Tell me about Labadee...

[Lionesss]

27 minutes ago, micmacmissy said:

 

 

Be sure to LOCK YOUR VALUBLES with a portable safe when you go into the water, or wear them in a waterproof bag around your neck..  Better yet, just take a room card, and leave your cell phone and cameras on the ship.

We use our Kyss bag (beach bag) and lock it up so no one can access the inside and lock it to the lounger.

 

First bag lasted 8 years, just got our second bag.

 

Best investment ever and no I do not have stock in the company, or sell their products.

 

Safe travels.

[SuiteLady]

1 hour ago, cruiser123! said:

can you give more info on the street vendors?  I was naively thinking they wouldn't be allowed inside "the compound".  Do they come up to at the beach, or is it typically just at the dock.  Trying to prepare my group.  thanks!

No vendors bother you on the beaches....they can be totally avoidable, if you do not go by the Artisian building.  Going INSIDE is much better- they are not pushy IMO.  The vendors are only located in this one area.  At the dock, the only issue that I encountered, were locals offering rides on chairs with large wheels and when told "no thank you", they moved on......

[BTHodgeman]

1 hour ago, PelicanBill said:

Floating Tiki Bar?  That sounds cool.  Where would I find that?

That is on Adrenaline Beach, directly underneath the ziplines and near the roller coaster. You can either climb up onto the bar and have drinks on the floating bar, or you can get your drinks "to go" and use one of several stand-up tables installed in the water right next to the bar. They have umbrellas and provide a little sun protection.

[Magnetchief]

We always rent a bungalo or cabana if we can get one, for our family.

Well worth the expense.

Edited April 2, 2019 by Magnetchief

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, cruiser123! said:

can you give more info on the street vendors?  I was naively thinking they wouldn't be allowed inside "the compound".  Do they come up to at the beach, or is it typically just at the dock.  Trying to prepare my group.  thanks!

 

Royal permits the "street" vendors to come in and sell their wares in a designated area. Some stuff in unique but most of the stuff is what you can buy in just about any other Caribbean island.

 

I usually walk thru for the "experience". Yeah, they can get loud,  rude and pushy but never physical.....although they may invade your personal space. Royal employees are nearby so nothing ever gets out of hand.

 

The secret is to let them do all the talking. One time, I just stood silently looking at an item while the vendor talked himself down from $40 to $5.  Then I bought it. It was at the end of the day so maybe that had something to do with it.  Oh, and don't fall for any hard luck stories. One woman wanted me to purchase something so she could feed her hungry children....while her son was busy texting on the latest i-phone just a few feet away. Looked well-fed too.

 

The area is easily avoidable.

 

[The Fun Researcher]

On 3/27/2019 at 1:33 PM, bouhunter said:

If you want to spend 100.00+ for a 45 second ride, yes ride the zip line.

 

Gladly!!!  It's an awesome experience you don't get anywhere else.  It helps to get it on sale.  We paid only $79 each this past month.  You do a practice zip line, and the large one (which is the largest in the world, over water, about 1/2 mile long.)  It's an amazing view, and something we'll never forget.  You don't get a view like this from a boat.  😉

 

 

3 hours ago, BTHodgeman said:

That is on Adrenaline Beach, directly underneath the ziplines and near the roller coaster. You can either climb up onto the bar and have drinks on the floating bar, or you can get your drinks "to go" and use one of several stand-up tables installed in the water right next to the bar. They have umbrellas and provide a little sun protection.

• The beaches we experienced were just "meh" (quite rocky and weedy). We rented a clamshell chair cover, and the beach that they are located at is roped off where the water is about waist/chest deep and maybe 20 yards off shore. There is not much room there to do anything. We did walk/swim over to Adrenaline Beach where the swim-up bar is, and that beach was a little nicer, but still rocky and weedy.
• Lunch was not good at all. The food was room temperature at best, and what they called "grilled chicken" was unidentifiable. I grabbed a piece and could not identify what part of the chicken it came from. Every bite was full of bones.

 

Yeah, there are rocks in the water at Adrenaline beach.  Like little freaking land mines!  😄  A few of us cut our feet on the rocks back in 2016.  No fun.  Water shoes recommended.  We tried that beach one time before going back to our favorite Columbus Cove.  Columbus Cove beach is beautiful, sandy, with lots of palm trees, and has that excellent view of the side of the ship in the background.  Bathrooms and food are also very close.

 

I agree that the lunch could be improved.  I personally wouldn't call the chicken unidentifiable.  They just cut it into pieces that aren't your typical portion size.  For instance, the breast and thighs may get cut in half.  Maybe they slipped in a part of the back?  That's pretty much all bones.  The ribs are just o.k., and the burgers are just o.k. as well.

 

We always look forward to the relaxing day at Labadee.

 

For those who haven't been before, Columbus Cove is indicated in my picture below.  You can get there and completely avoid the vendors by staying close to the shoreline.  It is a path there that goes past some really cool shore/rock formations actually (2nd photo)

 

Dan

[SuiteLady]

3 hours ago, BTHodgeman said:

That is on Adrenaline Beach, directly underneath the ziplines and near the roller coaster. You can either climb up onto the bar and have drinks on the floating bar, or you can get your drinks "to go" and use one of several stand-up tables installed in the water right next to the bar. They have umbrellas and provide a little sun protection.

Is the floating Tiki bar relatively new?  I have been to Labadee several times and to Adrenaline Beach, but don't recall the floating bar??

[BTHodgeman]

2 minutes ago, SuiteLady said:

Is the floating Tiki bar relatively new?  I have been to Labadee several times and to Adrenaline Beach, but don't recall the floating bar??

I am not sure how long it's been there. Our first visit to Labadee was last month. If you look at the pictures above that The Fun Researcher posted, you can actually see the bar and the tables/umbrellas directly to the right of the tip of the arrow he has pointing to Adrenaline Beach. The biggest structure is the bar and the four dots below it/to the right of it are the tables. It's a bit more visible in his first picture above a well.

 

 

[SuiteLady]

3 minutes ago, BTHodgeman said:

I am not sure how long it's been there. Our first visit to Labadee was last month. If you look at the pictures above that The Fun Researcher posted, you can actually see the bar and the tables/umbrellas directly to the right of the tip of the arrow he has pointing to Adrenaline Beach. The biggest structure is the bar and the four dots below it/to the right of it are the tables. It's a bit more visible in his first picture above a well.

 

 

Yes, I now see it!  Yes, looks like something relatively newer....last trip to Labadee was about 2 years ago.  I may need to try this out when I am there in May!

[HBE4]

20 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

For those who haven't been before, Columbus Cove is indicated in my picture below.  You can get there and completely avoid the vendors by staying close to the shoreline.  It is a path there that goes past some really cool shore/rock formations actually

 

There is also a water taxi that takes you from the ship to Columbus Cove. It's called the Cove express or something like that. It's a 3 minute ride vs 10-15 minute walk.

 

Not sure how often it runs or if there is a charge as we always walk.

[BTHodgeman]

3 minutes ago, SuiteLady said:

Yes, I now see it!  Yes, looks like something relatively newer....last trip to Labadee was about 2 years ago.  I may need to try this out when I am there in May!

It was definitely a nice option when you didn't want to get out of the water for another drink!

 

The one piece of feedback that one of my friends had was that the rum punch he ordered tasted like plastic. All of the juices and mixers were stored in jugs - so not sure if that's why, or if it was just his one drink that was off...

 

I only got beer from that bar, and they were ice cold and tasted just fine! 

[HBE4]

1 minute ago, SuiteLady said:

Yes, I now see it!  Yes, looks like something relatively newer....last trip to Labadee was about 2 years ago. 

 

I think it was added exactly 2 years ago. I read on the blog site whose link we are not allowed to post here an article dated April 2017 mentioning the new tiki bar.

 

Don't know how I missed it when I was there last year. I love drinking in and over the water. lol

[niugrads]

We enjoyed the Labadoozee drinks!  We rented a beach bed in advance, they were completely booked when we sailed (they're located on the beach underneath the zip lines). 

 

[The Fun Researcher]

6 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

There is also a water taxi that takes you from the ship to Columbus Cove. It's called the Cove express or something like that. It's a 3 minute ride vs 10-15 minute walk.

 

 That’s awesome! Where is it located? How could I miss that?   I would mainly use it to get me from Columbus Cove back to the ship not the other way around 

 

Dan

[LBumb]

I love the place

[Boblovespikachu]

We booked the walking tour for our stop here... is it worth it? The idea was to at least see the area. 

 

Or should we just stay on the beach all day? We rented a beach bed, so we are excited for that!

 

Thanks!

[TangoCruz]

We have always enjoyed our day at Labadee. The beaches to the right (Columbus Cove) offer the most shade. There are also plenty of hammocks for great naps. Enjoy!

Edited April 3, 2019 by TangoCruz
Add info.

[brillohead]

6 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

 

 That’s awesome! Where is it located? How could I miss that?   I would mainly use it to get me from Columbus Cove back to the ship not the other way around 

 

Dan

You can only use it to go to Columbus Cove, not back again.  And it only runs in the morning, from the pier to the dock by Columbus Cove.  

[HBE4]

5 hours ago, brillohead said:

You can only use it to go to Columbus Cove, not back again.  And it only runs in the morning, from the pier to the dock by Columbus Cove.  

 

I never really understood why it was only a one-way trip. I guess the thinking that since just about everyone gets off the ship at the same time, it'll be full. But as people drift back to the ship throughout the day, it might not be worth running half-empty?  The tram will take you back.

 

Anyway, in the link below, scroll down a bit & you'll see a picture on the right.

 

http://www.beyondships3.com/labadee-cruise-port.html

[sbcatcher1]

On 4/1/2019 at 4:37 PM, BTHodgeman said:

Pros:

• All-day coaster pass was reasonable (around $30) and a great value if you ride more than a couple times. Later in the day, there were no lines, and we could essentially "stop" at the top of the track and get a great view of the ship, beaches, etc. and leisurely make our way down the track.
•  

 

Cons:

Overall, we hung out on the beach, in the water, and did the coaster about 10-12 times. We had a great relaxing day with friends and enjoyed the area. It is not the top of our list as a must-do port in the future, but we would definitely get out and enjoy the beach.

 

 

Brent

 

I have purchased the all day coaster ticket + rented the clam shell with 2 loungers. Is the clam shell close to the coaster entrance? 

[brillohead]

5 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I never really understood why it was only a one-way trip. I guess the thinking that since just about everyone gets off the ship at the same time, it'll be full. But as people drift back to the ship throughout the day, it might not be worth running half-empty?  The tram will take you back.

 

Anyway, in the link below, scroll down a bit & you'll see a picture on the right.

 

http://www.beyondships3.com/labadee-cruise-port.html

The pier is after the security buildings, so people coming back on the boat wouldn't be processed through the x-ray machines and metal detectors.  

[The Fun Researcher]

5 hours ago, brillohead said:

You can only use it to go to Columbus Cove, not back again.  And it only runs in the morning, from the pier to the dock by Columbus Cove.  

 

11 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I never really understood why it was only a one-way trip. I guess the thinking that since just about everyone gets off the ship at the same time, it'll be full. But as people drift back to the ship throughout the day, it might not be worth running half-empty?  The tram will take you back.

 

Anyway, in the link below, scroll down a bit & you'll see a picture on the right.

 

http://www.beyondships3.com/labadee-cruise-port.html

 

4 minutes ago, brillohead said:

The pier is after the security buildings, so people coming back on the boat wouldn't be processed through the x-ray machines and metal detectors.  

 

Thank you!

 

Dan

[brillohead]

8 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Thank you!

 

Dan

 

You're very welcome.  

I'm only a lowly Emerald still, but there are some things that I do know, and I'm happy to be able to share that info with my fellow cruisers!

[Jasonmom]

Please help.  I'm confused.  Trying to figure out transportation to & from the beaches as Mom can't walk far.  Want to go to Columbus Cove.  Can this be managed by tram or boat?

 

[brillohead]

Just now, Jasonmom said:

Please help.  I'm confused.  Trying to figure out transportation to & from the beaches as Mom can't walk far.  Want to go to Columbus Cove.  Can this be managed by tram or boat?

 

Tram goes to and from Columbus Cove.

Boat goes to Columbus Cove but does not return.