CocoCay/Ladabee

[sas80]

Are the restauraunts included in the price of the cruise? (as if we were on the ship)

 

What did you do while you were there?

What did you wish wyou had done while you were there?

Would you choose to go there again?

[CJJSmith]

Our ship missed going to CoCo Cay in early December because the swells were too big around the island... I was SOOO disappointed. :( I would love to go again. I hear that the ship passes this stop often because of large swells. Just an FYI.

[sas80]

Our ship missed going to CoCo Cay in early December because the swells were too big around the island... I was SOOO disappointed. :( I would love to go again. I hear that the ship passes this stop often because of large swells. Just an FYI.

 

I was reading your cruise review while you were reading my post, LOL.

 

I saw what you said about CocoCay....:mad:

 

My only solace if we do miss that stop is that we have an aft balcony booked for our next cruise. We actually picked the cruise because it had 3 sea days AND we had the aft balcony...

 

So if we do miss CocoCay we can just spend another day on the balcony & it wont be a total waste :D

[tupper]

There is a BBQ on the beach and it is free. There is a charge for drinks (sodas as well) on the island.

 

It is true they only make it there 50% of the time though (due to weather). It is a nice relaxing day, if you like the beach though.

[ckrobyn]

We made it to Coco Cay last February under sunny skies and warm weather!

 

The beach BBQ is included - try the ribs, they are terrific!

 

They do come around with tropical drinks while you are laying on the beach and they DO charge for them as they do for soda as well.

[CJJSmith]

I was reading your cruise review while you were reading my post, LOL.

 

I saw what you said about CocoCay....:mad:

 

My only solace if we do miss that stop is that we have an aft balcony booked for our next cruise. We actually picked the cruise because it had 3 sea days AND we had the aft balcony...

 

So if we do miss CocoCay we can just spend another day on the balcony & it wont be a total waste :D

 

Another day on the balcony would be awesome as well! lol - I wanted a day on the beach when we missed CoCo Cay - but who can complain about any day of a cruise being that you are at sea or in port right? I love your attitude. :)

[nanner10]

We just went to CocoCay on our Dec 11th cruise. It was great ... nice beach day. There are no restaurants, but, they set up a nice bar-b-que lunch. Ribs, hamburgs, hot dogs, chicken, corn on the cob, salads, etc. Punch and a second drink (don't remember what kind) and deserts were included. Water was only available for purchase. You could buy alcoholic drinks.

 

We were quite please with the arrangement. Lots of chairs and hammocks in the sun or shade. The beach was nice. Some coral so you might want water shoes for the beach and the water, although, we had no problems. Lots of things you could do for an extra fee. We were just happy with the beach. We were the only ship there that day.

 

Taking the tender over and back was easy, except, there was a very steep ramp to/from the ship. It was likely almost 45 degrees. The woman in front of me fell even though people were helping her. The woman in front of her could not ride her motorized scooter up it, so, several workers helped her up. Anyone with any mobility problems would likely have problems with it. They had to assist other people by holding them up under the arms. I primarily used my arms to propel myself up. At the very least they should have raised slats dividing the ramp to give you something to "dig" your foot into.

 

Last January we were supposed to go to Labadee, but, it was raining with rough seas. Other people have said it is a similar arrangement.

[MGoBlue2]

I've made to CocoCay both times we were scheduled. Knock on wood.

 

There's lots to do - little of it free (other than food) except for laying on the beach, swimming, walking, beach volleyball, etc. If you enjoy the typical RCI shore excursions (wave runners, kayaks, snorkeling, parasailing, etc.) they're all there too.

 

Personally, since I like to relax when I'm on vacation, there are few places I'd rather be than there. One of my favorite crusie stories, we were there in January - weather was perfect, low 80's, mostly sunny just enough clouds to give you a break from the sun. We (DW & I) were laying on the beach soaking it all in and two elderly women walked by, one said to the other - I'll never cruise again in January, its too darn cold!".

[zotzer]

We were on Labadee a week ago. We just hung out on the beach, but they had all sorts of watersports for extra $$. BBQ was okay, but stay away from those Labadoozies (drink of the day) unless you like REALLY sweet rum drinks and the accompanying headache. :)

 

Also, the Haitian vendors were very aggressive, so if you don't like that sort of thing don't get within 100ft of the shopping.

 

Tracy

[sas80]

Thanks for all the info!

 

Are there actual restauraunts?

What's the shopping like?

How big is the island itself - big enough to enjoy a hike?

Did anyone think they should have just stayed on the ship instead?

[suezyq50]

There are no restaurants. The BBQ lunch provided by the ship, is available for around 2 hours.

The shopping to me, is very similar to the straw market, but much smaller scale. Beach towels, t shirts, bags, etc.

I also think you could enjoy a hike.

[alexkrn46]

Last time we were in Cocco Cay, the weather kicked up, we were back on the ship and the ride back on the tenders looked like an experience. One year they couldn't get all the passengers back to the boat and some had to spend the night on the island. I don't think RCCL wants that to happen again!

[KelJ]

We were in Labadee last week. There are no restaurants, but there are plenty of bars where you can purchase drinks and get your soda cups filled up if you bought a soda card.

You pay for everything with your sea pass card. The lunch buffet is set up by RCI staff at three different locations. It was very tasty.

The only place you can spend cash is at the Haitian market -- very pushy and aggressive. We had interacted with one seller and that was enough for us.

Labadee is beautiful! Grab a hammock and have a few CocoLocos as the bartenders come around.

[reney313]

Coco Cay is a nice sized "private island" meaning there aren't any regular inhabitants except for staff of the island. The buffets are the only place to eat. It's good. They have built shops there (I much preferred it when it was just sand-without the shops). Locals come over from other islands to sell their stuff, do braids, etc. However, they're not nearly as pushy as Nassau or the other Bahamian islands.

 

The island is large enough to walk around and be totally by yourselves. You can find hammocks in out of way areas all times of the day, but you may have to walk a little ways.

 

Personally, this is one of my favorite ports because you don't feel the need to have to go "see" different things. You just relax on the beach, take a walk, eat, have a few drinks, etc. Very relaxing. I wouldn't mind staying overnight there ;)

 

Luckily, we've always made it on the few times it was in the itinerary. I would be very disappointed to miss it. We did miss NCL's private island once and had the sea day instead. I see no reason to stay on the ship. You can always go back if you want, but why when you can be on the beach? :)

[catmommy]

We were on Labadee in October on the Voyager.

 

I love the beach so for us it was a great beach day.

 

We got loungers and had them put under a nice tree to relax and watch the waves. We did tip the person who move the lungers for us.

 

The lunch was "free" and I found it just ok. I really don't like eating outside and the food was just lukewarm; hot stuff not hot and cold stuff not very cold.

 

The bathrooms were clean and well kept.

 

MY MIL who mobility problems used the beach wheel chairs there to get to and from the lounger and the BBQ. She parked her scooter near the tender stations.

 

I didn't go through the vendor area but MIL and DH did. Some folks had nice carved wood items but I thought most of what I saw, from a distance, looked like junk you could find at any island. MIL was more impressed but DH was not.

 

I think it was one of the best stops of the cruise.

 

Calm seas,

Caroline

[Cuizer2]

Here is a link to the first of eight photos of Labadee. Just click on next to see the next seven photos ...

 

http://www.cruise-addicts.com/photogallery/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=90240

[Cruisechick82]

We were lucky to make it to CocoCay on our cruise last year. I wasn't aware that it was missed so frequently. We had a perfect beach day when we were there.

 

There are no restaurants, just stations set up with the BBQ food. It was good. Punch and either lemonade or iced tea were included. There are a few small open-air shops and people braiding hair, but no real buildings.

 

I would definately get off the ship to go there, it is really pretty, especially since it's not developed/commercialized. We went snorkeling and it was neat, there are 2 plane wrecks and a ship wreck to see.(Probably fake, but neat.) We saw tons of fish and got some great pictures with an underwater disposable camera. You can walk around the island and get away from all the people. Even with the number of people there thought, it never seemed crowded and there were plenty of chairs and hammocks.

[sas80]

We were lucky to make it to CocoCay on our cruise last year. I wasn't aware that it was missed so frequently. We had a perfect beach day when we were there.

 

There are no restaurants, just stations set up with the BBQ food. It was good. Punch and either lemonade or iced tea were included. There are a few small open-air shops and people braiding hair, but no real buildings.

 

I would definately get off the ship to go there, it is really pretty, especially since it's not developed/commercialized. We went snorkeling and it was neat, there are 2 plane wrecks and a ship wreck to see.(Probably fake, but neat.) We saw tons of fish and got some great pictures with an underwater disposable camera. You can walk around the island and get away from all the people. Even with the number of people there thought, it never seemed crowded and there were plenty of chairs and hammocks.

 

WOW! Plane wrecks and a shipwreck! Cool!! We are definitely going to snorkel then! Great info!

 

Thanks everyone!

[suezyq50]

When we were at CocoCay, we saw someone getting a massage. My guess was it was prearranged on the ship. The table was set up under a tree.