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Labadee Questions


cloudydrms

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Two questions about Labadee: First, where exactly is the BBQ held? I'm travelling with someone who isnt' too mobile and I need to know where to set up home base. Also, I'm assuming the Hideaway Beach and Columbus Beach are less crowded since they are further away from the tender dock. Is this correct?

 

Whoops. Another question. Are shaded areas found in all the beaches are there more in some locations?

 

Thanks!

 

Cindy

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  • 4 weeks later...

The bbq is held very close to where you first come onto the island, and yes, the further you go from the tender dock, the less crowded the beaches - but the closest beach to the dock is also the closest to the bbq.

 

I'm sure I remember shaded areas at all of the beaches.

 

It's a beautiful place, I'm sure you will really enjoy it!

 

Happy crusing!

 

Kim.

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Two questions about Labadee: First, where exactly is the BBQ held? I'm travelling with someone who isnt' too mobile and I need to know where to set up home base. Also, I'm assuming the Hideaway Beach and Columbus Beach are less crowded since they are further away from the tender dock. Is this correct?

 

Whoops. Another question. Are shaded areas found in all the beaches are there more in some locations?

 

Thanks!

 

Cindy

 

As soon as you get off the tender go to the right. It is the first beach and the BBQ is right there with plenty of trees and the water was great there. The others are a bit of a further walk (some up hill as well walking). Just gear towards the right, you will see a sign with a choice when you arrive with arrows in all different directions. Easy, follow the one to the right and you will be right there. It does fill up fast so try to get on the first tender. You will love it there. The water is very calm. HAVE FUN! :D

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Thanks for the response. I have not seen anywhere it states a BBQ on the island. Would not have known if it wasnt for CC. Hope everyone has a great cruise.

 

Its pretty much the same food you get at the outdoor buffets on ships. Hamburgers, chicken, hotdogs, salads, ribs, corn, fruit, etc. They do set up coffee in the morning:D

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The BBQ is set up in several locations. They have seating at tables and bathrooms near by. The island has shade, sun, and lots of white sand to enjoy. The paths are pretty hard packed so walking should not be a problem. They also had balloon tire wheelchairs when I was there in March, which I wish I had known before we went ashore. My Dad had a scooter rented for on board, and he did not go ashore because he did not think he could do the sand.

 

They also have a small tram that goes around the island, that you can jump on and take the quick tour to see different spots.

 

The BBQ is set up by RCCL staff, and all the bars are staffed by RCCL staff, so take your sail N sign card for your Labadozzi's and Pina Colada's or Bahamam Mama's. The local market takes money ($$$) for the crafts, art and trickets you may wish to buy, and the locals are more than willing (tip $$$) to drag a chair to any location you want......(even though you can grab your own chair and not have to tip anyone for it).

 

We loved Labadee..........so relaxing, so beautiful and we got so into "cruise mode". I can't wait to go back. We have to try the zip line over the water and the new snorkle tour.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

We walked as far as we could go on Labadee and "set up" on the farthest beach area -- a decision we did not regret. We basically had the place to ourselves, and no one hounded us to buy things or tip for dragging chairs out to the water. We had our choice of sun or shade, and we moved our chairs after a couple hours when we thought we'd had enough sun. Even though this was Thanksgiving week and the ship was full to capacity, there were empty chairs all around us. We were kind of near a volleyball court, and we had a great view of the people riding the zipline.

 

When we walked back to the ship and saw how crowded the first cove (Nellie's Beach?) was . . . well, I know that my family would've stayed there about an hour before calling it quits.

 

As for lunch, they have several buffets, each with a covered serving area, covered seating areas, and live music. We ate at the one over by the Dragon's Breath rock. The rest rooms for this location are by the Dragon's Breath bar, and they do require a few steps. For you Southern cruisers, this is NOT a BBQ lunch; you will not a pig cooked in a pit, which y'all know is the only form of REAL BBQ, nor will you find sweet tea, cherry-wine, red slaw, or moon pies. Royal Caribbean needs to start calling it what it really is: a cookout.

 

One lunch hint: The fruit punch is awful. If you're not going to buy alcoholic drinks from the bars, bring a bottled water or canned soda from the ship.

 

Since mobility is a problem, you should look for the tram, which takes people from one end of the island to the other. (no charge)

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If you do the wave runners, take some cash 5-10 dollars, at one point you will make a stop and some of the locals canoe out to you on the jet skis to sell some hand make goods. You can take the item and pay for them at the dock or buy it there. Buy it there. They (the locals) prefer it.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Does anyone know at which beach can you view the ZIP LINE....Family members are doing the line and I would like to photgraph them...Thanks, FRED

 

That would be anywhere along Dragon Tail Beach, all the way down to Dragon's Breath Point. You can see it on the map here:

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/royal/General_info/Flyers/1115_RCCL_Labadee.pdf

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was wondering if anyone here experienced the zipline/flightline....

 

From our past experience w/zipline, we would zip from one platform to another....sometimes 10-12 platforms, is the zipline on Labadee the same? From the pictures I've seen, it looks like the zipline on Labadee only goes from point A to point B and only as long as 2600 feet (?):confused:

 

Can someone give me an idea of what to expect on the Labadee zipline? Thanks for any insight:o

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Yeah, it's just one single long zipline from a platform up on the mountain down to the beach near Dragon's Breath Point. So no, it's not at all comparable to the canopy tours found on other excursions where there are multiple lines of varying heights and lengths.

 

The cool thing, which you can see if you search for "labadee zipline" on YouTube, is that the line starts at a fairly high point with great views of all of Labadee, and then you actually come down the line out over the ocean until coming back over the beach near Dragon's Breath Point.

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Thanks for your help mattwright:) !! I hope you don't mind a couple of follow up questions:

 

(1) How many times can we go on the zipline?

(2) Is the climb up to the top at the starting point all steps?

(3) Is this particular excursion sold only through RCCL?

 

Thanks again for your help.

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Thanks for your help mattwright:) !! I hope you don't mind a couple of follow up questions:

 

(1) How many times can we go on the zipline?

(2) Is the climb up to the top at the starting point all steps?

(3) Is this particular excursion sold only through RCCL?

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

No problem!

 

(1) The "excursion" price is for one ride only (plus a very short training line down on the beach), but I imagine they'd let you do it again if you paid the price for another excursion.

 

(2) They'll drive you up the mountain to the starting tower, but then you have to climb the stairs up to the platform at the top of the tower itself.

 

(3) Yes, you can only book this through RCCL since it's part of Labadee, which is owned and operated by RCCL for exclusive use of its guests. Everything there is run by RCCL.

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You should plan to book the excursion ahead before you board. You will be given a selection of time slots. I chose 10 am, and my ticket said to be on shore by 9:15. It was a 5 minute walk to the area where I had to sign my life away on the waiver form, but the advice to get onshore early was particularly important on the day we were there, as only 2 of the 3 tender boats were operational. We got off the ship in minutes at 8:45, but about 30 minutes later, it was a miserable 45 minute crowded angry wait for passengers. So much so that the captain announced that the ship would stay a bit late. Unfortuantely, none of us on shore were ever informed of this, and we all got back on at the original time and ultimately departed on time.

 

You can't miss the zip line on the north side of the beach area. We stayed on this side of the beach until after my zip, and then moved to one of the other beach areas, as this north side was a bit windy. It is hard to see the people coming down without binoculars, so if you are trying to spot group members coming down for photos, bring your binocs, and have a spotter and a photographer. You will need to pay attention to your shirts to help- as in 'look for me in the bright yellow t-shirt).

 

There will also be a ship photographer there at the landing to get a photo of you- they looked great, but printed in the 8x10 size which I didn't care for. The photographers took some great shots all over Labadee- especially cute ones of kids, and people with the ship in the background from the beaches. Those were available in the 6x8 size.

 

Oh, and I think there was a note in the Cruise Compass that said anyone booking the 8am zip would get a free floating mat ($10 value).

ALSO- I suggest booking a morning trip, as the zips may get cancelled in the afternoon if the wind picks up higher than a certain knot speed. The guide will have a wind measurer thingy to check at the top of the zip. Apparently this is more likely to happen in the afternoon. Plus, you can't go on the zip if you have been drinking, you want to go before your planned drinking start time. :eek:

 

Sunglasses/glasses OK, hats likely to be blown off.

 

The ride was so much fun. I had a blast. Even my companion who is afraid of heights said afterward he would have liked to have done it.

 

There were lots of people walking over to the zip line check in desk asking if they could sign up- there were a few cancellations so they lucked out, but obviously these were not informed cruise critic folks. :cool:

 

Plan for 60-90 minutes total for the excursion. Our group went to the training line first, then all boarded the range rovers for the drive up the hill (you get to go outside of the 'compound' and there will be armed guards visible if you pay attention), then I think I went down right at 11 am and I was about in the middle of our group. 5 people go down at a time, and they arrange you by size. Skinny-minnies on the inside line, hefty guys on the outside line, and some sort of mix in the middle lines.

 

There was water provided out of a big jug on both platforms.

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"....You will need to pay attention to your shirts to help- as in 'look for me in the bright yellow t-shirt)...."

 

Super cool! Thanks OttoCal. That's a good tip to keep in mind:p

 

"...Oh, and I think there was a note in the Cruise Compass that said anyone booking the 8am zip would get a free floating mat ($10 value)...."

 

We'll want to go early in the morning anyway as we want to fit in other activities too...and it's a plus that the cruiseline will give us a free floating mat (I hope).

 

Thanks again for all your tips and info! I noticed you were on the Mariner o/t Seas...hope you had a wonderful time:D

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sippin-time, we had a blast,check out the main RC board page for my full-legnth novel sized review of the trip, titled 'another mariner 1/13... great time' or something like that.

 

Have fun, the zipline was excellent

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We just got back and Labadee was our favorite island. You can do excursions if you wish but you can also just lay back and enjoy the weather. We went over to the beach that overlooks the Zip line. Be careful, some parts of the beach are very rocky however there is a section that is dredged out and it is all sandy for part of the way out.

 

Bring some money to tip, the island is very poverty stricken and these people are willing to help you with a chair. You can also go to the market and bargain to get some local wares.

 

There were two areas that served food, one to the right opposite the market and one to the left near the Dragon's Breath Pub.

 

We did the couples massage which is up higher and overlooks the area where the cruise ship anchors however you never end up looking out since you are either face down or face up with a compress over your eyes. The massage was very relaxing and you can't hear anything except the buzz of the fan that's cooling you off.

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Is it possible to walk to all of the beaches on Labadee? I looked at that great map but it's hard to tell how far away everything is.

 

Am interested in possibly just hanging out on the island and not taking an excursion, but would want to walk to a beach far enough away from the pier that the beach wouldn't be crowded, but close enough that we'd be near restrooms and food/beverage options. Just need some sun and some shade to relax for the day. Should we just walk until we find the right beach, and could I actually walk around the whole island?

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