Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Raiders of the Lost Mayan Cave

johnnychimpo

By johnnychimpo,
in Belize

Recommended Posts

rockmegently

rockmegently

Posted
Posted
I appreciate the replies of those of you who have tired this adventure. Our family of 5 is really looking forward to it.

One more question; did anyone take a camera or video cam with them and could you use it?

 

Thanks!

I used a camera through out the tour. The caves might be a bit dark for video. The guides also take pictures at various points and offer the digital files for sale at the end of the tour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
Sadere

Sadere

Posted
Posted

My DH and I are "fluffy":D We are within the height/weight reg. (barley on height DH is 6'4) and don't have problems with stairs, mod. rock climbing/hiking, basically any activity for short periods of time. But we are not "in shape." At all. How intense is this? It sounds like a lot of fun, but we don't want to get ourselfs in over our heads :confused:.

 

Also how much time is spent crawling on hands and knees??? DH will not enjoy that! He hates to bend :D

 

Any feedback from those who have done this would be great! BTW we will be on the Valor late October 09.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sns101

sns101

Posted
Posted

Just bumping this up to see if anyone has more to add. We're considering this tour and really want to know:

 

1) How tight are the spaces where you crawl? I can handle crawling for a short distance through a low-ceiling space but would not be happy with a long crawl. You know those scenes in movies where the hero crawls through a ventilation duct? Not happening for me.

 

2) How strenuous is the whole tour overall? I'm a bit "fluffy" as one poster said, and about as fit as your average 45yo (which is not much). I do walking and biking fairly often, but not on hills. I did some spelunking and rapelling 20 years ago and like adventures, just not sure if I've still "got it", kwim?

 

3) My 13yo daughter thinks this tour sounds awesome. If you've done it before, would you recommend it for a young teen?

 

Thanks for any further info or opinions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ladywolfmyst

Ladywolfmyst

Posted
Posted
Just bumping this up to see if anyone has more to add. We're considering this tour and really want to know:

 

1) How tight are the spaces where you crawl? I can handle crawling for a short distance through a low-ceiling space but would not be happy with a long crawl. You know those scenes in movies where the hero crawls through a ventilation duct? Not happening for me.

 

2) How strenuous is the whole tour overall? I'm a bit "fluffy" as one poster said, and about as fit as your average 45yo (which is not much). I do walking and biking fairly often, but not on hills. I did some spelunking and rapelling 20 years ago and like adventures, just not sure if I've still "got it", kwim?

 

3) My 13yo daughter thinks this tour sounds awesome. If you've done it before, would you recommend it for a young teen?

 

Thanks for any further info or opinions.

 

I did this tour just this past March and LOVED IT! As for the crawling, if you are a tall person, you may end up on your hands and knees for short stints, nothing really long, It's more or less just getting under things that are in the way, but if you are short say 5'3" or less, you could squat walk through it. On your 2nd question, I'm 50lbs overweight and don't exercise and I manage to get through it with no problems. I did drink lots of water and was breathing pretty good when I got to the cave mouth due to the upward climb, but the rest was a snap. This is 2.5 miles of trekking through everything from start to finish. And for the last question about your 13yr old daughter, she would LOVE IT! I had my 20yr old daughter who's 4'10" and she wanted to go back and do it again. I don't think there was anything there that your daughter won't be able to do. Enjoy! Next time I go back, I'll do it again. :)

 

For those interested in the clothes aspect. Closed toe shoes is a must, but next time I go, I'll wear capri's and short sleeve shirt. There were a few in short shorts, but with the harness, it was a little uncomfortable with rubbing against the legs and one girl's short hitched up a little too high during the zipline and rapel. Few of the guys loved the view. For you guys, I think those long shorts you wear will be fine too. Not everyone in our group wore jeans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...
SraLiz

SraLiz

Posted
Posted

Our family of 5 plus my sister did this tour on our July 5 Valor cruise! AWESOME is the only word to describe it.

My husband is 6'4" and he had a little issue with the bending over, crawling parts of the cave. No complaints from me, a 1X size girl. The zip line was tons of fun. Our Kids were wild about it. We had great guides.

This is by far the SAFEST tour I have ever been on. Any time you were near an edge there was extra supports/lines to hook on to.

We wore a ton of bug spray and didn't get a bite. I took digital photos and video although it was difficult.

The only negative...there were some in our group (of 12 of us)who were not as tolerant of the slower ones. I knew I was the slow on so I stayed in the back. Their comments were not appreciated and uncalled for at times. Please remember not everyone is 22 and a size 2.

 

It was really crowded so sometimes we had to wait for the group in front of us. but that gave me more time to take photos!

overall a great time. Well worth the $$$$$

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Jetgirl105

Jetgirl105

Posted
Posted

Hi, I am going to Belize the 3rd week in December on Holland America. They are offering this tour for $119. I am going with a small singles group & wondered if a little 55y.o. single mom could do this, but I'm gamed. I love an adventure. Is anyone else going? We're sailing on MSRhydam. I have traveled with All Singles Travel Group since 2003 and they opened my eyes to cruising.

:D:p

 

Past cruises:

2003 Princess South Pacific, absolutely beautiful

2005 RCCL Splendor of the Seas, Mediterrean cruise, awesome

 

I cruised down the Nile 2x, does this count as a cruise(lol)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...
Bellfree Bat

Bellfree Bat

Posted
Posted
This one is on our short list as it sounds GREAT!

 

Does anyone have any pics to share or any new reviews. We will be there in February.

 

We just did this excursion a couple weeks ago and had a blast. Extremely safety conscious operator and would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

This link has pics from our trip including some on this tour.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/digitalbats/Dec2009#

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bellfree Bat

Bellfree Bat

Posted
Posted
Hi, I am going to Belize the 3rd week in December on Holland America. They are offering this tour for $119. I am going with a small singles group & wondered if a little 55y.o. single mom could do this, but I'm gamed. I love an adventure. Is anyone else going? We're sailing on MSRhydam. I have traveled with All Singles Travel Group since 2003 and they opened my eyes to cruising.

:D:p

 

Past cruises:

2003 Princess South Pacific, absolutely beautiful

2005 RCCL Splendor of the Seas, Mediterrean cruise, awesome

 

I cruised down the Nile 2x, does this count as a cruise(lol)

 

If you are somewhat fit, you should be fine. I am 48 and never repelled or ziplined before and had a blast. There is a short hike, mild in elevation, to the cave and walking on uneven, sometimes slippery, surfaces. The tour is broken up into groups of about 10 with 2 guides. Hope you have fun. I did!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Candygal1234

Candygal1234

Posted
Posted

We did this excursion during our Carnival cruise over the holiday break. Carnival offered it for $125.00 per person which we thought was a bit much, but the company that offered the tour wasn't booking excursions online at the time. (http://www.chukkacaribbean.com/Belize/caves.php).

 

We had a short boat ride to the port and then an hour bus ride that toured the city and then went to the mountains. The last 45 minutes of that ride was incredibly bumpy. As our tour guide said, "Enjoy your complimentary massage."

 

After a pit stop at their picnic area, we headed to the mouth of the caves where we were suited up with harnesses, helmets w/ lights, and gloves. We were split up into groups of 15 or they were supposed to be. Our group ended up having 3 guides and 18 people which was way too many in my opinion.

 

After getting suited up we trekked up the mountain for about 10-15 minutes. Because of the rain, the path was pretty slick and we had to take care climbing upward. If you're in pretty good physical shape, you'll be okay.

 

Touring the caves required a lot of crouching down, bending, and sometimes being on your hands and knees. I would highly recommend longer pants or capris and bug spray. Wearing a t-shirt or tank top shouldn't be a problem but I layered that day and that worked for me. We rappelled, zip-lined, walked across suspended bridges and felt completely safe doing all of it. Our guide Kendra was very knowledgeable and safe. The tour took about 45 minutes.

 

Afterward, we hopped on the bus and headed back to the picnic area. The lunch was good - beef and chicken kabobs with tortillas and baked beans. You could also look at the pictures that they took which cost $2.00 per picture or $25.00 for the whole CD. I would try haggling with them. We regretted not doing so afterward.

 

Overall, a fun trip and not too strenuous. However it would have been more enjoyable if our group was smaller. It felt like we were being rushed through. Not sure if we got the entire experience b/c our group was so large, but I would do it again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
galliegirlie

galliegirlie

Posted
Posted

I took the Raider Cave tour thru NCL last week. I waited to book on the ship until the night before because the weather was so crappy, but I decided to do it despite the rain storm. I paid $105. My bus ended up being the last of the day. It took about 1 1/2 hr by bus since the roads were so wet. As others have mentioned, the last 30 mins is a butt massage. We stopped to eat first. My favorite part was the juice, so delicious. They had a stand for wine tasting off to the side, and I bought a bottle of blackberry wine for $10. At the cave site they split us into groups of 10 with 2 guides each. I was hoping to have a nice nature walk through the jungle to the mouth of the cave, but instead we were herded up the trail as fast as they could get us to walk without sliding off the mountain. Our guide actually kept saying "hurry up, fill in the gaps". This is really the only negative thing I have to say about the tour. The caves themselves were pretty cool. I've visited a few different cave systems before, but I've never crawled in and out of ones liked we did during this tour. The only other negative thing I will mention is that they really did not like us taking pictures, even when we standing still. My favorite apparatus was the 25' free fall, very cool. As long as you can handle some uphill hiking, uneven walking surfaces, and a decent amount of crouching down, almost any age group up into their 50's should be able to handle this tour. My mother (early 50's) really wanted to come with me, but because she had a brace on her foot from a fracture she figured it would be best if she didn't push it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
yibba712

yibba712

Posted
Posted
Hello everyone !

 

We were supposed to go cave tubing in December with the Carnival Valor, but because of the tragic accident, the excursion was cancelled for an undetermined period.

 

 

 

What was the tragic accident on the cave tubing? I was looking into doing that excursion but may think otherwise depending on what happened.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FloridaScubaDiver

FloridaScubaDiver

Posted
Posted
This link has pics from our trip including some on this tour. http://picasaweb.google.com/digitalbats/Dec2009#

 

Hi Ruth and Charlie,

 

I am actually cruising on the Dream in May and was checking out some of the posts about the excursions.

 

I looked at your photos and have to say they are amazing. We also scuba dive and I am currently looking for a new camera. If you don't mind me asking....what dive camera and lights are you using?

 

Thank you,

Michelle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...