Cave tubing and lagoon NCL excursion

[skiwee]

Has anyone done the NCL excursion of this? There are no reviews on it on the site and I wanted to see how good it was. We were thinking of seeing ruins in Costa Maya, and Nacho Cocom in Cozumel. Not sure what we are doing in Roatan yet but trying to figure this out. We are going in November on the Spirit. Thanks!

[nickw]

I went on the cave tubing excursion while on the Carnival Elation back in 2005 or 2006 when I was 15/16 years old. This excursion was BY FAR worth the money. It comes in 1st or 2nd for my all-time favorite excursions, competing closely with my bicycling tour in Skagway, Alaska.

 

The ship doesn't dock in Belize; it anchors and tenders passenger to land, which is a fun experience by itself. (I have never tendered any other ports) It's been a long time, but I believe the trip started with a ~30 minute bus ride into the rural parts of Belize. The bus was a charter bus and was basically full of people who would accompany us throughout the trip. There was a type of "tour guide" guy who spouted history about the country on the way, which kept everyone entertained.

 

We stopped for a Lunch and ate a local dish of red chicken and rice. I'm a picky eater, but it was extremely satisfying. After we arrived at (what I would call...) 'the camp', we were issued flashlights with head straps and a tube. After a half mile hike or so down a dirt road/path we reached a steep sandy hill that went down into the water of a cave opening. We hopped in and the adventure began.

 

The caves were beautiful and there were portions of complete darkness. The flashlights we were given were often our only source of light. Even after leaving the caves, the float was awesome - clear water and beautiful, uninhabited landscapes. After reaching "the end" of the float, we hopped out and hiked a 1/4 mile or so back to the camp where we turned in our gear and hung out for 15 minutes or so until the bus showed back up. The bus dropped us off at the back of a shopping center near where we had tendered in.

 

I have read the description of the current tube floating excursions, and it seems that parts of the adventure have changed for the better. I'm sure you will float the same caves, which was the best part of the trip.

 

I'm from Texas, so tubing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, but this was a completely different experience. I would definitely recommend any excursion involving the cave tubing!

 

Hope this helps!

 

-nick

[nickw]

P.S. I made an account just so I could share that with you. ;)

[jimswims]

Thank you for the info nickw!

 

I will be going on the Star in February and I will have a 17, 13, 11, 9, and 3 year old with us. The two oldest are mine, the others are nieces and a nephew. I thought that the older kids would like this.

[skiwee]

Thank you for the great info Nick! And ty for joining just to share that. :) I wonder if I should book it now or when I'm on the ship. Do these excursions book up quick? We generally steer clear of ship excursions so not too familiar with it. ty again!

[nickw]

Thank you for the great info Nick! And ty for joining just to share that. :) I wonder if I should book it now or when I'm on the ship. Do these excursions book up quick? We generally steer clear of ship excursions so not too familiar with it. ty again!

 

As long as you book the first or second night of the cruise, you should be

fine. I would be willing to bet that most of the excursions don't ever fill up. After my first few cruises, we've learned that you can usually get a

cheaper rate if you call the port places directly and get prices through them,

but I'm not sure if this is possible for the tubing excursion. I think it is

definitely worth it though.

 

Thank you for the info nickw!

 

I will be going on the Star in February and I will have a 17, 13, 11, 9, and 3 year old with us. The two oldest are mine, the others are nieces and a nephew. I thought that the older kids would like this.

 

I went when I was 15 and loved it. I would do it again if I went back. (now 23)

The older kids will definitely have a good time. You might consider buying

or bringing a cheap waterproof camera to take pictures along the way.

[jimswims]

As long as you book the first or second night of the cruise, you should be

fine. I would be willing to bet that most of the excursions don't ever fill up. After my first few cruises, we've learned that you can usually get a

cheaper rate if you call the port places directly and get prices through them,

but I'm not sure if this is possible for the tubing excursion. I think it is

definitely worth it though.

 

 

 

I went when I was 15 and loved it. I would do it again if I went back. (now 23)

The older kids will definitely have a good time. You might consider buying

or bringing a cheap waterproof camera to take pictures along the way.

 

Thanks Nick! We have a waterproof camera and I will make sure that I have it with me.