ABC & Labadee? Easy as 123 & 4!

This post is specifically for anyone traveling to the ABC islands & Labadee with kids, or at least a very energetic 7 year old boy who keeps going & going & going!

I had a difficult time finding the specific island information I needed for our just completed 9 night Southern Caribbean cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, so I thought I’d share my experience with others.

We’re a party of 3, plus Oma!

Here’s the Labadee portion (the other portions can be found under their respective ports of call):

LABADEE, HAITI

We exited the ship soon after it docked & walked along the pier. There’s a ferry stop directly on the pier that takes you to Columbus Cove free of charge. Although Columbus Cove was our destination, we continued to the end of the pier to take pictures.

Great picture opportunities include the Labadee letters, a boat bench, & a large wooden chair that seats one, two, three, four, or more!

The are bathrooms right at the end of the pier.

There’s a free tram station a short walk (3 minutes) from the end of the pier. We hopped aboard & took it to the ”Barefoot Tram Station” stop (5 minutes). Along the way, we spotted a splash park which looked great & we intended to come back to it, but by the end of the day we were too exhausted to do so.

Once we got off the tram, we walked along a path to get to Columbus Cove (5 minutes). We passed the Dragon Splash water slide ($) & the Arawak aqua park ($). We didn’t see anyone use the water slide the entire day, but it didn’t look as scary as I had imagined & my son may have gone down it had we paid for it & encouraged him to do so.

Most of the chairs were not yet setup at Columbus Cove, but there were many chair attendants & we were immediately asked if we needed them. We asked for 3 chairs, which were setup for us under a tree. I tipped the attendant $2. Lots of people set up their own chairs for free throughout the morning & there was ample shade available.

We spent the next few hours building sandcastles, swimming, snorkeling (nothing to see), etc. The water was very warm & it was very calm. Because we live in Florida & drive to the port, we have no luggage restrictions - so we always bring beach toys (the full set of Octonauts & their Gups)!

I had pre-booked my husband & son for a one hour session at the Arawak aqua park at 11:00AM ($20 per person). At 10:30AM they walked over to the registration desk directly across from the aqua park to sign waivers & get wristbands. Then they went to the floating dock to get required life jackets. My husband & son were the only ones using the aqua park. The lifeguard told us there were only 6 people signed up all day.

The aqua park was an interesting experience. I’m glad my two guys tried it, but I’m not sure if they’d do it again. Both are extremely fit, but both exclaimed that it was very difficult.

They both swam the entire course & climbed aboard all of the inflatables, except for “Saturn”, which was just too difficult for them to climb. After 30 minutes, my little boy was done. He said he was thirsty, hungry & tired. I took him back to Oma & my husband did the circuit again by himself for the last thirty minutes. Afterwards my husband noted that water shoes would have been very beneficial as the footholds were painful in bare feet. He also said that because there were no ladders or ropes with which to pull yourself up out of the water & onto the obstacles, a lot of upper body strength was required (which was difficult because you’re wet, it’s slippery & you’re wearing a life jacket).

After the aqua park, we went to the free lunch that was setup just a few steps away from the beach at Columbus Cove. There were also bathrooms available.

We spent the next few hours building sandcastles & swimming. About an hour before we were due back on board, we packed our bags & walked to the “Columbus Cove Tram Station” stop (3 minutes). After a short wait (10 minutes), we boarded the tram & headed back to the pier.

But instead of going directly back to the ship, we walked the path to the Dragon’s Lookout (10 minutes), which provided for a few great picture opportunities.

We really enjoyed this short hike & my little boy pretended he was Link in the Legend of Zelda’s “The Windwaker” - climbing his way to the Dragon’s Roost!

At the top of the lookout is a blowhole that hisses as it fills with air, which (with a little imagination) sounds like a dragon breathing.

We then headed back to the ship, passing “Adrenaline Beach” along the way, which appeared much rockier than Columbus Cove, which wasn’t rocky at all.

If we had to do it all over again, the only thing I would do differently is leave a little time (at least an hour) for my little guy to enjoy the splash park.

Overall, we thought Labadee was an excellent port of call!

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Thank you for posting this very informative review of your day. Gave lots of info I was interested in.

We are going on our first cruise ever in February with Labadee as a port. This was a great read! Thank you!

Fishbone, we're visiting all four of the islands you've reviewed in January. Thank you SO much for your detailed descriptions; they're very helpful!

Hi can I pls ask you.did you book and pay onboard or at the entrance to the water park.to pre book this online before we arrive is alot more than $20....

This post is specifically for anyone traveling to the ABC islands & Labadee with kids, or at least a very energetic 7 year old boy who keeps going & going & going!

 

I had a difficult time finding the specific island information I needed for our just completed 9 night Southern Caribbean cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, so I thought I’d share my experience with others.

 

We’re a party of 3, plus Oma!

 

Here’s the Labadee portion (the other portions can be found under their respective ports of call):

 

LABADEE, HAITI

We exited the ship soon after it docked & walked along the pier. There’s a ferry stop directly on the pier that takes you to Columbus Cove free of charge. Although Columbus Cove was our destination, we continued to the end of the pier to take pictures.

 

Great picture opportunities include the Labadee letters, a boat bench, & a large wooden chair that seats one, two, three, four, or more!

 

The are bathrooms right at the end of the pier.

 

There’s a free tram station a short walk (3 minutes) from the end of the pier. We hopped aboard & took it to the ”Barefoot Tram Station” stop (5 minutes). Along the way, we spotted a splash park which looked great & we intended to come back to it, but by the end of the day we were too exhausted to do so.

 

Once we got off the tram, we walked along a path to get to Columbus Cove (5 minutes). We passed the Dragon Splash water slide ($) & the Arawak aqua park ($). We didn’t see anyone use the water slide the entire day, but it didn’t look as scary as I had imagined & my son may have gone down it had we paid for it & encouraged him to do so.

 

Most of the chairs were not yet setup at Columbus Cove, but there were many chair attendants & we were immediately asked if we needed them. We asked for 3 chairs, which were setup for us under a tree. I tipped the attendant $2. Lots of people set up their own chairs for free throughout the morning & there was ample shade available.

 

We spent the next few hours building sandcastles, swimming, snorkeling (nothing to see), etc. The water was very warm & it was very calm. Because we live in Florida & drive to the port, we have no luggage restrictions - so we always bring beach toys (the full set of Octonauts & their Gups)!

 

I had pre-booked my husband & son for a one hour session at the Arawak aqua park at 11:00AM ($20 per person). At 10:30AM they walked over to the registration desk directly across from the aqua park to sign waivers & get wristbands. Then they went to the floating dock to get required life jackets. My husband & son were the only ones using the aqua park. The lifeguard told us there were only 6 people signed up all day.

 

The aqua park was an interesting experience. I’m glad my two guys tried it, but I’m not sure if they’d do it again. Both are extremely fit, but both exclaimed that it was very difficult.

 

They both swam the entire course & climbed aboard all of the inflatables, except for “Saturn”, which was just too difficult for them to climb. After 30 minutes, my little boy was done. He said he was thirsty, hungry & tired. I took him back to Oma & my husband did the circuit again by himself for the last thirty minutes. Afterwards my husband noted that water shoes would have been very beneficial as the footholds were painful in bare feet. He also said that because there were no ladders or ropes with which to pull yourself up out of the water & onto the obstacles, a lot of upper body strength was required (which was difficult because you’re wet, it’s slippery & you’re wearing a life jacket).

 

After the aqua park, we went to the free lunch that was setup just a few steps away from the beach at Columbus Cove. There were also bathrooms available.

 

We spent the next few hours building sandcastles & swimming. About an hour before we were due back on board, we packed our bags & walked to the “Columbus Cove Tram Station” stop (3 minutes). After a short wait (10 minutes), we boarded the tram & headed back to the pier.

 

But instead of going directly back to the ship, we walked the path to the Dragon’s Lookout (10 minutes), which provided for a few great picture opportunities.

 

We really enjoyed this short hike & my little boy pretended he was Link in the Legend of Zelda’s “The Windwaker” - climbing his way to the Dragon’s Roost!

 

At the top of the lookout is a blowhole that hisses as it fills with air, which (with a little imagination) sounds like a dragon breathing.

 

We then headed back to the ship, passing “Adrenaline Beach” along the way, which appeared much rockier than Columbus Cove, which wasn’t rocky at all.

 

If we had to do it all over again, the only thing I would do differently is leave a little time (at least an hour) for my little guy to enjoy the splash park.

 

Overall, we thought Labadee was an excellent port of call!

 

Can I ask you.did you pre pay before you got on board as this seems a very good price $20 and its not that online.

Hi can I pls ask you.did you book and pay onboard or at the entrance to the water park.to pre book this online before we arrive is alot more than $20....

I booked the aqua park in advance. I booked only the aqua park - if I remember correctly, there were other excursions that included the aqua park that were much more expensive.

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Thank you, your post is very helpful in planning what to do/book