Cave Tubing with kids???

[MrsWhite831]

We will be in Belize with our 16 month old next month. Our group really wants to cave tube and it seems like (from reviews) that small children can ride on laps in life vests. Can anyone confirm or give advice? Thanks!!!

[boulders]

I considered cave tubing on our trip to Belize last March. My youngest was 3 at the time. I was dissuaded by the reports of the chilly water temperature as well as the death of a female cruise passenger doing this activity.

[crusinmama06]

I'm with boulders, the cave tubing death and the cold water stopped me from doing it last year with my kids. And my kids were 4 and 9 at the time. The 9 year old would have been fine, it was the 4 year old I was concerned with -- 16 months. :eek: um, yeah.

 

Major Tom had responded in an email that the park was thinking about adding a 48" tall minimum, the email is at the bottom of the thread -- so you might want to double check to see if that was ever added...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1097025

[bdink921]

One other thing to remember is that parts of the caves are very dark--something to consider if your little one is afraid of the dark. When we went the current was pretty gentle but depending on the season and the amount of rain, it can get rough. If you decide part way through that you don't feel safe--there's nowhere to get out. I was nervous with my 10 y.o --he had a blast-- wouldn't take a small child though.

[CeleBrat]

We just booked w/Major Tom, and our kids are 7 and 9. No height limit mentioned.

 

CeleBrat

[Mack2]

We went with cavetubing.bz Nov '09.... but Cruisinmana helpfully linked the review thing I posted in the above-mentioned link.

 

Has pictures

 

Youngest child with us was 4 years old... I'm not sure about a 16mo old, though. Would they even have a vest for a little one THAT little?

 

I think that'd be a stretch. I would suggest calling/e-mailing one or more of the tours mentioned here on the boards and getting THEIR opinions.

 

Theres:

cave-tubing.com

cave-tubing dot net (Major Tom)

cavetubing.bz (Vitalino)

jaguarpaw.com

 

Those are the ones I see mentioned here on the CruiseCritic often.

Of course, we used .bz and were very happy, but everyone seems to have had excellent experiences with any one of these guys...

 

And, keep in mind, they may tell you NO PROBLEM! regardless of any safety issues that may arise... but I would really exercise caution.

 

Maybe get in touch with them, ask their opinions, and compare what solutions they have for you and your infant for the excursion (there's a good hike to get to the grotto that starts the cave tubing excursion)

[DaniellefromOttawa]

Hi!

 

We went with Cave-tubing.com in Dec and had a great time. I was also there a few years ago.

 

It has changed a lot since the cruise passengers death in the caves. The government now regulates whether it is open or not based on water levels, they require 1 guide for every 7 people and all of the guides had their people linked together in a chain, with the guide on the chain behind you watching the end of yours. The first time I went we floated along on our own and had to keep paddling to keep up, and it was scary. Not at all now, in fact probabley too tame if you are looking for adventure.

 

In our group was a young special needs boy (Cerebal Palsy I would guess) They were fabulous with him, had tons of patience, and made sure he had a good time and was safe.

 

My only caution would be that it was a very long walk on a gravel trail, and they do walk fairly quickly. Much faster than a 16 month old so you would definately need to carry your little one. I would estimate it is just under a mile, although felt longer to me.

 

It is definately a family friendly activity, (not too sure if the water tempature varies through the year, as we haven't noticed it to be cold, maybe just a little fresh as first), but a long walk for little ones!

 

Danielle

[sandytoes03]

On our cave tubing tour we had to sort of jump into the water and onto our tubes. So much fun for all of us. Nightmare for a 16 month old. Plus, sometimes the current was so mild we actually had to lean over the tube and paddle. That would be very hard with a baby on your lap.

[Scarlett Fever]

On our cave tubing tour we had to sort of jump into the water and onto our tubes. So much fun for all of us. Nightmare for a 16 month old. Plus, sometimes the current was so mild we actually had to lean over the tube and paddle. That would be very hard with a baby on your lap.

 

So, did we. Fun for adults but I'm not sure for a small child.

Plus, I have to agree with the walk in the rain forest to the get to the spot where you get in. It was a pretty healthy hike.

We'll be in Belize in March and I loved cave tubing on past excursions but I'm not so sure it's a good plan for toddlers.

[loan_girl]

We just got back. My 2 year old went, as well as my 9 and 5. My baby is really chill and it was easy with her. We did bring her own vest she uses on our boat. That way I was assured she had a good vest for excursions. My 5 year old was more nervous at first but ended up calling the "best" day of his life. The only catastrophe of the day was loosing my water shoe and camera waterlogging even though it was supposed to be waterproof oh and being 15 minutes late for the ship. Anyway we went with Major Tom liked his operation people were great.

[Lena B]

We just got back from cave tubing on a Valentine's Day sailing. This was our second time with this excursion.

 

I believe that the variety of advice that you are getting has everything to do with the depth of the water on the day that you go cave tubing. At the beginning of the excursion there is a place where you wade the river while holding on to a rope.

 

Last week the depth of the water was not even knee deep on the day that we did the excursion. Our guide wound up lugging us through the caves, because there wasn't enough current to move the tubes. It was more like a swimming pool than a river.

 

The first time we did this excursion, 2 years ago, that same water was waist deep. We were hanging onto the rope for dear life, while wading and we were flung through the caves by extremely swift current, having to push ourselves off of the walls with our feet. It was a scarey blast as an adult, but there is no way that I would want to be responsible for a small child in those conditions.

 

Have a good time and be safe, no matter what you decide to do.

[doctordi]

Wouldn't do it with a 16mo. Would do it with an older child. Also when I went to get into the water, I had all these little fish nibbling at my legs - a bit unusual and disconcerting at first. And my 6 yo would have freaked out.

[milajj]

loan girl,

Could you give me a little more information about being late for the ship?