Labadee Trip Report

I wanted to do a quick trip report of our recent stop in Labadee in case what we did and experienced is helpful to anyone gong there soon. We were there on Dec 23. We got of the ship fairly soon after we arrived in port and headed to Columbus Cove. We are glad we did, because it got busy later in the morning and we were able to set up our chairs under trees that provided shade all day. That being said, there was a lot of shade, so even if we had slept in, I don't think it would have been a big problem. We took the shortcut from Nellie's Beach, under the waterslide, to get to Columbus Cove. That way we did not have to walk through the Artisian's Village and the aggressive vendors and it was actually a lot faster - great Cruise Critic tip.

We had reserved the all day alpine coaster so we went over there after getting our spots at the beach. I had read that the lines were long in the middle of the day and shorter at the beginning and the end, but they seemed about the same until the end of the day: a 10-15 min wait. We did the coaster several times and then played bocce ball which is set up right next to the coaster. I had never played that and it was a lot of fun. They also have a basketball court over there, but no basketballs, so that was not as much fun.

After the coaster we went back to Columbus Cove and got our snorkeling gear and attempted to do some snorkeling. We don't snorkel much so any fish is exciting for us no matter how small, and we did see a few fish in a small cove right by the waterslide. We wore our masks at the beach at Columbus Cove too, but did not see one fish - although there were some dead jelly fish that has washed up during the night, so that was exciting.

After snorkeling it was time for lunch and it was really good. We went at 11:30 when it opened and there was no line. It did get longer close to noon, but not too bad. Last time we were at Columbus Cove for lunch, there was a chain link fence close to where we ate with a lot of Haitains on the other side asking for food. Now, there is a cover over the fence so you cannot see out or in.

After lunch we swam, napped, and just relaxed on the beach and then around 3:00 we went back to the coaster and did it a few more times. This time there was no line at all and the people working there were entertaining us with the stories of cruise guests and the dumb things they do on the zipline. On the way back to the ship we wanted to stop at the Dragon's Breath Lookout, but it was closed since the All Aboard was 10 minutes away. So, if you want to do the lookout don't save it for the last thing. We did not know it could be gated off and we missed it.

All in all a great day, great weather, and a good first port of call on our cruise. If anyone has any questions, be sure and let me know. We don't drink, so I can't answer any alcohol questions - but the virgin Labadozies are really, really good.

Thanks RMH for the excellent summary of Labadee. I'll be there on the Navigator early February.

My questions for you are the following :

* How many beaches in total are part of Labadee and which one to you recommend ?

* Transportation are provided to all the beaches ?

* Can you walk form the ship to these beaches ?

Thanks a lot for your help

The champ555

Quebec, Canada

Terrific trip report.

Thank you for taking the time to write this and share it on this board.

Keith

Quick Question on Chairs...

Are there enough for all guest, or do you need to rent some form of lounge?

Thanks for the report!

* How many beaches in total are part of Labadee and which one to you recommend ?

* Transportation are provided to all the beaches ?

* Can you walk form the ship to these beaches ?

There are a total of four beaches in Labadee: Adreneline Beach, Barefoot Beach, Nellies Beach, and Colombus Cove. All of them have a tram stop if you prefer not to walk, but all are within walking distance from the ship. Labadee is only about a half mile long and probably only about 200 yards wide. Here is a quick summary of each beach as well as a link to a map that shows you where they are: http://www.creative.rccl.com/e-lite/CEL/CE_Incentive_Meeting_Charters_eSales_Kit/New_Resources/_resource_center/CEL_Private_Destinations_Flyers_Labadee_2014_R2.pdf

Adreneline Beach - The biggest/longest beach on Labadee and the closest to the ship. It has a lot of activites close by including Zip Line, Alpine Coaster, Bocce Ball, Volleyball, Baskeball (bring your own ball), Kids Water Play Area, A Swim Up Bar, and close to the local shopping area. Plenty of free lounge chairs, but not a lot of natural shade. Also the beach is more rocky than the others, but the snorkeling is better. It gets more waves than the other side of the pennisula, but nothing overwhelming. Most people go here since it is the closest, but it is so big it does not seem crowded.

Barefoot Beach - A private beach for suite guests and Platinum +++ members (or whatever). A nice beach, but most people are not allowed in. It is fairly small, but there are not too many people so I doubt it seems crowded.

Nellies Beach - A smaller beach where the paddle boarding and kayaking are located. There are a lot of cabannas and bungalows here, but not a lot of shade at the actual beach itself. You can, however, set up chairs a bit further back in the shade with no problem. You will just have to walk a bit to the water. Great calm beach and good swimming, but it does tend to get crowded.

Columbus Cove - IMO the best beach in Labadee. There is a lot of shade with some of it right at the waters edge, but get there early. It is a bigger beach than Nellies or Barefoot. It can still get a bit crowded, but not bad. They also serve the lunch close by so that is convenient (it is also served in two other spots, but this one is the closest to the actual beach). There are several activities here including the water slide and aqua park. Swimming is great, but it is all sand so there is not much (read not any) snorkeling. The water is calm and you get great views of the ship. It is the furthest from the ship, but there is a tram drop off if you have mobility issues. The one downside were the aggressive vendors in the Artesian Village that you had to walk through to get there if you are not on the tram. However, this last trip we discovered a shortcut from Nellies beach along the shore and we bypassed that, so now there is no downside!

Hope you enjoy Labadee when you are there in Feb. It is always on of our favorite stops.

Quick Question on Chairs...

 

Are there enough for all guest, or do you need to rent some form of lounge?

 

Thanks for the report!

There are plenty of free lounge chairs for all guests at all the beaches. And plenty of helpful people to help you set them up (they are pretty good sized and a bit unwieldy). The helpful people do expect a small tip, so be aware of that. If you want to get fancy, you can rent a clamshell shade thing on Adreneline Beach, or go all out for a cabanna or bungalow. But if you just want to have a place to relax and store your stuff there is no shortage of lounge chairs.

Isn't there a ferry from the pier to Columbus Cove?:confused:

Thank you for the map it's very helpful. How did you know what you wanted to do and where you were going to go? Your report is helpful, I just wish they gave us more information. Is it crazy trying to get off the ship when you first get there?

Thanks,

Diane

Quick Question on Chairs...

 

Are there enough for all guest, or do you need to rent some form of lounge?

 

Thanks for the report!

I just read about the chairs. I do believe they were $35 each for the day.

Thank you for the beautiful review.

We love Labadee and will miss it this year.

Thanks for posting

Safe travels

Isn't there a ferry from the pier to Columbus Cove?:confused:

From everything I read, there is a ferry, but I did not see it operating the day we were there. That could have just been due to lack of attention on my part, however. But, we did spend most of the day at Columbus Cove and you think I would have noticed a ferry coming and going (my wife would disagree).

Supposedly, it starts right at the dock as soon as you get off the ship and takes you to the old pier where they used to tender prior to the current pier being built. It will then pick you up at the same spot and take you back. Super convenient if it is, in fact, operating

Thank you for the map it's very helpful. How did you know what you wanted to do and where you were going to go? Your report is helpful, I just wish they gave us more information. Is it crazy trying to get off the ship when you first get there?

Thanks,

Diane

Glad the map helped. It really helped me while we planning our most recent trip. We had been to Labadee before, so I kind of knew what it was about, but we spent a lot of time just wandering around and I did not want to do that again. We found the Coaster excursion on sale in our Cruise Planner, so we sort of planned the day around that. I knew, via cruise critic, morning and late afternoons were the best times on the Coaster and we also wanted to just chill at the beach, so that was factored in as well. The rest was just spur of the moment stuff. There were other things we wanted to do, like paddle boarding, if we had time, but we didn't.

Getting off the ship in Labadee is not bad at all. I think most people don't try to get off as soon as they can. There will be a handful that want to get off first thing and then after that it is steady on and off all day. Since there is generally only one ship in port, Labadee is really a big extension of the ship.

Thanks for the review, it will be very helpful.

Just a quick question to make sure I understand. You can rent a "Beach Lounger for Two" from RCCL's site. Are these the same as the clamshells you mentioned above? Are those only available on Adreneline Beach?

Sly

Just a quick question to make sure I understand. You can rent a "Beach Lounger for Two" from RCCL's site. Are these the same as the clamshells you mentioned above? Are those only available on Adreneline Beach?

 

Sly

Yes, those are the same thing. It is basically two lounge chairs - the same ones that are in various spots throughout Labadee for free - put together, and then a half moon looking shade tent above the lounger. That way you get ample shade where there are no trees, although you do have to adjust them a bit as the sun moves during the day. And, yes, these are only on Adrenaline Beach.

The RCCL website for us was a bit confusing. We were looking at doing this and then ultimately decided against it. The website asks for the number of people (not the number clam shells). So, if you type in 2 people since there are 2 loungers per one clam shell, it actually gives you 2 clam shells (4 loungers) - and charges you twice as much.

Yes, those are the same thing. It is basically two lounge chairs - the same ones that are in various spots throughout Labadee for free - put together, and then a half moon looking shade tent above the lounger. That way you get ample shade where there are no trees, although you do have to adjust them a bit as the sun moves during the day. And, yes, these are only on Adrenaline Beach.

 

The RCCL website for us was a bit confusing. We were looking at doing this and then ultimately decided against it. The website asks for the number of people (not the number clam shells). So, if you type in 2 people since there are 2 loungers per one clam shell, it actually gives you 2 clam shells (4 loungers) - and charges you twice as much.

Yes, we noticed that on the site how confusing it was for the booking. At this time, we have one booked, but we may or may not cancel it before we leave. Still have a few months to decide.

Thanks again for the information, it's been very helpful.

I didn’t read all questions or posts on this thread but are the beach chair free of charge or do they charge for using them? If so, how much?

And are there any umbrellas too? Thx.

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I didn’t read all questions or posts on this thread but are the beach chair free of charge or do they charge for using them? If so, how much?

And are there any umbrellas too? Thx.

The beach loungers are free. There are various stacks of them at the different beaches and you can just grab one and put it wherever you want. Or you can tip the helpful person who will be waiting close by to get it for you - they are a bit heavy and not real easy to carry.

If you want an umbrella, you will have to reserve one of those - called a clam shell - ahead of time. They cover two lounge chairs and are only available on Adrenaline Beach. I think the cost is $45 for one clam shell/two loungers. All of the beaches, except Adrenaline Beach, have a lot of trees and shade, but the prime spots by the water go quick. If you want shade at Adrenaline Beach, you will have to pay for it, or set up your chairs further away from the water.

Is it true if you purchase a all day coaster pass a passenger can ride for free?

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Is it true if you purchase a all day coaster pass a passenger can ride for free?

That is 100% true. They give the person who purchased the pass an All-Day driver wrist band and any passengers All-Day passenger wrist bands - but it does not matter who is driving and who is the passenger as long as you have a driver with you. And, at the end of the day it was so slow they were letting those with passenger wrist bands go by themselves. (At least they did not say anything when we did it).

Thank you

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Does anyone have pics of Columbus cove? Are the trees enough shade to stay all day?

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Does anyone have pics of Columbus cove? Are the trees enough shade to stay all day?

 

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Was there 2 days ago. Plenty of shade and sun. Very nice but also very crowded. Enjoy

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This trip report has some additional photos of Columbus Cove starting on post #374

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2579338&page=13

Ok...never been to laberdee...is this a RCCL "private" island??

What's included...food?? Where do I get information??

Thanks

Thanks!

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