which cavetubing company?

[electro]

Just got back from Belize. did cave tubing with X-stream cave tubing booked through island marketing. AMAZING experience. the tour group was small..only 8 people!!! air conditioned van and a very nice guide who was very fun to be around all day. The tubing was a blast!!!! We did a leg of the river that most do not do so that made things even better. I would highly recommend using x-stream cave tubing.

 

Thanks so much for posting this. I will be in Belize on the NCL Jewel in a week and a half and I have booked with X-stream cave tubing.

I was getting a little worried as I wasn't hearing any reviews on them so I'm really happy that you had a good experience with them.

 

Lois

[StartrainDD]

Our group of 8 CC'ers last week went on the cave tubing and lunch ($45) with Jaguar Paw. Our guide, Miguel, was terrific. He showed us where the big operators park and people start their walk... We drove on for at least another 1/2 mile to their private resort within the park (they owned the land before the area became a park).

 

The walk begins with a "Wet" river crossing as you ford the river with your tube. It was refreshing. We walked the trail for about 45 minutes, and saw no one else the entire time. The reason this took 45 minutes is we stopped and asked lots of questions about the plants and trees. Miguel showed us termite nests and tunnels, and I was taking photos of the flora. If you didn't stop, the walk is about 1/2 that time.

 

We entered the river in a most wonderful setting between two caves. For the first 45 minutes or so in the cave system we were the only group and we could float free or in small groups. As we were nearing the end of one cave we could see the masses coming into the river from the big operators. At this point Miguel told us to all link up so we would stay together.

 

Right after this point we all went down some minor rapids (it was a lot of fun) and the middle of our 8-person chain fell apart. No problem for Miguel though, he had it under control.

 

At the end of the cave system we exited and were right back at the resort, it's not more than 100 yards from the river. We changed into dry clothes, had a great indoor bug-free lunch at the resort, bought the neatest T-shirts (you HAVE to buy one of these) and Miguel gave us a tour of the resort. He had us back to the pier by 3:00 and the last tender was at 4:30.

 

This was the BEST SHORE TRIP WE HAVE EVER DONE, PERIOD!

[SueLuvs2Cruise]

We are booked for Thanksgiving Day with Major Tom http://www.****************

[SueLuvs2Cruise]

try this again ............. we are booked with Major Tom at cave-tubing dot net

[YAGRR]

I agree completely with PaulinaColleena--you have it completely correct-down to every last detail. We loved it-they even let my 8 year old drive the ATV after giving him a test run. Our ship was on time-they were right there with our name on a sign and we didn't worry past that. One other thing I wanted to mention about the money that impressed me--not only do they wait until the very last minute to ask for payment. They were checking the large bills and apologizing profusely for having to do so. I can't blame them though. What really impressed me is that they all split the tips--so you know they are all working hard to pool as much money as possible. You tipped one person at the end. They really are a great group! I would really recommend them.

[HockeyTown]

When we arrived at the resort, we dropped the first couple at the zip lines. We got out with them and walk through the jungle to the zip line area. After they were all set, we got back in the truck and head about 1/4 mile to the cave tube section where we got our tubes, life vests & head lamps.

 

We saw where all the other people were dropped off from other tours and Jaguar's Paw does save you about 15 minutes of walking, but the hike really isn't that hard. We hiked about 20-25 minutes in the jungle with our tubes & guide, William. What was great was that it was just me & my wife with our guide, so he spent lots of time showing cool stuff in the jungle. He even found some nuts for us to try... which actually tasted like coconut.

 

Once we arrived at the river, we hopped in. Needless to say, the water was brisk. After days of snorkeling in the warm ocean water, the fresh water was "refreshing". After about 2 minutes though, we were both used to it. The cave tubing took about an hour and a half, but went by really quick. We saw quite a few bats in the cave and William even pulled us over to a waterfall, to get a great close up view. All the other tours had about 8-9 people, so their guides just kept them against the far wall.

 

If my memory serves me correctly, we only did 2 caves. I could have sworn he said he would do 3, but after we exited the last cave, there wasn't any more to go through. So perhaps one of the larger caves is considered 2. I'm not quite sure... but either way we had a great time.

 

After we got out of the river, we were right at the resort (about 3-5 minutes away). We had a great lunch with chicken, rice & beans & coleslaw inside the resort. We ate with the other couple who did the zip lining and then we decided to head back to the port to get some shopping in.

 

I would highly recommend Jaguar's Paw for cave tubing. With the small groups, the individualized service & great guides, it was our best excursion of the cruise.

 

 

We are going in 3 weeks and trying to decide if doing the Jaguar Paw combo of Cave Tubing and Zip Line is too much and/or TOO rushed....I have done the cave tubing before; doing the Zip Line first sounds good...as this is our preferred...if we had to cut the cave tubing little short oh well. Guess I'm more concerned about the Time (being over-rushed and not getting the quality tour), and the quality of the actual company (Jaguar Paw), vehicles, etc. I have yet to see a bad review of them. Hard to beat it for $70pp.

 

Any thoughts or suggestions so i can just go ahead and book this excursion and get on to all my other decisions for other ports ;)

[StartrainDD]

I think if you do both the cave-tubing part is shorter. If you don't mind that, go for it! Best suggestion is e-mail Jaguar Paw directly. They always got back to me in a day. I think they are first class and highly recommend them. Don't forget to buy a shirt!

[HockeyTown]

I think if you do both the cave-tubing part is shorter. If you don't mind that, go for it! Best suggestion is e-mail Jaguar Paw directly. They always got back to me in a day. I think they are first class and highly recommend them. Don't forget to buy a shirt!

 

Thx Star...yes, I did email them last week and they did reply back with a very detailed reply. With the combo you do 4 of the 5 caves. They provided a detailed time-line...part of it depends on how fast all the passengers get to the island; but they allowed 2 hrs from arrival time, do the Combo, and be back with 45 mins before last tender. Little tight, but hopefully all will go smooth.

 

We are going to go with them. The Zip Line area looked very "Jungle" like in their Pic's; unlike some of the Zip Line pic's we seen in Roatan and such; which just look like an open Farm field. We'll have to keep an eye for the shirts ;)

[Kruzergrl]

Hi Everyone!

 

I just got off the Valor in Sept. and used Yhony's group at Cave-tubing.com. Had the BEST time!!!! Dennis was our guide (group of about 10-12,all cruise critic friends) Dennis carried ALL the tubes for the women and the walk was informative and funny. We did the ATV/tubing and the group overall had a blast. You pay at the end. Would definately go with them again!!!!! :)

Brenda

[cruisemd]

Just returned from Belize. Went with ncgadventures dot com. This is a smaller outfit and thus gives personal attention to the group. There were 6 of us . Transported in an A/C van with Nacho giving us info on the area (Cynthia, his wife, was out of town) Did zip lining- beat the crowd of buses- then did cave tubing. Other groups did not because of previous heavy rains closed original location. Nacho must know more ppl because our experience was great and safe. Lunch at Jaguar Paw was excellent. Chicken, rice and beans, slaw. And the ever-present Coca-Cola. I've heard some tours offer snack outside. We were inside a great rainforest lodge after being allowed to change into dry, comfy clothes.

Nacho was very aware of our time requirements and had us back in tme to do some shopping before last tenders departed.

The drive is about 45 min. but was made very entertaining and informative.

We cannot find ncgadventures.com on the internet. Their website does not seem to exist, nor can they be googled.

[maruchan25]

;) It is ncqadventuretours dot com

[BananaKetchup]

Attention those who have done cave tubing:

do you feel it is worth the 45 min bus ride and then the 1/2 hour hike to the caves?

Do you feel it cut into too much of your day?

We really are interested in doing this excursion, but there is only limited time on the island.

 

For those who have done the cave tubing, what time did you have to meet @ the bus and what time did you return from the excursion?

[StartrainDD]

Attention those who have done cave tubing:

do you feel it is worth the 45 min bus ride and then the 1/2 hour hike to the caves? Absolutely worth it! It's not just a bus / van ride. A good guide will tell you about the city and country during the trip. On the way back you will be happy just to rest.

Do you feel it cut into too much of your day? No.

We really are interested in doing this excursion, but there is only limited time on the island. Technical, but Belize is not an island. There are islands (Cayes) off the coast for divers, snorkelers, and beach days. You can't do both the cave tubing and the beach.

 

For those who have done the cave tubing, what time did you have to meet @ the bus and what time did you return from the excursion? Our van left at 9:20 and we were back at the port at 3:00 with plenty of time to shop. Bought some neat hoodie jackets and a shirt. We never felt hurried. We did only the cave tubing at Jaguar Paw and had a wonderful lunch at their resort and also toured the resort.

 

Enjoy your visit to Belize!

[salboz]

Didn't think it was worth it. Rather strenuous hike and limited visibility in caves. Not much to see.

[wgeddings]

Whether it is worth it or not will depend on your guide. We just got back and did the ATV and cave tubing tour through cave-tubing.com (our guide was Evan) and it was wonderful. We went before years ago and just did cave tubing with another company and it was okay but this time was outstanding! We watched some ship tours being rushed by us on the trial and in the water so I doubt they had nearly as much fun. Use a local company, whether it is cave-tubing.com or not, and you will get a much better tour and time. Of course, my recommendation would be Evan with cave-tubing.com and the ATV part really added a lot of icing.

 

For my full review of Belize and the rest of the cruise, click here http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=60115

[DavieMike]

After researching we picked cave-tubing.com, as they offered the ATV combo.

The ATV ride was in the mud as it had just rained. Almost everyone loved it (7 out of 8), 8 out of 8 loved the cave tubing. I recommend the cave-tubing. com people. They were a very personable,attentive, safety conscious and fun group. There were 2 of them in the water while we went through the caves. and 3 of them on the bus. They were careful to make sure we were back on time.

so....it will be fine if you use them.(and their prices are very good).

[bastrddrmr]

I just booked Major Tom for the cruise we're taking on the Carnival Glory this month. Hope it's great!

 

I originally was thinking about booking the ATV/cave tubing combo with cave tubing dot com; it sounds pretty good but I had read in a few places that it seemed really rushed. It's good to read some different opinions about it.

[wgeddings]

We went on the ATV portion of the cave-tubing.com combo tour last week and it was anything but rushed. Although I am sure rain contributes to the amount of mud, I think they may water it or have deliberately put the trail in low areas because mud is a big part of what they want you to experience. When they say "You will get muddy", that will should in all CAPS. Regardless of the mud and the supposed thrill of riding an ATV in the jungle, it is a lot like an amusement park ride where making the danger or thrill seem real while still keeping everyone safe is the priority. The ruts in the trail keep you from going out of control and despite all the mud we rode through, we never got stuck even a little so I assume they have some good traction things under the water. You cross log bridges and all kinds of stuff.

 

A big tip I have, and this applies to cave-tubing.com as well as any other private operator, is that if you start to feel rushed, tell the guide. The ship tours do not care but a private operator should care a lot. if they are smart, they will slow down or take other steps to ensure you are happy but if you do not mention a concern or problem, they will not know and cannot adjust.

[SueLuvs2Cruise]

Just popped in as I said I would.

 

We were in Belize last Thursday (ugh a week ago today already), and we were not able to go cave tubing. Major Tom cancelled it due to safety reasons, as it had rained for three days before we got there. He explained that once I got back to shoot him an email and he will process my refund. Kinda disappointed but what can ya do.

 

On the other hand my friend was booked on the dot com site, they still went, she said it was miserable, and said that at least she got a free mud bath out of it (her legs were still caked when I seen her onboard later).

 

I guess the best advice is to get to know when thier rainy season is, because it will be the deciding factor for me from now on.

[wgeddings]

Hmm, that is odd that you had trouble. We were in Belize Nov 25 (Wednesday of last week) and our guide, Evan, said the river was normal. It was normal for us and there was no rain until afternoon and then the skies opened up but luckily it is torrents of rain for a few minutes then it stops. In any event, it looked like most companies were running tours fine on Wednesday. Evan did mention that his company (cave-tubing.com) is the one that trains the park rangers and the only company allowed to go when the river is running high (which it was not on Wednesday).

 

I will also mention that cave-tubing.com does not accept payment until after the tour. That means you never have to worry about a refund because you do not pay them anything until you know you have gone and know you had a good time. No credit card guarantee or anything else. If Major Tom took money then cancelled the tour for Thursday (when I know what it was like on Wednesday and I cannot believe it changed that much), I am awfully glad I went with cave-tubing.com.

[michaelaz]

I cant get tubing.com to return a email or order confirmation via website. Sent 2 this week nothing back.

 

Any Ideas ?

[bastrddrmr]

I cant get tubing.com to return a email or order confirmation via website. Sent 2 this week nothing back.

 

Any Ideas ?

 

Book with Major Tom instead?

[wgeddings]

I had a lot of trouble originally getting to their website. Odd other sites kept popping up so the first thing I recommend is copy and paste this address exactly to be sure you are going to the right place http://www.cave-tubing.com/ I always got very quick responses so it might be that their response is getting caught in your spam filter. That would be my first thought.

 

Their website has several contact options you can use. When I posted my review on their site, I got a response super quick there too so I know they do answer e-mails.

 

My final thought about it is that I know they watch this board (just as many other private providers do) so you might post a message asking them to contact you.

 

Good luck.

[sparky791]

I know you pay after. We are taking the atv/cavetubing tour. What do you do with your money/belongings while you are on tour? I would think if you had them on you they may get wet and muddy. We are going on the legend over christmas and can't wait.

[wgeddings]

The belongings (and change of clothes, wallet, towel, etc.) you take with you but do not want to take on the cave tubing part, you leave in the car, van or bus which the guide locks. I know it sounds risky but again bear in mind that the private operators have to rely on good word of mouth so they are VERY careful with your belongings. If word got out that someone had something stolen from the car, van or bus, not only could they lose their tour guide privileges but it would be a big hit on their business. In the parking lot, there are park rangers patrolling the lot. Also note that everyone who enters the park is either a tour guide, park employee or a tourist and there are no private people just wandering through. Having seen it twice, I believe it is as secure as it can be.

 

Perhaps some day soon, someone will get the idea to rent locker space in order to make more money but until then, I have no qualms leaving my stuff in the guide's vehicle.