Labadee

[patterson3]

I just noticed that on my Western Caribbean cruise in a couple weeks there will be 2 ships in Labadee. How big is Labadee? Will it be extremely crowded with the Constellation and Reflection there? (I'm guessing it can handle extremely large crowds since the Allure and Oasis of the Seas stop there?

[TravelerThom]

I just noticed that on my Western Caribbean cruise in a couple weeks there will be 2 ships in Labadee. How big is Labadee? Will it be extremely crowded with the Constellation and Reflection there? (I'm guessing it can handle extremely large crowds since the Allure and Oasis of the Seas stop there?

It has plenty of room to handle 6000 off Oasis or Allure. I am in Labadee in a month on a two ship (Explorer of the Seas & Grandeur of the Seas), and the max passenger count is slightly less than Oasis or Allure. Now if the two ship were Oasis AND Allure, that would be crowded!

 

Thom

Edited January 1, 2015 by TravelerThom

[karena1]

Labadee is big. You can either be with everyone or walk further and be all by yourself!!

 

Now, it you wait until noon to get off the ship, you are not going to get prime spots. We are always off the ship asap and get our perfect place to sit.

[Ceeborne]

We went to Labadee the first time that Celebrity stopped there. At that time having lunch there was very disorganized.

 

I'm sure it has improved! Could you tell me what your experiences of having lunch there.😃

 

I'd like to decide whether to eat on Labadee or back on the ship.

[patterson3]

Thank you for the quick replies! I will definitely report back after my cruise with a full review!

 

And one last question- the only private cruise line's island that I've been to is Princess Cays. Is Labadee similar? (Obviously Labadee has dock's which is an improvement over Princess Cays, but I really enjoyed Princess Cays so I'm hoping Labadee is similar).

Edited January 1, 2015 by patterson3

[miataman19]

I just noticed that on my Western Caribbean cruise in a couple weeks there will be 2 ships in Labadee. How big is Labadee? Will it be extremely crowded with the Constellation and Reflection there? (I'm guessing it can handle extremely large crowds since the Allure and Oasis of the Seas stop there?

I'm on Reflection in 2 weeks also and saw the same thing. The other ship is the Constellation. Not as big as the Reflection so shouldn't be too bad.

 

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Forums mobile app

Edited January 1, 2015 by miataman19

[Rulers Mom]

I love Labadee! It is very beautiful, the zip line is fun, the food kind of sucks - typical private island cook out stuff - so I dine onboard before or after. But overall a nice beach day.

 

Be prepared for pushy vendors. There was some authentic Haitian art inside the store. Lots of stuff outside that looked mass produced, but I still bought a metal piece out there that I love.

[patterson3]

I'm on Reflection in 2 weeks also and saw the same thing. The other ship is the Constellation. Not as big as the Reflection so shouldn't be too bad.

 

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Forums mobile app

 

Yeah, I was glad to see that it was another Celebrity ship (because a Royal Caribbean ship would probably mean more kids). It should be a great cruise- 3 of the ports that we're visiting (Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios and Labadee) are new to me since all but one of my cruises have been eastern or southern caribbean.

[TravelerThom]

Reflection plus Connie total several hundred passengers LESS than Allure, so not a big crowding problem. Labadee vendors often are pushy, but they are restricted to their sales areas; if you want to avoid them just don't go to those areas.

 

Food buffets are brought from the ships and are included (but I usually prefer the food selection on the ship). Alcohol (sold mostly by local Haitian employees) and pay activities (zipline, etc) can be purchased only with your ship card. Haitian paintings, handicrafts, hair braiding are purchased with cash (I think that some vendors might take credit cards). Tips for assistance with beach chairs, the folk dancers, etc are greatly appreciated (per capita income in Haiti is slightly over US$1 per day).

 

Enjoy

Thom

[patterson3]

Reflection plus Connie total several hundred passengers LESS than Allure, so not a big crowding problem. Labadee vendors often are pushy, but they are restricted to their sales areas; if you want to avoid them just don't go to those areas.

 

Food buffets are brought from the ships and are included (but I usually prefer the food selection on the ship). Alcohol (sold mostly by local Haitian employees) and pay activities (zipline, etc) can be purchased only with your ship card. Haitian paintings, handicrafts, hair braiding are purchased with cash (I think that some vendors might take credit cards). Tips for assistance with beach chairs, the folk dancers, etc are greatly appreciated (per capita income in Haiti is slightly over US$1 per day).

 

Enjoy

Thom

 

Thank you for the info Thom! Since alcohol is served by Haitian employees I'm guessing we should probably bring some extra money to tip them (or will the cruise line pay them any extra tips I would include on my ship card for that particular purchase?)

[cruisehome]

sorry to say but I did not like Labadee at all

 

was there at end of October 2014 water was dirty - they had young men insisting on taking you to a spot and waiting for money for a tip -

 

the food was OK it was a long walk from the ship

 

would not go back

 

but just my opinion

[KW Cruisers]

I just noticed that on my Western Caribbean cruise in a couple weeks there will be 2 ships in Labadee.

 

Quick Question:

 

How do you find out which (if any) other ships are going to be there at the same time as you?

 

We have also just booked a cruise that stops in Labadee. I'm looking forward to one of those "on the water" cabanas!

 

Shawn

[TravelerThom]

Thank you for the info Thom! Since alcohol is served by Haitian employees I'm guessing we should probably bring some extra money to tip them (or will the cruise line pay them any extra tips I would include on my ship card for that particular purchase?)

Tipping on cruises is often not very transparent. I would guess that the vendors get at least some of the extra tip (over and above the mandatory 15%) that is put on a ticket, but I have more confidence in a dollar or so in hand, so I recommend bringing some singles. [Haiti has its own currency, the gourde, but everything in Labadee is in US$]

 

I think Labadee's sand and facilities are nicer than many Caribbean beaches, cleaned regularly and with a goodly number of shade trees, but don't expect Ritz quality. There are a couple of pretty nice sandy swimming areas on the West side of the peninsula (this is the side that the ship dock is on); water entry on the East side is pretty rocky and the sand is often swirled up so that the water is unclear. Snorkeling is not great (stealing a line from someone else: fish in Haiti have limited life expectancy).

 

I have been to Haiti a number of times; I was in Labadee before it had a pier, and I was in the week after the 2010 earthquake. Life in Haiti is a desperate game of survival for most (and I am speaking as someone who has traveled rural areas of India, the Congo, etc.). The average Haitian is proud and hardworking, but makes less than 1% of what people make in the US. These people really lost in the place-of-birth lottery. The people who have permission to enter the RCCL facility are the lucky ones. Things are relatively safe in Labadee, but best not to tempt people by being careless with items worth months if not years of average local income.

 

I hope that my attempt at an honest assessment helps. BTW I enjoy visiting Labadee.

 

Thom

[patterson3]

Quick Question:

 

How do you find out which (if any) other ships are going to be there at the same time as you?

 

We have also just booked a cruise that stops in Labadee. I'm looking forward to one of those "on the water" cabanas!

 

Shawn

 

You can find out which ships will be in port thru this website:

 

http://ports.cruisett.com/

 

(I hope I'm not violating the CruiseCritic rules by posting a link to a different website?)

[KW Cruisers]

You can find out which ships will be in port thru this website:

 

http://ports.cruisett.com/

 

(I hope I'm not violating the CruiseCritic rules by posting a link to a different website?)

 

Thank you so much! Very informative!

 

Shawn

[hcat]

We have been to Labadee twice and once when we did not get off the ship...enjoyed that day on board!

 

On Oasis it was crowded but we were able to rent a nice shaded cabana w/ ladder into the water at Barefoot Beach..perfect for us dtr and sil. Included pvt tram to wherever we wanted to go, upgraded lunch (not sure if offered anymore, esp on Celeb), concierge to bring drinks, euipped w/ice chest, overhead fan, , water, mats etc. Well worth it...at least once. Dtr/sil enjoyed the coaster...shopping in the open area was interesting but some vendors very pushy! Bathrooms near the market area were yucky.

 

We were there more recently in Nov. On Reflection.(fewer pax than Oasis) .instead of the cabana we.got clamshell umbrellas and lounges at Barefoot beach.. and met up with folks from our roll call... We arrived fairly early so avoided crowds, at first. The water was beautiful. Barefoot is a doable walk, close to restrooms and a nice bar. The buffet a bit of a walk away was actually quite good...but food goes fast.....plenty of seats. We shopped only in the air conditioned store...nice local crafts, less aggressive vendors.

 

You should go early, esp if you do not want a longer walk or tram ride to further beach areas.. There is plenty of room but many go for the closer spots...

Edited January 1, 2015 by hcat

[phoenix_dream]

"Private islands" used to be very quiet, peaceful, relaxing beach days. Now they are like an expensive piece of Disney World with a beach. So I guess it all depends what you like.

[mamamzee]

We liked Labadee for the sun and lovely shady spots.

 

We did not like the food -- my burger was awful. There were two stray dogs (looking pretty well fed) hanging around the picnic table areas. Depressing.

 

We had a local take us (DH was in a sand chair) to a good spot. I instructed the man to come back at exactly 12 to take us back to the pier. He made a big deal out of the time to be back. I tipped him WELL for the trip to the beach AND the trip back. Surprise! He never came back. So we used the tram which was easier anyway.

 

Crafts inside the building are really rather nice. Outside it's the same stuff you see everywhere.

 

Other than the rip off with the beach guy and the food, it was a nice beach.

[chisoxfan]

Have only had great times on several 'private islands'. Will be here on Reflection in a few weeks and am a bit dissapointed over several of the 'negative' comments. That said, there was discussion of paying for drinks. We will have X drink package and I assumed that drinks on the private island will be covered. Can anyone clarfy this.

Thanks in advance and Happy New Year.

[debshomespun]

"Private islands" used to be very quiet, peaceful, relaxing beach days. Now they are like an expensive piece of Disney World with a beach. So I guess it all depends what you like.

 

We have been to Labadee many times. Used to be a relaxing beach day. Now, it is very overcrowded, especially with 2 ships, or when Allure/Oasis are there. People everywhere, chairs everywhere, blue clam shells everywhere, it's gotten very commercialized. The food is much better in the buffet on the ship. Lines are long and the food goes very quickly. I miss the old Labadee. So much for improvements!

[wallie5446]

Thank you for the quick replies! I will definitely report back after my cruise with a full review!

 

And one last question- the only private cruise line's island that I've been to is Princess Cays. Is Labadee similar? (Obviously Labadee has dock's which is an improvement over Princess Cays, but I really enjoyed Princess Cays so I'm hoping Labadee is similar).

 

Our first time to Princess Cay was in 1992, the last was in 2012. Our first time to Labadee was in 1995, the last was in 2011.

Labadee is a lot better.

[wallie5446]

Have only had great times on several 'private islands'. Will be here on Reflection in a few weeks and am a bit dissapointed over several of the 'negative' comments. That said, there was discussion of paying for drinks. We will have X drink package and I assumed that drinks on the private island will be covered. Can anyone clarfy this.

Thanks in advance and Happy New Year.

 

All drinks are handled the same way as they are on the ship.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The first time I went to Labadee, it was still a tender port. Just back from a cruise that stopped there. Much better with a dock. We rented a cabana at Barefoot Beach. No crowds whatsoever. That beach is only available to suite guests, but Nellie's Beach is available to everyone and also has cabanas. The water was wonderful and very clear. There's a rather challenging dropoff getting into and out of the water, but once you surmount that, it's great. Food was nothing to write home about, but that's never been the point anyway. Now that there's a dock, you can easily go back to the ship for lunch if that's important to you.

 

And yes, please bring money to tip the Haitians working there, they live in a desperately poor country.

 

[CaribbeanBound]

Karena1...

Where do you consider the choice spots to be on Labadee?

What other hints and suggests do you have?

 

Hey Reflection, I'm on that Constellation ship in 2 weeks, and was wondering if "you all" would be making the island too crowded!

Edited January 2, 2015 by CaribbeanBound

[SkystheLimit]

We enjoyed Labadee. Watched the zipliners landing. Also did a ship's excursion that was a boat tour of the surrounding bay. Beautiful scenery and interesting history. The beach buffet hours are limited.