How big is Labadee?

I posted this over on the excursions board a couple of days ago with no response, so trying over here. :)

Is it possible to walk to all of the nice sandy beaches on Labadee?

Am interested in possibly just hanging out on the island and not taking an excursion, but would want to walk to a beach far enough away from the pier that the beach wouldn't be crowded, but close enough that we'd be near restrooms and food/beverage options. Just need some sun and some shade to relax for the day. Should we just walk until we find the right beach, and could I actually walk around the whole island? Or, is it better to take a cab to a nice beach? I really have no idea how big the island is (obviously :)).

My cruise map of Labadee has a scale, and you can zoom in and out, and drag the map around to get a good idea of how much walking you will need to do.

Hope that helps!

Theron

P.S. You can also see a Voyager class cruise ship anchored on the map above, so you can get a feel for the relative size that way too. Roughly speaking Labadee is about twice as long as a cruise ship. :)

Technically Labadee is just a little peninsula, not an actual cay or island. So you can walk around for a while but you won't actually make it all the way around Haiti!

There are some nice places to relax if you just keep walking away from the main hubub area where all the activities are taking place.

Happy sails!

Oh yeah, there are no taxis there... it's a closed area, you are not allowed to leave the Royal Caribbean controlled beach area. People do talk of a shuttle type service, but I don't know any details on how often it runs.

Theron

Carol and I are much like you. We enjoy relaxing and taking it easy instead of all of the adventurous stuff.

I suggest that when you go ashore you walk straight ahead until you comes to the kids water park area. Then turn left and head for Dragon's Breath Point. Visit the point, it is really neat. Then you can hang out in that area. There is a bar there that is relaxing and a BBQ place right next to it and Dragon's Breath beach is right there.

My cruise map of Labadee has a scale, and you can zoom in and out, and drag the map around to get a good idea of how much walking you will need to do.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Theron

 

P.S. You can also see a Voyager class cruise ship anchored on the map above, so you can get a feel for the relative size that way too. Roughly speaking Labadee is about twice as long as a cruise ship. :)

I was hoping you would pop in and show that map again. My question, I know lunch is served at the Columbus Cove. Isn't it also served at one other location? Where is that? We are going to explore what we didn't see last time.

It's also served at Dragon's point. There's nice bar and restroom at that end also. My guess is it's about a 10 minute walk. There is a tram that runs back and forth also but the walk isn't that bad.

I'm so glad you posted this map. I have been wondering just where Labadee was located along the Hatian coast. Now I know! Thanks!

Are there sidewalks to get around the peninsula?

Thanks very much for posting this map! I too have often wondered exactly where we are in Haiti so this has answered my questions.

Labadee is great, and you can walk to all beaches. But, there is also a little shuttle you can hop on too. Restrooms and BBQ lunch are provided in a few different places, so you won't miss a thing. Enjoy this lovely spot!

On Labadee, is all of the food and drink provided by RCCL, even the bar/BBQ at Dragon's Breath? On our last cruise, we saw all of the food loaded onto the tenders but I just want to be sure that this includes Dragon's Breath too. We didn't realize that there is another (relaxing) eating area up there also. I appreciate any information!

We were at Labadee last year while cruising on the Freedom. When we got off the tender, we grabbed some chaises (tip expected) and dropped our stuff. We hit the first beach for a little bit, snapped pics of the ship, and ventured back to our chairs. DH, sis and I then explored. We climbed up the rocks - there is a path - and got some great pics of the ship from there. We climbed down the other side to another beach, then a third beach - taking pics of the ship from all points. We then found the restrooms and the bbq/lunch spot. We ventured over toward's Dragon's Point and where the zip line ended, spending a little time there watching. We then ventured back to our chaises and found the rest of our group. We gathered them up and did it all over agin, showing them what we had found.

We had lunch and went back to our chaises for some relax time and a Labadoozie before tendering back to the ship.

We didn't head over to the right side (from where we tendered) but I'm sure there is plenty of time for that too. There is a shuttle, but we didn't use it.

Next time we're there, we'll check out what we missed, then land at the farthest left beach - ship side. That one was very nice.

You get your basic hamburgers and hotdogs, potato salad, tea, lemonade, for free. Not great but fills the stomach. Alcohol drinks are normal cruise prices.

You get your basic hamburgers and hotdogs, potato salad, tea, lemonade, for free. Not great but fills the stomach. Alcohol drinks are normal cruise prices.

We had ribs (yummy) and bbq chicken as well as the above.

Thanks so much! Believe it or not, we completely missed the BBQ lunch on our last cruise so I had no idea of the menu. We didn't realize that it was only served from 11am-1 or 2pm (I forget the exact timing) so by the time we made our way to the food area, lunch was over. Just a heads up to any new cruisers that if you miss lunch, there is almost no other food there. We worked it out but our kids were a bit hungry. (We loved Labadee and did have a great time so this did not dampen our spirits or enjoyment of the day!)

I realize we have to pay for the drinks. I was just making sure that all of the food is brought on the island from the cruise ship by RCCL. I was questioning if any of the food or drinks is from the locals.

My cruise map of Labadee has a scale, and you can zoom in and out, and drag the map around to get a good idea of how much walking you will need to do.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Theron

 

P.S. You can also see a Voyager class cruise ship anchored on the map above, so you can get a feel for the relative size that way too. Roughly speaking Labadee is about twice as long as a cruise ship. :)

I'm assuming that all these areas are in walking distance?

I hope some one can answer my question here about the Zip line.

How do you get to it?

Do the tour people get you there.

How long does it take to get there.

thanks ahead of time

If you want real seclusion then I'd recommend the Castaway at Malfini Beach excursion there at Labadee. On Google maps I believe it is located:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=labadee+haiti&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.052282,57.744141&ie=UTF8&ll=19.765406,-72.276666&spn=0.002913,0.003524&t=h&z=18&*****=0

I had real doubts about going to a beach when we were already at a private beach, but it is BY FAR the best beach I have EVER been to. The sand is perfectly fine like you'd find in a playbox. They have these slingback wood chairs that will have you asking where you can buy them (I think the lady that runs the island buys them all). And, the water is an odd mix of warm salt water topped with about 2 inches of very cold spring water that runs down the hill from a fresh spring above the beach. The temperature difference allows the cold water to float on the top of the warm salt water for 60 feet out into the little cove producing the most beautiful light blue water and refreshing cool effect that I've EVER seen and felt. You can even scoop the spring water off the top of the ocean water and drink it and taste no salt at all. The only side effect of this water phenomenon is that if you try to snorkle the cold water mixing with the hot water causes distortion in the water and it constantly looks like your vision is blurry. If you keep moving forward it is not as bad, but it was an odd effect.

Finally, I'd say that the lady, and her son, that run the island are some of the nicest and cheerful people I met on the cruise. They will do anything for you, from cutting open a coconut and making a fresh drink to bringing you a float. Her son tells some great "fish stories" too on the trip back and forth to the beach too.

Check out some of our photos at:

http://web.mac.com/christopher.miles/Site/Cruise_Photos/Pages/20th_Anniversary_Cruise_-_2007.html

Are there sidewalks to get around the peninsula?

No there are no sidewalks in Labadee.:) It consists of a series of beaches, bars, dining and recreational facilities, which now include a zipline, and while there are dirt paths that lead from one beach to another, there are no sidewalks. There is a tram that will take you from one end of Labadee to the other or you can pretty much walk the whole area in a matter of ten or twenty minutes. There are some beach (large wheel) wheel chairs for those who need them to maneuver around. It is a wonderfully relaxing experience but does not provide you with access to the rest of Haiti.:)

I hope some one can answer my question here about the Zip line.

How do you get to it?

Do the tour people get you there.

How long does it take to get there.

thanks ahead of time

There's a winding road past the markets that goes up the mountain. It's about a 5 minute drive. I'm not sure if you can just walk up there or not. I didn't see anyone walking along the way.

Not sure if that was what you were thinking about or if you actually wanted to do the zipline. That of course is an excursion that you purchase through the cruiseline.

What a great map! Everything appears to be fairly close to the tender pier and Dragon's Breath looks easily walkable. I have another question regarding the food situation. I am a vegetarian. It sounds like there will be no non-meat options for me other than condiments. LOL! Is it ok for me to pack a lunch that I purchased from the ship, and bring it with me to the island?

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you mention "purchasing" a meal on the ship and bringing it onto the island. There will be salad, fruit and other non-meat items available in Labadee (all of which were brought ashore from the ship) but if there are special items you should probably speak to someone onboard in the restaurant or the Windjammer to see exactly what will be available for you ashore and if special arrangements can be made to offer you something more in line with your dietary restrictions, they may be able to accommodate you. When you are in other ports, you are definitely not able to bring foodstuffs ashore, but I am not sure what restrictions apply in Labadee.:)

I did this post about the Zip Line after we visited last summer. I understand that since then they have raised the prices and lowered the maximum weight allowance.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=570658

Lots of good photos of the Zip Line and the surrounding areas.

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you mention "purchasing" a meal on the ship and bringing it onto the island. There will be salad, fruit and other non-meat items available in Labadee (all of which were brought ashore from the ship) but if there are special items you should probably speak to someone onboard in the restaurant or the Windjammer to see exactly what will be available for you ashore and if special arrangements can be made to offer you something more in line with your dietary restrictions, they may be able to accommodate you. When you are in other ports, you are definitely not able to bring foodstuffs ashore, but I am not sure what restrictions apply in Labadee.:)

From the posts I had read, it appeared that the only option was a traditional BBQ with many meat choices. I can get by on salad and fruit for a few hours, but not much more than 4 hours probably. Salads at BBQs are typically just a green salad (which is a great side dish to go with a hamburger or hot dog), but I don't expect them to be providing a bunch of pasta options at a BBQ, and any substantial salad options, unless I'm picturing the BBQ completely incorrect. I don't think I saw anywhere where there would be substantial food options like that for non-meat eaters, so I was hoping someone would have a recommendation. It's ok for me to not have non-meat options on Labadee, as long as I know in advance, as I certainly don't expect them to cater to the minority.

Perhaps I can ask the Windjammer to just put together a "to go" container of a variety of pasta salads and more hearty foods other than just the probable green salad I may experience at the BBQ.