cave tubing for kids

[cruisinjune]

We are looking to do the cave tubing tour the end of June with our three kids. (ages 13,11 and 8) How hard is the initial 30 minute hike through the rain forest with the inner tubes? Will the kids be able to carry them on their own?

[Colton's dad]

We went in Dec with Cavetubing.com The hike was fine. Not steep at all, the river crossing was there but with these guys they had 5 guides for 14 people so with kids and my mother in law (over 60) they hand helped each. The trail is like a dirt side walk and the guides help little ones with tubes, I had an 7 - 10 yr old and wish I had the 3 yr old , as he could have done 80 % of walk and sat on my chest in extra large tube. YOu will have no problem. And yes I recommend this outfit. :)

[cruisinjune]

THanks for the info. It sounds like you had no issue with your kids safety on the water either, right? Also, how was the water temperature with the kids. I understand for a lot of the tubing you are in the caves and not in the sun.

[Colton's dad]

No problem with temp, it was quick in after hike/walk up. it was hot and as someome from snow I was ready to cool off. Aliitle deep breath when water hit but fine. You can jump in of little ledge or lower yourself with aid of guide , butt first down into tube. We had water proof disposible camaras and after you are in they have you link legs and arms and make a few chains. It does get very dark in a couple longer caves+- 500 yards, wish I had better with flash that was water proof. The crew make it even better. We did leave change of cloths etc on bus, and took plastic id etc around neck , no problem. Get some $9 water shoes for hike and in river from home. :D

[buckeyeinmd]

We are looking to do the cave tubing tour the end of June with our three kids. (ages 13,11 and 8) How hard is the initial 30 minute hike through the rain forest with the inner tubes? Will the kids be able to carry them on their own?

 

Did you end up going and how did the kids do? Thanks.

 

Doug

[CruznJen]

We are planning to go cave-tubing with our children in Mid-October. I was wondering if anyone could tell me how the water level and temperature is during that time? Thanks!:)

[rlr120]

For lack of a better way to put it. I am overweight but very active. I swim, bike, and snorkel. I would like to know if the tubes are big enough to fit a larger person.

[MCZARY]

We just got back with Cave-tubing.com Yhony, Richard and Tigre and a couple others. My 7 year old had a blast and was completely safe at all times, We had a 9 and 10 also who were fine. This outfit really is more professional then the boat's excursion. They keep you together and watch out for your safety. The carnival excursion puts you in the water and your on your own, a few helpers on the side. I wouldn't be surprised if carnival doesn't hire these guys soon to run the show. They know the river, and you never, ever feel unsafe.

[sbpat]

We are traveling on NCL in Oct. We would like to try the cave tubing with our three girls (ages 3, 7, and 9). The 2 oldest are very strong swimmers but are big CHICKENS!!! (They hate bats, snakes, etc..) Can you give me detials about the critters/water depth, etc.. Would it be totally safe for the 3 yr. old? My husband is a strong swimmer, but I am not. I hate to miss out on a great opportunity to do this because of all our fears. I guess I just need some more details. Thanks a BUNCH!

[buckeyeinmd]

We are traveling on NCL in Oct. We would like to try the cave tubing with our three girls (ages 3, 7, and 9). The 2 oldest are very strong swimmers but are big CHICKENS!!! (They hate bats, snakes, etc..) Can you give me detials about the critters/water depth, etc.. Would it be totally safe for the 3 yr. old? My husband is a strong swimmer, but I am not. I hate to miss out on a great opportunity to do this because of all our fears. I guess I just need some more details. Thanks a BUNCH!

 

3 is probably too young. If going with kids, I would do a private excursion as opposed to the boat. We just did cave-tubing.com last week and had a great time.

 

Doug

[buckeyeinmd]

We are traveling on NCL in Oct. We would like to try the cave tubing with our three girls (ages 3, 7, and 9). The 2 oldest are very strong swimmers but are big CHICKENS!!! (They hate bats, snakes, etc..) Can you give me detials about the critters/water depth, etc.. Would it be totally safe for the 3 yr. old? My husband is a strong swimmer, but I am not. I hate to miss out on a great opportunity to do this because of all our fears. I guess I just need some more details. Thanks a BUNCH!

 

3 is probably too young. If going with kids, I would do a private excursion as opposed to the boat. We just did cave-tubing.com last week and had a great time.

 

Doug

[HMK]

I am going Cave Tubing next week with Yhony. Can you tell me how wet do you get? I am trying to decide whether or not to bring my digital camera and protect it in a ziplock bag. But if we get soaking wet, then I will leave it on the ship and use a disposable waterproof camera....

[jvajzp]

I would not bring a digital camera with you as you will be getting pretty wet. I would opt for a water-proof camera.

[CruiserErin]

We did cavetubing with Nacho/Cynthia. They would be a good choice because they have access to the caves at a different spot than the other tour operators. The walk is shorter, thus possibly being easier for the children.

[buckeyeinmd]

I am going Cave Tubing next week with Yhony. Can you tell me how wet do you get? I am trying to decide whether or not to bring my digital camera and protect it in a ziplock bag. But if we get soaking wet, then I will leave it on the ship and use a disposable waterproof camera....

 

We went with Yhony last week..just haven't had time to write a review. You will get wet but as long as you've got a good ziplock bag you should be ok. I had bought a waterproof camera bag from AAA (9.99) and it worked fine. You'll have a great time with them. If you get Richard and/or Evan as your guide, tell them that Evan's (rat Jr or soccer guy) dad gave them a great review.

 

Doug

[HMK]

We went with Yhony last week..just haven't had time to write a review. You will get wet but as long as you've got a good ziplock bag you should be ok. I had bought a waterproof camera bag from AAA (9.99) and it worked fine. You'll have a great time with them. If you get Richard and/or Evan as your guide, tell them that Evan's (rat Jr or soccer guy) dad gave them a great review.

 

Doug

 

I will let them know about your great review. Thanks for the camera info. Walking through the rain forest, I figure I would get nicer pictures using the digital. Maybe I will take a run to AAA to buy the waterproof camera bag. Basically, it's just our butts that are in the water? So, the camera should be dry?

[mrsshmthaus]

We are traveling on NCL in Oct. We would like to try the cave tubing with our three girls (ages 3, 7, and 9). The 2 oldest are very strong swimmers but are big CHICKENS!!! (They hate bats, snakes, etc..) Can you give me detials about the critters/water depth, etc.. Would it be totally safe for the 3 yr. old? My husband is a strong swimmer, but I am not. I hate to miss out on a great opportunity to do this because of all our fears. I guess I just need some more details. Thanks a BUNCH!

 

 

Ditto on the critters questions.... anybody had any up close and personal encounters with critters???

[jvajzp]

We were in Belize on Aug. 15 and went cave-tubing with Yhony and his group at Cave-tubing.com.

 

A little background: Our group consisted of 14 people and ages ranged from 4-56. I have a daughter who just turned 4 and a son who just turned 10. (there were also two other children ages 10 and 11) My daughter is severely allergic to fire ants and I found out right before our trip that there are LOTS of fire ants in Belize. Yhony reassured me before our cruise that they would help us carry my daughter in the rainforest and there are no fire ants in the river. I was a little scared in the beginning about the kids going because Carnival's age requirement is 12. I am so thankful that I found the reviews about cave-tubing.com and Yhony from this board and that we decided to try them.

 

We were happily greeted right outside the terminal after our tender ride into Belize City. They escorted us to our air-conditioned bus and actually took us on a brief tour of the city while a group ahead of us was still exiting the river. I immediately felt very comfortable as we were riding in the bus. The guide (I can't remember his name) was very funny and knowledgeable about Belize. They informed us that they actually used to work for the cruise lines and decided that they could do a much better job on their own....and they were really right!

 

As we ended our tour of the city and started driving to the location, they were giving us instructions on what we needed to do while in the river. They handed out the life vests and our lights to wear on our heads. We arrived at the entrance and were convinced by Yhony that we should leave all items (that we did not want to get wet or lose) on the bus. After the ride there, I felt comfortable and secure in leaving my possessions on the bus, which included money, pass ports and s/s cards...

 

We rent our water shoes for $3 and are off to the river. This is where it starts to become very apparent that we definitely made the right choice in choosing cave-tubing.com. Yhony and his guides take us to our rafts and they carry the rafts for the children and anyone else who needs the help. They are very fast and very efficient while guiding us up the trail. We get to the river and there is a rope that goes across the river. We get in our rafts (my 4 yr old daughter actually sat in my lap) and we were linked together and taken across the river by our guide. During this time, I was watching the poor people who had booked through the cruise lines and they were all on their own trying to get across the river...it seemed very difficult and unorganized. People were actually falling out of their rafts and drifting down the river. Again - very thankful for our guides taking us across.

 

They asked us if we wanted to do one or two caves once we arrived at the first cave. We decided to do the two caves so we walked for about 8 more minutes. The cruise lines only do the one cave. Yhony and his guides really stay on you to keep you moving because they know we are on a schedule and they make sure we won't miss the ship.

To get into the river was a little tricky, but they give you all the help you need. We were linked together in a man-made chain and were very safe with about 5-6 people per guide. Each child was completely safe as the guides attached themselves to the children's rafts and carried us down the river.

 

We had an awesome tour down the river and these guys work SOOOO hard to keep us safe and to make sure we have fun. We really had a lot of fun on the river and in the caves...you really see some beautiful scenery.

 

After the river, we get back on the bus and find all our belongings in the exact spot where we left them. We were given the opportunity to stop at Cheers, a little restaurant located on the road to the caves. We all took a vote and decided we wanted to pay the $5 for lunch. We were very pleased with the food and the service at the restaurant. It was delicious and they had taken our orders on the bus called it in before we got there. As soon as we arrived, we sat at our tables and they started bringing out our food. We ate and were back on the bus after taking some pictures with Yhony and his guides.

 

EVERYONE in our group was so happy with this tour and they all said it was the best excursion by far! They had actually booked other tours through the cruise line at the other ports and said that the level of attentiveness didn't compare.

 

My cousin, who has traveled all over the world, was with us and she has done many, many tours. She said that this, by far, was one of the very best "adventures" she has ever taken! I have to agree with her!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TOUR. I was very, very pleasantly surprised at how safe we all felt during the entire tour. Not one scratch on anyone! They had us together the entire time and kept us away from any harm. Yhony told us before we got off the bus that if you get hurt, it is because you are being disobedient and not listening to their "commands". The ONLY "command" that you had to listen for was "Butts up!"...which literally means "pull your rear out of the water so you don't bump it on the rocks". My cousin didn't listen once and she just barely got "bumped" on her butt....and that just made her laugh!

 

They had a guy that was video taping the entire adventure and you had the option of buying it, I believe for $30. We bought one and are expecting it within about 4 weeks. I'll let you know how it turns out!

As Yhony and I were emailing before our tour...he was trying to reassure me that we would be completely safe and they would take care of us and especially our children. The last email he sent said "Have no fear, Cave-tubing.com is hear!!" Well, I truly felt that way on the entire tour!

 

Sorry for the long review, but they were so good and I know I was apprehensive before we went...

 

Please let me know if you have any questions!!

[jvajzp]

Ditto on the critters questions.... anybody had any up close and personal encounters with critters???

 

The only critters we ran into were fire ants...so just keep moving. They seemed to get us when we were standing in still.

 

You'll have a great time!

[debbiearch]

I wish I had known about cave-tubing.com! We did NCL's excursion in 2001, and although it was fun, there were a couple of times that I felt VERY unsafe!

 

The walk through the rainforest was unending, and DH got chewed up by fire ants. Then, to get into the river, we had to rappel down this little cliff on a rope, and then let go to fall backwards into the tube in the water, hoping your butt was aiming correctly. I only remember one guide for about 30 of us, and he tubed on ahead without a care in the world. Meanwhile, at one point, I fell out of my tube, and the river current was starting to drag me toward an underground cavern and certain death! OK, I'm being dramatic, but I was really scared! I managed to get myself back in the tube, and all was fine. Except, of course, for the butt scrapings.

 

Looking back, it really was a great experience. But we were basically on our own as far as safety went. It sounds like cave-tubing.com can do a much better job - next time, I'll know better!

[jmkoilers]

A big thank you to JVAJZP for a real, refreshing, and informative review of Yhonny and his crew. We will be doing the excursion with him next May from the Carnival Miracle and I originally had some reservations about the whole tubing idea - as I can't swim a stroke. Your review tells me that my family and I (Kids 14 thru 23) will have a blast. Can't wait!

[jvajzp]

:) jmkoilers - You are very welcome! I know you will have a GREAT time! Don't worry for one second about not being able to swim, they will take care of you! Just let them know ahead of time if you have any concerns at all and they will make sure you feel safe!

 

If you can remember, tell Yhony Jade and her group says hi! Now, I am jealous!

[HMK]

Great review!!! I can't wait, next week will be my turn with Yhony. We have 20 in our group!!!

Let me ask your opinion as far as how wet do you get for bringing a digital camera with you, or we better off using a disposable water camera?

Also....do you need to bring your passports with you when you get off the ship?

Yhony says he will have us back to the ship around 3....is this accurate?

[HMK]

Another question for you...

 

What time did you catch the tender? Was it difficult getting one because you did not book through Carnival? Was the ride to Belize rough?

[HMK]

Another question for you...

 

What time did you catch the tender? Was it difficult getting one because you did not book through Carnival? Was the ride to Belize rough?