Coco Cay or Labadee?

[TwinMamainMN]

Which do you prefer and why? We finally got to see Coco Cay last week on Odyssey and loved it. Booked Oasis in March 2023 and the itinerary has both.

[ace1zoe2]

Coco Cay! Plenty of stuff to do for free and it is beautiful.  Labadee is nice as well but if given a choice it would always be Coco Cay for me.

[PhillyFan33579]

Easy decision for me…Coco Cay. 

[MOSusan]

Coco Cay for us.  The biggest difference for me is the water.  Coco Cay is so clear and the sand is almost like powder.  I do wish I could snag a bungalow as cheaply at Coco Cay as I have been able to at Labadee. 

[D4]

We were at both of them on a B2B right before the shutdown.

 

Definitely CocoCay for us.  I prefer everything about it over Labadee.

 

One thing we especially didn’t like about Labadee was all the local people pestering you to look at the stuff they’re selling.  I understand they’re just trying to make a living in a very poor country, but we’ve been on 45+  cruises and aren’t interested in buying souvenirs.  I always responded with a pleasant “No thank you”, but they would follow us and keep insisting that we look at their wares.  Not very relaxing.

[nelblu]

Coco Cay is much easier to get into the water than at Labadee.  Manya areas are rocky and loungers are many times in not in good conditions and there are locals that expect tipping for getting loungers.

[Crism]

Labadee in the winter months, Coco in the summer.  That Oasis Lagoon pool is FREEZING in the winter!  You never know if you'll get a 70 degree or 85 degree day in Coco in the winter.  Labadee is almost always guaranteed 80-ish.

[jean87510]

I concur with the cold pool!!!  We were in it last Friday and I felt as if I was part of the Polar Bears club.  BUT would still go to Coco Cay over Labadee.  Just would never ever pay those prices for the cabanas.  I was on south beach all day and watched the tide go out and the water go down around those cabanas.  Just not worth it.  I had fun in my free chair and the ability to go all over the place other then the water park.  

[George C]

If in a suite then definitely ladabee which has a very nice beach with upgraded buffet and great service, nothing special for suites in coco cay. 

[Oceansaway17]

1 hour ago, D4 said:

We were at both of them on a B2B right before the shutdown.

 

Definitely CocoCay for us.  I prefer everything about it over Labadee.

 

One thing we especially didn’t like about Labadee was all the local people pestering you to look at the stuff they’re selling.  I understand they’re just trying to make a living in a very poor country, but we’ve been on 45+  cruises and aren’t interested in buying souvenirs.  I always responded with a pleasant “No thank you”, but they would follow us and keep insisting that we look at their wares.  Not very relaxing.

i share everything you have said. pestering was annoying. Coco Cay is wonderful to walk around and I like seeing the NCL island 1/2 mile away too.

[Liverpoolfan181]

Labadee for us! Found coco cay a wee bit too commercial and less “island feel”. Also frigid pool water. 

 

We’re all about the waterfront cabanas in Labadee!

[Baowen]

I prefer Labadee due to it feeling more like a private island. Coco Cay is more commercialized. I enjoy both but I find Labadee more relaxing.  I love these itineraries that go to both!

Beth

[brillohead]

10 hours ago, D4 said:

One thing we especially didn’t like about Labadee was all the local people pestering you to look at the stuff they’re selling.

So just don't go to that section of the road.  

Ride the tram there/back, or take the walk along the beach. 

The locals don't come onto the beach to sell you stuff -- they are restricted to their zone only.  If you're getting pestered by locals, it's because you went to their zone.

[Norwich Cruiser]

Coco Cay

[soremekun]

Mercedes-Benz S Class or Chevy Nova.

 

CocoCay continues to be developed.  Owning the island (CocoCay) vs leasing land (Labadee) probably gives Royal Caribbean more confidence in investing larger sums of money in CocoCay.

Edited March 11, 2022 by soremekun

[Computer Nerd]

15 hours ago, MOSusan said:

Coco Cay for us.  The biggest difference for me is the water.  Coco Cay is so clear and the sand is almost like powder.  I do wish I could snag a bungalow as cheaply at Coco Cay as I have been able to at Labadee. 

I concur. The clarity and color of the water at CocoCay is much nicer than Labadee.

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, soremekun said:

Mercedes-Benz S Class or Chevy Nova.

 

CocoCay continues to be developed.  Owning the island (CocoCay) vs leasing land (Labadee) probably gives Royal Caribbean more confidence in investing larger sums of money in CocoCay.

Does that necessarily make it better?

[Havin'fun]

Labadee for me. 

CocoCay is just a big water park.  If you have kids its probably the top choice but I like the laid back feeling of Labadee.

[soremekun]

11 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Does that necessarily make it better?

I think investing more into CocoCay leading to several beaches, pools, water slides, and places to eat make CocoCay better. But that's my opinion.

[time4u2go]

1 minute ago, soremekun said:

I think investing more into CocoCay leading to several beaches, pools, water slides, and places to eat make CocoCay better. But that's my opinion.

Understood.

 

I actually agree with others here that like Labadee better.  I don't like how developed Coco Cay has become.  I used to prefer it over Labadee because it was less developed.

[livingonthebeach]

I’ve been to both places - before and after Covid and renovations. Coco Cay definitely offers more options as far as thrills are concerned. For a young couple or family CC would fit the bill.
 

An older couple or person, especially if in a Suite, would probably prefer Labadee and the suites only private beach. Both destinations are lovely in their own way. It’s hard not to enjoy both - at any age. 

[TwinMamainMN]

On 3/10/2022 at 6:44 PM, Baowen said:

I prefer Labadee due to it feeling more like a private island. Coco Cay is more commercialized. I enjoy both but I find Labadee more relaxing.  I love these itineraries that go to both!

Beth

We are going to both, so I’m curious to see the differences for myself. Sounds like there are pluses and minuses to both, which is great. Something for everyone that way.

[Jimbo]

On 3/10/2022 at 3:26 PM, D4 said:

We were at both of them on a B2B right before the shutdown.

 

Definitely CocoCay for us.  I prefer everything about it over Labadee.

 

One thing we especially didn’t like about Labadee was all the local people pestering you to look at the stuff they’re selling.  I understand they’re just trying to make a living in a very poor country, but we’ve been on 45+  cruises and aren’t interested in buying souvenirs.  I always responded with a pleasant “No thank you”, but they would follow us and keep insisting that we look at their wares.  Not very relaxing.

I thought they were only in 1 area of Labadee, so if you didn't go over there it's not an issue....has that changed?

[livingonthebeach]

For a visual comparison, here are PDF maps of both Coco Cay and Labadee -- you can see from the aerial view all they have to offer:

 

Coco Cay
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/perfect-day-at-cococay-map.pdf

 

Labadee
https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Private_Destinations/14039222_Labadee_Map.pdf

 

[Jasukkie]

I've been to Labadee several times and never interacted with locals. I've never gone to it but is that in the market area? If so, it's very easy to avoid.

 

Coco Cay has clear water and soft sand. Labadee has more of a scenic, natural feel. Can't go wrong at either one. It's great that they both have docks now. The last time I went to Labadee, I stayed onboard until after lunch, and then enjoyed the latter part of the day when a lot of the crowd went back on the ship. Felt like I had the place to myself towards the end.