Best Cave Tubing / Zip Line Tour Websites

[Frohoss]

We are stuck on making a excursion decision. Obviously there are serveral sites you can book an excursion on and want to choose the best tour. Is there one that clearly stands out? What are some other recommended sites?

 

http://www.cave-tubing.com : Cave Tubing $45 each

 

http://www.discoverybelize.com : Cave Tubing / Zip Line $153 each

 

http://www.belizecruiseexcursions.com : Cave Tubing / Zip Line $110 each

 

www . explore belize caves . com: Cave Tubing / Zip Line $95 each

 

http://www.cavesbranch.com : Cave Tubing / Zip Line $155 each

[Travel Angel]

We are stuck on making a excursion decision. Obviously there are serveral sites you can book an excursion on and want to choose the best tour. Is there one that clearly stands out? What are some other recommended sites?

 

http://www.cave-tubing.com : Cave Tubing $45 each

 

http://www.discoverybelize.com : Cave Tubing / Zip Line $153 each

 

http://www.belizecruiseexcursions.com : Cave Tubing / Zip Line $110 each

 

www . explore belize caves . com: Cave Tubing / Zip Line $95 each

 

http://www.cavesbranch.com : Cave Tubing / Zip Line $155 each

 

You need to look at the posts regarding the tour operator "Major Tom"......

 

Providing links to tour guides is not allowed per Cruise Critic guidelines :D

[Frohoss]

oh...oops. :eek: THanks for the info

[Travel Angel]

Frohoss....I find your post very unique and interestingly you ask the question "Does one clearly stand out".... and find it odd that all the other possible tour operators you list with a link, but the 4th on your list appears to be intentionally broken apart to make it "STAND OUT" and yet also commands the LOWEST PRICE for a similiar tour the others offer !

 

For fun I took that 4th option you listed and ran all the wording together and low and behold, it is a website !!! Nice Trick :D

 

For the record and for the true benefit of others that are REALLY looking for input on tour operators, I have used the services of Major Tom (as have many others that will give him a "THUMBS UP") on many occassions and since the first time using his services, have been impressed with his HONESTY, Knowledge and Customer Service he displays....While, Major Tom's price may not be the lowest for the cave tubing/zipline/lunch combo, his tour is in my opinion a 1st class tour and well worth the money spent, but with 14 years of experience behind him and his crew at the caves, small wonder why he's so popular.

[kebboli]

We used cave-tubing when we went the first week of April. We had a great time. We even got to do 2 caves and several of the other groups only got to do one cave.

[Frohoss]

Frohoss....I find your post very unique and interestingly you ask the question "Does one clearly stand out".... and find it odd that all the other possible tour operators you list with a link, but the 4th on your list appears to be intentionally broken apart to make it "STAND OUT" and yet also commands the LOWEST PRICE for a similiar tour the others offer !

 

For fun I took that 4th option you listed and ran all the wording together and low and behold, it is a website !!! Nice Trick :D

 

Well, I first need to say I didn't realize we are't allowed to provide links to other sites. Thanks for kindly letting me know.

 

As far as the 4th link "trick" Prior to me not knowing about the link issues. I obviously just posted the clickable links. The 4th link was not allowing the link to be read. It would look exactly like this. http://www.*********************** Hence the spaces which allowed you guys to see the worded link :D

 

TA, Thanks for your input on Major Tom. I'm guessing we'll end up with him.

 

Kebboli, I shouldn't have even listed the site you chose to go with cause we are more interested in both cave tubing / zip line combo. I do like their prices though! I noticed they had a cave tubing / atv combo. Did you happen to do that?

 

Thanks for everyones advice!

[Travel Angel]

Just trying to help out a fellow cruise enthusiast....I would visit his website and email him as well as checking out the rave reviews he consistantly gets from folks on the Belize boards that have found his tour to be a great overall package including his prices too !

 

Best of luck in your research for your tours wherever your port of call may end up at !

[Frohoss]

We used cave-tubing when we went the first week of April. We had a great time. We even got to do 2 caves and several of the other groups only got to do one cave.

 

I just realized there or two dif. cave-tubing sites. dot com and dot net.

[DEL67]

I just realized there or two dif. cave-tubing sites. dot com and dot net.

 

There are and both are well regarded on these boards.

[kebboli]

We did cave-tubing dot com. Richard and another guy were our guides but Yhonny drove us there and back, but on the way half or more of the people on the bus were doing the combo with atv so Yhonny went with them and the rest of us went on to the caves. I heard the others had a great time doing the ATV's. We ziplined in roatan so we just did the cave tubing in Belize.

I'm sure you'll have a great time with what ever you do!:D

[RetiredNavy02]

My family and I were in Belize on the Carnival Legend on 17 April 2008. We had booked through Yhony at Cave-Tubing. We were very apprehensive about not booking through the ship but let me honestly say we were more then happy with our choice. After seeing what the other groups were going through on their excursion we realized we made the right choice.

 

The experience was great!

 

Regards,

Tom in Connecticut

U.S. Navy Retired

[carnicruiser]

what is major tom's website? does he have one?

[Travel Angel]

google and you will find it....can't provide the link per cc guidelines.

[Maryunit65]

This is a copy of the email that I sent to major Tom as soon as I came back from my cruise on the Glory. I took his tour while in Belize and I think you can read for yourself that in my book MAJOR TOM is top notch.....As a matter of fact, a lady from Cruise Critic (sorry I can't remember her name and I think her daughter) was on the excursion with us with Major Tom.

 

Tom, I just wanted to drop you a line and give you kudos on our tour that we took while we were visiting your area. My name is Richard XXXX but our group was booked under the name of Brian XXXX. We were off of the Carnival Ship Glory there on Wed May 21. Our guide was George and another young man ( I think it was your son). I don't know if you remember our group or not.

As police officers here in the states we always hear about it when we screw up but very seldom when we do good things or do a good job. With that in mind I wanted to drop you a note to commend these young men that took our group on the tour. I have cruised with Carnival many times (13 to be exact) and I have visited many places. In my travels I have also taken many shore excursions. Your group was so professional, pleasant, and entertaining that it was well worth the trip, the hike, and the heat. It was fun yet educational, entertaining yet captivating. The caves were incredible and overall experience a pure treat. I will recommend all of my friends that are traveling to Belize your company. I had heard before traveling that the cave tubing there was a "MUST DO" but I didn't realize how nice it would be. I don't know why Carnival does not use you but they should. I felt completely safe at all times and truly felt that your group had our safety as their prime concern, second only to us having fun and getting the true "cave tubing" experience. With some of us being (shall we say Large) individuals George really earned his money that day. He had to assist our group in many of the "low water" areas where we were dragging bottom. He never complained and was still nothing but pleasant and jovial even though you could tell that we wore him out dragging us across those rocks. I just can't say enough good things about him. He is a credit to your company. Once again I will recommend you to my friends as well as Carnival when I speak to them. Thanks for a great time. Keep up the good work!

Richard Dean :D ;)

 

As for the tendering over we got to the lounge where we were suppose to wait early. We were the first tender to leave after the Carnival groups and Major Tom was waiting on us at the docks. We waited a short time for the rest of the people that had booked to arrive and then we were off. We were a bit concerned because Carnival had changed our arrival date to Belize by one day. When we arrived Major Tom informed us "No problem, I keep well informed on these things and I probably knew of the change before you did". He was very pleasant to deal with. They were also very in tune with the ships times and with getting us back in plenty of time for the tender but at the same time not cutting into our excursion time or time in the water on the tube. We did have to skip lunch on the way back but most people didn't mind. We had a great time.

[mbass02]

Just got off the Carnival Valor sailing 5/25/08. We booked our cave-tubing tour through cave-tubing.com.

 

Our ship itinerary got reversed because of a medical emergency on board and we arrived in Belize a day early. Yhony was waiting where he said he would be right outside the port. It was nice to know that even though the ships itinerary change, Yhony was informed. He even sent me an email, which I didn't see until after the trip (because I didn't use the internet on the ship).

 

The tour was fantastic. Way better than the ones booked through the cruise ship. Yhony gave us a nice tour of the Belize and was very informative about what to expect during the excursion.

 

Unlike the cruise tours, we got to go through 2 caves instead of one. Also, when all the tours met up in one of the caves....the cave-tubing.com tour guides were able to get us through the traffic jam with ease. We traveled in tubes that were linked. Each group of 8 had its own cave-tubing.com tour guide that led the linked group.

 

The tour guides were very spirited. We had our own cheer. They would go "CAVE TUBING!" and we would yell "DOT COM". It was fun and it also helped us stay together.

 

At the end of the tour...Yhony took us to a spot to get drinks and tamales. The food was $2 and the Beers were about the same. Bring small bills.

 

Overall the tour was great...definitely much better than the cruise line...and its way cheaper. Plus I know the money actually goes to the locals and not to the cruiseline.

 

PS. Definitely try the Cashew wine!!

[Patneeds2cruise]

How difficult is the hike for an out-of-shape person?

[Travel Angel]

The tour guides were very spirited. We had our own cheer. They would go "CAVE TUBING!" and we would yell "DOT COM". It was fun and it also helped us stay together.

 

If what you are saying occured WHILE IN THE CAVES, this is just what I am talking about regarding the safety practices of this tour operators antics. In my eyes this just confirms that he has no concern for the safety of his guests much less the respect of the caves and their history. He is apparently also violating the policies of "NICH" (The National Institute of Culture and History of Belize) regarding his dangerous and upsetting practice, creating the possibility of stalactites falling, injuring or killing guests and guides alike.

 

Things like the antics of slapping tubes on water and screaming while in the caves are something that our tour operator Major Tom would not allow simply because of his concern for the safety of his guests on his tour and respect of the caves and their history.

 

I looked further into the safety issues and the caves being sacred landscape to the Maya people and found that practices such as Yhony is apparently displaying in the caves puts guests at a serious risk due to the delicate state of the stalactites and records showing recent stalactites falling, fortunately not injuring anyone.

 

Anyone who wants to verify all this can get in touch with Dr. Jaime Awe at jaimeawe@yahoo.com or the president of the tour guides association of Belize, Cassian Aguet at bntga@btl.net to verify this extremely dangerous situation, which could end in tragedy, and the caves closed indefinately.

 

I can only hope that the apparant refusal to adhere to the tourism policies Yhony feels he is not subject to, will make potential guests be cautious who they book this tour with in the future and also make their decision who they book with to include the issue of safety as well as an enjoyable time while in the caves.

[MikeyfromCT]

Geez, what a crock. The tour guides were chanting and the customers were chanting back. That is not "screaming." They were hardly any louder than the scores of other people making noise in the exciting environment.

 

Yhony and crew were extremely safety conscious, love their local landmark, and would not do anything to harm it. Time to get off Major Tom's payroll and give comments that are actually helpful to people.

[Joules1111]

I'm going to have an unpopular opinion here, but we didn't care for Major Tom's cave tubbing. There was a mistake on their part that caused a 1 hour delay in getting about 15 of us on the bus (a bus that was there and left well AFTER our arrival). Major Tom made a cameo appearance before we got on the bus and after we did the tubing, but other than that we didn't see him. The a/c on the bus was broken for the return trip. The young men leading our tour were rude to everyone else on the river - pulling us through other groups and pushing people out of our way. (It was embarrassing.) We also spent the entire time in the caves locked together (feet to armpits to feet) and in a rush to get through. :down: Overall, I think we would have been happier with Carnival's tour where they just dump you in at the beginning and pick you back up at the end.

[hawkfanI]

I have tentatively booked a zip line/cave tubing tour with Belize Cruise Tours. Does anyone have experience with this tour company?

[BRIFRO]

JUST BACK from the valor and yhony and cavetubing.com treated us great. the service and safety were wonderful.to really enjoy the cave trip yhony's guys have the procedure down to a science. they guide you down the river with lights, narration and respect. remember butt's up in the rocky places. we saw many cave tubers without lights, bumping into the walls, asking for help, wishing they were part of our tube line. I' m 355 pounds and they helped me and my family really enjoy the walk, experience and trip. the iquana rana is the meeting place outside gate terminal #1. from the door to the iquana rana is about 40 feet.

[Travel Angel]

JUST BACK from the valor and yhony and cavetubing.com treated us great. the service and safety were wonderful.to really enjoy the cave trip yhony's guys have the procedure down to a science. they guide you down the river with lights, narration and respect. remember butt's up in the rocky places. we saw many cave tubers without lights, bumping into the walls, asking for help, wishing they were part of our tube line. I' m 355 pounds and they helped me and my family really enjoy the walk, experience and trip. the iquana rana is the meeting place outside gate terminal #1. from the door to the iquana rana is about 40 feet.

 

Glad you had a good time but every cave tubing tour I have been on (3 in total, 2 different vendors), all guests had lighting devices of either head gear or attached to their life vest. Now if they did not have them on at times, that is a different issue.

 

Belize is beautiful and cruise passengers that only see the city can often be mislead by its appearance. Getting out of the city is where the real beauty lies !

 

Thanks for taking the time to report your cave tubing experience.

[SCstategirl]

My husband and I just returned from our cruise last week where we did the zipline and cave tubing with ****************. We had a great time, felt very safe at all times, and they got us back to the ship in plenty of time to do some shopping before the last tender. I especially appreciated that we were in a small group of only 4 people so we received individualized attention. The $110 included both excursions together (which Carnival didn't offer) as well as a traditional lunch. A once-in-a-lifetime experience which I'd highly recommend.

[BethA]

Can you do zipline without cave tubing?

[NewCruiser10]

JUST BACK from the valor and yhony and cavetubing.com treated us great. the service and safety were wonderful.to really enjoy the cave trip yhony's guys have the procedure down to a science. they guide you down the river with lights, narration and respect. remember butt's up in the rocky places. we saw many cave tubers without lights, bumping into the walls, asking for help, wishing they were part of our tube line. I' m 355 pounds and they helped me and my family really enjoy the walk, experience and trip. the iquana rana is the meeting place outside gate terminal #1. from the door to the iquana rana is about 40 feet.

BRIFRO - I'm glad that you had a great time. From one "big" person to another, was there any part of the cave-tubing that you were uncomfortable with or had a hard time with? Was the tubes and life jackets large enough? How was the walk? I would apprecialte any insights.