cave tubing with major tom?

[joy seas]

Hi - I've booked our cave tubing tour with major tom, then the horrible drowning of the poor woman on the carnival tour happened. Has any one been since? Wondering if additional saftey measures are being observed?

Does any one know if january is a rainy season? I know some times accidents happen, but it's making me wonder about the wisdom of taking this tour:confused: My heart goes out to the family .....

[travelntreats]

Hi - I've booked our cave tubing tour with major tom, then the horrible drowning of the poor woman on the carnival tour happened. Has any one been since? Wondering if additional saftey measures are being observed?

Does any one know if january is a rainy season? I know some times accidents happen, but it's making me wonder about the wisdom of taking this tour:confused: My heart goes out to the family .....

I used Major Tom in the past and am actually going to Belize in January and will be using his services, so I asked him similar questions and here was his reply to me regarding the NEW RULES that are being enforced. What is odd about these new set of rules is that Major Tom was already adhering to them when we went last time ! I can't wait to get there in a couple of months.....

 

PS... The water levels should be fine at that time of year, but are always subject to conditions that are outlined in the new rules as below.

 

Have a GREAT TIME in Belize and Cave Tubing !

 

ALSO, here are the new rules for Caves Branch :

 

1. Eight guests per one guide

 

2. Timely entry into the caves to avoid congestion

 

3. Helmets to be worn as of 1 January 2009

 

4. NICH will determine when the caves are open or closed, depending on river levels. Trained staff will make that decision upon inspection of the river when rains occur.

 

5. ALL GUIDES using the system MUST attend the two training sessions being organized by NICH and the BTB (one session is on rules, regulations, the Maya background of the caves, geology of the caves, and the rainforest. The second session is on swift water rescue and advanced first aid). Only guides who have done this training will be allowed to take guests through the caves.

[pjamk]

I used Major Tom in the past and am actually going to Belize in January and will be using his services, so I asked him similar questions and here was his reply to me regarding the NEW RULES that are being enforced. What is odd about these new set of rules is that Major Tom was already adhering to them when we went last time ! I can't wait to get there in a couple of months.....

 

PS... The water levels should be fine at that time of year, but are always subject to conditions that are outlined in the new rules as below.

 

Have a GREAT TIME in Belize and Cave Tubing !

 

ALSO, here are the new rules for Caves Branch :

 

1. Eight guests per one guide

 

2. Timely entry into the caves to avoid congestion

 

3. Helmets to be worn as of 1 January 2009

 

4. NICH will determine when the caves are open or closed, depending on river levels. Trained staff will make that decision upon inspection of the river when rains occur.

 

5. ALL GUIDES using the system MUST attend the two training sessions being organized by NICH and the BTB (one session is on rules, regulations, the Maya background of the caves, geology of the caves, and the rainforest. The second session is on swift water rescue and advanced first aid). Only guides who have done this training will be allowed to take guests through the caves.

 

sounds good to me, too bad it took a tragedy to get this

[travelntreats]

I aggree..... seems that some operators were going by their own set of rules. I know when we went wth Major Tom, he was VERY STRICT on safety practices and if anyone was not paying attention when being advised, he would ask them to please pay attention and not disrupt his safety speech.

[joy seas]

thanks travelntreats! Makes me feel better to hear saftey issues being addressed. Of course Major Tom already had an excellent reputation:)

[MM1998]

We have a tour booked with Major Tom in November and I actually was worried about the same thing. I was reassured after reading his website though. He has a link to the left on his site under "safety" that really put me at ease that he is very into the well being of his guests. Check it out--it will answer alot of your questions and fears.

 

Kim

[Safetyal]

We just came back yesterday and we had cave tubing and ziplining with Major Tom this past Tuesday. When we got to the dock Major Tom told us that the caves were flooded and he was not comfortable with bringing people there. He also said that while the ziplines are open that he would not recommend it do to the slippery nature of the platforms. He said the line themselves were fine it was the platforms you stand on, were very slippery. He told us when he has any doubts, he errs on the side of caution. He offered us some alternate tours which we had done before so we opted out. We had prepaid and he told us just to email him and he would process the refund. We had the internet plan on the ship, so that evening we emailed him a reminder. He had the refund processed that evening.

 

We will be back in May and we will be using Major Tom when we return :D:D

[luvbeagles]

We just got back from Carnival Legend trip and used Major Tom. He is ALL about safety and was doing it for the last 20 years-long before there were any incidents. I am not a swimmer and don't like closed in spaces but agreed to go with my family. I have to tell you that at NO point during the outing did I feel the slightest bit of fear or being out of control! My guide kept coming up to me, squeezing my shoulder and telling me how great I was doing-asking if I was ok. This was an amazing experience and I would have turned around and gone again in a heartbeat. Major Tom and the Fun Team are AWESOME!!!:D :D

[thesawch]

Major Tom is the most respected cave tour operator in the country.When the tourism board of belize has any questions or problems Major Tom is the first one they call for advice. After all he was a Major in the Belize Army and a Major in any country is a high honor.He did not get to that rank for being careless or stupid. thesawch

[Tracyisme]

Hi there, we went last January with Tom and his son..They were amazing...funny and my daughter thought the son was cute! The made us all wear life jackets, and we were not allowed to travel alone. We had a guide with us the entire time. There were times when Tom and his son were rather angered by the way some of the other tours were going. HE said They are not safe....and said that no one on his TOUR would get hurt! safety was paramount to these guys... WE had a blast with them !!

[nursemindy]

We used Major Tom this week. I can tell you I was not worried at all. We were greeted at the port by Major Tom and his team. All questions were answered.

 

We had Junior One (or Two) as our personal guide. There were 5 of us attached to him. He is a little guy but very strong. He took charge of us and made sure we were safe. I will say there were points that he had to turn us or pull us, if a tour guide had more than 5 or 6 people I would be concerned. Major Tom's team would not let there be more than 4 or 5 per leader.

 

It was a awesome tour and we felt safe at all times..

[nursemindy]

In addition, there were other tours ahead of us that were not doing the safest things, I saw people standing on there tubes (or trying) on there knees and just goofing off. Inside the caves is not the place for that. It is dark and you are in water that could be deep, be safe, there is plenty of time to goof off, inside the caves is not the time...

[camperhawk]

We used Major Tom this week. I can tell you I was not worried at all. We were greeted at the port by Major Tom and his team. All questions were answered.

 

We had Junior One (or Two) as our personal guide. There were 5 of us attached to him. He is a little guy but very strong. He took charge of us and made sure we were safe. I will say there were points that he had to turn us or pull us, if a tour guide had more than 5 or 6 people I would be concerned. Major Tom's team would not let there be more than 4 or 5 per leader.

 

It was a awesome tour and we felt safe at all times..

 

Mindy, if you don't mind can I ask a couple questions? I am about to book with Major Tom for Dec. Have read the rain has been very heavy lately and some excursions have been cancelled because of it, how was the river? swift or very cold? Also any concerns with getting back to the ship on time? Thanks!

[coasterjan]

Mindy, if you don't mind can I ask a couple questions? I am about to book with Major Tom for Dec. Have read the rain has been very heavy lately and some excursions have been cancelled because of it, how was the river? swift or very cold? Also any concerns with getting back to the ship on time? Thanks!

 

I'm not Mindy, but I was with Major Tom for ziplining and cavetubing last week (Nov. 4), and the river was actually a little on the low side. At one point, we all had to get out of the tubes and walk over a shallow part. The water was cold, but not unbearable (around 70 degrees, I think).

 

There's lots of flooding in Belize City from recent rains, and it was explained to us that it will take weeks for the high water in the city to recede competely (when the tide comes in everything floods again...).

 

We got back to the port with over an hour to spare, and we did both ziplining and cavetubing, so you shouldn't have any issues with getting back to the ship. The guides were very aware of the time.

 

I *never* felt concerned for my safety on the river. I'm not sure if we had 3 or 4 guides with us (I was in the front and wasn't really paying attention to how many guides were behind me), and there was only 13 people in our group. It was a wonderful day, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Janis

[klmorg]

Can anyone tell me what the lunch w/Major Tom consists of (picky eaters in group)? And if you don't buy lunch thru them, is there somewhere else to grab a bite? Thanks!

[Sky616]

Can anyone tell me what the lunch w/Major Tom consists of (picky eaters in group)? And if you don't buy lunch thru them, is there somewhere else to grab a bite? Thanks!

There were 9 of us in our group w/ Tom. They asked us at the beginning if anyone wanted lunch. Since only 2 of us wanted it they stopped off at this little place and the 2 ate it in the van. I assume they would have stopped to eat it at the restaurant if more ordered it. Actually it was this little roadside shack, but those are probably the best places. It was some type of seasoned chicken with beans and other fixings. Boy did it smell good on the van. I wish I would have ordered it. It was only $5 but that was a yr. ago and I read on here some time ago it went up but well worth it, I'm sure.

[marci4tony]

Hi - I've booked our cave tubing tour with major tom, then the horrible drowning of the poor woman on the carnival tour happened. Has any one been since? Wondering if additional saftey measures are being observed?

Does any one know if january is a rainy season? I know some times accidents happen, but it's making me wonder about the wisdom of taking this tour:confused: My heart goes out to the family .....

 

We returned from the Legend last Sunday :( and we went with Major Tom.

 

We had an amazingly wonderful excursion - full of local information and instructions. There was, at no time, any feeling of insecurity. The water, for the most part, is shallow enough to stand up in. The water was also low and very slow.

 

The accident occurred with another tour group that had a large number of tubers assigned to one guide - Major Tom Ratio was 6:1 a couple weeks ago for us. And accidents will happen - in everything we do, everywhere we go. It was extremely unfortunate and very devastating for the family. But please dont let that scare you away from an amazing "adventure" with "refreshing" water.

 

So dont be afraid - especially with Major Tom. I will be singing his praises for a long, long time. Say hello to Mikey and Jr for us!!

[no port @ dfw]

We are going tubing with Major Tom in late December, can anyone give us an idea of how dark the caves are, how long (roughly) you are in darkness, and what kind of lights (type and brightness) that are supplied? We will have a few kids with us and have access to numerous types of additional lighting (it helps to be in the fire/rescue service), but were unsure whether to bring any of it along either for additional safety or increased vision in the caves. Thanks.

[Drew B]

Can anyone tell me what the lunch w/Major Tom consists of (picky eaters in group)? And if you don't buy lunch thru them, is there somewhere else to grab a bite? Thanks!

 

I was wondering the same, as I'm semi-vegetarian. It always seems to be chicken... I eat fish and seafood but no beef/pork/poultry, etc. :(

[westcoastgirl1]

I just returned from HAL cruise. I booked Major Tom for our cave tubing / zip lining tour on Nov. 12th and can't say enough about how great this company is! There were 6 of us in our group and three guides. My son and I were the only ones going zip-lining so the other four in the group went into the caves with two of the guides while Minor Tom (Major's son) waited for us and then took us through the caves. Thomas (the son) is about 20 but very mature and knowledgeable. He was great with my son and made us both feel safe. He told us about the day of the Carnival accident (he was there) and pointed out the area of the cave where it happened and how it could have been avoided. He says he's been in the caves since he was 3 years old and I didn't doubt his skill or knowledge. He's a lovely young man. I would be proud if my son grew up to be anything like Thomas.

 

The water was "refreshing" (their words) but not too bad. Lots of mosquitos so don't forget the bug spray. The river was great, a few shallow spots but we could stay in our tubes the whole time. We wore life vests and head lamps so we could see everything. There were a few dark patches but between our head lamps and the guides' flashlight we were comfortable. We also stopped for lunch- a restuarant on the side of the road. Lunch was $6 and consisted of rice (very yummy), beans, fried chicken and salad. Other than the chicken foot in mine (a delicacy to many, just not to me) I enjoyed the lunch. My son still talks about the orange juice. I doubt he'll ever find a juice as delicious as that juice! (There is also a restaurant at the ziplining/cave-tubing spot but I didn't eat there)

 

We didn't set up a time to meet prior to the day so I was a bit uncertain about how to meet with Major Tom and at what time but Major Tom met us on the dock with a large sign. He speaks excellent english and is a tall, handsome (!), strong man. We waited for a few more people and then hopped in to a van to be taken the 50 mins to the river. My only issue was the lack of seat belts in the van. I had my son sit in the front seat so he had a belt but the rest of us didn't. Thomas was an excellent and careful driver though.

 

This is the first time I book a shore excursion privately and I would totally recommend Major Tom. I can't wait to go back to Belize and book another tour through them. Loved this country and loved this tour company!!!

[marci4tony]

I was in the same group as Mindy -

 

I just posted a very through comment on this thread.

 

We went through 3 caves - Which consisted of an "extra" cave. Inside the first cave, they had everyone turn your headlights out. Pitch black. Gave me the heebie geebies...then we turned our lights on and it was all good.

 

The first cave (extra extra) was short - maybe 5-7 minutes?? We picked up those inour group that didnt want to do the EXTRA EXTRA...(not everyone wanted too) The second cave was longer and had some cool stuff to see including a water fall and a portion of the cave that had caved in (safe distance away)

 

Upon leaving cave two, there were bazillions of people. Cave three is long, has a pretty tight turn in it.

 

You may be in the actual caves maybe 20 minutes? I guess that depends on how fast the current is. As stated before, he will not put any of his guests at risk if there is any question. Hard to predict the weather too far out - if there has been heavy rain the day before you arrive, it will be unlikely you will go. Just check with them and TRUST THEM. He's a hoot!

 

We had a big group and "delays" - I'll keep my mouth shut for fear of offending those that were not very smart - so we didnt do the lunch thing - but he showed us where the "rice and beans" was once we got off the bus - yummy!!

[loopylou]

Hey guys! I have a question. Did you all bring a change of clothing, and where do you keep your stuff while tubing and ziplining?

 

Thanks,

Lou

[jpsdream139]

how do I get in touch with major tom?? we are going the first week of feb and this sounds wonderful!! the last time we went we decided to take the kids snorkleing and it was awful !! cold and cloudy, sounds like we should have taken them to major tom!! This time it's just a bunch of truckers!

[Mumum]

We just returned from Carnival Glory last week (Nov. 15-22 2008). We tubed with Minor Tom and Jungle George (great sound effects--the kids have been trying ever since!).

 

I was very impressed with their safety measures. We went with our 7 and 10 year old sons, and they were very patient and attentive, yet still had lots of fun with the boys. All of us were given size-appropriate life vests, tubes and headlamps. The water level was low--lots of "bums-up" areas. They explained all the hazards and how to avoid them, and made sure everyone was listening. All guides were 100% attentive to the group at all times.

 

It is very dark in places, but with rows of tubers all with headlamps on, there was plenty of light to see by. It wasn't crowded, but we could see a group ahead of us and a group behind.

 

One of the tubes grounded on a rock and sprang a leak, but either Minor Tom or Joe (sorry, can't emember which) gave his up and swam/walked the rest of the way, still adeptly guiding the row of tubes as necessary. We remained attached in rows for the duration.

 

The walk through to the caves was also interesting--these guys are quite knowledgeable. If you want to learn more, look for "Satsuma" which is a book about an apprentice Mayan healer.

 

I would do a tour again with them anytime (well, anytime I could manage to get back to Belize!).

[Akiba]

I am also going first week in Feb,2009 on the Pearl.Here is the web site for Major Tom we are also thinking of reserving with them.

Jeff