Cave tubing "worth it"?

[Mistizoom]

Also, dot com had the best tubes, there are several companies out there (ship excursions) but dot com was the only company with headrests and tethers, some had to hold the feet of the person next to them - gross.

 

The tubes for V.I.V. Tours have headrests, mesh under the seat, cup holders, and are linked together. Plus V.I.V. carries the tubes for you. I honestly would not have enjoyed the hike if I had to carry the tube the whole time. I don't think this benefit of V.I.V. should be underestimated. I highly recommend them, plus they were cheaper than the others (lunch wasn't included but that was fine with us).

[SunshineCruiser24]

Oh! I did not notice that. Well we are going in August, so I'll bring you a report. I've heard great things about the company.

 

I went tubing with .bz and it was awesome. The guides are very knowledgeable and really make sure you have a good time. I swear they didn't stop talking from the time that we got on the bus until the time we were walking to the river. They're very funny and kept us entertained for the entire ride. The last part of the ride out is really fun because it's very bumpy, they told us it was a belizean massage. Haha.

 

The food is great. Bring some extra cash, they have a little stand with souvenirs at the "restaurant" which looks like someone's house, they were fairly priced and really neat.

 

You will not regret it, it is unbelizable. Wear sturdy shoes you don't mind getting wet. The thin soled water shoes will leave your feet sore.

[SunshineCruiser24]

The tubes for V.I.V. Tours have headrests, mesh under the seat, cup holders, and are linked together. Plus V.I.V. carries the tubes for you. I honestly would not have enjoyed the hike if I had to carry the tube the whole time. I don't think this benefit of V.I.V. should be underestimated. I highly recommend them, plus they were cheaper than the others (lunch wasn't included but that was fine with us).

 

With .bz you have headrests. There's no need for a cupholder and the mesh bottom won't protect you from going "BUTTS UP". It's VERY shallow in some parts. With .bz they link you together with clips. If you have trouble carrying your tube they will carry it for you. I'm very slow and they kept falling back and offering to carry it for me.

[mitsugirly]

We just returned last month with .bz and they carried EVERYONE'S tubes in all of the groups that day. :confused: They didn't even ask. They had 2 tour guides that left way ahead of us and met us there with our tubes.

 

Yes, they also have the headrest and I'm a little confused about everyone talking about "having a mesh bottom". What could possibly be good about this? There are many places that the water is shallow or have rocks sticking up and they tell you to lift your bottom up, so a mesh bottom is going to catch on a rock and get hung up. It always confuses me when people get excited about this mesh bottom that has no significance of use to it at all. :confused:

[Mistizoom]

Some in our group brought water bottles, so they were happy for the cup holders. My son liked the bottom mesh, it made him feel more secure that he wouldn't fall through the tube. We did have to do "butts up" but the mesh did not get stuck on the rocks at all.

[Bluemoon319]

Yes, it's well worth it... we had a great day with cave tubing dot com... they are super responsive to email and contacted us several times before the trip. In fact they do not collect money upfront, you pay cash or credit at the end of the day. They meet you at the terminal and have a large well-marked bus for the trip which takes about an hour. Our driver was quite speedy, which was a little unnerving but that's usually the case in other countries.

 

Also, dot com had the best tubes, there are several companies out there (ship excursions) but dot com was the only company with headrests and tethers, some had to hold the feet of the person next to them - gross.

 

The hike in was no problem (for this daily dog walker) but we had several large, out of shape people in our group, including one with a cane and they made the hike without any trouble - the tubes accomodate all sizes. The guide stops frequently and makes the hike enjoyable for all, he was in no hurry and we all were supportive if someone needed help packing a tube for someone less fit. Do not let age or shape stop you from this excursion, it is well worth the $50 and it's truly a unique experience. We traveled w/o kids but if we ever go back to Belize, we'll do this again.

 

We also did the ATV trip combo, I would definitely skip this unless you're dying to try out an ATV. The course was quite rugged and it was in the jungle - not a huge disappointment but not necessarily worth the money.

 

.bz has upgraded their tubes which now have cup holders, headrests, & chainlinks for tethering. I also like the idea of where they have lunch. I booked through .com though because we wanted to ad the ATV. I'm sorry you didn't like that part, but glad you described it. Rugged & in the jungle is exactly what we were looking for. We even hope it's a rainy day so their will be a lot of mud. Yes, we are planning on wearing crappy clothes & lots of bug spray. LOL Also, by doing the ATV in Belize, we can skip it in Roatan & do some great ziplining there. :)

 

One question.....I understand we will have about a 10 min walk once we get out of the gates for Tourism Village. Could you please describe this walk? We are a bit nervous about this part of the day. Thanks bunches in advance.

[mushroomgs]

This was our second time cave tubing in Belize. The first time was with Carnival. We enjoyed it. This time, though, we booked through BZ. It was way better! The guides were very nice and informative during the van ride, hike, and caves. We did one more big cave than carnival did, and it was half the price. Lunch was nice too. They were very conscious of the ship departure time. I would choose this company again if we return.

[SunshineCruiser24]

.bz has upgraded their tubes which now have cup holders, headrests, & chainlinks for tethering. I also like the idea of where they have lunch. I booked through .com though because we wanted to ad the ATV. I'm sorry you didn't like that part, but glad you described it. Rugged & in the jungle is exactly what we were looking for. We even hope it's a rainy day so their will be a lot of mud. Yes, we are planning on wearing crappy clothes & lots of bug spray. LOL Also, by doing the ATV in Belize, we can skip it in Roatan & do some great ziplining there. :)

 

One question.....I understand we will have about a 10 min walk once we get out of the gates for Tourism Village. Could you please describe this walk? We are a bit nervous about this part of the day. Thanks bunches in advance.

 

You won't be alone. Right off to the side after going through the doors there are tons of cave tubing companies waving their signs and they guide you right to their vans. You'll be with a mob of other cruisers who are heading for the same place. You will be fine, no worries.