Labadee, Haiti...dreadful day

[JGORD7]

Well we cruised April 8th & one of our stops was Labadee. I have to say it was terrible! First of all you had to get through all the trash floating in the water to get there then it continued on the beach which you couldn't even get into the water due to the rocks. I guess you could if you wanted to walk 2 miles or if you paid for private beach location but we ended up going back to the ship after an hour & spent the day at the pools on the ship.. Anyone else experience this.. no flaming please jmo. :)

[cruisekap]

My family and I love Labadee. In fact it is one of our favourite spots. I think that your experience:( is unusual. It is a shame that you had such a bad experience.

[jersey.girl]

Just got back frm an great vacation on The Allure of the Seas.

Labadee was great. We had a private cabanna. AWESOME

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We have been to Labadee twice. I loved the first time. We went to Columbus Cove. The sand was very soft and the beach was nice. Walking through the vendors was an issue for DH.

 

So, in March we went back and stopped off at the main beach on the left. We did not like it. The rocks were as big as the palm of my hand. Also, there wer 2 ships in port and EVERTHING was too crowded. We waited in line for lunch (45 min) and to get through security (30+ min).

 

The OP does not want to pay for a cabanna.

[Chasey]

I'm siding with the OP. I did a snorkel excursion and the water was littered with trash. It was nasty!!!! There's not a whole lot to do but I will say the lunch was great. If I visit Labadee again it would be for the zip line only.

[funfamilyof6]

We were also there twice. We had a good time the first time because we spent most of our day near the inflateable water floats and slide with the kids, although we did feel it was rocky.

 

This past summer we tried Labadee again. We enjoyed the dragon roller coaster ride but it was certainly a quick ride. We then went to the beach which was very rocky. I will say lunch there that day was terrible!

 

I think the nice beach is near the cabanas which are very expensive!

[binjune]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Labadee is our favorite place to relax and just enjoy the beach. Hopefully it didn't put a damper on your cruise and you were able to enjoy the other ports. At least you probably had the pools to yourselves that day!

[dmbate88]

we love Labadee!! We also rented a cabana this time...with four of us it was only $50 a person and well worth it!! Even if you don't rent a cabana its a fabulous beach day. The map clearly states that the beach on the left is rocky and not for swimming. There are no beaches that are even close to a 2 mile walk...Nellies beach which is FREE and beautiful is maybe a 7 minute walk from the ship. I did not spot one ounce of litter when we were there...everything was very clean and the people very nice. There was only one ship at the port when we were there (Allure) which we were on.

 

I hope you give it another chance!!!

[Illyria]

The map clearly states that the beach on the left is rocky and not for swimming. There are no beaches that are even close to a 2 mile walk...Nellies beach which is FREE and beautiful is maybe a 7 minute walk from the ship.

 

We were on Allure last September and made a stop in Labadee...and hated it. Maybe if there were better maps, that clearly showed which beaches were free and which ones weren't fit for swimming, we could've planned our day differently.

As it was, we assumed that the private portion of the beach was either for elite-level passengers (whatever that's called on RC, I don't remember) - or that there was an extra charge. So we stayed a few hours at the beach on the left. Basically, I would go into the water about knee-deep, and that's where the rocks started - so I would just start swimming away from the shore and then back, and not stop until I was sure I was back over sand. Still managed to cut my leg on the rocks, the wound immediately got infected and took almost 3 weeks to fully heal.

We thought about walking along the gift shop trail, buying some souvenirs, but the very first two vendors were beyond pushy...I've never had to deal with that level of obnoxiousness, not even in Mexico or China. The second we even looked at something, the guy would immediately announce the price and shove the item into a bag for us to buy. At one point he grabbed my arm to keep me from turning around and leaving. I think at that point I was on the verge of creating an international incident :) (I can be very rude and loud too...) We bought a couple of small cheap things just to get the heck out of there.

So...yeah, we have no interest in ever going back to Labadee.

[mszmek]

I have been to Labadee twice and loved it both times. I went on the zip line both times, and hung out on the beach. I didn't have any problems with rocks or garbage, but I haven't been there since 2010.

[EBM]

Which beach is the best beach for swimming if you don't have a cabana? I want to just lay on a mat in the water and relax :)

[crisndeefromde]

always always stay on the side that the ship docks for beaches. the water is not rough nor rocky. first time we went there years ago before any improvements and when one had to tender....one of the guys fixing chairs for us showed us the beaches. He said to stay away from the rough side where the rocks were. man of wars...or jelly fish things in there he said....always took that advise. love labadee and have had many many good times there....

 

never ever seen trash in the water.

[jersey.girl]

always always stay on the side that the ship docks for beaches. the water is not rough nor rocky. first time we went there years ago before any improvements and when one had to tender....one of the guys fixing chairs for us showed us the beaches. He said to stay away from the rough side where the rocks were. man of wars...or jelly fish things in there he said....always took that advise. love labadee and have had many many good times there....

 

never ever seen trash in the water.

U R 100% correct w/advice.

The side of the island that the ship docks is best.

I can't wait 2 go back.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LABADEE

[jawouds]

I loved Labadee our first time. We've been back 6 times over the years and each time I like it less. Lately we've even been taking that into consideration when looking at cruises and have avoided any that include Labadee. It went from being a laid back relaxing beach day to a crowded noisy tourist trap experience. Snorkeling is terrible. We're Diamond on RCCL, but Labadee does nothing for me! Maybe I'd feel differently if we had small children.....

[lynncarol]

I agree...been there a number of times and know where the "good free" beach is. Apparently so do many other cruisers and that beach is packed! Fortunately, I like to swim so once I got deep enough into the water, crowds thinned out. However, lately we have been booking the RCCL "Escape to Malfini" excursion...maximum of 24 passengers (I think...although we have never had more than 15) and it includes a nice quiet cove far from the mobs of Labadee. Normally, I never use ship excursions but Labadee is an exception.

[wingedpigskin]

We went to the beach just past the vendors in January. My husband did some snorkeling on his own and came back saying he saw LOTS of garbage in the water. Corona bottles, cans, paper, etc.