Labadee

[maureen B.]

I have been to Labadee a few years back but never realized how big it was!

How many different beaches or sections are there? What features do each section have that makes it different from the others? Going on the Quantum 2/20, and this is one of our ports. Any help would be appreciated!

MaureenB

[Clarea]

Here's a map that shows all the beaches and sections:

 

Edited January 19, 2015 by clarea

[maureen B.]

Thank-you so much. That map will be most helpful!

[CntPAcruiser]

I would stick to the Columbus Cove area. We found it much nicer than the beaches on the other side of the island. You will still need water shoes no matter where you go, if you want to go into the water.

[maureen B.]

Thanks for the heads up! I remember the water being real rocky.

[mjwcruising]

Should the water shoes be enclosed or can one wear Teva water sandals?

[Merion_Mom]

.......and for the most information, turn to the Ports of Call forum:

 

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=406

[jakenashleysmom]

We always go to Nelly's beach and never needed water shoes. Columbus is right next to Nelly's, was it rocky?

 

Sent from my KFTHWI using Forums mobile app

[kandj05]

What beach does the crew go to on Labadee?

[Capt_BJ]

What beach does the crew go to on Labadee?

 

much of the crew is working ... cooks, bar tenders, water sports ... all are ship staff

 

not that many 'outsiders' come in ... some to be sure, the vendors and clean up crews etc

 

I've never noticed a crew beach . . .

[CaribbeanBound]

maureen B.

 

I posted this on another thread but will repeat it here for you...

 

Labadee, Hispaniola (Haiti)

 

10:00am - 6:00pm. Haiti itself occupies the Western third of the island of Hispaniola, while Dominican Republic occupies the Eastern side. Labadee is not a private island off of Haiti as some believe. It's actually a peninsula on the beautiful northern coast of Haiti. This is a really pretty port offering a nice beach day with expensive excursion options for the more adventurous. Here's a map of Labadee you can print: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/labadee-map.jpg

 

I'll walk you clockwise around the map starting at the pier:

 

From the pier (bottom left) you are spilled out on Buccaneer's Bay where you can schedule tours. North of there is Dragon's Bay which includes the main tram station (#2), and 1 of the port's 5 lunch pavilion "cafes" (#4), a drink station "pub" (#5), a lookout point (#6) worth a view of the entire north side beach areas and the zipline landing. There are no swimmable beaches in Dragon's Bay due to the rocks and reefs in the water.

 

As you move inland (to the east) on the north shore you'll encounter Adrenaline Beach which has waves and good views of the zipline participants. The further east you walk, the sparser is the shade. The Dragon's Tail Coaster (#33) is located at the far eastern border, just past rentable cabanas (#35), and the zipline is up the hill to its left but is only accessible by truck.

 

Just south of Dragon's Tail is Town Square, with a bar (#18), lunch pavilion "cafe" (#19), the second tram station (#25), small amphitheater (#30), and Artesian's Market (#21, housed in a building). This is where the friendly no-haggle, no-hassle, local shops are located. They sell local arts and crafts. As you head south from here, you'll run into the Artesian's Village (#20, looks small on the map but it's really over 200 yards long and on both sides of the walkway). This is an uncomfortable gauntlet of outdoor "hassle and haggle" shops, manned by very aggressive locals offering similar wares, that stretches until you reach the sanctuary of Columbus Cove.

 

Columbus Cove is an oasis of sun, sand, and lots of shade with a beautiful beach, no waves, and an unobstructed view of the ship. It's very pretty and the water is very comfortable. Being the furthest beach from the ship, it will typically have the lightest crowds of all the full-access beaches. It also has a tram station (#43), "pub", "cafe" (#38), and an aqua park (#39) with waterslide (fee applies for both).

 

Now, heading west across the south shore you'll hit Nellies Beach, a beach cove featuring rentable cabanas (#31, if you rent one, be sure to pay a little extra for the cabanas on the water). This is also the southern route to Columbus Cove which will thankfully bypass the entire Artesian Village complex.

 

Heading further west toward the pier on the south shore is the Barefoot Beach Club, an exclusive gated beach cove for guests residing in Grand Suites and above. It's the closest southern beach to the pier. They have rentable cabanas (#13), a tram station (#15), and their own food and beverage facilities.

 

Our day at Labadee started when we left the ship at 10am and wandered around the peninsula as we made our way to Columbus Cove, the furthest beach from the ship. We came across the Artesian Market building with low-key local vendors doing a brisk business. Just past the Market, you hit a gauntlet of high-pressure local vendor shops. There must be over 50 of them. All of the stuff they were selling looked very similar. As you pass by the shops you are greeted with "Follow me", "Where are your from?", and "Can I ask you a question?" --- all intended to get you to engage with them and look at what they are selling. Most folks will feel very uncomfortable and want to exit the area as rapidly as possible. (If you do buy here you can easily haggle their first price down by 50% to 75% as long as you don't show too much interest). If you have no interest, just ignore them (or say "no thanks") and keep walking. You'll survive the ordeal unscathed.

 

We eventually worked our way to Columbus Cove and found lots of beachfront shade at the far end, complete with unobstructed views of the water and ship. This is despite being the second of two ships to arrive in port and having arrived at this beach at 11am. The beach will get a lot busier come 12:30pm. A buffet lunch was served in the pavilion behind us starting around 11:30am. Lunch was free and included juices, water, tea, breads, grilled chicken, pork chops, beef, hamburgers, hotdogs, ribs, slaw, green salad, potato salad, corn on the cob, light desert bites, and a few other items. Each pavilion offers several additional covered structures with lots of shaded picnic tables.

 

We enjoyed our lazy beach day at Columbus Cove and exploration of the peninsula. Fee-based activities available included Dragon's Breath Flight Line (zipline, $96 per ride), Dragon's Tail Coaster ($26 per ride), Adrenaline Coastal Boat Tour ($50), Haitian Cultural TOur ($75), Labadee Wave Jet Tour ($100), Sandbar Island Getaway ($50 - $55), Parasail Adventure ($86), Kayak Adventure ($40), Dragon's Splash Waterslide ($24) and Arawak Aqua Park ($20 per hour). [Prices current as of January 2015].

 

Notes: 1. small lockers are available at several locations for $8. 2. Alcohol was available and free if you were on a beverage plan (same rules as on the ship). 3. The south side beaches were prettier and nicer than the north side beaches, offered more shade, and calm water. North side beaches offered more sun, wind, waves, and great views of folks using the Dragon's Breath Flight Line (zipline) and Dragon's Tail Coaster. 4. You only needed your Sea Pass Card (no other ID required at this private port) and your beach towel from the ship. Lounge chairs are free but you might tip an attendant a dollar or two to haul and setup your lounge chairs and wipe them down.

 

For pictures of all of the ports please see:

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/constellation2.html

[cb at sea]

Wear whatever shoes suit you best...do NOT wear "flip flops" into the water..dangerous!

[jigger]

Great Description !

[eg1]

Our daughter cut herself on a barnacle on the underside of one of the inflatables. Nothing serious, but enough to end her swim for the day.

 

I mention it only because it would not have occurred to me to watch out for something like this, and maybe it can help somebody else avoid it.