Belize cave tubing

[Tneu717]

Has anyone successfully booked an excursion through carnival and received on board credit for finding a better price? Specifically for cave tubing in Belize but I'm sure any info would be helpful. Butts up offers $35 lunch included which is half the price of Carnival!

[teknoge3k]

I've not used Butts Up but have seen lots of positive feedback on them. Several in our roll call is using them. We're going through David Castillo for our excursion.

[Brad1972]

Thats the deal we always use. $35 booked directly through butts up and they provide a lunch. They also go through the ENTIRE cave and your tubes are usually always up at the river waiting for you. you dont have to carry your tubes up the trail. Book through Carnival and you only get to tube through half the caves and they make you get out at the opening in the caves halfway though. You have to carry your tube and the walk back to the parking lot is longer because of having to get out halfway through. Last time we went our tour guide said if you book though the ship you pay more, the tour is shorter and you carry your own tube. I cant remember if they get lunch though.

[IPlayWithString]

Thats the deal we always use. $35 booked directly through butts up and they provide a lunch. They also go through the ENTIRE cave and your tubes are usually always up at the river waiting for you. you dont have to carry your tubes up the trail. Book through Carnival and you only get to tube through half the caves and they make you get out at the opening in the caves halfway though. You have to carry your tube and the walk back to the parking lot is longer because of having to get out halfway through. Last time we went our tour guide said if you book though the ship you pay more, the tour is shorter and you carry your own tube. I cant remember if they get lunch though.

 

If Carnival is still using Dark Night as their tour operator for the cave tubing, I wouldn't go. A couple of years ago, we chose this tour and it was nothing short of a nightmare.

 

After we had arrived at the site, we were told by the guide on the bus that they'd JUST found out (which, I didn't believe it tbh) that the caves were too flooded to go in. So instead of taking us back to the port (which I'm sure a lot of the group would've preferred over what ended up coming next), we were given the choice of going on a "short" jungle hike which would last about 45 min, followed by tubing down a river and the lunch that was included in our excursion.

 

The "short" hike ended up lasting around 3 hours and at the end, when we got to the river, we were forced to hold on to one another to keep from being separated because they were in such a hurry they didn't bother to tie the tubes together. So I spent probably half an hour or so in a super uncomfortable position trying to hang onto my son (who was on one side of me) and the guy next to me. My back hurt SO bad by the time we got out of the river. My son (who is mostly vegetarian) was so hungry by that point (it was after 3 pm and we'd last eaten around 7 or 7:30) that he wolfed down everything on his plate, including the "jerk" chicken and tried to eat my food as well. Thank goodness Carnival will wait a reasonable amount of time for ship-sponsored tours that are running late, because we ended up being about an hour and a half late back to the ship. My son had some pretty bad blisters on his feet because we'd been told to wear water shoes, which are not meant for hiking in the jungle. DS and I also ended up with headlice:o:loudcry: from the helmets we were told we HAD to wear at all times during the hike even though we were only in a cave which might have required us wearing helmets for about 5-10 min total. It was brutally hot and we didn't have any water. When we DID stop for water, we were only allowed one tiny cup each. :o:loudcry:

 

DH (and everybody else on the tour) went to guest svc when we got back that night and they refunded our excursion as well as set up a special tour of the navigational bridge AND a stuffed animal from Camp Carnival for my son (we didn't ask for that..our on-board Special Needs liason did that of her own accord, for which we were SUPER grateful).

[salty dingo]

Cruise line tours have MANY people per guide. When we went cave tubing with a private tour, we had six people per guide. Your call, but I would not do the tour with the cruise line.

[dmdiver]

I've never used the price guarantee, but if you decide to just go with an independent, we used cavetubing dot bz and had a great trip. It included transportation, caves & lunch.

[Homosassa]

when we got to the river, we were forced to hold on to one another to keep from being separated because they were in s

uch a hurry they didn't bother to tie the tubes together. So I spent probably half an hour or so in a super uncomfortable position trying to hang onto my son (who was on one side of me) and the guy next to me. My back hurt SO bad by the time we got out of the river. Thank goodness Carnival will wait a reasonable amount of time for ship-sponsored tours that are running late, because we ended up being about an hour and a half late back to the ship. DS and I also ended up with headlice:o:loudcry: from the helmets we were told we HAD to wear at all times during the hike even though we were only in a cave which might have required us wearing helmets for about 5-10 min total.

 

 

Several comments and questions:

 

We have done cave tubing in Belize. While they had us hooked together in a human chain (no ropes) while in the caves, we were told to unhook and run the river individually. They gave us a reason (I forget) but being unhooked is SOP for river tubing.

 

I have been on three excursions in Belize that involved travel of one-two hours by road from port. ALL returned late for various reasons and I was glad we were on ship excursions.

 

One group of 18 passengers from our ship were left behind as they had booked a private tour to cave tube and we passed them standing next to their broken down bus on the way back. As we were late returning, a last tender was held for us and when we arrived at the ship, we set sail. I don't know what that group did.

 

Belize is not a port that I would strike out on my own any distance from port because of the distance involved for most excursions.

 

How do you know that the head lice were from the helmets? Given the amount of time for nits to hatch (two weeks) or even the amount of time that usually passes before a live infestation becomes apparent, there is a pretty good chance you were infested before the cruise or somewhere else.

[poz222]

Yes, my family tried the price guarantee, but Carnival said that they were not the exact same tour (one included a “jungle hike” and full cave so they denied the price difference. I’ve done Butts Up 3 Times, I did the cruise line once (I had trouble carrying my tube down the hill) so I much prefer Butts up... they are great.

[LuckyZ]

We did Cave Tubing years ago in Belize but can’t remember which tour company it was. It it involved a 45 minute hike through the rain forest carrying tubes to get to the river, a nice leisurely ride on tubes through the caves, and then a lunch at a place called Cheer. It was OK. It not sure we’d do it again.

 

What I remember most was

1) the water you enter to float to the caves is the coldest I ever experienced

2) the Cheers place has T shirts signed by patrons and left to hang on the walls

 

 

Forums

[CeleBrat]

Vistsed Belize last week and we took a private tour. No issues. We've actually taken the private tours twice to go cave tubing,a nd would gladly do so again.

 

One interesting factoid from my parents, who took a private "City Tour" (booked via a Trip Advisor listing), is that their tour guide said that in order to be licensed as a tour guide in Belize, the operator has to commit to ensuring that no one is late to get back to their ship, otherwise the tour operator is responsible for ensuring the guest gets to their next port-of-call.

 

I searched on the Belize tour licensing site, and can't find the requirements to be a tour guide. However, I thought this fact was interesting.

 

CeleBrat

[tea4ular]

We also went through cavetubing dot bz - they were so nice, friendly, and it was a super fun adventure with them. Mr. Reyes (the owner) and his family were wonderful.. I wouldn't hesitate to book with them again (and for the record, we are 2 women over 50).

[tea4ular]

I just unearthed my journal from Belize, and thought I'd share the portion regarding Cave Tubing in Belize (we were sailing on Magic) -

 

We had a full day excursion booked through cavetubing dot bz (VS booking with Carnival) and were excited to begin the day. Belize is a tendered port, so there’s some finessing required to get off the ship. Our tour guide said they would wait for everyone who booked the tour however requested we try to be off within an hour of docking. It was a relatively painless experience and excitement was in the air.

 

When we got to the pier in Belize dot bz was right there waiting for us. They guided us to a shaded area and we had an opportunity to use the restroom before the rest of our small group arrived. I think we were 10-12 in all. A couple of children and the rest adults (we were the oldest). We were escorted to an air conditioned van and off we went!

 

Belize is a very lush and tropical country in Central America. English is spoken here and we learned a lot about the country. School is mandatory and it is free. Until the early 1970s the country was known as British Honduras and was a Commonwealth country.They are independent now (since the early 1980s) however Queen Elizabeth II remains as head of state. Everyone we met was polite and thoughtful. Our guides for the day and Vitalino Reyes’ (owner of dot bz) family were just delightful!We drove inland for about an hour as we made our way to the national park and headed to the river where we would be suited up in a helmet with a miners’light, and life vests. From there we walked through the Mayan rainforest for about 25-30 minutes, even walking through the river at one point to get to the other side. The water was chilly, not “cold” but not tropical warm. Unlike some of the other tours we saw, we did not have to carry our tubes during the hike.The forest walk was beautiful and our guides showed us all sorts of things that were exciting, like a leaf that when its stem was broken “bled” a saffron colored sap, which the Mayan used for facial and body decorating. And another leaf/stem that tasted like allspice, and had a numbing effect (medicinal uses).Someone in our group opted for trying a woodland termite. I wasn’t game. Most of the walk (they called it a “hike”) was flat and pretty easy to maneuver – we wore water shoes and were fine. It was mostly shaded which was good because it was hot in the sun.

 

The caves we went to have archaeological evidence as being used for more than 2000 years by the Mayan for ceremonies and rituals.Initially I thought I might feel claustrophobic however the caves were huge and many stories tall (in some places 8-10 stories tall) and they were absolutely breathtaking. If I had to use one word to describe them, I would use“otherworldly” – we truly were some other place than Earth. There were small waterfalls and hiking trails throughout. The water itself that we floated in was emerald green. We floated along for at least an hour. It was truly magical and you could feel the history and time travel through the caves. At the end we went back in the van and drove to Vitalino’s home where his family had prepared a lovely meal of chicken, coleslaw, rice and black beans for us. Rum punch or soda was also included. I requested a vegetarian plate and they added a lovely salad to my plate. There was a small gift shop and some items were crafted there (not all). We said our good byes and thank you to our cave guides and were driven back to town, in time for the tender back to the Magic – no time to shop though. I would rate this tour 100%. Not one thing could have made it better!

[jess1218]

Big fan of Butts Up! I've used them twice and both experiences were awesome!!

[sanmarcosman]

Yes, my family tried the price guarantee, but Carnival said that they were not the exact same tour (one included a “jungle hike” and full cave so they denied the price difference. I’ve done Butts Up 3 Times, I did the cruise line once (I had trouble carrying my tube down the hill) so I much prefer Butts up... they are great.

Thanks for answering the question asked by the OP. This is a big help to our group and now we can make an informed decision.

[Tneu717]

Thank you everyone for the responses you have been so helpful!

 

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[Dacruiseman]

I just booked with Butts Up for our upcoming Vista cruise (October 14, 2018) and am pretty excited as all reviews seem positive. I was just wondering if anyone has had an experience with bringing a 4 year old. I've read all the conditions and only saw a height requirement, which he meets, but did not see any regulations regarding age. Does anyone know if there are any age restrictions?

[birdy]

We also went through cavetubing dot bz - they were so nice, friendly, and it was a super fun adventure with them. Mr. Reyes (the owner) and his family were wonderful.. I wouldn't hesitate to book with them again (and for the record, we are 2 women over 50).

 

Same here. Twice. Loved it and had no problem getting back to the ship on time. We are going to do it again Feb. '19

[drerickson77]

Belize is on our next cruise itinerary. I'm totally checking this out. Thanks!

[wtwien]

I got the price guarantee and they have me a credit. This was in Montego Bay about 1 1/2 year ago

 

 

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[Clarasgrandma]

We got the price match this past January using the butts up link to compare. I pointed out many pluses to doing the private excursion although the excursions weren't exact and carnival granted the request. My husband has anxiety over going with a private company and has peace of mind going through carnival....maybe not the best price but he is able to relax and enjoy this way.

[ABQrobin]

Cruise line tours have MANY people per guide. When we went cave tubing with a private tour, we had six people per guide. Your call, but I would not do the tour with the cruise line.

When we went with Carnival cruise excursion last May, we had 8 people per guide. Best tour guides we have ever had on any excursion anywhere, and we travel a lot.

[IPlayWithString]

when we got to the river, we were forced to hold on to one another to keep from being separated because they were in s

 

Several comments and questions:

 

We have done cave tubing in Belize. While they had us hooked together in a human chain (no ropes) while in the caves, we were told to unhook and run the river individually. They gave us a reason (I forget) but being unhooked is SOP for river tubing.

 

I have been on three excursions in Belize that involved travel of one-two hours by road from port. ALL returned late for various reasons and I was glad we were on ship excursions.

 

One group of 18 passengers from our ship were left behind as they had booked a private tour to cave tube and we passed them standing next to their broken down bus on the way back. As we were late returning, a last tender was held for us and when we arrived at the ship, we set sail. I don't know what that group did.

 

Belize is not a port that I would strike out on my own any distance from port because of the distance involved for most excursions.

 

How do you know that the head lice were from the helmets? Given the amount of time for nits to hatch (two weeks) or even the amount of time that usually passes before a live infestation becomes apparent, there is a pretty good chance you were infested before the cruise or somewhere else.

 

 

Sorry for the time it took to respond. I just saw this today. :)

 

When we were in the "ancient jaguar cave" we were told to stick close together, but weren't instructed to form a human chain since we weren't really going deep into the cave..just passing through one entrance and going out another maybe 100 ft away and you could still see daylight. I've only ever done one other river tubing experience (that was in Jamaica) and the "tubes" were more like single person inflatable boats that WERE tied together and you could stretch out and get comfy. The ones they used at Dark Night in Belize were more like these round tubes with handles and I could NOT get comfortable at all because I had to hang onto the tubes on either side of me. At the back of our chain was a guide who was actually submerged in the water, pushing us downriver and guiding us.

 

As for the head lice, there was a *small* chance my son picked it up at school but it was more likely that we both got it from the helmets because they were kinda grody, first off and second off, they weren't cleaned or even sprayed down with anything. As we were getting off the bus and getting things put into lockers, etc there was another group finishing their tour and the guides were just having them throw the helmets into a box which they brought over to our group when they had them all. I don't know if this is standard practice, tbh, but I think not. We've done ziplining quite a few times and all the places we've been to take the just-used helmets and take them away (to clean them, I'm assuming) and bring out fresh ones. In any case, whenever we go do something that requires us to wear a helmet, we wear baseball caps underneath, so that our head doesn't actually touch the helmet. DH and DS keep their hair cut very short (buzzed) and that helps too.