Haiti?!?!

[Yulz X Asylum]

Hey there,

We will be traveling on the Libery of the Sea in Feburary.

There is one port that is rasing many questions amongst us and our friends.

Labadee, Haiti

Has anyone recently had this as a port of call?

Recommend leaving the ship?

Do you know what is really going on with the port and all?

Please let me know.

Thanks :))

[MyrtleBeachRCIcruiser]

Hey there,

We will be traveling on the Libery of the Sea in Feburary.

There is one port that is rasing many questions amongst us and our friends.

Labadee, Haiti

Has anyone recently had this as a port of call?

Recommend leaving the ship?

Do you know what is really going on with the port and all?

Please let me know.

Thanks :))

 

Don't be concerned about Labadee. It is a private resort on the island that Royal Caribbean owns. Everything there is thier set up. The 'outside' world of Haiti is pretty much fenced off. There are tons of beaches, watersports, jetski rentals, etc along with a lunch buffet put on by the Royal Caribbean staff. The waters are beautiful, and even though it can be windy depending on the day, it is a must see.

 

You aren't really going to be getting off the ship and wandering around Haiti. You are contained on a large area of the island that RCCL owns. Its completely safe.

[CleoPat]

Was there from Liberty last May and everything was fine. The ship has a private area and had decided to keep going to that port to help them out. They bring in tons of supplies for Haiti and you will see them unloading them. You will enjoy that port for sure.... no worries....:)

[Bakincakes]

We just returned from a Freedom cruise.

 

We visited Labadee and had a great day.

 

All food and drink is provided FROM the ship.

 

The only "down" of the day was the agressiveness of the merchants in the craft area.

 

RCI has spent a good amount of $$ on the resort. There are concrete walking areas,(sidewalks) through much of the resort...the beaches are pretty....the pier is LONGggggg..be prepared for a hike to and from the ship...the upside, no tenders to worry about.:)

[ehfl]

Labadee is a nice place to enjoy the beach and other activities.

 

Definitely get off the ship and enjoy it.

 

If fearmongers are saying otherwise, ignore them.

[Merion_Mom]

Hey there,

We will be traveling on the Libery of the Sea in Feburary.

There is one port that is rasing many questions amongst us and our friends.

Labadee, Haiti

Has anyone recently had this as a port of call?

Recommend leaving the ship?

Do you know what is really going on with the port and all?

Please let me know.

Thanks :))

 

Royal Caribbean never stopped calling at Labadee.

 

They have been taking and are still taking pallets of goods to the people of Haiti.

 

Do a search (upper right corner of the page) for "Labadee" and you will find many threads telling you all about it.

 

You could also go to the Ports of Call board. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=406

 

Most people love their day in Labadee.

 

Read all about it! :)

[canuckcruiselover]

Just returned a week ago from LOS Eastern Caribbean cruise and Labadee was our favourite port -- second only to the great duty free shopping in St. Maarten. Did the catamaran trip in Labadee to a sandbar and had a blast. The last time I was in Labadee in 2007, it was a bit dumpy but now it's beautiful. Just remember to bring beach shoes with you as there's a lot of sharp coral under the ocean.

[cb at sea]

Labadee, while located in the country of Haiti, is NOT "Haiti", per se....no Haitiand's can come in without being an employee and the passengers cannot leave, except to go to the ship.

It's a beach day, just like Coco Cay, but a bit larger with more to do.

 

IT's one of my favorite stops.

[dixieva]

Does anyone who has been there since the pier was completed know if there is a tram or golf cart or something that would get an older person from the ship to the end of the dock? We will have my older sister with us (in her 80's) and while she gets around pretty well a walk that long is going to do her in for the day. She'll be exhausted by the time she makes it to the beach. I know there's a tram thing for getting around the island once on shore but wonder about that long walk down the pier.

 

Just wondering what arrangements if any have been made for folks like that.

 

Thanks.

[negc]

If you choose to stay on the ship, you will be denying yourself a wonderful beach day with plenty of things to do and a couple of great rides (Dragon's Tail Coaster and Dragon's Breath zip line). On our November cruise on Liberty of the Seas, a group of passengers organized donations of humanitarian aid materials for the needy people of Haiti, and Royal Caribbean also offloaded pallets of goods to assist the Haitian people. Get off the ship and enjoy all that Labadee has to offer and if you have an opportunity to purchase any of the local items being sold by Haitian natives, please do so to help a local economy that is desperately in need of aid.

We will be in Labadee next month on Jewel of the Seas and look forward to it with great anticipation.

Bill

[negc]

Does anyone who has been there since the pier was completed know if there is a tram or golf cart or something that would get an older person from the ship to the end of the dock? We will have my older sister with us (in her 80's) and while she gets around pretty well a walk that long is going to do her in for the day. She'll be exhausted by the time she makes it to the beach. I know there's a tram thing for getting around the island once on shore but wonder about that long walk down the pier.

 

Just wondering what arrangements if any have been made for folks like that.

 

Thanks.

The ship's staff will have wheelchairs to assist people like your sister. Just ask someone at Guest Services and they will make the necessary arrangements.

Bill

[canuckcruiselover]

Does anyone who has been there since the pier was completed know if there is a tram or golf cart or something that would get an older person from the ship to the end of the dock? We will have my older sister with us (in her 80's) and while she gets around pretty well a walk that long is going to do her in for the day. She'll be exhausted by the time she makes it to the beach. I know there's a tram thing for getting around the island once on shore but wonder about that long walk down the pier.

 

There is a tram but I only saw them drop off passengers "close" to the ship, which was still quite a trek. There were some in wheelchairs being taken from the ship to the entrance of the Labadee area. I imagine you can make arrangements for the wheelchair before disembarking.

[dixieva]

I don't think my sister would agree to a wheelchair ride. As I said she is quite spry for her age and is very proud-you know how that is:D! I can suggest it but I don't know. It not like she can't walk at all. I really wish they would get something for those folks who are not really handicapped but who need a little assistance.

 

Thanks for the information.

[Bakincakes]

I don't think my sister would agree to a wheelchair ride. As I said she is quite spry for her age and is very proud-you know how that is:D! I can suggest it but I don't know. It not like she can't walk at all. I really wish they would get something for those folks who are not really handicapped but who need a little assistance.

 

Thanks for the information.

 

 

There were many pax taking advantage of the wheelchairs..not just seniors and not just those "handicapped". It is a hike and some folks used the wheelchairs. One husband and wife were "racing"...the crew wheeling them were just walking at a quick pace..no horsing around...they were having fun and getting a ride to the end of the pier. Some people have issue walking those distances...bad feet...arthritis...recent surgery..etc.

 

Believe me...I would have loved to hijack one of those chairs.:)

[jonbgd]

I Was impressed with what Royal has done to that little peninsula

A great beach day!

[DanJ]

I saw crew going back and forth down the pier on golf carts, so they may be able to arrange a ride. Can't say for sure. There are also larger golf carts, jeeps with seats mounted up on the back, and a trolley that we saw running around the area.

 

I agree with the comment above about the pushy merchants. We probably spent $40 or $50 on stuff, but I wasn't at all appreciative of them coming up in front of my kids, grabbing at them and either handing them stuff or putting wristbands on them. Next time we are there, when we come back from the waterpark beach, we'll come back on the walkway closer to the water and avoid the straw market altogether. I can't imagine the devastation and poverty in the rest of Haiti, and I wanted to help as many as we could, but I'm also not totally convinced the vendors were representative of the population as a whole. And even though I did part with some cash on their wares, I would have felt a little better if it wasn't the same made in China crap every other souvenir shop in the Caribbean sells.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Labadee, while located in the country of Haiti, is NOT "Haiti", per seemployee a....no Haitiand's can come in without being an nd the passengers cannot leave, except to go to the ship.

It's a beach day, just like Coco Cay, but a bit larger with more to do.

 

IT's one of my favorite stops.

 

Citizens of Haiti are called Haitians.

 

I agree with CB. Labadee is one of my favorite stops. It is always a relaxing, refreshing day. I take lots of photos of the interesting varieties of tropical trees.

[negc]

I don't think my sister would agree to a wheelchair ride. As I said she is quite spry for her age and is very proud-you know how that is:D! I can suggest it but I don't know. It not like she can't walk at all. I really wish they would get something for those folks who are not really handicapped but who need a little assistance.

 

Thanks for the information.

 

They do and they are called wheelchairs. If your sister is somehow disinclined to make use of them, for whatever reason, I'm not sure how much more you can expect RCI to do. People who use wheelchairs are not necessarily unable to walk, just in need of some assistance. There should be no stigma attached to using a wheelchair.

[Brunelphil]

We were in Labadee last summer on the Freedom, it has changed greatly since our first visit in 2005. We had both a good and bad experience last summer, the bad being my wife and daughter being basically told by one of the merchants in the market that their money was not worth anything as the British have done nothing for Haiti, suffice to say they walked away without spending anything in the market.

 

However, the abiding memory I have is of my father-in-law in the sea on a floating beach mat, it was fun trying to get him on and even more hilarious trying to get him off. He unfortunately passed away last November and this will be a memory I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

[ksacer]

We were in Labadee 08/2010 and loved it! It was a beautiful place to spend a relaxing day. We were there on my DH birthday and rented this cabana, it was our favorite "excursion"of all time.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We were on Labadee last week for the first time. I thought it was a great beach day and very nicely organized and kept up. We took grandchildren who enjoyed the beach and a little 'splash' type park with fountains, etc.

 

We also took them to the straw market, which was an eye-opening and learning experience for them. We have been to many such markets all over the world so we were prepared for the agressive marketing/sales techniques.

 

They each bought a very nice Haitian craft (I hope it was Haitian!) for not much money and got to experience something new. Some of them didn't like it much, but it was a new experience. We did talk about the poverty and problems in Haiti and why the sellers might act the way they do.

 

I will say that when we talked to the sellers and explained about the seven! grandkids and their limited spending budget (about $3-4 each) they calmed down a lot and spent some time helping them each find something they wanted, and carved their names into each item. It was one of their most unique memories of the cruise.