Labadee?

[Gabrielle R.]

Does anyone know if the deluxe drink package applies to Labadee?  I know (last time at Coco) Coco Cay the drink package applied.  Thanks! 

[Tatka]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:47 PM, RJ257 said:

Somewhat nice snorkeling on which beach?

 Yes, I usually swim to the rocks and snorkel there.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

13 minutes ago, Gabrielle R. said:

Does anyone know if the deluxe drink package applies to Labadee?  I know (last time at Coco) Coco Cay the drink package applied.  Thanks! 

All drink packages apply at Labadee and Coco Cay.

[ZoeyVictoria]

We were at Labadee last week and purchased drinks.  The server (at our loungers on the beach, not at a bar) told us that Diamond drinks were not available on Labadee.  When he returned with the drinks, he told me again that they weren’t included and he had to swipe my card.  We let it go, intending to keep an eye on our account and go to GS if necessary.  Nothing appeared on our account, neither a charge nor the “$.00” that usually appears for Diamond drinks.

[brillohead]

6 hours ago, ZoeyVictoria said:

We were at Labadee last week and purchased drinks.  The server (at our loungers on the beach, not at a bar) told us that Diamond drinks were not available on Labadee.  When he returned with the drinks, he told me again that they weren’t included and he had to swipe my card.  We let it go, intending to keep an eye on our account and go to GS if necessary.  Nothing appeared on our account, neither a charge nor the “$.00” that usually appears for Diamond drinks.

They obviously didn't know what they were talking about.... Diamond drinks are available on both Coco Cay and Labadee.

[ZoeyVictoria]

18 minutes ago, brillohead said:

They obviously didn't know what they were talking about.... Diamond drinks are available on both Coco Cay and Labadee.

 

The server on Coco Cay thought Diamond drinks were excluded last summer, at the very beginning of the restart.  He checked with his supervisor and came back to thank me for making him aware that they are now covered.  But this is a full year later, and I think all servers should know about the new policy by now.

[RJ257]

9 hours ago, Tatka said:

 Yes, I usually swim to the rocks and snorkel there.

Thanks but does the beach with the rocks have a name?

[brillohead]

2 hours ago, RJ257 said:

Thanks but does the beach with the rocks have a name?

Adrenaline Beach is the rocky one.

[BirdTravels]

On 8/23/2022 at 7:19 AM, Stealthdog said:

How does Labadee compare to CocoCay?  We stop in Labadee on a Dec cruise.  Thanks!

Take the beach parts of CocoCay (i.e., ditch the water park, pool, and coco beach club), and you have Labadee. Multiple different beaches (some open to the ocean, some protected). Lots of loungers and umbrellas. We always pick a spot near a bar and near the buffet. Add a real "straw market" area with lots of shops.... some find it annoying, we enjoy looking at the trinkets. In post #8 above, I linked our photos from Labadee in march. 

[Tatka]

17 hours ago, RJ257 said:

Thanks but does the beach with the rocks have a name?

 

Do you see this protective anti-wave structure parallel to the shore (under zipline)? Near this thing you will see some fish.

[craig01020]

On 8/22/2022 at 4:57 PM, Moltar said:

Paradise Cove is the new name for Malfini Beach. DO IT.

My January cruise offers Paradise Cove for $80 pp. Is it worth $80 for only 3 hours?

[sheezsmith]

Do they still offer Parasailing and the Dragon Flight zip line, they are still not listed in cruise planner for the end of November? Thanks!!

 

[Moltar]

1 hour ago, craig01020 said:

My January cruise offers Paradise Cove for $80 pp. Is it worth $80 for only 3 hours?

Your call. Labadee in and of itself is great. The beach furthest from the ship harborside I personally think is the best. I recommend that beach for Labadee. I paid $60 15 years ago for Paradise Cove. If you want that Gilligan Island feel, Shangri-La type beach. I would do it. This is just my opinion, not fact!
 

 

Edited August 25, 2022 by Moltar

[RJ257]

6 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

Do you see this protective anti-wave structure parallel to the shore (under zipline)? Near this thing you will see some fish.

Thanks, I know where that is now..

[Tatka]

I suppose there could be a snorkeling on the other side, just never wandered there. 

[kitkat343]

We just went there this week.    After our day at Labadee, my oldest son (age 11) announced that he never wanted to go on vacation again and requested that next year we go on vacation while he attends summer camp so he doesn't have to travel with us.  Columbus Cove beach on Labadee was quite lovely, but RC has failed to provide appropriate infrastructure to ensure that families can enjoy this location.  It was a brutally hot day, with a  long walk down the pier to get to the tram which was overwhelming for our 3 year old since we didn't bring a stroller because its hard to use a stroller at the beach.  

 

Some ports with really long piers have trams to help families and travelers with disabilities.  The pier on Labadee appears to be too narrow to accommodate a tram.  I'm assuming that RC built the pier, so they could have made it wider to accommodate a tram that would take people from the ship directly to the beach.  Once we got to the tram stop, they told us the next tram to Columbus Cove would be full because there were so many people waiting, and we should take a tram to Nellies beach and walk.  We explained that our 3 year old was already overheated from the long walk down the pier, but they told us it would be at least a half hour to get a tram directly to Columbus Cove (we were trying to get to Columbus Cove because previous cruise critic posters had stated that Columbus cove was less rocky and less crowded than Nellie's beach.  Having not visited both, I don't know).  

 

We took the tram to Nellie's beach, and there is a small kids splash pad zone outside of Nellies beach, which my children enjoyed.  The trams to Columbus cove are single car trams,  so when I saw a single tram driving by with open space I waved it down and asked them to stop for us.  Even though it isn't supposed to stop at Nellie's beach, the driver very kindly stopped for us, and we were able to take a tram to Columbus Cove, where we found a very lovely beach. The jerk chicken was good at the Columbus Cove buffet, but my 11 year old was upset because he said the burger was disgusting, and he couldn't figure out how they managed to ruin a burger so badly (I didn't try it, but he was fine with the burgers on the ship, so I'd assume something happened to this one).  

 

Trying to catch a tram back to the ship was another difficult experience, with us needing to wait for two trams until we could fight to get on one and boarding turning into a rugby scrum with everyone running for the second tram and not following the line, and its hard to fight for seats when you are carrying small kids.  And then you still have a long walk back to the ship, which is where the 3 year old melted down.  And the 11 year old announced he never wanted to go on vacation again.

 

And I was just really confused as to why RC would spend all the money on building and maintaining Labadee if they aren't going to put infrastructure in place to make it easy for families and people with disabilities to enjoy (although we did see a lot of wheelchair sand strollers, so maybe they help people with disabilities individually).  We would have been a lot better off if they'd just stopped in  the Dominican Republic, where we could have easily arranged for a private transportation to see interesting local sites, gotten really good local food, and there are lovely beaches there too.  But maybe most other cruisers prefer Labadee because its cheaper to visit Labadee than going to another port and needing to pay for transportation to a beach, and if you don't have kids what we experienced were probably minor inconveniences.   But for us, I hope to be able to avoid private islands/beaches in the future (this was our first so maybe they are better elsewhere).  For us, this was the the least enjoyable stop on our cruise, and it seems strange that a private beach would cause more stress than most of our other port stops (and that actually includes getting around St. Petersburg if you don't account for how difficult it was to clear Russian customs).  The beach was quite lovely, but there are lovely beaches all over the Caribbean.  And you can easily get really good food at the other ports, plus visit local attractions.  But maybe for other cruisers the fact that you can have a nice day if you don't have kids who were overwhelmed by the transportation issues without having to spend any money outweighs those factors.

    

[Marie51]

Does anyone know if there is wheelchair assistance in Labadee from the ship to the end of the pier where the tram is available? Thank you

[Lionesss]

15 minutes ago, Marie51 said:

Does anyone know if there is wheelchair assistance in Labadee from the ship to the end of the pier where the tram is available? Thank you

 

Yes there are (August 6th Allure)

 

We observed many locals with nice wheel chairs to take you to the tram and also their were a few locals with sand wheel chairs.  Not many.

 

I was actually offered a ride because of my gait, but walking does me good and I graciously declined as I first got on the pier.

It is well organized.

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, Marie51 said:

Does anyone know if there is wheelchair assistance in Labadee from the ship to the end of the pier where the tram is available? Thank you

Yes, I can confirm what Lionesss reported.

[brillohead]

14 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

Columbus Cove beach on Labadee was quite lovely, but RC has failed to provide appropriate infrastructure to ensure that families can enjoy this location.  It was a brutally hot day, with a  long walk down the pier to get to the tram which was overwhelming for our 3 year old since we didn't bring a stroller because its hard to use a stroller at the beach.  

Just curious how you handle other ports with long piers / long walks to the taxi stand?

[Marie51]

1 hour ago, Lionesss said:

 

Yes there are (August 6th Allure)

 

We observed many locals with nice wheel chairs to take you to the tram and also their were a few locals with sand wheel chairs.  Not many.

 

I was actually offered a ride because of my gait, but walking does me good and I graciously declined as I first got on the pier.

It is well organized.

Thank you

[Marie51]

13 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Just curious how you handle other ports with long piers / long walks to the taxi stand?

I was in Cozumel recently and they were wheelchair rides available when you get off the ship to the end of the pier where my shore excursion was gathering.

coming back from the excursion there were locals with wheelchairs so one of them took me back to the ship. Of course they expect a tip which is what I expected. I planned to tip them anyway.

[brillohead]

8 hours ago, Marie51 said:

I was in Cozumel recently and they were wheelchair rides available when you get off the ship to the end of the pier where my shore excursion was gathering.

coming back from the excursion there were locals with wheelchairs so one of them took me back to the ship. Of course they expect a tip which is what I expected. I planned to tip them anyway.

My question was directed at @kitkat343, who blames Royal for the fact that their 3yo child was overheated from walking in the summertime.  

[Tatka]

Is pier really that long? I have not noticed it at all.

What I cannot imagine is tendering from Oasis class ships. So they built pier.

 

And Caribbeans in August is a hot affair. I love Caribbeans and cruised there maybe about 35 times (not including Bahamas) , but very rare during summers.

[Marie51]

11 hours ago, brillohead said:

My question was directed at @kitkat343, who blames Royal for the fact that their 3yo child was overheated from walking in the summertime.  

Yes I know this. Someone had asked about long piers/long walks in other ports