Cave Tubing with Yhony - Great!!!! Long Review

[thunder_lin]

Cave tubing with Yhony on March 16th was GREAT. We had a group of 15 with Yhony and Travis as our guides. They were great. Yhony is very professional.

Yhony was there at the pier with my name on a sign. He escorted us to his a/c van, waited for one other small group which had their own van and then headed off. Travis talked all the way to the caves providing us with information about anything and everything in Belize from the school system to the economy and everything in between. Travis has a great personality along with a winning smile with the most beautiful dimples. "Easy on the eyes" he is!

As we're heading down the dirt road, a young woman carrying a baby was walking, Yhony asked if we would mind that he pick her up and give her a lift. "By all means" was the response. So he stopped and picked them up. This shows that Yhony is a very considerate individual. I was very impressed with this gesture.

Upon arriving at the caves we were assured our belongings were safe in the vans. This is a state park with many people around. I had no problem with safety.

We grabbed our tubes and off we went with Yhony in the lead and Travis pulling up the rear pointing out points of interest along the way.

Just before arriving at the river, Sharon (one of our group) stepped on a branch which flung back and embedded a thorn in her calf. The thorn was pulled out but Sharon was left with a bit of a gash. The guys ran back to the van for bandaids and antiseptic. Sharon was bandaged up and we were off again. From this point on Travis never left Sharon's side. He had her hook onto his tube and never let her go. He made sure that she was with him at all times. We were all very impressed.

Yhony and Travis kept telling us the water would be "refreshing". I think they were trying to warn us it was a little cool but it was NOT. The water was a very comfortable temperature. My 11 yr. old son, who has no meat on his bones, was a little chilled in the caves but had he paddled rather than letting Travis do all the work, he would not have been cold!

The tour was great, they made it fun for the kids and us big kids too. They kept us all together as a group as we saw many groups floating away from one another. Not us!

The kids loved jumping off the rock at the end of the tour. I don't think many guides allow this but this was one of the hi-lights for the kids.

Once back at the van we headed back to the ship. Along the way another vehicle had a flat so we stopped to see if help was required and again Yhony asked if we minded that we take on 3 more passengers. Again the response was "by all means". So again, Yhony helped out. Impressed again!

Yhony had us back to the dock 1 1/2 hrs. before need be and we even stopped at the store to purchase some beer, snacks and pop.

No beer for Yhony or Travis, neither one would take the offer as they were responsible for us. They only had water or pop. Impressed again!

Each and every one of us enjoyed the cave tubing. We had a great day in Belize and I recommend using Yhony as your tour guide for a great day of cave tubing in Belize. Yhony and Travis will look after you - be assured of it.:) :D

[scsagh]

Thunder Lin -

 

Thanks for the great review on cave tubing with Yhony. We (family of 4) are booked with him for April 6 off the Splendour. Sounds like we chose well. Great to have someone knowledgeable and caring to guide you through a new experience.

[CruisinRin]

Thanks Thunder for the great review. We have a group of twelve going with Yhony on May 20!!! I am so glad that you all had a great time!

 

-Corinne

[bcereus2278]

we are also booked with yhony for may 20, a group of 4..

[Swamp Cruiser]

Just got back April 2 from the NCL Sea. Had a wonderful time cave-tubing with Yhony! He was waiting on us at the dock when we arrived and took great care of my family of 8. We saw others that had booked through the ship and others booked with other independents, their groups were very large. We were a small group of us only! Because of this he was able to give us extra attention. We could not ask for better treatment. He not only took us in the caves but talked about Belize, plants along the route, his family and life. He was open to answer any questions. It was great. After the trip, we felt like family. All of this and he was cheaper than the others ... we did tip him extra. You will have a fun time!

I will be glad to answer any questions....

 

Oh, we had a flat along the way.... Seems to be a regular occurance, but it was no problem. Yhony had it fixed and back on the road it minutes. Truthfully, it was a funny part of the experience to remember! Beware, the road to the caves is VERY bumpy!

[serengeti]

I agree completely with everyone else above. I also came off the NCL Sea on April 2nd and did our cave tubing excursion with Yhony on March 30th. We were in a different van from the person in the above thread. We were with Timmy who was just incredible.

 

The advantages of booking with Yhony?

 

1) Foremost, we paid half the price of the cruise ship! (Pricing can be dependant on the number of people in the group! Inquire with Yhony.) This price excludes any lunch (optional at $5-10) and of course, a well-deserved tip.

 

2) Very personalized and responsive service. Every email was followed up within 24 hours. Every question answered. Very attentive! Smaller groups is a HUGE advantage.

 

3) Very punctual! Has never missed a sailing. We were back at the docks with two hours to spare and that included our diversion for lunch at an authentic Belizean restaurant.

 

4) MORE money makes it into the hands of locals! How is this? On tours through the ship, they are only giving the operators between $30-40/pp and pocketing the rest. With Yhony, all money makes it into his company which is TOPS!

 

5) They are open to designing a trip specific to your needs. For instance, we asked about future trips in combining the cave tubing with the canopy excursion and they said they most likely could do it. They would just appreciate a little advanced notice to make the appropriate arrangements. I'm sure the same would apply with an excursion to see Mayan ruins if they are within reach. (THEY WILL DO ANYTHING AS LONG AS IT WON'T PUT YOU IN JEOPARDY OF MISSING THE BOAT).

 

6) Because we were a smaller group, we had a very educational experience in constantly learning about the culture, floral, fauna, etc.. All tour leaders are very spunky, enthusiastic and smart about their country... AND VERY PROUD OF IT!

 

7) We felt very safe leaving our belongings in the van. They lock the van and then have security constantly patrolling the area. The only time people have ever lost anything is when the customer has taken it themself into the water with them. Ie. Credit cards, cameras, etc.. Trust their judgement!

 

Give Yhouny a try for a very reliable excursion. I am certain you will be pleased with their efficient service.

 

Fun factor? Definitely a 10 with Timmy as our guide! Thanks, Yhouny!

 

Best regards,

 

Tim

Calgary, Canada

[verb0979]

I took a group of 8 kids cave tubing with Yhony Rosado from

cave-tubing.com on March 29th, 2005. Though our ship docked late and we didn't get to the pier until 3:20 P.M., Yhony agreed to take us anyway! The water was cool and refreshing, not cold. All 8 kids (most of them jaded teenagers) had the time of their lives. For our group of 9, we had 2 guides. They were very knowledgeable about Belize and answered all of our questions. The path through the jungle is wide and clear (lots of rocks and tree trunks, but no debris). If there had been a snake, we would have seen it in plenty of time to get out of the way. Well worth the $45 we paid for the experience! Email me with any questions at ejverbos@hotmail.com.