Belize-cave tubing

[kkontny]

OK my cruise gurus ......trying to determine our excursions for our Western Caribbean cruise in mid December. Check here daily and pretty much know what we want to do from reading other posts. BUT...want to make sure before booking 'em. Dave Beers has suggested cave tubing in Belize with "Reggies". Looks like what we want to do and who we want to go with. My question is: We have always booked excursions thru the cruise line. This will be our first "off ship." I know the potential pitfalls (IE: missing the boat), but is this really that big of a risk? How soon should we book the tour prior to hitting the water? And finally....Anyone who has had experience with Reggie, please feel free to chime in with your opinions. Oh yeah...One more thing off topic: RCL and P&O have offered shipboard credit for the fuel surcharge (using there formulas for the price of crude)....when the heck is NCL going to follow suit? Anyone heard anything?

[Jim C.]

Hey Keith-

I have booked with Regie. You should have no problems. Google Regie tour and you will hit his website. They have been doing the cruise tour thing for a while and have things worked out. It should go smoothly. They have FAQ's on the website and once you book, they will email you complete instructions on how to meet them etc. It is very easy. Just confirm you are booking for the correct date. We got booked for the wrong YEAR and it was a bit hectic at first, but Reggie recovered nicely. You'll get much more cave tubing for your buck with them.

[kkontny]

Thanks Jim. Funny on the wrong date deal!! I have done some research on them via the web, and all seems good. And, no doubt, absolutely a better deal than thru the cruise line. How far out should I book?

[drlivingston]

Keith, you can go ahead and book now. It is not too early. I don't know how many people you are travelling with and what age group they are but, remember... if anyone in your group is not a proficient swimmer then they are responsible for bringing their own life vest.

[Jim C.]

Not true. Regie provided life jackets. But I do agree that you can book now. Especially if you have a large group that can fill up a tour. That way you are assured of a spot. They will not charge you (and will refund your deposit) if your ship does not port in Belize that day for some reason (weather or something) so unless you think there is a chance that you may back out of the cruise, then no reason not to reserve now.

[kkontny]

ok. great! Thank much guys. Only my wife and I on this excursion, so not a very big group Being able to swim isn't an issue as I've surfed for over 25 years now!. So maybe I'll request that they DON'T have any life jackets!! And now I'll follow up with another excursion question while in Roatan (on a different post). You all are ALWAYS very helpful.

[drlivingston]

You are correct, Jim... I meant to say that if you are bringing a child, you may want to bring along a vest. His vests are for adults and might not provide a correct fit for a child.

[Jim C.]

Yes, I agree with that. If you have a child, it would indeed be wise to bring your own vest. Probably should bring one on the cruise anyway for other tours...

[RichC]

I'm not familiar with the water level at this time of the year but I've heard that it can be flowing heavy in the spring. We went in March & it was flowing very gently. There were many kids there as well but the tour with Reggie doesn't have that many people like the cruise ship tours do so even if the water is rough he can better watch everyone. He was waiting for us as promised & we started our with 4 people & picked up another 2 from another operator along the way. On the way back we stopped at a museum & he talked us into going in for a discounted fare but it wasn't worth the money.

[denjoker]

I - like you - never ventured beyond the forbidden zone of booking away from the ship - always thought it was a big racket - like the shopping seminars that say tell you not to shop anywhere but Diamonds INt. ect. So we took the chance in Belize - not Reggie - it all worked out in the end but the tour company, altho recommended by seasoned cruisers, wasn't at all what it was presented to be - our airconditioned bus was 'natural AC' - windows open. The 40 mile ride was like Mr. Toads wild ride at Disney World as the drivers love to play chicken on the roads - the tubing and lunch was nice but we barely got back to the ship on time. For the few bucks you might save we've decided it's just not worth the risk. We've also done one other snorkeling tour on our own which worked out fine other than the fact that they kept us in the water for hours and we got food poisoning from the lunch they served -as a result we never eat anywhere other than on the ship where it's more regulated -guess we're just getting old.