CocoCay better than Labadee?

[happyteacher1214]

Hello My Fellow Cruisers:

 

Last year my husband and I went on a five day cruise and one of our stops was labadee. I was excited to have a relaxing beach day, but we EXTREMELY rocky, but the part that wasnt didnt even feel like a beach but more like a swampy bay (yuck). Then we come to find out that Labadee is not an island at all but rather a peninsula...wow !

Anyways we will be heading on a three day cruise onboard the Majesty in a month and we will stop at CocoCay....please tell me that this is a REAL beach and are the waters Unswampy (is that even a word???)

 

Look forward to your awsome responses!

 

Claudia

[sdear]

I have NEVER seen swampy water at Labadee. I love Labadee. Sure there are rocks along some of the beach, but it has a magical beauty to it there.

 

I find cocoa cay rather boring. I much rather be at Labadee.

[Merion_Mom]

Hello My Fellow Cruisers:

 

Last year my husband and I went on a five day cruise and one of our stops was labadee. I was excited to have a relaxing beach day, but we EXTREMELY rocky, but the part that wasnt didnt even feel like a beach but more like a swampy bay (yuck). Then we come to find out that Labadee is not an island at all but rather a peninsula...wow !

Anyways we will be heading on a three day cruise onboard the Majesty in a month and we will stop at CocoCay....please tell me that this is a REAL beach and are the waters Unswampy (is that even a word???)

 

Look forward to your awsome responses!

 

Claudia

 

I have NEVER seen swampy water at Labadee. I love Labadee. Sure there are rocks along some of the beach, but it has a magical beauty to it there.

 

I find cocoa cay rather boring. I much rather be at Labadee.

 

I find them both lovely.

 

happyteacher, I have NO idea where you were, but there are no swamps at Labadee.

 

But I would love to know what difference it makes whether Labadee has water on three sides or on four? :confused:

[happyteacher1214]

Hello, well you see my friends, I am from Florida specifically Palm Beach and the beaches here are gorgeous with clear water that you can see to your toes and hubby and I have been to Dominican republic where the beach is beautiful as well, so when we got to Labadee we were so disappointed! The area where we decided to swim, well it was weird, it was towards the very back of the island (I think it was the Columbus beach) and there was hardly any sand to lay in, and then once you walked into the water the sand under your feet felt like mud, it was kinda gross.....the water was murky and not clear at all like the islands......

[firefly333]

I got to see coco cay twice in less than 10 days. It was gorgeous to me. Loved the BBQ.

 

I see Im going to Labadee on Oasis I think it said ... I hope its not that bad!!! (which is why I opened the thread).

 

PS I lived in Boca Raton for 13 years and didnt think the water was clear, so maybe your definition is different than mine. I think its nothing like as clear as the water say at Key West, or Coco Cay.

[happyteacher1214]

I loved the BBQ at Labadee as well! The salads were tasty and so were the ribs yum yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Fire: I love going to Boca's restaurants they are the best, but the beaches are not the best, but once you get to like Boynton Beach all the way to Juno its amazing.....it has to do with the Gulfstream and the fact that it gets closer to florida the water gets sooooo clear and gorgeous trust me....you need to take a trip back down here and go to either boynton beach or Lantan Beach in the summer....trust me you will not be disaapointed!

[Merion_Mom]

I loved the BBQ at Labadee as well! The salads were tasty and so were the ribs yum yum!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Then if you use my experiences as a guide, you will LOVE LOVE LOVE the lunch at CocoCay. I think that it's 200% better than Labadee's.

 

:)

[BethCarp]

The area where we decided to swim, well it was weird, it was towards the very back of the island (I think it was the Columbus beach) and there was hardly any sand to lay in, and then once you walked into the water the sand under your feet felt like mud, it was kinda gross.....the water was murky and not clear at all like the islands......

 

Did you try to find another beach to see if the water was better? I've never been to Labadee, but am going for the first time in March. I've been to Coco Cay twice and it was simply lovely both times. I believe the water was a bit murky at the shore, but once you went out a few yards it was crystal clear. I love love love Coco Cay!

[publicpersona]

Both Labadee and Coco Cay are nice stops. Labadee is better, I think, but lost some of its appeal for me when they walled off Barefoot Beach. That was the nicest beach there.

 

Coco Cay is all right, although the last time we were there, the jellyfish were a terrible problem - just about everyone that went in the water .. even on a floating mat .. got stung. But I guess that's seasonal.

 

Either way, they are nice stops and no need to do an expensive shore excursion to have a great day.

[cruisnpat]

We like both Labadee and Coco Cay, although I prefer Coco Cay. I think the beaches ar better but at times you may have those jelly fish. I love the BBQ at both places.

[sdear]

Hello, well you see my friends, I am from Florida specifically Palm Beach and the beaches here are gorgeous with clear water that you can see to your toes and hubby and I have been to Dominican republic where the beach is beautiful as well, so when we got to Labadee we were so disappointed! The area where we decided to swim, well it was weird, it was towards the very back of the island (I think it was the Columbus beach) and there was hardly any sand to lay in, and then once you walked into the water the sand under your feet felt like mud, it was kinda gross.....the water was murky and not clear at all like the islands......

 

 

I am from Florida too..specifically Sarasota..one of the best beaches in the world...white soft sand.so I understand what you are saying. It's hard to match any beach to where I live..but something about Labadee is beautiful to me.

[lrn2cruise]

A bad day at labadee is better than a great day at work!

[PattyG12]

DH and I much prefer Cococay. Less rocky than Labadee. There is some seaweed but once you're past that, no problems with murky water. The biggest plus is that I can hang out on the beach in Cococay and not have to see any armed guards. Oh yeah, the nature walk is phenominal on Cococay.

[happyteacher1214]

Yeah definetly better than work...or school .....

 

Thank you for all of your responses!

[mkca]

I love, love, love Coco Cay!! The only thing I like about Labadee is the zipline.

 

If you are looking for a TOTALLY relaxing day, you will love Coco Cay too!! :)

[ehfl]

I MUCH prefer CocoCay to Labadee. Mainly because CocoCay has Hobies, and Labadee doesn't. The water is MUCH clearer in the Bahamas (the low-lying coral islands of the Bahamas do not have the heavy runoff of the vocanic mountainous islands like Haiti).

 

Coco Cay is much more relaxed, with nicer beaches, and clearer waters. Also, lots of hammocks if you know where to look.

 

I never thought that Labadee was a separate island, and don't know how one could make that mistake, but I don't think it really has any bearing on anything.

[jmraggs]

We like both as there are good and bad points with either of them.

[island lady]

We like Labadee , and are going there again in January on the Jewel. However, we much prefer Coco Cay as the snorkeling was some of the best in the world to us. The beaches are beautiful on Coco Cay, as are all the rest of the Abacos.

 

We found much more things to explore on Coco Cay, and nicer to walk the sandier beaches.

 

BBQ was the same we thought, and was not so important to us anyway. Bringing our own snorkel gear and being able to use the wonderful clear area just past the little bay that was full of fantastic tropical fish, was the reason we are looking forward to going again.

 

We also thought chairs, hammocks, and the beach area was not as crowded on Coco Cay as it was on Labadee. We were actually a little bored at Labadee.

[PirateGal]

I MUCH prefer CocoCay to Labadee. Mainly because CocoCay has Hobies, and Labadee doesn't. The water is MUCH clearer in the Bahamas (the low-lying coral islands of the Bahamas do not have the heavy runoff of the vocanic mountainous islands like Haiti).

 

Coco Cay is much more relaxed, with nicer beaches, and clearer waters. Also, lots of hammocks if you know where to look.

 

I never thought that Labadee was a separate island, and don't know how one could make that mistake, but I don't think it really has any bearing on anything.

 

Ooh, where are the hammocks? We'll be at Coco Cay in Jan.

 

Also, should I bring water shoes for the beaches?

 

As far as private islands go, I've been to Labadee twice and Princess Cay. I prefered Princess Cay because the beach was nicer, less rocky.

[Candleonwater]

I agree with you about Columbus Beach - HATE it. Hate the mushy feeling in my toes as I enter the water.

 

On our last stop at Labadee, we were at Barefoot Beach - in a cabana... OMG. We loved Hideaway Beach, and were apprehensive about stopping at Labadee again. But we loved the new cabanas.

 

Now we're looking at stopping at Cococay and want to know what to expect.

 

 

 

Hello, well you see my friends, I am from Florida specifically Palm Beach and the beaches here are gorgeous with clear water that you can see to your toes and hubby and I have been to Dominican republic where the beach is beautiful as well, so when we got to Labadee we were so disappointed! The area where we decided to swim, well it was weird, it was towards the very back of the island (I think it was the Columbus beach) and there was hardly any sand to lay in, and then once you walked into the water the sand under your feet felt like mud, it was kinda gross.....the water was murky and not clear at all like the islands......

[ask2112]

We love Labadee, never had a bad beach day there before & the lunch is great! Cococay is a bit boring to us and not as pretty as the times we have been in Labadee

[starlake]

I use to love Labadee, it was a perfect relaxing day. It had a few things for people to do if they wanted more than a beach day. I no longer love Labadee, they have turned it into a money making circus type atmosphere. They felt that they needed to add things such as zip line and coaster and I am sure many people enjoy this, I just don't think it is needed. They took the best beach area and gave it to suite guests, it just seems a shame the common folk are not allowed there any more. It just sometimes makes me sad when I think what it use to be like.

I think Coco Cay is what Labadee use to be, relaxing, calm, beautiful beach area. It has beautiful water and there are things for people to do if you want to.

 

I am sure many people will disagree with me on my thoughts, but that is part of Cruise Critic.

[Tamerella]

I use to love Labadee, it was a perfect relaxing day. It had a few things for people to do if they wanted more than a beach day. I no longer love Labadee, they have turned it into a money making circus type atmosphere. They felt that they needed to add things such as zip line and coaster and I am sure many people enjoy this, I just don't think it is needed. They took the best beach area and gave it to suite guests, it just seems a shame the common folk are not allowed there any more. It just sometimes makes me sad when I think what it use to be like.

I think Coco Cay is what Labadee use to be, relaxing, calm, beautiful beach area. It has beautiful water and there are things for people to do if you want to.

 

I am sure many people will disagree with me on my thoughts, but that is part of Cruise Critic.

 

I actually agree with you! I was in Labadee in 1999 (on the Voyager) and absolutely LOVED it!! It was an island paradise. I have been there many times since...and have watched it go from a island paradise to something far less. I was just in CocoCay a couple of weeks ago and it was absolutely perfect....much like what Labadee USED to be.

[hillbillybob]

I use to love Labadee, it was a perfect relaxing day. It had a few things for people to do if they wanted more than a beach day. I no longer love Labadee, they have turned it into a money making circus type atmosphere. They felt that they needed to add things such as zip line and coaster and I am sure many people enjoy this, I just don't think it is needed. They took the best beach area and gave it to suite guests, it just seems a shame the common folk are not allowed there any more. It just sometimes makes me sad when I think what it use to be like.

I think Coco Cay is what Labadee use to be, relaxing, calm, beautiful beach area. It has beautiful water and there are things for people to do if you want to.

 

I am sure many people will disagree with me on my thoughts, but that is part of Cruise Critic.

 

Starlake-couldn't agree with you any more. Theyhave destroyed Labadee and circus was a perfection description. The swim area near where they have lunch is crowded and rocky as all hell. The zip lines should ave never been put there nor the coaster.

 

I will state that having been to Labadee 3 times before these changes, I am qualified to make an opinion.

 

Does not remotely have the "Gilligan's Island" feel that it previously had is the best way to describe it.

[HorrorFan]

I use to love Labadee, it was a perfect relaxing day. It had a few things for people to do if they wanted more than a beach day. I no longer love Labadee, they have turned it into a money making circus type atmosphere. They felt that they needed to add things such as zip line and coaster and I am sure many people enjoy this, I just don't think it is needed. They took the best beach area and gave it to suite guests, it just seems a shame the common folk are not allowed there any more. It just sometimes makes me sad when I think what it use to be like.

I think Coco Cay is what Labadee use to be, relaxing, calm, beautiful beach area. It has beautiful water and there are things for people to do if you want to.

 

I am sure many people will disagree with me on my thoughts, but that is part of Cruise Critic.

 

Perfect description. I haven't been to Coco Cay yet, but have been to Labadee 3 times, the first in 2002 before the carnival (no pun intended) arrived and they closed the nicest beaches. Sadly, I have no interest in going back again.