Just back from cave tubing with Wet & Wild

[davidaperryman]

The last few miles after you turn off the "highway" is certainly interesting. I asked our driver how often he had to replace the shock absorbers. He said every 3 months. I said I think he was overdue.

 

They do sell beer at the little "restaurant".

 

Did your driver point out "the sleeping man" off to the left about half way there?

[kingsleyjr]

Also on the 2/15 tour , Charlie was great. I wish the water was moving a little more ( lots of paddling) but it was fun to watch my wife and SIL trying to keep up. The scenery was great, my brother and myself chose to dive in from the beginning , about 10 ft high, into beautiful clear and clean water. This was our favorite excursion we did on the trip and would highly recommend Wet-n-wild to anyone interested.

 

Glenn

[Reneek]

Davida, must have missed that as I was laughing so hard. We flew by a woman and her two children going 70 MPH and then stopped for the pig crossing the road. Go figure. The rocks hitting the under carriage were quite loud and we were debating whether they repaired hernias in the ships medical clinic. Tongue in cheek here, don't take every thing I say seriously. Wet and Wild has some really good race car drivers on staff.:eek:

[cruisingrobert]

Ok - need help - have been reading these comments and trying to pick between Wet-n-wild and xtreme - what say everyone? What is the website for Wet-N-Wild - Charlie sounds like the guide to get?

[cruisinhs]

Wet n Wild's webside is www.ecotoursbelize.com and Charlie is an amazing guide.

[like2cruise]

We are doing Wet N Wild...so do we request Charlie on arrival or prior to going by e-mail? Thanks for any suggestions!!

[cruisinhs]

I would definately request Charlie prior to arrival by email. Just contact Marvin through the email on his website.

[msbmom]

After reading so many great reviews on this thread, I emailed Marvin to ask a few questions about timing. To my amazement and delight, I had a response from him in ONE HOUR!!! We have decided to use Wet n Wild for our tour in May and I sent him our reservation request yesterday and again, heard back from him with a confirmation in 3 hours. I am so impressed with his responses. I will report back to you all after our excursion with the details of our trip.

[alleghator]

I've been trying to follow the cave tubing questions and answers all through this board, so forgive me if these things have been asked before ...

 

What did you wear? Swimsuit with T-shirt over it? T-shirt and shorts? Is there opportunity/privacy to change into something dry at the end? What about shoes? Would neoprene/rubber water shoes be sturdy/comfortable enough for the hike, or should I buy some throw-away canvas sneakers? If changing is an option, where would we leave clothes? On the bus?

 

When in the tube, how splashy is it? I mean, should I take an underwater camera or just a waterproof sack for my regular camera and then bring it out for photos as I go?

 

How about money? Did you pay the guide in cash? Before or after? Did you leave personal stuff on the bus?

 

Sorry about the nit-picky questions. Any and all info SOOO appreciated!

 

--Heidi

[Crusin 2]

Hi Alleghator:

 

~Almost everyone wore a bathing suit under their clothes until the van stopped at the destination. They have bathrooms there you can change your clothes once you return. There is privacy.

~We just wore watershoes, we put them on once we got there at the site, they were fine.

~We left our clothes in the van. We put our stuff in a bag that we took along. Be careful with your jewlery as the water is somewhat chilly and your finger may shrink, so it is possible you could lose your rings. I left my rings on and didn't have a problem, because I know they fit tightly. One of the other gals took her wedding ring off and put it in a little case, she did not want to lose it, she put it back on when we got back. Charlie and his crew are very safe. We took a Kodak underwater camera, the less stuff you have the better, you need your hands to paddle. Everything you take will get wet. I wore a T-shirt over my swimsuit and it was soaked.

~My husband took some money to buy drinks at the restaurant and he also tipped Charlie.

~You pay for the excursion at the pier prior to leaving in the van. I don't

remember how my husband paid-it will tell you in the paperwork you receive.

 

They are really great. Have a great trip.:)

[Reneek]

Alleghator, no problem.

First, the more you wear/carry, the more you weigh. If you are comfortable just in your bathing suit, that's all you need. If you want a cover-up, I would suggest a light weight t-shirt that won't absorb much water. Actually the t-shirt may prevent rubbing on the back side of the arm.

There are changing rooms to change in something dry at the end of the trip. If you are pressed for time on the trip, you need to be quick,quick. We left our clothes in the locked van.

I wore water shoes, however, mine were a little thin for walking over rocks. A thicker sole water shoe("converse" type sole) would have been better, "Ked" type shoes are also a little thin.

We were occasionally spashed by water, but remember everyone is rowing with their arms, so the possiblity exists. There are a few places with swift current but the water is generally shallow in these areas.

A lot of our water camera shots did not come out as the water cameras we had, had no flash. (I'm not sure they make inexpensive disposable flash water cameras?) It would be really hard to keep a regular camera dry even with a water proof bag. I would suggest using some type of lanyard around the neck for a waterproof camera so that hands are free for rowing. Sometimes you have to lift your butt up level with the tube making a flat plane with your body so that you can skim over rocks. Anything in your lap would be hard to hold on to. Hubby carried camera with rubber band to wrist and found it quite a pain as it interfered with the rowing action.

The cost of the trip was paid for at Wet and Wild's small "office" prior to boarding the van. We did tip our guide $25 when we returned to the port.

[excitedcruiser]

So how do you get ahold of Wet 'n Wild?

[cruisinhs]

Go to their website www.ecotoursbelize.com and you can contact Marvin directly from there.

I wore water shoes and was fine. We brought Gallon size ziplock bags to put our wet swimsuits and swimshoes in after we changed. I wore a cover-up over my swimsuit until we arrived at the river and then I proceeded in just the swimsuit. For me, it would make me colder to have a wet t-shirt on while I was sitting in the tube. Anything you choose to leave in the van is very safe. As far as the cameras go, we took the disposable water camera, but other than the shots we took of us in the river outside of the caves, they didn't turn out because there wasn't a flash. Another couple in our group did bring their regular camera in a water proof bag and I'm sure they got much better photos. I guess that one would be left up to how comfortable you feel bringing your camera. As previously posted, you pay before you leave. You can pay in cash (USD) or use a credit card. There is a small fee for using a credit card. We did tip the guide at the end, but other than that we did not carry much cash. Your lunch is included except if you want beer (I think ).

Hope that helps, Holly

[ShowSkiMom]

We have decided to use Wet n Wild for our tour in May

 

msbmom, when in May are you going? My son and I are on the Miracle sailing 5/29. I just booked with Wet n Wild but now I'm worried about the timeing too. We get into port at 7:30 and depart at 4:30. I've heard that Belize will be 2 hours behind Eastern time in May. This means that we'll have to get back to the ship by 2:30 Belize time. Will that be enough time?

[wanttoseetheworld]

When I went cave tubing every thing I had got soaked lol. We went just after the rainy season so the water level was high. I wore my bathing suit along with a t shirt and some thin pants. The water was cold so I never took off my pants and t shirt. I didn't wear water shoes, I wore a pair of old tennis shoes that could be thrown away. Those seemed to work for me because during the hike in the woods there was lots of mud and the tennis shoes kept me from slipping. I had a water camera and a regular disposable camera and the disposable got ruined, I couldn't keep it dry enough, water got in the zip lock baggy. I left most of my stuff in the van, the driver kept it locked and a watchful eye on it. I had a blast cave tubing, it was an experience I would definitely do again, it was great!

[msbmom]

Showskimom-

 

We will be there on the Explorer, we should be in port from 9-6. The tour is supposed to last 5 hours. I would email Marvin directly and ask him about timing. That's what I did and it really helped. You can get his address at ecotoursbelize.com. These boats are there week after week so he knows the schedule and will be able to tell you if you will be okay. One thing I have read on these boards that give me great peace of mind is that the tour operators wouldn't be able to stay in business if they missed getting customers back in time even once. If he says you will be okay, I would trust that.

 

Good luck and have fun!