Tubing excursions -- 2012/2013 season update?

[psujmatt]

Was considering a tubing excursion in January on Dominica, but after reading reviews/reports from last year of low water levels, bumps, and bruises, I am no longer very eager to try it.

 

Has anyone done any of these yet this season? If so, which river? With which cruise line (and operator, if you know)? We are on the Celebrity Equinox.

 

Thank you.

[VaCruzers]

We were in Dominica the first week of November and went tubing as part of our day with Antours. It was one of the highlights of our trip. Our day included the Emerald Pool (this was not my favorite) followed by the tubing which was so much fun. Although the river looked deceptively narrow and shallow, there was plenty of water and, in parts, plenty of current to propel us through some lower class rapids. We were accompanied by 3 guides on the water who ensured our safety and gathered us together before each potentially tricky part so one could go ahead and position himself to prevent any of us from encountering a potentially dangerous or tricky area to maneuver. I would definitely do this again and highly recommend it. Do it!! We were required to wear life jackets and helmets, so it's not a particularly fashionable tour, but safe nonetheless.

[psujmatt]

VaCruzers,

Thank you very much for the update. That sounds a lot better than what people reported last year.

[VaCruzers]

VaCruzers,

Thank you very much for the update. That sounds a lot better than what people reported last year.

 

I'm happy to share this info as I was apprehensive about the tour and the tubing in particular. We decided to go with a group from our roll call because we didn't really see any particular excursions that were far more appealing than any other. After we committed, I read some questionable reviews so I was not sure what to expect. We had tubed a few times in Belize, but this was not as "lazy river" as our Belize experience, but not too rough for us. For context, I am 50 & my hubby is 55. He is in reasonably good shape physically, but I could use a lot more exercise. It was no problem to complete the tubing. Hope you have fun if you decide to go!

[Superweezie]

We just did this 1 week ago and loved it. The night before it rained quite a bit so the river was much faster and deeper than even the guides anticipated. My husband doesn't swim so I was actually hoping for the calm but he did just fine and sailed on by. He did get dumped out once but in shallow enough water that he popped right up. I got dumped out at lead twice. Little bruise on my shoulder but nothing crazy. Another couple got the brunt of it and got a few scraps and another lost his tube for a few minutes. It was beautiful and the few places you could float along it was quite peaceful.

[psujmatt]

Thank you Superweezie. Do you remember which tour you went on, because Celebrity seems to offer several?

[Superweezie]

We did the river tubing and emerald pool tour.

[psujmatt]

Thank you again. That's the one my wife was most interested in before I read reviews from last year, so she will again be excited for it!

[TwoChicagoGuys]

Thank you again. That's the one my wife was most interested in before I read reviews from last year, so she will again be excited for it!

 

We just signed up for the Emerald Pool and River Tubing Tour, which I gather is the same one you were referring to. We'll be on Celebrity Equinox in February.

 

Would you mind posting a follow-up comment after you go, assuming we don't sail before you? I'd love to hear very recent feedback about the tour and your experience. Hope you have fun!

 

Thanks,

 

-Chad

[psujmatt]

I will post an update after our trip if we take this excursion, which should be before yours. We are keeping this our first choice, but decided to wait to book on-board, so there is a small chance it will be full.

[psujmatt]

Had a great time on this excursion last week! Will try to write a more detailed review (just got home)...this would be great for most people with a few cautions I'll write up later.

[psujmatt]

Slightly more details about Celebrity Emerald Pool and Tubing, which we loved:

 

We did the tubing first. The last bit of the road along the Layou River had lots of pot holes and was quite bumpy. The tubes were yellow and made of a thick, strong material and had two handles. We were given a thin helmet and life vest. Tevas, water shoes, sneakers, etc. were a good idea. Due to being in a river valley, there was basically no sun on us during the time.

 

As for safety, I would say there were no concerns for most people. Since you do float through some small rapids and up against large rocks, you should have the strength and ability to occasionally lift up your head or use your feet to push off a rock, and you may occasionally want to lift your rear-end a little higher. With those abilities, I felt quite safe. The nature of the river made it impossible for my wife and I to stay near each other, and once I got stuck in a very shallow area and had to stand up and walk to a deeper area and it was a bit slippery, but for me this was part of the fun! They had several "guides" swimming along in the river to push you away from such shallow areas most of the time and they did a great job. I could have waited for them to help me but wanted to try to get moving again to catch up to my wife.

 

I only saw one person flip out his tube unintentionally, and he did it twice. He was a rather large gentleman and I think his belly size skewed his center of gravity. I never felt like I would flip (I'm about 150 pounds).

 

Tubing last probably 45-50 minutes.

 

While driving around the island, the tour guide narrated a lot about of the island, pointing out lots of fruits etc. and providing information about the island's history, economy, government, etc. She did a great job.

 

On the way to the Emerald Pool, we stopped for restrooms and a free drink at a small hotel looking out over a rainforest valley. Most people really seemed to need a restroom by this point!

 

We proceeded to the Emerald Pool. At this point it was raining and a bit cooler (we were in the rainforest after all). There are changing areas at the parking lot for the Emerald Pool. It is about 10-15 minute walk to the pool, including about 120 steps. The water was a bit chilly especially in the rain, but the area was beautiful. We hit it at a good time with nearly no one there, but then it filled up and lost some of its luster.

[Cinder Again]

I just did the river tubing for the second time with Antours two weeks ago, and the water was lower this time. I think it can change fairly often, as it's really just based on the weeks rain. I really like this tour company and their price was significantly lower than the similar tour on HAL. I thought they were safe, although we did have a couple of bigger guys dump out of their tubes, I think it was more a center of gravity thing.

Ironically, the water is actually more difficult to nagivate when the water was lower as it was two weeks ago. When the water is deeper, you tend to float more harmlessly down the river, but we all had a great time, again. I recommend Antours highly.

Since we had done this same tour before, we opted for River tubing only this time, which gave us some time back in town to check emails, etc. before our ship sailed. Anison kept our valuables safe in the van while we were in the water. Take water shoes, towel and sunscreen. At the end they provided some punch, beer and water. Lots of fun, and I will do the tour again, just because of the beauty of the river...