RCI's 2 options for Tubing in Jamaica

[ColoradoMom!!]

I posted the following on the Jamaica board on Oct. 1st, and still have yet to get one reply. Any help would be appreciated - please note if you did private tour vs. RCI.

 

 

There are two options for a ship sponsered tubing excursion on Royal Caribbean. The Inner Tubing which is a shorter tubing time, with a jump off a cliff, and then extended time at Shaw Beach. The second option is called River Tubing Safari, and they just recently added the "Chukka" name to it, which I had already figured out was the tour operator. This one starts at Spanish Bridge and appears to be a longer tube time - no cliff or Shaw beach.

 

Any recent takers of the second tour, or can anyone tell me more about them? It sounds like most of the private tours (Mark Morris, Marva Shaw, etc.) use the shorter tube time with cliff - in which case it makes sense to book with a private tour who tend to include Dunn's River Falls.

Since we don't want to spend time at the beach or the falls, we are thinking about the longer one with RCL and Chukka. Comments?

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[cantwait2cruize]

We booked the river tubing in Jamica with a private tour guide,it's much cheaper. Reserch the Jamica boards for private guides. I loved it:D . I did not cliff jump, but my boys did. They both said they touched the bottom with their feet. It is very rocky. If I would have know this I would not of let them do it.(boys are 15, 19).Broken backs and vactions don't mix well:eek: .

[jennat]

We did the tubing/falls/cliff with Marva last month. Had a great time. Almost everyone jumped off with no broken backs (Thank Goodness). It freaks me out. YOu can see the rocks before you jump and it seems easy (I hate that word) to avoid them (until it's not). Don't know about the second tour but the falls was phenomenal and it was a second time (better than I remembered).

PS DOn't forget to bring extra cash to tip the guides at the Falls and/or the tubing. They are awesome. Also they sell pictures of the tubing for $5 each. I have found I never bring enough cash in Jamaica....so don't forget to give this some thought!

[Priusprof]

We did the private tour with Phil Lafayette. Started at the falls, then the White River tube, then the Fern Gulley drive. You pay as you go so if you didn't want to tube you could stay with the bus. Same with the falls.

[lawsoncd3]

We did a private tour with Phil Lafayette in Oct '06. We did the Dunn's River Falls, White River Tubing and Fern Gully. You pay as you go so bring enough money for each thing... if you don't want to participate, just stay on the bus, but if you do go, bring enough singles (I would) to tip the guides. There is cliff diving on the river tubing. We all did it, but my husband did have an injury when he jumped.. he forgot to tuck his arms in.

 

Have fun and remember safety!! Oh, and remember to take a water camera!!

 

D :)

[dirtgirl]

We did the falls, river tubing, and Fern Gully with Ionie McBeam last year and had a blast. You can choose what you want to do and what you don't want to do with the private operators. We all jumped off the cliff, although it took a while for me to do it.:rolleyes: I bought the DVD of us jumping, and it makes us laugh every time we see it! I chickened out and grabbed onto a tree trunk at one point, and was hanging onto it for dear life.:o It took 3 attempts before I finally took the plunge.

[cruisinisforme]

We did the river tubing a couple of times once with Phil and the other with Welcome to A-Z Jamaica Planners, both were great. My sister and her family did the ship sponsored river tubing and didnt like it. She said it was more like a lazy river and her kids didnt like it.

 

I would recommend a private tour, they are cheaper and more fun.

[IrvineCruiser]

ColoradoMom,

Returned last night from a BTB on the Freedom. We did the Tubing Safari through the ship a week ago. In one word...faboulous!!! Last year we did river tubing with Phil Lafyette. This year's trip was far better. When you get off the ship, you are escorted to your small transportation bus with air conditioning. The ride to the river was 45 minutes half on paved road and half on rocky dirt road. Not the best ride but well worth it.

 

You can keep all your belongings on the bus, I had a water wallet for the seapass cards and a few dollars for tips. If you wear glasses, they try to sell you straps. I did not buy them and did not have any trouble with my sunglasses. You need to wear bathing suits and sand shoes. You get a life vest. Take several towels from the ship to dry off. When you are all done, there is a small shopping area for drinks and bathrooms.

 

The trip was wonderful and fun. We felt very safe and had a great time. The guides kept us going...when my sister and I got caught in the trees they happily came to rescue us. The water was calm as most points and we could relax and just float. We had three rapid areas...they prepare you and you just hold on and go.

 

My suggestion is to book it. You will have a great time and fun memories of your trip.

[ColoradoMom!!]

ColoradoMom,

Returned last night from a BTB on the Freedom. We did the Tubing Safari through the ship a week ago. In one word...faboulous!!! Last year we did river tubing with Phil Lafyette. This year's trip was far better. When you get off the ship, you are escorted to your small transportation bus with air conditioning. The ride to the river was 45 minutes half on paved road and half on rocky dirt road. Not the best ride but well worth it.

 

The trip was wonderful and fun.

 

My suggestion is to book it. You will have a great time and fun memories of your trip.

 

Thank you - this was the type of info. I was looking for! What made it better for you - more time on the river?? Different part of river? Do you think my 9 year old boy could handle it? Was it run through Chukka?

 

THANKS!!!

[sealegs9]

I posted last year and earlier this year- do a search. I could not find a tour operator willing to do a private tour from the Spanish Bridge area. That is the area that Chukka tours uses/owns/operates (you choose). It is further up in the mountains, clear, cool water and flowing, not like the downstream entry points of the "private" operators.

We took Phil L's in 2004- it was ok. We did the ship's excursion (Chukka tours) in 2005 and it is as described by IrvineCruiser. Really beautiful, relaxing and the guides were better at talking to us and showing us the local vegetation and history than the downstream tubing.

 

I usually do not do a ship's excursion, but when in places like Jamaica and other countries where it's not advisable to rent a car and do it alone, this is the best alternative. I believe a woman, Eileen (emd1 I think) also enjoyed this.

[ColoradoMom!!]

I posted last year and earlier this year- do a search. I could not find a tour operator willing to do a private tour from the Spanish Bridge area. That is the area that Chukka tours uses/owns/operates (you choose). It is further up in the mountains, clear, cool water and flowing, not like the downstream entry points of the "private" operators.

We took Phil L's in 2004- it was ok. We did the ship's excursion (Chukka tours) in 2005 and it is as described by IrvineCruiser. Really beautiful, relaxing and the guides were better at talking to us and showing us the local vegetation and history than the downstream tubing.

 

I usually do not do a ship's excursion, but when in places like Jamaica and other countries where it's not advisable to rent a car and do it alone, this is the best alternative. I believe a woman, Eileen (emd1 I think) also enjoyed this.

 

Yes, I followed that thread and even posted a big thanks for Eileen. Your post was May 1st and hers July 3rd. Since there is a daily new thread about formal wear, I didn't think my post was out of line. I just wanted to get some more recent info. and other opinions on the Chukka trip. Actually I think it was Eileen that mentioned the life jackets were important as her daughter flipped. Wanted to see if anyone else found the rapids too fast or anything. Just wanted to see if I could find more input - you would think on a board this big, more than two people (now three thanks to IrvineCruiser) have taken this trip.

Thanks for your input :)

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

I did the ships excursion last year in November and I personally thought it was horrible and not worth the money. When we did the tour there were no rapids to speak of. At the beginning of the tour we got in the tubes which were all tied together and then there was a guide at the front of the heap as well as one at the back. They were in kayaks and had to tow us down the river as the river was so calm. There were 2 areas where the water quickened but not anything significant. I thought that the excursion would be fine for small kids but definately very boring for adults or teenagers.

 

Maybe it depends on when you go as to how fast the river is flowing but I do know that when we went they had a lot of rain recently and if the river was that boring with lots of rain than I would think it would be even worse (boring) at other times.

 

I know that many of the private vendors use other rivers that seem to have faster flowing water so you get more of a tube ride. If you're looking for a float down the river in a very calm matter than do the ships excursion but if you are looking to have a bit more fun than I would do a private tour.

 

IMO............the ships tour=BORING!:(

[ColoradoMom!!]

I did the ships excursion last year in November and I personally thought it was horrible and not worth the money. When we did the tour there were no rapids to speak of. At the beginning of the tour we got in the tubes which were all tied together and then there was a guide at the front of the heap as well as one at the back.

 

I know that many of the private vendors use other rivers that seem to have faster flowing water so you get more of a tube ride. If you're looking for a float down the river in a very calm matter than do the ships excursion but if you are looking to have a bit more fun than I would do a private tour.

 

IMO............the ships tour=BORING!:(

 

Hi Sandie,

Thanks - wow - that does sound awful. Do you remember if your trip was called River Tube Safari -and was it run by Chukka? I don't want one where the tubes are tied together!

Thanks!

[DonnaK]

We did the Chukka safari in 2002, and we tubed with Marva Shaw this past August. Yes, the Chukka tour is a little longer. It's also a more scary ride up the narrow dirt roads to access the river. We felt that for half the price, we enjoyed Marva's tour so much better. The extra 15 minutes in the water or so wasn't noticeable, and her tour bus was newer, safer-feeling, plus the tour group was smaller so we received more personal, custom service.

 

Somestimes the speed of the river is dependent on the amount of rainfall the area received recently, so perhaps what the above poster experienced was not the fault of a particular tour, but rather Mother Nature. A more swollen river will move faster.

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

Hi Sandie,

Thanks - wow - that does sound awful. Do you remember if your trip was called River Tube Safari -and was it run by Chukka? I don't want one where the tubes are tied together!

Thanks!

Yes it was called River Tube Safari and it was also run by Chukka. I think I have pictures somewhere if I can find them I will post a couple later. Oh one thing to remember is to wear bug repellant as my son got eaten alive by bugs. They do tell you to wear bug repellant so that was really our own fault but just thought I'd mention that its worth wearing it. It was really more of a gentle float down the river where the guides pulled you and talked about the area and the different plants.

 

What is super funny is that halfway through the tour the guy in the front hands back a jug of Rum punch for anyone that wants some but no cups are provided. :eek: :eek: There was NO WAY that I was going to drink from a jug that 10 people before me slurped from! YUCK!

 

Okay found the pictures here are a couple.

 

 

We did the Chukka safari in 2002, and we tubed with Marva Shaw this past August. Yes, the Chukka tour is a little longer. It's also a more scary ride up the narrow dirt roads to access the river. We felt that for half the price, we enjoyed Marva's tour so much better. The extra 15 minutes in the water or so wasn't noticeable, and her tour bus was newer, safer-feeling, plus the tour group was smaller so we received more personal, custom service.

 

Somestimes the speed of the river is dependent on the amount of rainfall the area received recently, so perhaps what the above poster experienced was not the fault of a particular tour, but rather Mother Nature. A more swollen river will move faster.

 

Actually that wasn't the case in our tour. We went in November during the rainy season and it was actually even raining the morning we took our tour. They were offering people the option to cancel before the tour due to weather. The river was very swollen as they had record rain fall the previous weeks. Its just that the area of the river that they take you on is very very tame. Thus the reason for tying the tubes together otherwise it would take hours upon hours to float down on your own as there was relatively no current except in two places and even that was tame.They say that they tie the tubes together for safety reasons but to me that just makes this excursion all the more boring.

 

Chukka runs several tours from this location. Theres the river tubing, the ziplines and the ATV adventure.

[ColoradoMom!!]

Thanks again Sandie - I really appreciate all this valuable info.

 

Looks like you are a cruising expert! If you were to go to Jamaica again, what would you do?

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

Hi ColoradoMom! I wouldn't say that I'm the cruising expert but I know what I like.;) We go to Jamaica again on my Nov 3rd cruise and we are going to do the ziplines. This is one of the good excursions that they offer. Then one of my friends that works on the ships but is on holiday at the moment (which he happens to live in Jamaica) is going to take us around and we'll stop for drinks at a couple of places of course!:D

 

The ATV excursion at Chukka is good if you get a good guide. Its very much a follow the leader type of excursion and they put the slowest people of front so that no one is left behind. If you do the regular excursion then it can be a bit boring.......BUT........last time we went we were able to give the guide some extra money and we were able to break off from the group and then had a GREAT time!!! We were able to get some top speeds and drive the ATVs like they were made for!:D :D

 

What kind of things do you like to do? A couple of the names that people mentioned above are very good private companies to go through and they will customize a day for you.

 

If tubing is important to you than I would do it with a private company like A-Z planners or with one of the other tour guides suggested. Are you an adventourous family? If you give me an idea of what you like to do than I'd be happy to make a couple of suggestions.

[willysgrandma]

We did the Inner Tubing on the White River. The tubing was fun with soem small rapids, but I have to tell you, the life vests they required us to wear were FILTHY. I ended up with a rash from my chin to my chest from the life vest that required me to buy Benadryl lotion and pills and use them fo the rest of the cruise. It was disgusting.

 

We also spent no time at the beach. When the tubing ended at the beach (after going past a huge sewer tube that ended in the river near the beach), we were told the group could vote to either stay at the beach or go back to the ship. Since several in our ship group wanted to go back to the ship, we didn't get to spend any time at the beach.

 

I felt it was poorly run, but the life jacket thing was just repulsive.

[ColoradoMom!!]

Yikes willysgrandma the life vests sound gross! Did they tie your tubes together too?

 

Sandie, I have a son who is 9 and one who is 13, and I am a worrying Mom - so I was even a bit concerned about Dunn's River Falls as I have heard lots of people get hurt there - so I thought we would just tube. The boys are really excited about tubing - and just when I thought I had it all figured out, I hear some awful things about Chukka! Maybe we'll just do a private tour for less, and if we don't like it, we won't have lost too much $$!

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

Yikes willysgrandma the life vests sound gross! Did they tie your tubes together too?

 

Sandie, I have a son who is 9 and one who is 13, and I am a worrying Mom - so I was even a bit concerned about Dunn's River Falls as I have heard lots of people get hurt there - so I thought we would just tube. The boys are really excited about tubing - and just when I thought I had it all figured out, I hear some awful things about Chukka! Maybe we'll just do a private tour for less, and if we don't like it, we won't have lost too much $$!

 

If the kids still want to do a tubing excursion than I would still do it but book it through a private vendor. A good one to use is A-Z planners but there are other ones also. They do the tubing on a different river and from what I understand the river they use flows faster. I've only done the ships tour since when I booked it the write up on the web site was far better than the excursion.:rolleyes: Most of the time I do private tours so I should have known better.

 

Another bad thing about Dunns river is that it is very very far from MoBay. Its roughly a 2 hour drive in each direction depending on traffic.

 

Good luck!

[ColoradoMom!!]

Thanks! We are actually in Ocho Rios for our Jamaica stop. AHHH - Maybe that is why there is such a difference in the review for Chukka. Was yours by the Spanish Bridge on the White River? I just checked Chukka's site, and they do have two different tours called Tubing Safari - one in Ocho, and the other MoBay!

[IrvineCruiser]

I agree with sealegs9, the trip was better for us because it started higher up the river at Spanish Bridge. For the most part the river was very calm and the ride just long enough. We were looking for an option with would get to the river and back to the ship. As Donna K said, we did not enjoy the ride onthe unpaved roads, but we di not ever feel unsafe.

 

The best part of the trip were the four guides. They were very helpful, kept us from getting caught in the trees, kept us moving during the slower stream, and just helped us enjoy the trip.

 

I am not sure this is the trip for a 9 year old. I would be afraid he would not be strong enough to hold on during the rapids and would get flipped. Maybe someone with children to give better advise.

[dmndlil]

When we last sailed on the Mariner in Feb 2004 we did the river tubing excursion through the ship (there was only one at the time). The tour operator was Chukka and we had a blast!! After tubing we were dropped off at the pier... no beach time. We were considering possibly going again this Feb. Has anyone tried the "other" option that is offered.. river tubing then Shaw Beach? Is that one operated by Chukka as well?

[slyster]

We are scheduled for the river tubing safari on our cruise on FOS the last week of Octobober...I have a question I hope you can answer...

 

One of the posters mentioned wearing "sand" shoes, but I also saw pictures of a very dry group wearing tennis shoes. What are "sand" shoes?

[ColoradoMom!!]

Great Thread Everyone - thanks so much.

 

For future feedback, please list if your tour was out of Ocho Rios, or MoBay :)

"Sand Shoes" probably meant water shoes - the kind that are mesh, and can get wet without being ruined, but have an enclosed heel and toe in contrast to flip flops or Teva's.

 

It is my best guess that the shorter tube time in not run by Chukka since anyone (private tours like Marva Shaw, Mark Morris, Phil Lafayette) just drop you off with the guides who take you down river, to the cliff jump, and down the river some more. Maybe I am wrong - hopefully someone will verify. I believe Chukka has exclusvie use of the Spanish Bridge start on the Ocho Rios Tubing Safari offered through RCI.