Cave tubing - spiders & small dark spaces??

[surpriseforDH]

I think I'm interested in going Cave tubing at this port, but I have some concerns. I'm also a little claustraphobic (sp?) Are the caves huge? Or are they pretty small and really dark? Are there a lot of spiders in the caves? Thanks !

[dvg1027]

I had some concerns with cave tubing also, (fear of water, not a lot but enought to be concerned, plus one member of our group is rather large and she was concerned about a weight limit). On the boards X-treme seems to be a good company. I went on their website

 

http://www.belizecruiseexcursions.com

 

They have live help, look to the left side of the website. I talked to a representative for about 20 minutes and she answered all my questions. It will tell you rather live help is available. I called her during the day, not on the weekend and someone was available to talk to. She was very honest. Ask her your questions and you can make a decision from there. Good luck.

[cruisinhs]

I just got back from cave tubing a couple of days ago. I used Wet n Wild Cave Tubing and had an amazing time. You can read all about it on the thread titled "Wet n Wild is the best!! Read why. . ." In response to your question, there was a man (yes, a man) on our tour who was DEATHLY afraid of spiders and talked of nothing else the entire time. However, we didn't see a single spider, bug, snake or anything else creepy. It's very beautiful and peaceful! Also, the caves are very large! Some are as high as 40 feet. It is dark in some places though, but you wear a headlamp and so does everybody else, so by the time everyone's light is on, it's not that bad. Our wonderful guide, Charlie, also used a light to show us beautiful crystal formations and other rock formations inside the caves. It's amazing how well these guys know these caves. He knew, even in the dark, exactly when to point his light at what. Of my entire cruise, this was my favorite excursion and same with everyone else I met who did the cave tubing! I hope this helped. Holly

[DJ56]

If someone is claustraphobic of small dark places.....would cave tubing be recommended?? How much of the time are you in the caves? The whole time or do you go in and out of the caves? I am a bit concerned about this. I really want to do this.....but am concerned.... Would greatly appreciate the input.

Thanks...:)

[Nebr.cruiser]

The caves aren't small and narrow and aren't completely dark--you usually have some light coming from either end--as well as the headlamps on your head. It's more like large tunnels through the rock that the river flows through. The ceilings are fairly high. You do go in and out of the caves. It takes maybe 45-60 minutes, some in the caves and some in the open. And another 30 minutes or so on the walk to the river.

 

I am a little claustrophobic, though not bad, and had no discomfort whatever.

 

I don't know if you can see the cave.tubing.com ad under these posts (it's there for me) but that gives you an idea of the size of the caves. You can also see pictures on various websites selling tours. We took pictures with a water camera, but they're not that great, or I'd post them.

 

We also didn't see any spiders or snakes, did have a few gnats bothering us.

[DJ56]

Thanks so much for the reply. I was laying in bed last night and got to thinking about going in the caves and WOW I thought it would be best if I asked this question!!!! It sounds like so much fun though. I think I am going to book the cave tubing in Belize. My girlfriend and I will be on the Glory in September. My first cruise! Again thanks for the response so quickly....:)

[nealfred]

Just got back home from Carnival Legend yesterday, and went cave tubing thru the ship's excursions.

 

The tour guide was very informative about creatures you may run into while caving. One of them he called the "crockolog", which means you may run into a underwater log. The spiders were very tiny ones, our guide advised us to keep away from the walls and they will not bother you, which was very easy to do. I saw only one bat, others saw more but they did not stick around. The most numerous animals we saw were small fish, about the size of your finger nail up to the size of a small finger.

 

Most of the cave had large rooms, one had a large opening to the outside which gave some light and a beautiful view. Our group was large and there was always someone close by so I always felt very safe. They also have guides posted at different places to make sure everyone is okay, just in case someone got a little ahead of everyone else.

 

I am glad that we went thru the ship's excursions, it was fun to be with a large group. I noticed the private tour guides were pulling their groups on a rope and seemed in a big hurry, we just floated with the current enjoying our vacation. It might have cost more but we never worried that the ship would leave without us.

[war_eagle99]

We went a couple of years ago and are going back this summer. Cave tubing in Belize and swimming with the sting rays in Grand Cayman are hands down the best excursions in the Caribbean.

 

As for creepy things - we didn't see any spiders or snakes and I don't remember the bugs bothering us either. We did see quite a few bats but they were all very small. Our guide pointed them out to us. If you look up with your headlight while you are in the caves there are quite a few bats hiding in small crevices, at least they were a couple of years ago. I think this only added to the excitement of the trip.

 

As for larger people, there is one spot close to the end where the water gets very shallow as in only a few inches. Most everyone in our group just stood up in this spot and walked until the water got deeper. The guides will help you in and out of your raft if you are having trouble.

 

As other people have said, don't book your excursion through the ship because you will get put into huge groups. Pick a recommended guide from these boards and enjoy the smaller group. We booked through xtreme and even got to go through an extra cave.