cave-tubing.com review

[skifamily7]

We just got back from our cruise and our tour with yhony's company.

I Highly recommend this!:D

 

Jimmy was our guide since Yhony had another earlier group he was guiding ( he met us when we got back-very nice guy)

 

Jimmy was great and very experienced at what he does..UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD I EVER CONSIDER A SHIP TOUR FOR THIS!!

 

we were all linked (2 groups of 5 and 6) and Jimmy and his helper did all the paddling and manuvering ..we just enjoyed the ride. We recieved many (envious) comments along the way from people on the ship tours as they were struggling along..there are some tricky spots where the current will push you into the wall if your not paying attention (or being steered by your guide) and limestone is not at all forgiving on innertubes or your skin!

 

A word of caution for people with medical issues ..it is a good 45 minute hike to get to the put-in spot ..98% level but steamy (it is the jungle after all!) and then another hour in the water..so be prepared (once you get to the take-out spot it is only 5 minutes back to van). We saw an unfortunate floater at the take-out who had appearantly experienced insulan shock and was barely conscious ..not a good place to be while floating though caves..I hope he was ok.

 

For the van ride try to sit close to the front - especially with jimmy as he is soft-spoken...he has a lot of interesting info to pass on ..but you cant hear from back of van:( . and be warned ..there is a 5 mile stretch that is VERY bumpy.

 

We ate the chicken with rice and beans after for $5 each (the guide gets a free lunch if he brings his tour there;) ) and it tasted very good as we were all quite hungry by that time ..and the limeaid is great (I was assured the water and ice used were purified-no stomach issues at all and its 4 days later:D )

 

Belize City is not at all what I expected ..most definitly third-world..but very interesting to see..It seemed that if you wanted your hair in corn-rows this is the place to do it ( as opposed to mexico) I think this culture has a bit more experience with that sorta thing ..('nuff said)

 

The wood carvings were phenominal ...but not PC to buy as it promotes jungle hardwood harvesting ..really to bad as it was the only thing I saw that seemed truly worth buying there..

 

I suggested/inquired to Jimmy if the goverment was planting Mohogany(and other hardwood) trees to benifit future generations ..he looked at me in uncomprehension as to why you would do such a thing ..a very young country and that sorta planning seems alien to them at this time ..really a shame.

 

all in all a big thumbs up for cave-tubing.com ..freindly staff ...decent, air-conditioned transportation, and compentent guiding..

 

If you read this Yhony ..get a small intercom in your vans so all your guests can hear the driver! :cool:

[Chupa Cabras]

I've been debating whether to book the cave tubing or something else. At first I thought the river part was much longer, but I hear it's only about 45-60 minutes actually in the water, and you only go through one cave. Is this true? What would the timeline be (i.e. time in van, time walking, time in river, etc.)

 

And was the ride in the van interesting? Anything to see along the way? And the walk through the jungle...any wildlife to be seen? Birds, monkeys, iguanas, tarantulas? Unusual plants or flowers?

 

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to be sure the cave-tubing is what we want. I'm torn between a land excursion and a snorkeling trip to one of the cayes.

[skifamily7]

If you take Yhonys tour you will go through 2 caves and a part of the river not in caves. with the ship its just one cave and you skip the river part.

 

as far as wildlife goes ..not much on the way to the put-in spot (our guide told us most of it is scared away due to the amount of people that walk there ..and most of them are quite noisy:eek: ) but the rainforest was spectacular and there was a cool bat inhabited cave along the way.

 

if you do the caye snorkling tour you will not see belize city or have a chance to shop there as your tour will depart directly from the ship and return the same way.

 

If your into observing other cultures then yes there is plenty to see on the ride there ..takes around 50 minutes each way with another 30 minutes if you stop for lunch on the way back. total time for us was about 4 hours

 

hope this helps

[noahsark99]

I am booked with Yhony for my upcoming cruise in April. Just wondering, what's your opinion as far as children on this tour? We have a 6 and 7 year old along. They both love water but aren't great swimmers. I was told by Yhony that they would be fine. Any thoughts from someone who's done this tour??

[monicajay]

Toured with Yhony last week. As long as the children are not afraid of water they will be fine. He makes all kids and non-swimmers wear a life jacket. The rest of us had them strapped to the tube and used them as pillows. In the (very unlikely) event that your tube got broken you would still have a life jacket to hold onto.

 

The hardest part for young kids will be the hike in if they are not used to walking.

 

On another note, Yhony has gotten rid of the vans and has his own (not sure if rented, owned or borrowed) school bus. I was a bit dissapointed when I saw it as I usually like the smaller more personal tours but Yhony made it all so much fun that we all forgot about the school bus.

 

I highly recommend his services. The caves were longer than I expected. We saw the cruise line tour, Yhony had to help many of their guests into the water as there seemed to be only one guide for the big group.

 

Monica

[Staysail]

We did Yohnys cave tubing excursion, and had a blast, We had Jimmy for a guide, and it was great. He entertained us all during the bus ride there. I would recommend this excursion for everyone. We had 29 people in our group. We did not eat at the restaurant, because we had issues with the Explorer of the seas virus anyway. The price was less then half of what you would have paid if you booked it through the ship. You can;t go wrong doing this excursion.

P.S Special attention was paid to the people who could not swim

[L&Jcruise]

Okay- practical question: Are there restrooms available at any time during the tour?

[antcyd]

We just did cave tubing with Yhony last week, along with monicajay. I wont even bother to go into the details of the caves and hike since its been written about so many times on here but I have to tell you how incredible Yhony and his staff are. They are the nicest, friendliest, funny bunch of guys who make this trip soooo much fun and safe. There isnt anything these guys wont do for you, I watched them carry people's tubes on the hike, carry kids across water, they always checked to see if everyone was ok and having fun. We linked up in groups and simply floated away with Yhony and his guys doing almost all the work for us. I too was a little surprised by the school bus that came to pick us up but it was actually fine, well air conditioned and comfortable. Lunch was very good at Cheer's, cant beat the price for $5

We floated by the people who were on the cruise ship tours, they were basically left to their own devices, I watched them struggle to paddle down the river, try not to hit walls and their tour ended way before ours did, we did an additional part. I would NEVER do this excursion with the cruise ship or with any other company other than Cave-tubing.com. I definitly have to say that out of my 38 cruises and many different excursions, this one was the best and the majority of that was because of Yhony and his staff. I am going back to Belize in October with a large group and am going to do it all over again, I cant wait for the rest of my family and friends to have the same experience my husband and I had.

Cave-tubing.com and Yhony ROCK!!!!!

[OldNavy]

I'll jump in and add my 'thumbs up' with everyone else. Cave-tubing.com gave us excellent service and a great day off the ship. I'd only add that the bus ride is an experience in itself! Someone mentioned taking young children. Seems I read somewhere that the cruiseline tours wouldn't take any kids under the age of 8, but I'm not sure. Our guides seem to pay close attention to the children and the non-swimmers making sure they were safe, so I wouldn't worry.

[HRHMadonna]

Yes....there were nice, large rest rooms available at the park where we got off the bus and started the hike to the river. You return to the same area after the cave tubing. Also, we had the option of a quick rest room break when our bus stopped briefly at Cheers for Yhonny to pick up a bottle of cashew wine.

[L&Jcruise]

Thanks Madonna- I'm such a girl!