XRAIL Adventure to Jade Cavern

[mlthomas]

I wanted to be able to bring our camera. We are doing the land rovers in Belize and I've been told you can bring a backpack, you just put it on the floor between your feet. Does this x-rail even have a floor? Is there a place to put a backpack? Thanks :)

 

They have floors but not really a good place to put a backpack!! We were unable to bring anything and considering the rough terrain it was probably a good thing. They have lockers where they told us to leave everything back. Good luck and have a blast:)

[Tess and Pal]

Thanks for the reply MLTHOMAS. Do you they take pictures at all (and then of course try to sell them to you:) ?

[jimantha]

You might be able to get a backpack to sit behind your legs or tie it to your x-rail, but I wouldn't try it. I also don't think I'd take a "nice" camera. Bring a waterproof disposable film one and you'll be OK.

 

Thanks for the reply MLTHOMAS. Do you they take pictures at all (and then of course try to sell them to you:) ?

 

They do take some pics along the way, most are in a staged "look at the cool thing I'm doing" spots. They also try and sell them to you, and generally it's a CD with all the pics that they're selling. Most also have stock photos that they include. If you can, try and partner up with someone else and go in on buying the CD together, and hopefully you can pull your pics onto the laptop that one of you brings onboard.

[Tess and Pal]

Thanks for the reply. A disposable camera is a good idea. Thanks again!

[mlthomas]

Thanks for the reply MLTHOMAS. Do you they take pictures at all (and then of course try to sell them to you:) ?

 

My camera was too valuable to risk taking but try a disposable one. It was about $25 or so for a CD with all the pictures on it. They took quite a few in different areas....but not really something I thought was worth it :). Have fun!

 

P.S. We had MAJOR issues with one of our xrails and was very stressful and disappointing. We actually ran late and almost missed getting back to the 'ship' on time. I did receive a refund for one of the xrails though.

[bjcruiser]

Who did everyone book this with. I am thinking of doing it with the ship since we have some OBC to burn.

[mlthomas]

Who did everyone book this with. I am thinking of doing it with the ship since we have some OBC to burn.

 

Mine was with cozumelcruiseexcursions dot com. $87.50/pp ($175 per XRail buggy)

Edited February 3, 2012 by mlthomas

[bjcruiser]

DD did this and had a great time, enjoyed the ride, road was bumpy, did not do the swim at the cave, but really enjoyed the history the guide shared. Planned to get muddy and didn't slow when they saw this 'puddle'

 

 

Can not wait for this in April. I am sure my DH will be doing the same thing:)

[mlthomas]

Can not wait for this in April. I am sure my DH will be doing the same thing:)

 

The roads are VERY bumpy but very fun! The faster and riskier you are the better the experience. We DID swim at the cavern however if I would do this again, I would NOT swim - the smell was not very pleasant and the bats in the cave were a bit too much for me (since you couldn't see a thing and you know they are all above your head and bat poo in the water....). The history tour and discussions from the tour guides was fantastic! Enjoy:)

[mlthomas]

 

 

 

[seaweavers]

Thanks to Carolina Girl for the wonderful review and pictures. We got the same funny looks when we returned from zip lining in Costa Rica, which was a blast. Still unsure if we want to do this. Don't like the idea of possibly breaking down.

[KristyM79]

Bat poo in the water?? It does make sense though. I have this excursion booked and it didn't even occur to me. A guidebook I have mentions how clean cenotes are to swim in.

 

Obviously you wouldn't consume the water in the cenote, but has anyone heard of anyone getting sick?

[mlthomas]

Bat poo in the water?? It does make sense though. I have this excursion booked and it didn't even occur to me. A guidebook I have mentions how clean cenotes are to swim in.

 

Obviously you wouldn't consume the water in the cenote, but has anyone heard of anyone getting sick?

 

The water looks very cloudy and green when you arrive at the cenote but the guide takes a water bottle and fills it up right in front of you and it is actually very clear. My son who was 18 years old did get sick that night on the ship, but not sure if that was the cause or not (he started with a terrible cough and chest issues).

 

Honestly, having the 1 xrail brake down 4 separate times -- steering column dropped, brakes failed, etc. -- it really ruined the whole excursion for my hubby and daughter, well and for myself and my son too. It threw everyone off and caused bitter feelings towards the guide. They were 'stranded' 3 of those times and we had to wait for another xrail to come and replace it each of the times. We just basically gave up at the end and said bring us back we want out. :(

 

I am sorry to provide such a negative feedback but it is reality that not all excursions are worth it for each person. You may go and have the best time, it was just unfortunate that we didn't have a good time at all.

[KristyM79]

The water looks very cloudy and green when you arrive at the cenote but the guide takes a water bottle and fills it up right in front of you and it is actually very clear. My son who was 18 years old did get sick that night on the ship, but not sure if that was the cause or not (he started with a terrible cough and chest issues).

 

Hmmm, I'm getting more and more leery of this. I mentioned the bat poo to my DH and he had the same reaction as me. We'll probably just take pictures.

[mlthomas]

Hmmm, I'm getting more and more leery of this. I mentioned the bat poo to my DH and he had the same reaction as me. We'll probably just take pictures.

 

Good idea! There were a couple of people who stayed back and did the same.:) What part of Michigan are you from? It has been a crazy winter hasn't it - very mild and not much snow here at all!

Edited February 6, 2012 by mlthomas

[KristyM79]

I live in Waterford, about an hour outside of Detroit. The weather has been crazy! 45 degree weather in February, I'll take it!

[jerseygirl79]

I have pics in my review..here's the link.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1244597

 

Great pics! Where did you keep your camera to keep it from getting destroyed?

[Carolinagirl82]

Great pics! Where did you keep your camera to keep it from getting destroyed?

 

Thanks! I kept it in a waterproof case, and put that in a ziplock bag.

[ham_bone]

damn! we (2 couples) have been leaning towards doing this but after reading about the maintenance issues, i think it may be a no go for us. i have my own ATV and know 1st hand that they break, even with proper maintenance. the wives are also nervous beacuase we had a bad experience with scooters last time in cozumel (they ripped off someone in our group saying he scratched up the scooter which was already scratched, dented and duct taped together when he rented it).

[Tracer140]

I'm so glad to finally see a post about someones Xtrail experience. Thank you. I was about to give up and change our excursion for this port.

[viciouslysh]

I'm going to try it next week. I'll let you know my experience when I get back. We are flying there for a few days.

[Tracer140]

Great! Thank you. Have a wonderful trip.

[viciouslysh]

We are back! Took the Xrails through Wild Tours. It was a lot of fun. It had been raining so it was extra muddy! The trail is long and rough. Steering is tough at first. I wouldn't take my younger child who is 7. But everyone loved it. The guides were excellent and so helpful. Cavern and cenote was a new and interesting thing to see. Most jumped in but a few didn't. I would probably recommend taking your own good goggles. There's weren't that great and we had so much water and mud splashed on our face. We took a change of clothes and actually threw ours away. I was prepared for that so I took old shorts and tank top. we always sit at the beach so this was an exciting change!

[Tracer140]

Welcome back. Glad to hear you had a good time. Thanks for the review of the excursion.

[CDNJehn]

Has anyone done this excursion recently? Wondering how often they run late getting back to the port?

The timing indicates you'd be back by noon and our ship is in port until 6. Hoping to have some afternoon beach time...