Tubing with Kids questions!!

[artt]

We are looking at cave tubing in August - possibly with cave-tubing.com (Yhoni). Has anyone encountered problems with snakes, bugs, etc??!! Also, what about snacks, drinks, etc? I am not sure our eight year old will last that long without food!!! Has anyone encountered any problems booking through this tour operator? We are concerned about this, especially traveling during hurricane season and the possibility of port changes.

 

Thanks.

[akcruz]

We did the cave tubing with yhonny on 6/20. There really isn't any place to get food after you leave the ship until after the tubing is done and only if time permits and there is a consensus. I would suggest bringing snacks from the ship for your kids if necessary. It is a great day and well worth the effort.

 

We were able to stop at Cheers and had a $5 lunch which consisted of rice and beans (with native spices), a bbq type chicken and a limeade. I had my 2 kids with us, 11 & 15, who are fairly picky eaters and they both loved it, ate every bite.

 

Our guide Richard made sure our kids were safe the entire time down the river and I would definitely recommend them. No snakes at all and only a few bugs right before getting into the river.

 

The only thing I would warn of is when you get back at the end of the tour, take the kids back into the port area. Don't go touring city. We tried and within 5 minutes we were back at the port. Too many overly pushy, even scary, vendors for the kids. I'm not sure I would have even stayed it was that bad. Beautiful country, its ashame. :o

 

Overall, great day and I would recommend cavetubing.com.

[odiesam]

We also did cavetubing with Yhoni on 6/22. Loved it but would warn you that at the end we did indeed see a snake - a small one but Richard - our guide - was all over it to keep it away from us. It had rained hard that mroning before we arrived so the water was more active - which resulted in better conditions for tubing but also the more likelihood of creatures. We did NOT experience any of the tiny fish others have talked about though, just the snake.

 

With an 8 year old I would definitely do an independent tour like this one because they hook your tubes and guide you through the crowded caves which can get really dark. The cruiseline sponsored tours just let the individuals in the tubes drift along - it is a surprise no one gets left behind.

 

Cave-tubing.com was terrific.

[Cruisers from PA]

We used cavetubing.com last week as well. We had a great time, but as others have said there is no place to stop until after the ride through the caves. On our trip back, our group did not want to stop for lunch, but Richard called ahead and order lunch "to go" for some. There were some bugs on the way to the caves so make sure you take some insect repellent.

[mics pics]

Along those lines, does anyone know kids' age limits? My friend has a 9 year old boy (who is quite tall for his age) who wants to do this with me. But Carnival says it's a 12 year old age limit. Will he be able to go? He doesn't exactly want to just snorkel with mom and dad and I'd love to take him along on my adventure.

TIA and BTW I'm currently booked with Yhony and cave-tubing.com. (not Carnival so I don't know if the age limit applies to private operators.)

[RAIDERMOM]

I just returned from cave tubing on July 4th and had a blast.

 

I booked CAVE-TUBING.COM with Yhony and he was excellent.

 

You mention an 8 year old. After going thru the experience I would not recommend and child under 14yrs of age. Going thru the caves was awesome and calm but after coming out all hell broke loose. I think we hit a whirlpool of some sort and my friend fell off her tube and was under water, my child (15 yrs and 6 feet tall) was with the other part of the group and he also fell off and was under along with a few other people.

 

Cave tubing was excellent and I highly recommend Yhony with Cave Tubing. We all felt really safe with him, it just so happened he and his staff had to help other people who had fallen off and we were on our own.

I have spoken to other people who did not experience this and they said it was really calm and after reading reviews on Cruise Critic I am sure that is the norm, everything was great until we came out of the cave.

 

Being a mother I do have to say I would not take a child under 14.

 

Hope this helps

[HERKIMER417]

Age is not a problem on the cave tubing unless there has been severe rain. Then the water flows very swiftly and is much deeper than normal.

 

We did the tour in March, several in our group had done it on a prior trip and concurred that rainy season is no where near the same as dry season.

 

Yhoni spoke of how the water can rise several feet over nite when they have a storm and then all tubing is call off. Two days later its back down to the low level.

 

Normally, this excursion could be safe for a 3 year old, but if there is rain in the preceding 24 hours the river is a very different creature.

 

To decide on tubing or not is very hard this far in advance.

 

I would plan on it because it is a great trip and normally calm but as your trip gets closer monitor the weather in Belize.

 

J

[akcruz]

I would concur with HERKIMER417. Rainy season appears to start in late June and goes through November. During this season the water can get very high. During the drier weather the water is low and good for just about any age.

 

We went in June and did not have any concern about taking my 2 kids, 11 & 15. Richard, our guide through cavetubing.com, put my kids right up in front of the chain where he could keep an eye on them. They had a blast. We were able to do the 2 caves since the water was low, but he did say that during the rainy season, the second cave is unpassable.

 

I would contact yhonni or whoever you are looking at booking through (just not through the ship IMO) and ask their opinion. With yhonni you don't pay until after you are done, so if all else fails and its a high river day nothing lost if you don't go.

[fireboat]

I am of the Nacho and Cynthia camp. But the best that I can say is any of the tour operators mentioned in these boards are good.

 

Get in contact with whom ever you choose. I am sure that they would make a quick stop along the way for you to pick up some drinks and snacks for the kids.

 

Jamacian beef patty is one of my favorite because I tried one at the rest-stop on the way. Who know, your kids might make a discovery.

[mics pics]

Age is not a problem on the cave tubing unless there has been severe rain. Then the water flows very swiftly and is much deeper than normal.

 

We did the tour in March, several in our group had done it on a prior trip and concurred that rainy season is no where near the same as dry season.

 

Yhoni spoke of how the water can rise several feet over nite when they have a storm and then all tubing is call off. Two days later its back down to the low level.

 

Normally, this excursion could be safe for a 3 year old, but if there is rain in the preceding 24 hours the river is a very different creature.

 

To decide on tubing or not is very hard this far in advance.

 

I would plan on it because it is a great trip and normally calm but as your trip gets closer monitor the weather in Belize.

 

Just wanted to say thanks for the very true comments. It poured in Belize and had been for a while, so cave tubing was canceled. It surprised even Yhony because we went on an excursion anyway into the rainforest to go see a "dry" cave and go swimming in a local water hole. That dry cave was nearly totally flooded which, judging by the looks on the guides' faces, didn't happen often.

Yes, it was rainy season, and we were in the rainforest, and my group thoroughly enjoyed the jungle trek. Insect repellant is a MUST and many thanks to all those who shared theirs.

We still had a good time even though the original plan and plan "B" didn't work, but we could tell they wanted us to love their country.

We did stop at "Cheers" for the chicken, rice, and beans dish and it was delicious.

Thanks again for all the advice and comments...