1,800 good reviews of Cave Tubing with Vitalino Reyes... but the 35 bad ones scare me

I was astounded at the review distribution of Cave Tubing with Vitilano Reyes (also known as cavetubing bz).

It has over 1700 5-star reviews on Tripadvisor, and 118 4-star reviews.

There are just 35 reviews of 3 stars and below. That's about a 98% rate of 4 stars or higher, and about 92% being 5 stars. And we're talking about nearly 2000 total reviews here, so there's no way this could be the work of shills.

I almost snap-booked the Cave Tubing tour based upon that alone.

But then I decided... hey, I should really read those 35 mediocre/bad reviews. I was especially concerned that perhaps Vitilano manipulated the Tripadvisor totals by asking happy people to review him positively on there, while mentioning nothing about Tripadvisor to the unhappy people. I have seen that done before, and it gets really tough to discern the truth. (Usually a sign of this occurring is where you have FAR too many reviews for the size/popularity of the place. I'd say 1869 reviews is pretty excessive for a private tour company!)

So I read the bad reviews, and while I understand they are in the extreme minority, I am concerned they all have a point. Here's the common theme to these reviews:

- The ride is LONG and the van/bus is hot. Even mitsugirly, who reviewed them positively, indicated this. Most say the ride is 60-90 minutes each way, on a rough road. Ouch.

- You have to walk 45 minutes on a rocky trail WITH YOUR TUBE to get to the tubing site. This sounds very unappealing, especially since I have a 3-year-old who likes to complain during long walks and demand I carry him when his little legs get tired.

- You have to lock your feet UNDER THE ARMPITS of the person in front of you. Yuck! Also, seems uncomfortable.

- The water is cold.

- The equipment is musty and smells bad (like the helmet)

- On busy port days (I'll be there during the Christmast cruise, btw), it is disorganized and the advertised small groups become large groups

- The caves, while peaceful, are not all that interesting. You're basically floating for an hour and not seeing that much.

Now, the last part is fine, because I definitely don't want any "exciting" rapids while with our 3-year-old. However, if the caves themselves are boring, it doesn't seem to justify all of the other stuff above, and it definitely doesn't seem relaxing to have your legs locked under the armpits of the person in front of you (and someone else's sweaty feet in your armpits!)

Some of the reviews also mentioned that other tour companies don't make you carry your tubes, and that some also don't make you do that stupid foot-armpit lock thing.

I have to say that, if the bad reviews are even half accurate, this is not appealing at all to me.

Can anyone give me some truth here? I read mitsugirly's review, and while informative, it did not make much reference to the problems above, aside from the hot van.

Also, does anyone know which operators don't make you carry your tube and/or hook the tubes to where you don't need to do that weird foot/armpit thing?

Thanks.

Well, this one has pretty much scared me out of doing this.

Review from Christmas 2012, exactly a year before I would be doing it:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g291968-d645066-r148391929-Cave_Tubing_with_Vitalino_Reyes-Belize_City_Belize_District.html#REVIEWS

Seems like they herd you into a bus on busy days, and the whole thing is rushed and uncomfortable.

I was astounded at the review distribution of Cave Tubing with Vitilano Reyes (also known as cavetubing bz).

 

It has over 1700 5-star reviews on Tripadvisor, and 118 4-star reviews.

 

There are just 35 reviews of 3 stars and below.

 

So I read the bad reviews,

- The ride is LONG and the van/bus is hot. The ride is also a tour of the country, yes, it is 60-90min but if you ask questions, and take an interest in what you are seeing,, the ride feels very short, we had a/c so the ride was comfortable Even mitsugirly, who reviewed them positively, indicated this. Most say the ride is 60-90 minutes each way, on a rough road. Ouch. we didn't feel the road was rough, but it is not a beautiful interstate hwy either..nothing uncomfortable.

- You have to walk 45 minutes on a rocky trail WITH YOUR TUBE to get to the tubing site. This is actually a hike along a beautiful trail, with wildlife sightings, and time to learn about the place and the people of the area, a short swim right off the bat and then a leisure walk looking at the scenery ,This sounds very unappealing, especially since I have a 3-year-old who likes to complain during long walks and demand I carry him when his little legs get tired. I can't say for sure about a 3yr old.. but I think they would be so distracted by what is around them.. they won't even know they walked that far! and you will have to keep them from getting into all the stuff to see ,, I think they will be very occupied..

- You have to lock your feet UNDER THE ARMPITS of the person in front of you. Yuck! Also, seems uncomfortable.

I really don't think this has been the case since Dec 2012 when they got the new tubes, with the head rests, and the ropes to clip each together into a raft

- The water is cold. My wife and I felt the water was "refreshing" .. not cold at all.. and what I would expect to swim in..

- The equipment is musty and smells bad (like the helmet) I am pretty sure all the companies use the same equipment. from the same storage area. we didn't feel the equipment was dirty, as they spray it when you return it..

- On busy port days it is disorganized and the advertised small groups become large groups they have laws determining how big a group can be, how many guides are with the number of guests, and the vans only hold so many people,, but if you don't get off the ship asap , and get to the van asap,, which isn't that difficult,, then you will be in the back of a line of a lot of people.. we went in first in line,, and of course were first out ... the parking lot went from empty to full ! my rough calculations said about 2000 people .. and It was pointed out to me there is another parking lot with buses ! lol... the place can handle a LOT of people..

- The caves, while peaceful, are not all that interesting. You're basically floating for an hour and not seeing that much.

there is the dry caves on the trail to the water,,, the river thru the caves is better than a water park, the natural formations are very scenic,, and the exploration is pretty cool... I would do it again,, but a 3rd time might be a bit boring,, unless you have a really great group of people to have fun with!

 

Some of the reviews also mentioned that other tour companies don't make you carry your tubes,

This is true! , the dot BZ crew will help you carry your tube,, but they don't advertize or charge extra for that service , other will provide as they charge more..and dot BZ doesn't use armpits anymore.

 

and that some also don't make you do that stupid foot-armpit lock thing.

dot BZ doesn't use armpits anymore

 

I have to say that, if the bad reviews are even half accurate, this is not appealing at all to me.

 

Also, does anyone know which operators don't make you carry your tube and/or hook the tubes to where you don't need to do that weird foot/armpit thing?

 

Thanks.

I found the dot BZ guys to be very accommodating for conversations, jokes, help at all points along the way and back,,, along with short tours of the city sights, and pointing out things in the country.. while on the bus.. I heard they know how to clear the customs check points much better than the other tour groups,, and they did clear the check points very fast.... almost no delay at all.. they provide a lunch, and rum punch.. at a rustic place along the way... My wife and I are camping people,, but we sleep in a trailer,,not a tent on the ground... we don't need a Hilton.. so we found the dot BZ tour to be very good! We had a great time!

ymmv

<snip>

 

- The ride is LONG and the van/bus is hot. Even mitsugirly, who reviewed them positively, indicated this. Most say the ride is 60-90 minutes each way, on a rough road. Ouch.

That ride time is pretty accurate, though only the last ~5 miles is on a bumpy road. It's an interesting trip through the city and countryside with decent narration making it feel shorter. Of course, we're not an ADHD-type family and are used to MUCH longer road trips to the domestic crown jewels and better state parks so even with 4-5 year-olds that wasn't a concern at all.

- You have to walk 45 minutes on a rocky trail WITH YOUR TUBE to get to the tubing site. This sounds very unappealing, especially since I have a 3-year-old who likes to complain during long walks and demand I carry him when his little legs get tired.

This is true. We used Viv the second time we did this specifically for this reason. I was riding heard on a 4 year-old and had a Mother-in-law with a bum ankle to manage. Not having to tote the tube made that easier. The walk was not particularly challenging, but if your 3 year old isn't used to doing any hiking they may need some prodding.

- You have to lock your feet UNDER THE ARMPITS of the person in front of you. Yuck! Also, seems uncomfortable.

No longer true

- The water is cold.

YMMV - We were there in December and March and it wasn't particularly cold either time.

- The equipment is musty and smells bad (like the helmet)

Could be. I didn't notice this but it doesn't seem like an impossibility

- On busy port days (I'll be there during the Christmast cruise, btw), it is disorganized and the advertised small groups become large groups

Max group size is 8 tubers per guide, and is enforced by the park rangers (we had to wait for a second van since we had a 9 and 7 or maybe 10 and 6 split. That said, there can be several rafts in close proximity. Check cruisett to see how busy the port may be on your date (xmas may increase the average number of people per cabin, but shouldn't have much impact on the number of boats stopping on any given day)

- The caves, while peaceful, are not all that interesting. You're basically floating for an hour and not seeing that much.

There are several caves you'll enter and exit with some open river at the end. These aren't caves with a ton of crystal formations, colored lighting, and whatnot, but plenty of stalactites, some other formations, and a small waterfall (coming into the river, you're not going over it in the tube).

I have to say that, if the bad reviews are even half accurate, this is not appealing at all to me.

 

Can anyone give me some truth here? I read mitsugirly's review, and while informative, it did not make much reference to the problems above, aside from the hot van.

Different strokes and all... The only significant differences between vendors seems to be if/what kind of lunch is included and if you'll be carrying the tubes. We had good A/C both times in Belize and no significant problems to speak of. If the types of issues (other than the armpit chains which have been discontinued) mentioned in the handful of less positive reviews will ruin your day then another type of excursion might be your best bet.

Also, does anyone know which operators don't make you carry your tube and/or hook the tubes to where you don't need to do that weird foot/armpit thing?

 

Thanks.

Most have gone to the nicer tubes now and no longer make folks hook armpits. When we went last winter Viv did not make you carry your tube, and I read that some of the others including .bz and maybe another one would help if you needed it though they didn't claim this was a generally included service.

I was astounded at the review distribution of Cave Tubing with Vitilano Reyes (also known as cavetubing bz).

 

It has over 1700 5-star reviews on Tripadvisor, and 118 4-star reviews.

 

There are just 35 reviews of 3 stars and below. That's about a 98% rate of 4 stars or higher, and about 92% being 5 stars. And we're talking about nearly 2000 total reviews here, so there's no way this could be the work of shills.

 

I almost snap-booked the Cave Tubing tour based upon that alone.

 

But then I decided... hey, I should really read those 35 mediocre/bad reviews. I was especially concerned that perhaps Vitilano manipulated the Tripadvisor totals by asking happy people to review him positively on there, while mentioning nothing about Tripadvisor to the unhappy people. I have seen that done before, and it gets really tough to discern the truth. (Usually a sign of this occurring is where you have FAR too many reviews for the size/popularity of the place. I'd say 1869 reviews is pretty excessive for a private tour company!)

 

I have to say...about the "advertising", they would tell us on the way THERE about being on TripAdvisor and to make sure that we give them a review. They did encourage your review and did not sway you one way or the other for it to be good or bad. They mentioned they get their customers by word of mouth and by their reviews and that alone stood for who they are. They reminded us at the end of the tour to give a review.

 

They have been in business for about 8 years. I think 1869 reviews total isn't that excessive. Think of how many people tour with them daily (and not just people on here or people on cruise ships).

So I read the bad reviews, and while I understand they are in the extreme minority, I am concerned they all have a point. Here's the common theme to these reviews:

 

- The ride is LONG and the van/bus is hot. Even mitsugirly, who reviewed them positively, indicated this. Most say the ride is 60-90 minutes each way, on a rough road. Ouch.

 

Our rides have been more closer to 60 minutes each way both times we have went. Our first time, they had an issue with the a/c. This last time (this year), they had all new vehicles and no problems with the a/c. No worries. The road that you travel is fine along most of the way. You are windy around the city and down a long road like a highway. The only road you encounter that is bumpy is the road leading down to the cave (which is also the road that Vitalano lives on). They don't go flying over the bumps, you're not thrown around, there's simply pot holes here and there and they drive around them. It's like any other dirt road.

 

 

- You have to walk 45 minutes on a rocky trail WITH YOUR TUBE to get to the tubing site. This sounds very unappealing, especially since I have a 3-year-old who likes to complain during long walks and demand I carry him when his little legs get tired.

 

The first time we went, we carried our tubes. They offered, but we were fine with it.

 

This time around they did not even ask to carry our tubes...they just did...and not with us either. They gathered all the tubes and the guy went ahead of us and took them to the entrance of the caves where we got on. We didn't see him along the way at all.

 

The first time we went, our daughter was 3 years old. She walked the entire time. This time around, she is 5 years old and didn't have a problem walking, but the tour guide actually picked her up and put her on his shoulders and gave her a ride toward the end. She thought it was fun.

 

- You have to lock your feet UNDER THE ARMPITS of the person in front of you. Yuck! Also, seems uncomfortable.

 

Nope, not at all. This was awhile back. You obviously haven't read my last review. They have all new tubes with the head rest and the tubes lock together with a clamp.

 

- The water is cold.

 

The water is the same temperature year round...between 70 and 74 degrees. It's very refreshing and feels pretty darn good after walking and when floating down the river.

 

- The equipment is musty and smells bad (like the helmet)

 

Never noticed any smells...even with it being a hot day. All of the equipment is stored in the same storage sheds no matter what tour you use. So if that's the case, everyone's equipment would smell the same.

 

- On busy port days (I'll be there during the Christmast cruise, btw), it is disorganized and the advertised small groups become large groups

 

It was a very busy day on this last cruise we were on. There were tons of people there, but they have a limit of how many people each tour guide is allowed to have. Each time we have went, we had a tour guide for JUST our party. The first time was 3 people, the second time there were 5 of us.

 

- The caves, while peaceful, are not all that interesting. You're basically floating for an hour and not seeing that much.

 

They point out different things along the way. They give you the history. You see rock formations that "look" like things. It's just like any other cave that you would visit on land...except it is relaxing and you are floating down the river and not walking it.

 

Now, the last part is fine, because I definitely don't want any "exciting" rapids while with our 3-year-old. However, if the caves themselves are boring, it doesn't seem to justify all of the other stuff above, and it definitely doesn't seem relaxing to have your legs locked under the armpits of the person in front of you (and someone else's sweaty feet in your armpits!)

 

No feet under the armpits. No worries. Even when they did do that, it's usually the people in your party (family and friends).

 

Some of the reviews also mentioned that other tour companies don't make you carry your tubes, and that some also don't make you do that stupid foot-armpit lock thing.

 

I have to say that, if the bad reviews are even half accurate, this is not appealing at all to me.

 

Can anyone give me some truth here? I read mitsugirly's review, and while informative, it did not make much reference to the problems above, aside from the hot van.

 

If you read my second review, which is from this year a few months ago, I made plenty of reference to what it is like NOW. What you are reading on tripadvisor are old reviews obviously. None of this holds true to this date.

 

Also, does anyone know which operators don't make you carry your tube and/or hook the tubes to where you don't need to do that weird foot/armpit thing?

 

Thanks.

With everything being sad above, we have really enjoyed our cave tubing experience, both times. It definitely gives you a different perspective of Belize. There is so much culture and knowledge that these tour guides have. It's not a boring 60 min ride to the caves. They are talking and pointing out things along the way. I completely enjoyed everything they told me. The ride does not even seem that long because you are enjoying yourselves. They even stop along the way to let you try fruit.

The same goes for the walking tour to the caves. There's so much information on the area, the nature, landscape, it's just amazing the things you will learn. That alone was worth the trip for us. I learned a lot that day. (Well, both days because you seem to learn different things each time).

Would I ever go again when in Belize? Nope. I have been there twice and I try to find something new to do each time. We went the second time because I had my oldest daughter, her boyfriend, and my grandson with us and they had never done it before. If any of my other kids cruised with us in the future and wanted to go there, yep, you bet I would go. Would I go with .bz? Yep, sure would. For the great price they offer this tour, it's well worth it compared to the other tour companies because a home cooked meal is also included. It hits the spot after a long day of tubing and it's yummy. It is located at Vitalino's house.

Cave tubing is something that is unique to Belize. It's something "different" that you don't do in any of the other ports. That's why people do this. It also breaks up the monotony of going to the beach.

These are just my thoughts and my thoughts alone. They are not made to convince you or anyone else to go or not to go. They are simply my thoughts and what I experienced.

A very wise man once told me .. If a man stands on a street corner handing out fifty dollar bills, someone will complain that he is not passing out hundreds.

Thanks to the people in this thread who posted responses to my questions.

To be honest, I've gone from "I have to do this" (when I saw the great Tripadvisor reviews) to "No way I'm doing this" (when I saw the bad reviews), to "I'm not sure I'm doing this" at this point.

Glad to hear that they have apparently upgraded their vans, and that the armpit-feet tube connection method is gone. That really did sound pretty awful.

mitsu, I didn't realize you had a second review. I just read it.

There seem to be some pros and cons to doing the cave tubing, some specific to my situation of having a 3-year-old (who by the looks of it, isn't as adventurous as your daughter was at this age).

Pros:

- Unique to Belize

- Will break up "beach days" which are likely to blend together in our memories

- Will allow us to see Belize a bit (on the ride there and back), which I think is always more interesting than just going to a small resort island where you don't feel like you're really "in" that country

- Good value if you go with cabetubing bz

Cons:

- Looks like a madhouse. I hate feeling like I'm in a tourist trap. mitsu, the fact that you said it was hard to take a picture without getting other people and/or tubes in it really struck a cord with me.

- Long drive each way. Normally this would be fine, as I routinely travel between LA and Vegas without worry, and we just did a 2500-mile road trip in 10 days over the summer. However, I'll probably have to hold the 3-year-old in my lap, since it wouldn't be practical to bring his car seat along, right? (We will have it on the ship, but it doesn't look like it would be compatible with this program.)

- Long walk with what might be a tired/uncooperative 3-year-old.

- Water is cold. I know you say it's refreshing, but I just hate getting into cold water. I'm very familiar with what 70-74 feels like, since 70 is about the July temperature of Los Angeles water, and I really hate getting used to it.

- What you see during the tubing ride doesn't look that unique or scenic.

So I'm really torn. Part of me really wants to do this, and part of me thinks it's going to be a lot more hassle than it's worth. But thanks for the info.

There is a reason that the reviews are overwhelmingly positive - Vitalino runs a first class operation. We would go with him again in a heartbeat! Our guide Axel was very polite and knowledgeable!

We did the ziplining and cave tubing excursion with .BZ. All brand new equipment for the ziplining.

The Carnival direct booked tour got in the river at the same time we did and got out 15 minutes earlier than we did as we floated further downstream.

The van ride would be the same length for any of the outfits as they go to the same river. All outfits have the same walk - it is +/- 30 minutes and not very strenuous.

Regarding the water temp. When we went it was perfect - very cool and refreshing but not cold. The scenery is a rainforest viewed from a river occasionally interrupted by dark caves. We enjoyed it - but we enjoy floating many rivers here in Texas. The experience of floating through the caves is unique!

In addition the food was awesome!

Poker-only you can decide if this is right for your family. Only you know what your 3 year old can handle and you need to base that off your instincts.

My (then 3 year old, now 5 year old) is very adventurous and will do anything. She can go for hours. She did the cave tubing in Belize that trip, she zip lined (by herself) in Roatan, and went snorkeling with us as Chankanaab in Cozumel that trip. She blew us away. We knew at that point (which this was her first cruise) that she was hooked on cruising and we could pretty much book ANY of the things we wanted to do as adults and she would go along for the ride. That's just the way she is. Every trip has been fun filled and adventurous for us with her.

However, this last trip my grandson (who is only 3 months younger than my youngest daughter) also went. To put it frank, he's a whiner. He complains about a lot of things, he's emotional, he's a momma's boy and pulls on her heart strings to his advantage any time he can. In his defense, the day we went cave tubing, he was sunburned and didn't feel well, which made him whine even more. But, that's still how he is. He would not be one to take on such a trip where's there's a lot of walking involved.

So each child is different and only the parent will know what they are capable of. I think if you are worried about doing this, maybe you should pick something else or wait until your little one is a little older and can enjoy it a little more with no worries. Follow your heart and instincts Poker and whatever you decide, just have fun and enjoy your vacation. Make memories. It's precious time spent with your family, away from the normal hustle of every day work and life.

One last comment about breaking up the beach days that will blend together in your memories... at least for our daughter, she remembers it all. She talks about it all the time, whether it be the time she swam with the dolphins, swam with the stingrays, held the monkeys (and on the first cruise, she was bitten by one. We had better luck the second time :D), went zip lining, went to the caves, snorkeled with the fish, held the starfish, ate termites, held a tarantula...the list goes on. But she remembers it all. Nothing runs together. No, she might not know "where" it was at or the name of the place, but she remembers each event like it was yesterday. She knows her cruises, that's for sure. :p

Pokerpro5, I agree with pretty much everything mitsugirly wrote.

My DH and I did the cave tubing a few years ago. It was neat to see the jungle and the river but I wouldn't do it again. The drive wasn't bad but we didn't know about the long trek down to the river carrying our own tubes. Sections of the trail are quite muddy and people were sliding everywhere. :eek: There were two little ones and their parents in our group and those kids weren't too happy about it. The water didn't seem cold at all as you get quite heated on the hike and floating through the caves is very pleasant. We were still muddy at the end of the float and thankfully there are showers near the parking lot, sort of like the ones at our beaches only smaller. Except mine only trickled and everyone was waiting in the van so I didn't really get clean. We stopped for lunch on the way back and we had to pay for it.

Only you know if your daughter wouldn't mind a long hike through the forest and mud and eating homemade Belizean food. (sp?) If she's a princess, bless her heart, I would think not. Wait until she's older. ;)

I posted a review about .BZ on Trip Advisor after coming back from our 2011 Legend cruise. I'm really glad we did it, and anyone who expects the ride to the caves to be a breeze in a poor country is not being realistic. I tell my students that they have to choose their attitude and how they react to a situation. We, personally, found the ride to be informative and not bad at all, the tour guides to be phenomal, the lunch really tasty and home-cooked, and the caves to be really cool, especially since this is the only port that you can really experience the caves.

I can see how the trail might be slippery, but that depends on whether or not it has rained - not something that either Vitalino or even you can control.

We had a fantastic time, and I would highly recommend it to anyone, but TO EACH THEIR OWN. There are people who really enjoy the stingray interaction experiences, and I will NEVER do it again. We enjoyed ziplining, but I'm sure there are people who would say they don't enjoy that sort of thing. I say go with your gut. If you decide to do it, know that you would be choosing a time- and tourist-tested company.

A very wise man once told me .. If a man stands on a street corner handing out fifty dollar bills, someone will complain that he is not passing out hundreds.

omg omg omg Beautifully said! Thanks for this quote - I'm gonna use it from now on! :D

Thanks to the people in this thread who posted responses to my questions.

 

To be honest, I've gone from "I have to do this" (when I saw the great Tripadvisor reviews) to "No way I'm doing this" (when I saw the bad reviews), to "I'm not sure I'm doing this" at this point.

 

Glad to hear that they have apparently upgraded their vans, and that the armpit-feet tube connection method is gone. That really did sound pretty awful.

 

mitsu, I didn't realize you had a second review. I just read it.

 

There seem to be some pros and cons to doing the cave tubing, some specific to my situation of having a 3-year-old (who by the looks of it, isn't as adventurous as your daughter was at this age).

 

Pros:

 

- Unique to Belize

 

- Will break up "beach days" which are likely to blend together in our memories

 

- Will allow us to see Belize a bit (on the ride there and back), which I think is always more interesting than just going to a small resort island where you don't feel like you're really "in" that country

 

- Good value if you go with cabetubing bz

 

 

Cons:

 

- Looks like a madhouse. I hate feeling like I'm in a tourist trap. mitsu, the fact that you said it was hard to take a picture without getting other people and/or tubes in it really struck a cord with me.

 

- Long drive each way. Normally this would be fine, as I routinely travel between LA and Vegas without worry, and we just did a 2500-mile road trip in 10 days over the summer. However, I'll probably have to hold the 3-year-old in my lap, since it wouldn't be practical to bring his car seat along, right? (We will have it on the ship, but it doesn't look like it would be compatible with this program.)

 

- Long walk with what might be a tired/uncooperative 3-year-old.

 

- Water is cold. I know you say it's refreshing, but I just hate getting into cold water. I'm very familiar with what 70-74 feels like, since 70 is about the July temperature of Los Angeles water, and I really hate getting used to it.

 

- What you see during the tubing ride doesn't look that unique or scenic.

 

 

So I'm really torn. Part of me really wants to do this, and part of me thinks it's going to be a lot more hassle than it's worth. But thanks for the info.

My thoughts, for what it is worth... Don't go. It seems to me you are overly focused on the "bad" or "negative" reviews and comments - you even said after seeing 1800 or whatever positive reviews you thought you had better pay attention to the 35 bad reviews. Given the concerns you are voicing NOW in the comfort of your own home, I think that in the reality of a 3rd world country where ANYTHING can happen and things CAN go wrong - it would be too high of a risk for you and would ruin your trip/experience.

We went last week. We LOVED it. Beautiful, peaceful, refreshing. Stinky helmets, noisy tourists, bumpy roads, cool water. We LOVED it.

But we are "glass is half full" kinda people. And we would say to the guy on the street corner handing out $50's omg omg omg thank you sooooo much! You made my day!!:D If you are NOT a glass half full kind of person, this is NOT the excursion for you IMHO (nor the PORT for you IMHO).

omg omg omg Beautifully said! Thanks for this quote - I'm gonna use it from now on! :D

Hve a blast my friend ;)

Hve a blast my friend ;)

Thank you! I will:D Hey, do me a favor, would ya? I see you are in Ft Lauderdale.... go eat at Catfish Dewey's for us and gobble up some fried or broiled shrimp please! Haven't been there for a couple of years and we're missing it baadddd! lol

Thank you! I will:D Hey, do me a favor, would ya? I see you are in Ft Lauderdale.... go eat at Catfish Dewey's for us and gobble up some fried or broiled shrimp please! Haven't been there for a couple of years and we're missing it baadddd! lol

Would you believe I live about a mile from there and eat there all the time

Would you believe I live about a mile from there and eat there all the time

you are KILLING me. Ok, so now you need to go to Grand Luxe Cafe and have an amazing meal and fight over the beignets for dessert. Then, the next day eat at Tark's. Then one of our top favorites is El Tamarindo cafe and ..... :( Dang it - we shoulda cruised outta Ft Lauderdale instead of Tampa.

you are KILLING me. Ok, so now you need to go to Grand Luxe Cafe and have an amazing meal and fight over the beignets for dessert. Then, the next day eat at Tark's. Then one of our top favorites is El Tamarindo cafe and ..... :( Dang it - we shoulda cruised outta Ft Lauderdale instead of Tampa.

Lol was to Grand Lux 2 days ago, I love the fajitas and soup at El Tamarido and Tarks wow the grouper is great and always have to have the oyster shooter

Lol was to Grand Lux 2 days ago, I love the fajitas and soup at El Tamarido and Tarks wow the grouper is great and always have to have the oyster shooter

pffftttt:eek:

I'm so jealous

pffftttt:eek:

 

I'm so jealous

Well come on down and I will buy ya lunch at Tarks !

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Didn't end up Cavetubing, but used Vitalino for an Altun Ha tour, instead.

*** HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE -- HE DID NOT KEEP HIS WORD AND TRIED A BAIT AND SWITCH ON THE PRICE ***

Read review below: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=43241126&postcount=16

Well, it sounds like you got just what you were expecting, a HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. You should try some excursions through the ship next time, or just stay on board at this port. Belize does not seem to agree with you. :D

We had a great time cave tubing and zip lining with them on our last cruise and are looking forward to doing it again in a couple of months. I didn't really like Belize at first, but now it is a favorite port. But I guess it is not for everyone.

Well, it sounds like you got just what you were expecting, a HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. You should try some excursions through the ship next time, or just stay on board at this port. Belize does not seem to agree with you. :D

 

We had a great time cave tubing and zip lining with them on our last cruise and are looking forward to doing it again in a couple of months. I didn't really like Belize at first, but now it is a favorite port. But I guess it is not for everyone.

You must have misunderstood my review.

I enjoyed Belize. I even enjoyed the tour I took.

I did not enjoy Vitalino Reyes and his attempt to cheat us and not keep his word.

I do not take ship tours because they are expensive, slow, and crowded. Next time I go to Belize, I will just go with a different tour operator.

I encourage you to read other reviews of Vitalino which also describe how he backed out of commitments and changed terms on people. I should have heeded those.

The 1,800+ positive reviews were solicited by him during the tours, where basically he asks only happy customers to review him. Legal by the review site policies, but very shady and ends up providing inaccurate reviews for the public.

We had an incredible experience with Vitalino 09/2015 I can't recommend him enough. I loved it and wrote a review http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=48000009

We had an incredible experience with Vitalino 09/2015 I can't recommend him enough. I loved it and wrote a review http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=48000009

Just finished reading your review and it was great. Will be there in January on the Caribbean Princess (two Carnival ships in port also). Will probably go with this company.

Question: We are only going to do the zip line and cave tubing, is there a minimum number of people needed to do the tour? There will be only 3 of us.

Thanks,

Bill