How can they keep this info from me????

[sdpoulin1]

I am booked on the NCL Spirit Dec 14 cruise out of NO. I made the choice to take the excursion offered by the ship. They encourage you to do so for peace of mind ie: safety, fear of missing the boat. However in their guest contract they say they are not responsible for these independent contractors.

So I called to get the name of the company they have picked for me to use on my zip-lining,cave-tubing excursion in Belize. They refused to give me the name of the company they use!? Being that cruise quests have died,resently on both of these types of excusions,I thought I would check out the safety records of the company they use.Now the point of this post is not be told I could pick an independent company on my own and check their record. I know I can. The point is can they keep this info from me and does anyone know who they are using?

[CruisnGram]

Someone died cave tubing? Of course, I heard about the zipline tragedy but this cave tubing incident is news to me. Please share.

 

CG

[sdpoulin1]

Someone died cave tubing? Of course, I heard about the zipline tragedy but this cave tubing incident is news to me. Please share.

 

CG

It was on the ports of call board under Belize. It was a Carnival excursion. It was around Sept. If you go back a few pages on that board you can find out the details.

[garycarla]

I guess they can do just about anything they want. As to vendors, it is possible they could be using more than one vendor and do not want to say they are using vendor A today, but then on the day of your arrival use vendor B.

 

I guess it is a good idea to check on the records of a company, but I really doubt you can get any GOOD information on anyone. Also, the safety record last week may have no bearing on the safety record next week.

 

Good luck,.

[roupine24]

If it can reassure you, I went Cave tubing in Belize last year and it was very fun. It was safe and well organized!

 

They suggest you to book with the cruise ship because they know where you are and will wait for you if the tour runs late or something like that i think!

 

Have a great trip!

[LadyBerard]

We booked our cave tubing through Shoretrips when we did it. They were excellent, and it was a little less expensive than through the cruiseline.

[deliza]

When I did the cave tubing in Belize through NCL, it was through a resort. I think the name of the resort was the Jaguar Paw, and I believe they also had the combined zip line and cave tubing excursion there. We had a lovely, well trained and competent guide named Victoria, and the whole operation was well run and safety appeared to be a top priority. I can't swear this is who they still use, or that there are not other operators as well, but if it makes you feel any better, there you go.... I suppose its at least more helpful than insinuating your crazy for trying to find out....

 

Oh, and I have also heard that Belize has really cracked down on safety issues with all the operators, following the recent deaths.

[DAGVBSB]

I guess they can do just about anything they want. As to vendors, it is possible they could be using more than one vendor and do not want to say they are using vendor A today, but then on the day of your arrival use vendor B.

 

Good luck,.

 

More than likely NCL does not want passengers to know who their vendors are. They are probably afraid that the passengers will then go out on their own and book an excursion from the company on their own and NCL would lose money. Again, typical NCL putting their bottom line ahead of the customer. I wouldn't be surprised by this...normal method of operation for NCL. (the No Customer service Line = NCL)

 

 

I would simply cancel your NCL excursion and book your own excursion if the safety record is important. Besides, there can't be too many of them. You could probably ask the company if they contract out to NCL as well. Who knows, you may hit the same company.

[sdpoulin1]

When I did the cave tubing in Belize through NCL, it was through a resort. I think the name of the resort was the Jaguar Paw, and I believe they also had the combined zip line and cave tubing excursion there. We had a lovely, well trained and competent guide named Victoria, and the whole operation was well run and safety appeared to be a top priority. I can't swear this is who they still use, or that there are not other operators as well, but if it makes you feel any better, there you go.... I suppose its at least more helpful than insinuating your crazy for trying to find out....

 

Oh, and I have also heard that Belize has really cracked down on safety issues with all the operators, following the recent deaths.

 

Thanks for this info.It makes me feel a little better.I was wondering if any recent NCL cruisers (like last couple of months) know the name of the vendor they are using in Belize? I am thinking about canceling an rescheduling through another company or am I just overreacting.My son is 23 but not a strong swimmer and if they link you together and send you in the caves with a guide attached to your group I would feel better.I know getting a tender ticket to get of NCL ships can be a mess and if you have a ship tour you get priority. Would like to stick with NCL if they appear to be safe.

[G'ma]

I am booked on the NCL Spirit Dec 14 cruise out of NO. I made the choice to take the excursion offered by the ship. They encourage you to do so for peace of mind ie: safety, fear of missing the boat. However in their guest contract they say they are not responsible for these independent contractors.

So I called to get the name of the company they have picked for me to use on my zip-lining,cave-tubing excursion in Belize. They refused to give me the name of the company they use!? Being that cruise quests have died,resently on both of these types of excusions,I thought I would check out the safety records of the company they use.Now the point of this post is not be told I could pick an independent company on my own and check their record. I know I can. The point is can they keep this info from me and does anyone know who they are using?

 

Yes, they can. It's nobody's business who they have contracts with. You must read the NCL passenger contract and other legal stuff to make note that they enter into these contracts for the convience of the passenger only.....and you, as the passenger, have to decide whether you trust NCL's judgement or not. They certainly wouldn't contract with a shoddy company with a bad safety record.

 

Accidents happen.....no matter where you are or what you're doing... Your choice is to book or not book.

[Toyz711]

just check the weather before you go...if there has been a lot of rain, there could be flooding. from what i have read ( of the accident) the water in the cave was very high and running very fast. most reports, during the rest of the year, comments on how low the water usually is.

last year, belize has some record flooding.

[deliza]

I would honestly be wary of taking anyone who is a weak swimmer on this tour, especially if the flow is high. When we went we did have an incident with an older gentleman who was not a good swimmer. The river was very high, and they did warn us about that, and told the group that only strong swimmers should proceed, but this particular man, well, I guess he thought he would be okay. Long story short, he ended up out of his tube, paniced, tryed to drown my husband who was nearest him and trying to help, and banged himself up a bit before Victoria got to him and talked him down and got him back in his tube. He was fine in the end, and the guide was fabulous with him, but it was probably not safe for him to be on that tour from the get go, under the circumstances. My understanding is that when the flow is down you can stand up in the water throughout the float though.

[VoyageVirgin]

Jaguar Paw was who NCL used 2 years ago - and believe me, with the distance you have to travel you would be smart to book the NCL excursion - only because of timing. Now, if all you want to do is cave tubing OR ziplines - that's another story.

 

The caves were fine when we went through (early to mid Feb) but there was one heck of alot of rain last year so I can understand the water being at record levels. They do give you a life preserver - but that won't stop you getting smacked against the rocks. Guides are provided though and they do tend to keep an eye on everyone.

[VoyageVirgin]

Sorry, thought of this as well. With being in Belize you will be tendered to shore - another possible delay in getting to a private tour operator.

 

Also, I cannot swim a decent stroke (doggy paddle maybe, on a good day) ;) and had no problems what so ever. Hubby had his feet tucked into my tube and we stayed that way the whole way through the cave. It really is one of those things I'm very glad to have been lucky enough to do.

[sdpoulin1]

Yes' date=' they can. It's nobody's business who they have contracts with. You must read the NCL passenger contract and other legal stuff to make note that they enter into these contracts for the convience of the passenger only.....and you, as the passenger, have to decide whether you trust NCL's judgement or not. They certainly wouldn't contract with a shoddy company with a bad safety record.

 

Accidents happen.....no matter where you are or what you're doing... Your choice is to book or not book.[/quote']

 

 

IMHO I due have the right to know who NCL picked to keep me safe. And as far as the contract goes, they are not worth the paper they are printed on if an accident does happen.They assume some liability as soon as they make the choice for me who has a good safety record and refuse to give me access to that info.I have an attorney on retainer called DH.

 

But from what feedback I've just seen I think I'll go independent of the ship because it sounds like they do not use the safety measures that some of the other vendors use. Major Tom links everyone together and has a guide that leads the group by hand thru the caves. So I guess the risk to benefit ratio is better with a vendor like him vs NCL. Thanks for the input on the ship excursion it helped me make up my mind.

[sfo2008]

IMHO I due have the right to know who NCL picked to keep me safe. And as far as the contract goes, they are not worth the paper they are printed on if an accident does happen.They assume some liability as soon as they make the choice for me who has a good safety record and refuse to give me access to that info.I have an attorney on retainer called DH.

 

Maybe, maybe not, but to participate you will need to sign a release so you are going to have an uphill battle attorney or no attorney, lots of bad facts working against you, the contract, the release, etc.

 

But from what feedback I've just seen I think I'll go independent of the ship because it sounds like they do not use the safety measures that some of the other vendors use. Major Tom links everyone together and has a guide that leads the group by hand thru the caves. So I guess the risk to benefit ratio is better with a vendor like him vs NCL. Thanks for the input on the ship excursion it helped me make up my mind.

 

Sounds like you've maximized your comfort factor which is safety focused, other people pick NCL to maximize convenience.

 

That said, I don't agree that you have an absolute right to know in advance who will operate your tour and that if that is your primary concern, you should do what you ended up doing and book yourself.

[ketzelacruising]

Even if you could check the safety records/ratings of the company they use, they are not US companies so it is doubtful the standards are the same . Who know s if they even have such agencies in Belize?

 

Be afe and have a GREAT trip!

M

[sdpoulin1]

Maybe, maybe not, but to participate you will need to sign a release so you are going to have an uphill battle attorney or no attorney, lots of bad facts working against you, the contract, the release, etc.

 

That said, I don't agree that you have an absolute right to know in advance who will operate your tour and that if that is your primary concern, you should do what you ended up doing and book yourself.

 

Contracts and release forms are only as binding as the circumstances surrounding the situation in which they are signed.I will not get into all the reasons why this is. Long and boring. But why the company that NCL decides is safe for me to use,is top secret, is beyond me. If I am signing a release form for a company I have not been fully informed about, it is bad business.