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Labadee - thinking about staying on the ship.


KmomChicago
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Ok experts. Help me out. We booked this cruise many months ago. Since then we have cruised on Carnival Sensation in January 2018 and spent the rest of winter working hard at our jobs.

 

We’re boarding Oasis in a few days-DH and DD wanted to try the massive behemoth. We normally like nonstop entertainment on vacation but this time we are really exhausted with life and should watch the budget as well. So looking to take it easy and return from this trip refreshed but not broke.

 

DH wanted to visit San Juan PR so we will be off the ship that day. I plan to walk around St Maarten a bit.

 

For Labadee I am this close to just staying on the ship. It doesn’t sound that appealing to share the space with 6k people or to hustle for beach chairs. The only problem is, likely we will never return to this port and I don’t want to look back with regret. On the other hand gotta love a nearly empty boat when everyone else is ashore.

 

So good call or not? Let’s hear it.

 

 

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Having visited many times, suggest getting off the ship, have a nice walk in the sand and water. Take some tome to watch the zip line over the water. Basically a beach day set up by the cruiseline. After walk....if not wanting to find chairs, go back to ship and enjoy your day on board. There is not really anything here “to miss”, again beach day.

 

 

 

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Have visited Labadee on 3 occasions. It is now very crowded area (and we weren't even on a megaship) plus the vendors at the shopping venue there can be aggressive. So perhaps a ship excursion that takes you to a small private beach (Malfini) could be the answer. When we went several years ago I don't recall more than 15 other tourists at the place. Not great snorkeling, but canoes and floats and drinks are available and it is a lovely beach.

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As has already been posted, I would at least get off and walk around - there is absolutely nothing to lose. At a minimum pay a visit to the Dragon's Breath rock which will give you some good views of the ship and the ocean. No reason to hustle for beach chairs, there will be plenty to go around. The prime spots go fast, but if you are OK not being right next to the water you can easily find chairs and shade all over the place. This is the perfect spot to save some money since food and drink are the exact same as staying on the ship

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We were just there in mid-February off Oasis. We probably disembarked around 10-11 AM, walked to the one of the Coves and it was not too crowded, though we had to ask an attendant to move four loungers together. We rented two floating cushions. I fell asleep briefly - when I awoke it was wall to wall loungers and you had to walk on the lip of a stone wall to get out without crawling over loungers. The cove was full enough that you could not paddle-board in the water - too crowded with bobbing heads.

 

Food lines were long - eventually we tired of dealing with the crowds and went back to the ship for a leisurely meal at Park Cafe. Even our kids (13 and 15) did not mind returning to the ship. They loved the water, floating on the cushion, but we had this planned in Falmouth and again in Cozumel.

 

Not much beach to speak of in San Juan, unless you are going to the Condado area, away from city center.

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We were just there in mid-February off Oasis. We probably disembarked around 10-11 AM, walked to the one of the Coves and it was not too crowded, though we had to ask an attendant to move four loungers together. We rented two floating cushions. I fell asleep briefly - when I awoke it was wall to wall loungers and you had to walk on the lip of a stone wall to get out without crawling over loungers. The cove was full enough that you could not paddle-board in the water - too crowded with bobbing heads.

 

 

 

Food lines were long - eventually we tired of dealing with the crowds and went back to the ship for a leisurely meal at Park Cafe. Even our kids (13 and 15) did not mind returning to the ship. They loved the water, floating on the cushion, but we had this planned in Falmouth and again in Cozumel.

 

 

 

Not much beach to speak of in San Juan, unless you are going to the Condado area, away from city center.

 

 

 

We are going to go the Condado but more for the neighborhood than the beach. My husband once did a construction job and stayed several weeks in the area, wants to see it again.

 

 

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Not much beach to speak of in San Juan, unless you are going to the Condado area, away from city center.

 

 

I am not sure how things are since the hurricane, but we found a lot to do in San Juan. There was a free shuttle that ran through Old San Juan and you could get on and off at any stop. There are 2 great historic forts to tour, art museums, local cafes and street vendors for food, local shops, great architecture to see, etc. El Yunque rain forest is another great option if Old San Juan doesn’t appeal to someone.

 

 

 

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Having visited many times, suggest getting off the ship, have a nice walk in the sand and water. Take some tome to watch the zip line over the water. Basically a beach day set up by the cruiseline. After walk....if not wanting to find chairs, go back to ship and enjoy your day on board. There is not really anything here “to miss”, again beach day.

 

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I agree but add if you get off right away there is no issue finding lounge chairs. Both times on the island we did that. Stayed until they served the free lunch, ate and returned to the ship. Did not spend a cent on either visit.

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We did a b2b on Oasis this past Oct/Nov and did Labadee twice about 5 days apart. First week we got off and just found chairs in some shade. Second week, we booked a beach lounger for two which gave us shade. Both weeks were relaxing. We get off early and usually head back onboard around 1. Getting off early means we have a choice of where we want to sit. But, we enjoyed having the lounger with clamshell and we stayed until 2:30 or so that day. We've been to Labadee at least 8 times. We always sit and read for a while and get in the water before lunch. Once we got back off after reboarding after our beach time and walked around and took some pics. Even on Oasis, there's plenty of room to move around and find a seat.

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Having visited many times, suggest getting off the ship, have a nice walk in the sand and water. Take some tome to watch the zip line over the water. Basically a beach day set up by the cruiseline. After walk....if not wanting to find chairs, go back to ship and enjoy your day on board. There is not really anything here “to miss”, again beach day.

 

 

 

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I get off the ship in every port .I prefer not being on the ship .

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I am not sure how things are since the hurricane, but we found a lot to do in San Juan. There was a free shuttle that ran through Old San Juan and you could get on and off at any stop. There are 2 great historic forts to tour, art museums, local cafes and street vendors for food, local shops, great architecture to see, etc. El Yunque rain forest is another great option if Old San Juan doesn’t appeal to someone.

 

 

 

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We walked all the way to the Condado from the ship - saw some of the post storm reconstruction going on along the way, and waded briefly at the nice little Playalita beach by the Condado Plaza Hotel. My husband was disappointed that a restaurant he remembered was no longer there, so we Uber’d back to Old San Juan where we walked around a bit, bought some 3 for $10 T-shirts, and visited the pigeon guy up on top of the old city walls which my 12 year old loved. I would love to find an Airbnb apartment in the old town area for a few days on a future vacation.

 

In Labadee we did the kayak excursion to the real Haitian village of La Badie. The local guide made it very clear that their lives have improved significantly since Royal Caribbean came and they are very grateful for the tourists from the ships and for the jobs as there is very little opportunity in Haiti.

 

He said literally every household in the village of 6000 (was 800 thirty years ago before RCCL came and people started migrating from other parts of the country for a better life) has at least one person who works for the cruise line. It was strenuous as you paddle your own kayak but good for me. I’m 51 and I need the exercise - we have kayaks at home but of course haven’t had them out since last summer.

 

They do have a rescue motorboat that follows the group and will tow anyone who can’t hack it. I was struggling a bit and they kept asking if I needed help but I managed to push through and get to the end. Stubborn old broad. [emoji13]

 

As a couple of you mentioned there are plenty of beach chairs and often in shady pleasant areas back a bit from the water. I did not get up to see the view from the top of the zip line but the view of the island from the top deck of the ship was lovely as were the grounds of the beach complex.

 

 

 

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We were just in Labadee yesterday on Oasis. We got off the ship around 10am and headed to Columbus cove. Even at 10-10:30ish the beaches were packed in, lounger to lounger. We had a difficult time walking around with all the loungers. Lunch lines were long, but moved quickly and it was easy to find a place to sit at the picnic tables. It wasn’t our visit to Labadee, but our first visit to Columbus Cove. I wasn’t a huge fan of this particular beach location, as it borders the “Artisan Village” area and the locals are relentlessly cat-calling everyone that walks by.

 

The crowds notwithstanding, Labadee has lovely beaches and is a worthwhile port stop for getting off the ship - just make sure you do it early if you want a prime beach spot

 

 

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Our first visit to Columbus Cove. I wasn’t a huge fan of this particular beach location, as it borders the “Artisan Village” area and the locals are relentlessly cat-calling everyone that walks by.

 

This is a common complaint about Columbus Cove. However, if you want to avoid the aggressive vendors, there is an alternative path which is actually shorter and bypasses the market. From the main strip where the trams travel, go to Nellies beach and stay to the left (facing the water). When you get close to the shore there is a path that goes under the water slide and directly to Columbus Cove. There are a few stairs to climb so it is not wheelchair accessible, but it is short, easy, and it avoids the vendors. The path takes you to a beach area close to the pier for the Aqua Park and far away from the vendors. They are not allowed to come out to sell to you on the beach.

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We only got as far as Nellie’s beach which was the meeting point for our kayak excursion. We were able to find loungers there in partial shade and we could have easily settled in there for the day. It was crowded as expected when your ship has over 6k passengers, but less so than I had assumed it would be.

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Wow, all the changes to Labadee, I went to Labadee in 2005 for the first time and it was just an island. They only offered mats and chairs. LOL thats a long time ago. We went in 2011 and it was a bit more built. I am excited to go agian, but not with the crowds. How was the Kayak tour?

 

Kathy

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Wow, all the changes to Labadee, I went to Labadee in 2005 for the first time and it was just an island. They only offered mats and chairs. LOL thats a long time ago. We went in 2011 and it was a bit more built. I am excited to go agian, but not with the crowds. How was the Kayak tour?

 

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy. The tour was good but strenuous as you are paddling yourself vigorously for a couple of 20 minute or so segments. Bring sunscreen. The guide is your Central Casting young, friendly and welcoming, local male Haitian gentleman complete with the island accent to his excellent English. He was 20 something, all slim muscle and obviously lives on that kayak. Keeping up is nigh impossible but you feel you should try.

 

They bring you ashore briefly to look at some local art at a small beach staffed with several more young locals. While you are under no obligation to buy, there is some sense of desperation from the workers there who would obviously really appreciate your business. They do take no for an answer but it appears to be a great opportunity to give to people trying to work for a living wage if you so choose.

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  • 1 month later...
This is a common complaint about Columbus Cove. However, if you want to avoid the aggressive vendors, there is an alternative path which is actually shorter and bypasses the market. From the main strip where the trams travel, go to Nellies beach and stay to the left (facing the water). When you get close to the shore there is a path that goes under the water slide and directly to Columbus Cove. There are a few stairs to climb so it is not wheelchair accessible, but it is short, easy, and it avoids the vendors. The path takes you to a beach area close to the pier for the Aqua Park and far away from the vendors. They are not allowed to come out to sell to you on the beach.

 

To take this alternative path, do you recommend walking, using the ferry in the morning, or using the tram?

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To take this alternative path, do you recommend walking, using the ferry in the morning, or using the tram?

 

The alternate path only makes sense to me if you are walking. If you take the tram or ferry, you just stay on either one until you get to Columbus Cove, so no need for the alternate path. It is only if you are walking and want to avoid the vendors, or take a short-cut that the alternate path comes into play.

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  • 1 month later...

We are cruising in Dec on Oasis with a stop at Labadee on Christmas day. The port schedule also shows Empress of the Seas in port that day. With all the talk about the island being crowded with the 6K from a ship like Oasis I'm concerned about what it will be like with another ship there that day. Anyone have any experience with two ships in port?

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  • 2 weeks later...

My understanding is the deluxe (alcohol) package is accepted on Labadee and RC's other island, CoCo Key. My husband had the non-alcoholic refreshment package and did not think to try it while we were on the island so I am not certain.

 

This is kind of a short dead thread - there are many better ones that are visited by Royal Caribbean experts all the time where you could get a better answer.

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