and tell them we are here in the hopes of getting an early ride seeing as they most likely wouldn’t have other people out during such a storm. They say the next pick up is 5pm so we are forced to wait. We call back as we realize the store closes at 5pm and we won’t be able to speak to management. NOW IS WHERE I BECOME DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS MANAGEMENT. We explain that we were essentially forced out on the river as they told us we would be paying half the fee if we don’t show up. When we show up they say their radar is clear. So we take their word. We explain we were caught in this storm with lightening in the middle of the river and they say “well you should have read the weather policy” and that they “tried” to call us to see if we were okay - no calls show up of course. They then tell us that they will send a pick up right away so we can get back earlier as we got caught up in the weather - of course this never happens. They show up at 5:20pm instead of their regular 5pm shuttle in some beat up van. So much for getting us an early pick up because of the weather. Essentially they defended their stance instead of simply saying sorry for misleading us. We never asked for our money back - outside of the half hour of lightening and rain it was a great trip, great view, great river, our dogs had a great time too. I would never recommend this company and will do everything to make sure that Grand River Rafting gets the business over this group. As a person in management, I am disappointed that they would risk the lives of customers for a mere $87. It’s not about they money, it’s the principal. We reached out before we left as we were concerned about the weather, they assured us they weren’t seeing the same thing, we took their word and they essentially blamed us. I would be ashamed to work for or be involved in any part of this business if they don’t look out for the health and safety of their customers.

Mike Kasprzyk

A day well spend kayaking the grand river, good service and friendly staff

Keith Etherington (Beard)

Awesome staff

Michael Krause

Bought a couple of canoes from Jamie, very courteous and helpful, delivered them to my home and brought the paddles afterwards as promised. Also included a copy of his book about the Grand River! A company with integrity!!!

Ashley Craig

Horrible. They completely ruined our day. We booked for 2 adults and 4 kids to do tubing launching from Bingemans at 11am. They called me the day before to ask if we could launch at 12:30 instead, as there was a request from another party for that launch time. I agreed. We drove an hour to get there - had no actual idea where we were supposed to meet anyone as there was no information provided by email or on the website or at Bingemans. When we finally found the meeting place, it was 12:25 so we were just on time. After waiting 20 minutes I called to find out when we could expect the guide. The girl who answered said our guide was on his way and should be there soon. ON HIS WAY. We waited another 30 minutes before calling again. The girl said she would find out and asked me to call her back in 10-15 minutes - I said no. We’d already been waiting close to an hour, I wasn’t going to wait 15 more minutes to hear back. She called me back 5 minutes later and said the guide was driving the shuttle bus and it broke down and he wouldn’t be coming. WHAT THE HELL!? Seriously - I didn’t believe this at all. And by the way, the other party the we changed our plans for never showed up. They said they would refund our money or we could keep a credit for the next time - yah right!!!!! No thanks. I asked them to process a refund, we will see if goes through ???????? I found the entire experience lacking organization. I should have known with the booking (which was confusing online and do not outline details or procedures). My credit card was charged twice - though when I finally reached someone one the phone they said it wasn’t. Still trying to sort this out. I would not recommend at all. We wasted our entire day with 4 disappointed kids. It and drove an hour to get there and an hour back. Brutal.

Anthony P

I booked a self guided tour from Paris to Brantford for a group of four. We rented two kayaks which included the shuttle back to Paris and brought two kayaks of our own, paying for the shuttle service on each. When we arrived on time for our 9AM departure, the girl at the docks said she had my booking down for only one person. I showed her my booking confirmation and she gave our group the second kayak. Of the two kayaks that we did rent, one kept pulling to the left the entire trip while the paddle of the other kayak snapped in half thirty minutes into the trip. At the shuttle pick up, the driver said he had our booking down for one person and was unable to shuttle our kayaks back as he did not have the space for it. He only wanted to take the rented kayaks back. This caused us to have to take an extra trip down to pick up our kayaks which caused us to miss our lunch reservation at Stillwaters in Paris throwing off the rest of our planned day. After correcting the girl at the docks you would think they would let the shuttle driver know of their error. I sent an email detailing my experience and asked for a refund. No one got back to me so I followed up with a phone call the next week. I spoke with Rachel and she told me she would contact the owner Jamie to see what he would do. She later told me Jamie can offer me a gift certificate for one free ride. I told her I wanted my money back. I would never go back to Grand Experiences again due to the poor quality of the condition of the kayaks, the lack of communication within their organization, inability to take bookings properly and overall poor customer service. I later asked Rachel to speak with Jamie for a refund to which she told me he was not in. I asked her when the next time Jamie would be in and she told me she didn't know. Rachel took down my information to pass along to Jamie but I never heard back. I called back again getting Rachel. She said Jamie was not in and that I would just have to keep calling at random times of the day to reach him by chance. Just awful customer service. Rachel turned out to be a dead end. I called back another day hoping not to get her and ended up speaking to Bethany. I explained to Bethany my situation. She apologised for the bad experience and bad customer service. She issued me a refund on the spot. Thank you Bethany! If it was not for you I would have to give Grand Experiences a 0. You are the one star!

VA Richard

Jamie was most helpful in sharing his knowledge about canoes and the grand river. Very professional and courteous!

Margot Carnahan

Thoroughly enjoyed the Big Creek trip today with three friends. Our guides, Matt and Tanner were excellent!

Chris W

Went on a canoe trip a few weeks ago and I was thoroughly disappointed YET again. I used this place before for a canoe trip with family 2 years ago which was disorganized then and it was no better this time. The canoes are good quality, the staff appear to have no structure or communicate with each other as everyone seems lost, and drop off and pickups where late. This is a poorly run business with no organization and a lack of customer service. I will not be returning.

Maria Oliveira

We go every year, and have fun every time

Liz Wight

We have done a river rafting trip from Paris to Brant park, and two kayak trips one from Glen Morris to Paris and one from Paris to Brant Park with Grand Experiences. We loved the experience so much that we went back and bought two tandem kayaks from them. Our two children also attended the beginner canoe camp last year and loved it! It was a great experience, small group size, enthusiatic leader, lots of outdoor fun, swimming and hiking, and a trip down the river on the final day. It was the first camp they requested again for this summer and they are signed up and ready to go! I would highly recommend Grand Experiences for your next river trip and also for their summer camps!

Roblyn Maunder

Our Grand Experience was NOT grand. The equipment was not as ordered, 2 of the 3 rafts were in poor condition , the river in my opinion was not deep enough for rafting that day due to lack of rainfall. I had not expected to have to paddle almost the entire distance and we had to get out numerous times to drag the rafts thru shallow spots. We were told we (27 of us ) would be meet by a bus to be taken back to Paris. This did not happen, with lots of confusion and finally vans and taxis were ordered. Very disappointed with Grand Experiences. We did have fun anyway.

Ollie Viray Lee

Canoes were alright, the customer service not so much… It all started at the beginning of our trip. We had booked tubes for a self-guided tour and upon arriving, were told that they had miscalculated and there weren’t any tubes for us. To their credit, they offered a no-fee upgrade to a kayak or canoe, which was okay with us. Though we should have seen this as a red flag for the general disorganization of the company. Before launching, one of the employees gave us a long winded breakdown of the path to follow down the river, and where to land and find the shuttle. But it was too complicated and confusing to follow. We assumed, incorrectly, there would be adequate signage to indicate where to stop (the other companies on the river all had their own signs and guides waiting at the end point). More on this later. The paddle was quite enjoyable, the equipment was new enough and comfortable, and the views were great. However, at the end of the trip, we were unsure where to stop and wait for the shuttle. We were not alone in this confusion, which was clear from the many other people waiting for the same shuttle, unsure if they were in the right spot. Speaking of the shuttle, to call it a shuttle would be a stretch. It was literally a pickup truck that could only fit 6 passengers at once. The employees seemed very confused about the number of people waiting. After calling the company several times with no answer, we finally got a hold of someone that told us that they underestimated the number of people needing a ride back. Which makes no sense, since they were the ones that gave out the canoes…? Taxis had to be called, but not even enough to get everyone at once. All in all, a beautiful paddle was hardly worth the awful customer service and disorganization. The company is run by teenagers on summer vacation, who couldn’t care less about the happiness and experience of the customers. Adult supervision required.

Ben Wyatt

Good prices and they were really understanding when I returned the canoes late. Great costumer service!

Agnes Wagner

Jamie is great and very helpful. 10 out of 10 will recommend to anyone interested in paddling. Thanks Jamie!

Jim Almero

We had a great kayak and canoe trip with our guide, Sharon. Super knowledgeable of the river and a great teacher. Jamie was also very friendly and accommodating. 10/10 would recommend. Will be back to do more guided trips in the future!

Fifi Patel

Personally I had a horrible experience with Grand experiences. First we were handed a canoe which had balancing issues. And I am an experienced canoe and kayak rider, so I know when it's not my fault. Then one good thing happened was that Craig helped us and contacted the office and got the canoe changed. . But before we got a replacement. We fell in the water for around 5 times. Bruised knees, footwear lost, All in all NOT SO GRAND EXPERIENCE. Take care if you are planning on going there. ..and wear knee caps.