Labadee, Haiti never been there

[Retiredprofessor]

We have cruised with RCCL many times. Been to Coco Cay. How does Labadee compare? Thinking of shore excursion to Malfani Beach to avoid crowds. Any suggestions?:)

[dodgeball24]

U tube Labadee and u will get some ideas

-suggestion when u get off and come on thru the arc on the island u r on the ocean side and there is more wind so I suggest u look to the other side if u want calmer water or go all the way down near the beach volleyball as there is a rock wall that will calm it down

[DonnaK]

We think Labadee is far nicer than CocoCay (although we haven't been there since the renovations). It's one of our favorite ports of call in the Caribbean.

[read52]

We are not beach people but we loved it last July. We climbed the dragon rock to heard the sound of the water going through the rock. We did the roller coaster and walked in the shopping area. Then we went in the water and then sat until lunch was ready.

[negc]

Just the completion of the pier at Labadee which eliminates the inconvenience of tendering, makes Labadee preferable in my mind. It has been a while since we were on Coco Cay, but all of the improvements that have been made on Labadee make it a wonderful place to spend a day. If you are in a suite or are Diamond Plus or Pinnacle, consider going to Barefoot Beach and renting a cabana. I need to limit my exposure to the sun, so having a cabana on Labadee made it possible to enjoy a full day there.:)

[cruise pup]

I was just there and there were 2 Voyager class ships docked. I stayed onboard the ship and enjoyed the loungers and pools. I heard the beach was very crowded so I was glad I didn't bother. In my opinion, RCCL doesn't want people to just get off the ship and sit at the beach so they will do anything they need to get people to spend extra money for privacy, etc. One beach is now limited to suite guests which will cause more crowding at the other beaches. And as pointed out, the Atlantic side of Labadee isn't good for swimming. It would be nice if RCCL would limit the number of ships visiting Labadee so that everyone can enjoy it.

[jjb415]

Earlier this month, 5 of us rented a cabana during our stay at Labadee and it was well worth it. We relaxed, had several drinks and a great lunch in the private area.

[copnlpn2]

I've been to CocoCay several times and love to go there. I visited Labadee for the first time last fall, and although it is a beautiful location, I was very saddened and uncomfortable because the Haitian vendors were so pushy - more so than anyplace I've ever visited. It's common knowledge that the situation in Haiti is far from good and it showed in how desperate the vendors were to make a sale.

 

I made the mistake of trying to visit the numerous shops and wish now I had gone adventuring on my own to see whatever else there was to see. But I had my elderly father with me and he was unable to do much walking, and there is a LOT of walking up and down grades that you'll encounter, unlike the terrain at CocoCay.

 

Give it a shot - check out what interests you. I'm sure you'll have a great time!

[SECdawg]

This is one of my favorite ports. The scenery is amazing. So much nicer than CocoCay. I never felt the island was crowded. we did not go to the shops so we did not deal with pushy vendors. The only people from the island that we dealt with were those who help with the chairs and cabanas that cover them and they were wonderful. Very accommadating even when my husband changed his mind several times as to where we wanted to be. The zipline looked like fun and we plan to do that next time we are there. I am sure you will enjoy it.

[dodgeball24]

I have to laugh at the video on last months cruise of the lady shopping at the vendors and how easy it was because it is now pretty bad but just don't give them eye contact. Hate to be that way but the bad ones are up in the huts if you walk the road and I just ignore them.

 

Things are not good in Haiti and these people really hurting for money and I do agree the situation is more charged then ever but if you want to avoid the situation all together go all the way down near the volleyball on the ocean side or take the tram to where u want to go and shop on a different island.

 

 

This is a great beach day and athough I love to stay on the ship on some islands Labadee is a stop I look forward to each cruise.

[ehfl]

The water is not as nice at Labadee. Also, unlike CocoCay, Labadee does not have Hobie Cats for rent.

[DonnaK]

Many people do not know about the fixed-price Artesan's Market that is located behind the Haitian Flea Market. It has much of the same merchandise in a less pushy, less threatening environment. I only shop there...no bargaining, however the prices are more than reasonable and fair, especially considering how desperately poor they are. The couple of dollars extra I might spend doesn't really mean anything to me compared to what it means to them.

[DanJ]

We found the beach over by the aquapark to be pretty quiet. Maybe people don't venture around over there if they don't intend to use the aquapark. We did experience the pushy vendors. It wouldn't have been a problem if we didn't have young kids with us, but these people were not shy about walking up to the kids and sticking stuff on them. Then of course, when we stop to take these wristbands off the kids, the vendor slaps some on us. I felt like saying "thanks" and walking on after several times of that happening.

 

I'm not sure if the artisans market referenced above is the enclosed building on the main pathway, but we stopped in there as well. It was a totally different atmosphere, but the guy did offer us stuff at a lower price than the sign said. Might be that it wasn't from his table, I don't know LOL

 

Anyway, we liked the place more than Princess Cays and Half Moon Cay (although the beach at HMC is far superior), and it never felt crowded at all, even when we went for lunch. It didn't strike me that 2 ships would be an issue.