Cave tubing in Belize with kids 7 & 9

[bbrme]

We are thinking about doing a cave tubing tour in Belize this Dec and was hoping that someone would have some tips on the best tour guides to use with children. Has anyone tried this? Do the kids have fun? How do they deal with timid children?

 

DH and DS9 really want to do this but DD7 is not quite sure. She is pretty timid and tends to whine a lot when she is out of her comfort zone. I'm also considering letting the boys go cave tubing and the 2 of us go somewhere else - any suggestions?

 

thanks for your help

Beth

[DALSAL]

We are thinking about doing a cave tubing tour in Belize this Dec and was hoping that someone would have some tips on the best tour guides to use with children. Has anyone tried this? Do the kids have fun? How do they deal with timid children?

 

DH and DS9 really want to do this but DD7 is not quite sure. She is pretty timid and tends to whine a lot when she is out of her comfort zone. I'm also considering letting the boys go cave tubing and the 2 of us go somewhere else - any suggestions?

 

thanks for your help

Beth

 

I definitely would NOT go with thru the cruise ship. They have way too many people and not enough guides. I used Yhonny a few years ago, and he was awesome! If it had not been for him and a couple of his crew, a lady from the ship would not have lived to tell about her cave tubing excursion! He tells you when to lift your butt, and when some drop off is approaching, so you will know what to do. The ship has too many people to be able to help out everyone. This lady fell off her tube when it went thru the whirlpool and then drop off. They rushed over to help her as they realized she was in trouble, and we NEVER saw anyone from the ship!

 

He and his guys are great with kids! You can also find others on the Belize boards. But you can find him at cave-tubing.com.

 

And, I know after reading this, it sounds scary, but I was the biggest worrier of all, and Yhonny stayed with me the whole time! Even had someone else come over to be near me when he went off to rescue the lady!

[epixx]

See this:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1148761&highlight=belize+cave+tubing

[Sky616]

We did this a few years back when our son was 6 1/2. Like your child he was timid at first. We went with Major Tom's company. His son Little Tom and another took our group of 9. It was great. One of the best excursions I've been on. My son really did like it as it turned out. He actually rode on his mom's lap as he was very light weight wise for his age at the time. The water that day was running a little high but the guides knew there way around the cave like the back of their hand. They were really good swimmers and were very knowlegeable of the caves. I think your family would have a great time.

[lovetheislands]

Definitely go! We took my DDs (6 and 8 at the time), last year. They loved it. It is not scary - actually relaxing and VERY neat. Was the best excursion of the trip. We went with Major Tom and loved our guides. Felt very safe - they are huge on safety. Would highly, highly recommend. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions :)

[Nebr.cruiser]

I go along with the cruiser who said not to use a ship's tour. We went with a private compay with about 4 guides for 15 or so people. Just ahead of us was a ship tour with dozens of people and only a couple of guides.

 

Watching them get into the water and head downstream was chaos. The water was a little high--our guides helped each person individually into their tubes; the other group were mostly on their own--people were floating away ahead of the group or away from the main current, others were falling off their tubes into the water, etc. We actually saw one of their 'guides' throw a baby--about one, I'd say--to the parent who was already starting to float.

 

We felt completely safe and had guides actively helping us every minute. Their group just randomly floated through the caves, on their own.

 

This was before a passenger was drowned on a ship's tour, though, so maybe safety precautions are better now.

 

Also, only you know your child and just how scared and whiny she will get. Some kids will get over their fears and have fun. I have been around others who just won't relax and try anything new and make everyone else miserable. I will say that I thought the tubing was really rather mild and that all of my grandkids, who range from 5 to 11, would probably love it, with one exception--a whiny, won't try anything new, type.

[bbrme]

Thanks for all the great info. I think if she can ride on her dad's tube she will be ok. SKY616 - how much did your son weigh? DD is about 42 lbs.

 

So is Major Tom the best tour to take with kids?

[kimber814]

we are going with MT in August with our 3 and 5 year old....For those that have gone, what shoes would you recommend for the kids? I know not flip flops....Crocs? Sandals? Water shoes? ( I worry about the "HIKE" with water shoes...)

 

Thanks!!

[Nebr.cruiser]

I think water sandals would be best, if you have them. The hike is really not bad, but for kids that age it will be harder. I sure wouldn't wear crocs or flip flops. The closed type of water shoes would be ok, and maybe old sneakers too. I wore tevas and was fine. My husband wore water sandals.

[seashell36]

Don't wear crocs. When they get wet the feet tend to slide about inside the shoe - that can lead to a twisted ankle or worse. If you want them to wear crocs there are croc shoes that grip the feet. DS has a pair that have the bungee cord z strap to tighten them down on his feet. The tread on those shoes isn't great though. I would still go with old tennis shoes or water shoes with a good sole.

[kimber814]

thanks for replies! i think 3 of us have water shoes (need to check soles) and will need to find something for the 3 year old!

[kassimer1]

we went cave tubing in june on belize and we use cave-tubing.com. I think the kids will love it the water was not that deep ( our gude walked it the whole way and they had life jackets. it is about a 30 minute walk over stones to ge tto thew river and thew river was slow ( like a lazy river at a water park) they gave us miner like head flashlights to use. it is only 50$ but we added ATV ride thru the rainforest and a lunch all for 75$ and they have a policy that you dont pay til it sover and you are satisfied. We actually had someone in our party that had trouble with the walk so one guide stayed with us while everyione went ahead - it wa slike a private tour !!!

http://www.cave-tubing.com/

[luvtravelbug]

We did the ship's shore excursion for cave tubing and we really enjoyed the guides on the bus and the guide that took us through the caves. There is not really a current so the guide paddled us down the river. The bigger caves get really dark and there were some bats, so be mindful of that if your kids are afraid of the dark. I really hate bats so I was on the look-out, but you may not notice them if you aren't looking. Also, I don't know where other tours start, but from the port to the "base camp" it was an hour and a half (if I remember correctly). Really nice scenery and the guides were very interesting and pointing things out along the way. If the kids get bored easily you may need to bring something to pass the time. There were lockers to store and lock your stuff. The ride back was pretty quiet since everyone was tired. I would definitely not wear flip flops. You need something with some grip and won't slide off your feet. Hope this helps.

[tiff123]

What time of year are you going? We went in February when the water was low and slow. Virtually as safe as a bathtub!!! My 5 & 7yo did the ATV & Cave Tubing combo with Yhony and I will second "BUTTS UP!!!" a strong recommendation for them. They were very personable, professional and accomodating. They would not let us carry our tubes (one guy carrying about a dozen!!). Our kids loved them! Being with them, it is very evident they are concerned about safety. You will hear them shouting "butts up!" all the time and they will hook your rafts up in a floating line. We would see many people from our cruise in the cruise ship excursion floating with us looking at us curiously.... you could tell the energy was with our group and not theirs! The ride back the guide had us all laughing and we got off the bus all smiles. What a great day!!:D

[Mack2]

I took my family on a cave tubing trip our last cruise, last year.

We went with cavetubing.bz which we found on CC and tripadvisor.

 

We were aboard the Carnival Legend in November. Carnival still had a moratorium on their cave tubing because of a fatal incident that occurred on one of their tours.

 

 

That being said, I thought our tour was GREAT!

We had kids as young as 4 on the trip, they had us in groups of 8, and we had a wonderful time.

 

My kids are comfortable in the water, and the youngest member of our tour had his tube secured alongside his mother's tube. (my kids' tubes were secured alongside myself, my wife, and my sister)

 

I think the most challenging part was the hike to the caves, but the guides carried the kids' tubes, which made it a lot easier.

 

pictures:

[lumpkin8]

We went in early Sept. on the Carnival Legend's ships tour,and it was great. We had 8 people, linked together (4 in a row, 2 rows holding a rope between them). Our river guide took excellent care of us. The walk was 1/2 hour there, and we were given info on the flora on our way. It was totally safe, and extremely well -strucutured.

They also rented water shoes (not sure of the price) at the river for those who needed them.

[cb at sea]

Never, ever wear flip-flops when your feet may get wet...they can truly cause you to have a nasty fall....(experience talking here!) Wear shoes that fasten TIGHTLY to your foot....even old, beat up tennis shoes will work, as long as they are tight to your foot!