Opinions on cave tubing?

I will be going to Belize in October and we have been considering doing a cave tubing excursion, likely through Carnival because I am TERRIFIED of being left by the ship and don't want to add that to my worries. A few questions I have are, how long are you actually tubing? Do you recommend it? We are young & healthy so the hike and carrying a tube aren't a concern. Also, I see that some excursions offer lunch and some don't but there's a decent sized price difference. Is the lunch worth it?

For those of you who have cave tubed with a cruise line, how long was the total excursion? Did you do it early in the day and, if so, what is there to do safely in Belize with extra time?

Thanks for any advice!

DO CAVE TUBING!!! Whether ship excursion or private vendor. It's unique. Nearest thing is the cenotes in Playa del Carmen/Cancun area, and they can be a bit of a hassle to reach and cost more to do.

I highly recommend you look at a private vendor, though. There are several. Cavetubing.bz, Cave-Tubes-R US(?), Reggies Tours, el.al. have good reps. Smaller groups. Some have further away put in spots--long ride down the river. Speed is dependent upon speed of current. The food at the place at the cave-tube site (buffet) is okay. And there's another place nearby where ship excursions go. But given the size of ship excursions, I'd avoid these places. There are better spots on the way back or in town (private vendors can take you to these) or wait until you get to port and stop at Wet Lizard. Don't get the zip line package and you'll have more time to do other things.

The cave tubing is BRILLIANT! I wrote all about including lunch, transfers etc. on my blog http://wp.me/p6Ptmi-gz

I'm a crew member, so it's kind of an insiders guide. I hope that you have a great trip!

look at some videos on you tube

We did a private excursion with Charlie Chan's... 'twas great and you didn't have to lug a tube all the way to the river.

My opinion, I thought it was just eh. I was looking for something a little more exciting than it turned out to be. We were like cattle being dragged through kiddie pool depth water. You can read my full review at the link in my signature line.