Tender in Belize

[Kellyfkrc]

I would like to do a cave tubing in Belize but I want to save money and not book it with the cruise ship and the excursion starts at 830... Can I make it? What if I do the 10am one and am late for the ship or tender boat?

[OCruisers]

I would like to do a cave tubing in Belize but I want to save money and not book it with the cruise ship and the excursion starts at 830... Can I make it? What if I do the 10am one and am late for the ship or tender boat?

 

Since Belize is a tender port which requires a rather long tender ride, you might want to consider booking through the ship so you don't have to worry about anything except having a great time. :)

LuLu

[JustinPlusLauren]

Yes, I would book this one through the ship if you can. The tender boat ride does take a little while so you might not want to take any chances. Good luck with everything - Belize is an awesome port - we did a tour that went to Xunantunich Mayan Ruins and it was fantastic.

[alcpa1]

How long is the excursion?

If it is a reputable tour organizer recommended on the Ports of Call boards here or on Trip Advisor I'd wager they have never missed getting their customers back for the tender.

We did an independent tour into the countryside seeking ruins and were returned to the port with ample time to shop and board the tender. The cave tubing excursions are very popular so there should be great recommendations.

I would not hesitate to book an independent tour for your stop in Belize.

[CaveDiving]

I would like to do a cave tubing in Belize but I want to save money and not book it with the cruise ship and the excursion starts at 830... Can I make it? What if I do the 10am one and am late for the ship or tender boat?

 

I would not expect any problem with any regular tour operator. Just tell them when the last tender leaves the port.

 

Do not worry about when the ship leaves. If you make it to the port before the time announced for the last tender, the ship will wait until all passengers are back on board. It does not matter haw long the tender ride takes.

 

Scott & Karen

[flyboi]

No problem booking with non- carnival tour companys. Two suggestions; cavetubingRus, or cavetubing.bz. Either will pick you up and deliver you back with plenty of time to catch a tender back to the ship. We've done Xunantunich twice. ..wonderful. Cave tubing however was "un-belize-able"!!

[Keith1010]

I would go with the cruise line one because of the early time and the tender situation.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

Remember that the ship's excursions will leave on the tenders before the other passengers. So you might have quite a wait before you get a tender.

Therefore it would be wise for you to take the ship's excursion.

[skrufy]

If you are late for the tender coming back from a private excursion, you just might be spending more time in Belize than you planned.

[shipgeeks]

Take the ship excursion. The wait for a tender could be a long one if you are not on a ship excursion. The tender ride is a long one. The tour is many hours long. Opt for worry-proof.

[flyboi]

The bottom line is if you want or need to save a little money, the non-Carnival tour companys are great and I dont believe a passenger has ever been left behind for going with one. Its about fun and comfort level. If there is no problem affording the Carnival excusion, go with that. All the cave tubing experiences are not the same, however. They do vary depending on company. Use the web, check them all out...then choose. Or just go with Carnival.

 

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[Ehpride]

Just make sure that going with the cheaper excursion doesn't cost you a flight from Belize.

 

If you have a private excursion, you're not going to be the first one off the ship and you'll probably have to get a tender ticket.

 

My mom was on a Carnival excursion in Belize that was late returning to the ship and they waited for the group.

 

 

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[AKman2495]

Also keep in mind that there may be other ships there too. If so, the pier will be a madhouse. It may take a while to find the right tour. If you take a ship's tour, you will be in your group when you leave the ship and all you have to do is stay together.

[Bonnie J.]

We have done the cave tubing twice in Belize and would do it again next time we are back in Belize. However we have done it with Reggie, not the ship's tour. Both times Reggie charged $45 per person. We go to the same caves ,spend same amount of time there, and the ships have charged from $84 to $96 for exact same tour!

The ship's tours can easily be 30-40 people but Reggie's max is 16. He will have a guide at both ends of his tour. A few years ago Carnival only had one tour leader in front and a lady at the very back of their tour drowned. No tour leader was there to help her. We had only 8 with Reggie! If you have a child, he will make sure he has a life vest to fit.

Reggie talked about selling but don't know if he has. His site is/was regtourbz.com. His email is regtour@btl.net. Before our 1st tour with him he actually called me in NC as I had emailed him questions! You can call him at 011-501-422-0257 or 011-501-610-1541.

They watch the clock to make sure you are back before the last tender. Reggie said if you miss the tender he will take you to the ship via a smaller boat. I asked him how many times he's had to do this and he said, "NEVER".

If he has sold, ask him how to contact the person he sold to or ask for recommendation for another tour leader.

 

I just checked his site and he is still doing Cave Tubing, still $45@ but max of 14 now. He is the one to go with for great cave tubing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited June 15, 2014 by Bonnie J.

[luddite]

I know people who have done the cave-tubing and ziplining both, on the same day, from a private operator and still had time to hit the port area.

They really had no issues.