What to do on Labadee?

[FigmentSpark]

We leave in 45 days. We don't have anything booked for any excursions, since we've only just signed up for the cruise a few weeks ago. Most things are booked.

Can a family just go and sit on the beach (like on Castaway Cay)?

I see there is a slide and the zip lining still available. Is that any good?

Also, there are two zip lining options, which is better?

Is zip lining hard (like will a 60 year old enjoy it) or is it really just for the athletic types that can hold their own weight on their arms?

The slide appears to be an "all you can slide" for one price (is that right or is it really just one ride?), but it's far away from everything. Is it worth the price and how many rides will you really get in the day?

Is there a tram to take you to the slide entrance?

Is this appropriate for all ages or should you really not do it if you're over, say 50? Will a 20 year old enjoy it like he did as a kid or is it too much of a "lazy" ride?

What else is there worth doing on Labadee, likely on our own?

Also, do you pay for the regular deck chairs or are they part of the deal?

Is there complimentary food on the island or do you have to go back to the ship for "free" food?

How safe is the island? I know Haiti is a "do not travel" recommendation from the government, but I assume that Labadee is very secure? But are there still instances, like "watch your stuff", since it's really a giant beach on an island with massive poverty.

 

[Mr. Drauer]

go to Royal's site to see more about it. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-to/labadee-haiti

the zipline is longgggg - though it is not a hand-held, but a strap in type.

yes they have a beach area. yes they have free (part of your cruise fare) food.

The area is not really a part of the rest of Haiti - it is completely secure (aside from any shenanigans from other cruisers)

The snorkeling trip is good.

 

[FigmentSpark]

How were the beaches on Labadee? Crowded? Any better than the others?

Are there chairs for everyone or only if you get there before 10am? I don't want to have to buy the "Beach lounger for 2", but I don't want to be sitting on the sand all afternoon, either.

Oh, is it "bring your own towel" or does RCCL provide towels for the ports like DCL does?

And also, if anyone knows, the slide on Labadee... it that a price for one ride or a go as many times as you can in the day?

 

[starvenger]

Chairs and loungers should be readily available.

There are locals that will "help you out" and they will expect a tip if they do. You can ignore them and diy.

There should be a towel stand set up on the dock. Usual Royal scan and take policy applies.

I think I mentioned this on your other thread - if you're looking for a beach, take the boat over to Columbus Cove. It will be less crowded and a little bit calmer water.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Right. I went back to re-read your other posts. Thanks.

I didn't think about tipping on the island. We'll have to be prepared for that. Is that just the "people who help out" or would that also be any lunch servers, etc that should be tipped? Obviously, there would be tipping for the excursions. Oh, should my sons be tipping on the zip line and the jet skis? Sorry if I sound naive about this.

 

[starvenger]

I've never done the excursions on Labadee so not sure about the protocol.

The lunch servers are the ship's crew, similar to Castaway Cay, so no tip necessary.

 

[hdrolfe]

We did the "roller coaster" and my son loved that. We didn't do the water slide as they have them on the ship for free and it didn't seem worth it. It looked like one long metal slide. We also did the "water park", those big floaty things in the ocean? But I didn't like it. My son did enjoy that part but said he doesn't want to do it again. He wants to do the roller coaster again, it was through the jungle and you control the speed. There were lockers available to rent which we were able to use for the roller coaster and also the water park. I'd like to try the zipline there, I'm not sure if they still have the "superman" one but I would love to try that, but I'd probably do the regular kind there as well. We saw may people do that.

As for beaches, we went to two, one was much busier with lots of families and nice sand. It was near the water park area. The other was rockier, far less crowded and better suited to snorkeling in my opinion. we saw some neat fish and enjoyed that part. There is a trolley that takes people around. I'd also recommend avoiding the straw market if you can, unless there is something you really want to get. They can be rather pushy.

The lunch was fine, typical Beach BBQ that I think most cruise lines have at their ports, at least it was similar to what we ate in Coco Cay as well. Burgers, hot dogs, chicken, salads, fruit and cookies, that sort of thing. It was included and easy to get, lots of tables to eat at. We didn't have the drink package so I can't speak to how that works in Labadee.

My son enjoyed the day enough that he'd like to go back, and he keeps asking me to find a cruise that goes there and Coco Cay, he loved the water park there (many water slides).

 

[FigmentSpark]

I hadn't thought about the slides being much like what's on the ship. That's a good point. My son's already doing the zip line and jet ski, so maybe we should let go of the slide on Labadee.

I didn't even think about the roller coaster for him. Only the single ride is open, not the ride all day, so that might have been why I didn't look at it.

Do you remember how much or how big the lockers were? Like 'backpack' big or 'camera and wallet, maybe a towel' big? Do we need cash on the island or charge it to the SeaPass?

I am a souvenir shopper, but I'll take note of your advice about the Straw Market. I'm not one who likes being pressured.

Only one of us is getting the drink package, so the rest of us are on our own for thirst quenching. When you were on the island, did they make you buy a drink or did you just drink tap/fountain water?

Also, did you bring a refillable water bottle with you on the ship? If so, was it useful or are there cups around that you can use?

 

[hdrolfe]

I had a beach bag with me and it fit in the locker, I believe they have a couple sizes but I can't remember. You don't need to use one, there isn't really a need to bring much off the ship other than your seapass card. Cash if you want to shop at the straw market. I had my phone for photos and since it was just the two of us and we were going on the things together I wanted to be sure they were safe when I couldn't be watchful.

You can get the same free drinks as on the ship, flavoured water, lemonade, iced tea, water. I think juice as well. It was enough for us to get those, I didn't bother with bottles or anything.

I think you'd be fine with what you already have planned. Both will take some time, plus you'll want lunch. Or add a go on the roller coaster if you'd like. One time is probably enough. Go early if you can, the line gets long (which most of us Disney people are used to I guess lol). We had a combo of the coaster and the water park.

 

[FigmentSpark]

We have to take towels off the ship, right? I was told it would be best if we all bring our own towels from home for Labadee and for other excursions. I know DCL gives you towels, so that surprised me a bit.

Thanks for the photo of the slide. I see what you mean about it just being a "slide". Nothing fancy.

 

[hdrolfe]

There are towels on the ship you can borrow. They scan your seapass when you take them, and when you return them. We never take towels with us. They can be picked up on the pool deck and sometimes they have bins of them near the exits when you are debarking for the excursions. Just don't lose them or they charge for them, and they are not worth the price ($25 each) We used to get them in the room but they stopped doing that, apparently too many people were stealing them, or forgetting them off the ship. I haven't been to Labadee in a few years, Coco Cay in 2022 and we took the towels from the ship, I don't think they had them on the island.

We swap the towels as well, like if we check out 2 at the start of the cruise, we use them at the pool or water slides, then we swap them for dry ones before we go back to the room so we are ready for when we need them again. I normally just get one for each of us but you can get more if you think you'll need them.

 

[starvenger]

And this is a good time to remind you to check for towel charges near the end of your cruise. You'll want to go to the service counter to get that corrected if they make a mistake.

 

[FigmentSpark]

We're back. Quick update.

The slide was a bust for my DS. He's 18 and slim, but tall. He had to push himself the last part of the slide on the two times he went. Others (including adults) had no trouble, so we can't figure out what was wrong. But that slide is rather shallow, I guess. Anyway, that was a waste.

We went to the area of the Aqua Park (via Tram), which was really the only swimming section. I got there early, so seating wasn't a problem for us, but people were looking for chairs later in the morning.

The family did the jet skiing first thing in the morning and LOVED IT!!! I'm glad I booked the 8am, as it got us off the ship early enough to enjoy Labadee.

The Zip Lining was scary for me, but not because of heights. I was worried about not doing the positions correctly and of the stopping hurting my neck. We did the sitting zip line, which takes you to the 'little dragon' first to learn the positions. That stop did jar me a bit, I think, because it was short. Then, they take you up to the 'big dragon' to do the real zip lining. If you're afraid of heights, don't look down. I'm not afraid of heights, but our guide warned that if we did the 'torpedo' position incorrectly, we might get stuck over the water. I don't know if that's true, but that was on my mind as I was zipping down, and was the slowest of my group. That stop was very smooth. No neck jarring at all, which was good. Everyone in our group said they'd do it again.

Lunch was just BBQ fare - overdone burgers and hotdogs and jerk chicken (which was the best choice), as well as soggy caesar salad, and some fresh fruits and a few desserts. It was enough to fill us up until dinner. DS who was on the refreshment plan discovered virgin pina colodas. He was able to get those on the island, as well as on the ship for 'free'.