Why choose cave-tubing thur ship?

[valorbunch]

I would like to hear from anyone that did the cave-tubing thur the ship(Carnival) why they did it that way instead of thur a private group. I have decided after reading many, many threads to go thur Yhony with www.cave-tubing.com.

 

The main reason is $$$. The ship now wants $98 and Yhony charges $45($55 if you have lunch).

 

Tell me why you decided to go this way instead of saving at least $53 per person by going thur the ship.

[astros fan]

We have not done cave tubing for a very simple reason. We were supposed to go two years ago and scheduled a tour with a private company. We got caught up in the tendering process and could not make the trip. That is the only reason I would go through the cruiseline.

[ShowSkiMom]

I cancelled the tubing excursion I had booked with a private company because I was concerned about getting back to the ship in time. I know they have never left anyone, but I knew I would still worry about it. If you're on the Miracle, you will arrive in Belize at 5:30 their time (they do not observe DLS time so the ship is 2 hours ahead of them) and depart at 2:30 their time. The last tender is scheduled to depart 30 minutes before the ship leaves or 2:00. If the tour company is willing to start the tour early enough to acommodate the Miracle's departure schedule, and you don't feel like you would worry the entire time, then I would book through an independent.

 

I decided to book the World Canopy tour, which can only be booked through the cruise line, not only because it looks awesome, but also because I won't worry about the time. There is also a lot of unrest in Belize right now and while I'm usually not a worrier by nature, I am traveling alone with my teenage son and would hate to get stuck there.

[mysticalblues]

Valorbunch,

 

I know this is a little off topic, but you made a good choice with Yhony. We were just with him last week when we sailed the Valor. Carnival had 500 people in their cave tubing excursion (no joke). We had 5.

 

If you tell the person giving out the tender stickers that you have an early private tour, they will get you on one of the first tenders.

 

Pam

[valorbunch]

Mysticalblues,

 

Thanks for the tip...we have a group of about 30 going with Yhony. Im sure he was happy to get that e-mail

[hlfdzn]

I just got off the Glory 5-7 sailing. We stopped in Belize and took a private cave tubing trip that was WONDERFUL, but STRESSFUL!!!! I am not naming the operator because I am not convinced that what happened was entirely his fault.

He had to hire out a bus to accomodate our large group and he got a bus and a driver from another company. On the way there, the bus was rickety and the driver kept turning off the air conditioning since the bus seemed like it was not running well. We went to a resort and the bus could not make it up the hill it needed to and we all had to get out of the bus and walk up the hill. On the way home, the driver had to try twice to get up the hill, since the bus could not make it up on the first try. Needless to say, by this time we knew we were going to be cutting it close to get back on time with this bus not running well. On the way home the driver kept trying to pass some vehicles and my heart stopped as I saw semi trucks heading our way as we were in their lane trying to pass. The front end of this bus was so worn the driver had a hard time keeping it in on the road.

We finally got into the city by about 3:45 pm with our last tender leaving at 4:15 and the bus quit running about 1 mile from the port. He got it started again and we went a few blocks and it broke down again. We got out and wanted to walk and the operator told us we COULD NOT. My husband got angry and told him we were going to get back to our ship if we had to run ourselves!!! With that he got on his cell phone and called a few taxis...we are not sure that is what they were or just people he flagged off the street. We got back to the port with minutes to spare and that was with the last of our group riding in the trunk of the last taxi. I would think twice before booking anything on your own in Belize. This adventure was a bit too much for my nerves. I will add that this tour operator had RAVE reviews and we all did our homework before we agreed to go with him. Just be careful. This trip takes you on about a 1 1/2 -2 hour ride away from the port..make sure you know you are going to get back on time.

[char64]

Showskimom --- just wanted to say HI...I am from Sarasota and now live in North Florida and I have rarely seen a fellow Sarasotan on the boards!! It's always fun to see someone here from where you are from as well!! Who knows we may have known each other or come in contact by chance.....Happy Cruisin'...

[char64]

I just got off the Glory 5-7 sailing. We stopped in Belize and took a private cave tubing trip that was WONDERFUL, but STRESSFUL!!!! I am not naming the operator because I am not convinced that what happened was entirely his fault.

He had to hire out a bus to accomodate our large group and he got a bus and a driver from another company. On the way there, the bus was rickety and the driver kept turning off the air conditioning since the bus seemed like it was not running well. We went to a resort and the bus could not make it up the hill it needed to and we all had to get out of the bus and walk up the hill. On the way home, the driver had to try twice to get up the hill, since the bus could not make it up on the first try. Needless to say, by this time we knew we were going to be cutting it close to get back on time with this bus not running well. On the way home the driver kept trying to pass some vehicles and my heart stopped as I saw semi trucks heading our way as we were in their lane trying to pass. The front end of this bus was so worn the driver had a hard time keeping it in on the road.

We finally got into the city by about 3:45 pm with our last tender leaving at 4:15 and the bus quit running about 1 mile from the port. He got it started again and we went a few blocks and it broke down again. We got out and wanted to walk and the operator told us we COULD NOT. My husband got angry and told him we were going to get back to our ship if we had to run ourselves!!! With that he got on his cell phone and called a few taxis...we are not sure that is what they were or just people he flagged off the street. We got back to the port with minutes to spare and that was with the last of our group riding in the trunk of the last taxi. I would think twice before booking anything on your own in Belize. This adventure was a bit too much for my nerves. I will add that this tour operator had RAVE reviews and we all did our homework before we agreed to go with him. Just be careful. This trip takes you on about a 1 1/2 -2 hour ride away from the port..make sure you know you are going to get back on time.

 

 

We promise not to hold it against the operator if you would please tell which company you booked through? We are going in November and are reading great reviews about the trip BUT everyone says it's stressful getting back to the ship and it is concerning. Also we booked at 8:00 a.m. departure as our ship arrives early - this should make a difference i would think in getting back on time?!!? Our ship doesn't leave Belize until 5:00 p.m. ANY info you can offer will be appreciated. Also we recently read some articles about the "increasing unrest " in Belize - see any signs of this ?

[MN Cruisers]

We were on the Miracle, April 10-16, 2005. My wife and I booked with Yhony and were completely AMAZED at how wonderful the trip went. It was a windy morning, so they had to push back the start of the tendering process. Our tablemates were down waiting with the rest of the carnival groups at 7:30am. We slept in until around 8:30, had breakfast and then went down to get in line for the tendering. Unfortunetly, they hadn't even started yet, so we just jumped in line with our tablemates and were on the 2nd tender out. No one checked for stickers, etc so it went very smooth. Yhony had sent us an email on where to go once we got off the tender and they were right there waiting for us. He had a nice minivan with all the amenities of home. I forget our guides name, but he was an excellent host. He made sure we understood the long drive, took us for an extended tubing session and had us back to the port about 1 hour before the last tender. The best part of this excursion was the fact it was just my wife and I and Yhony's guy while the ships excursions had upwards of 30 people per guide. Our cost was $55 per person (5 or more its $45) and we tipped him very well for his excellent service.

[hlfdzn]

I can't post his name since I truly believe it was not his fault and he just got a bum deal when he rented the bus. He usually gets people back in plenty of time, with time left over to shop. We got into belize at 7:30 am and were on the first tender off the ship. We were waiting for the bus to show up for a bit and then we left on our journey by 9:15 or so. We didn't get to the site until 11:30 since the bus was running bad. The lunch he served was awesome and his wife was wonderful too. He promised us he will never use this company for a bus again. He usually has a brand new van that he uses, but we had a large group.

 

I don't think I would book anything outside of the ship in Belize again. There are too many things that can go wrong and it is remote country if you break down, even if you get a flat.

 

Our ship was due to leave at 5:00 pm but the last tender to the ship was at 4:15. We were on the Glory.

 

As far as the unrest..no we saw no problems....kids were going to school, stores were open.