Infinity Oct 1 - 8 to Labadee in place of Grand Turk

[JDPCruisers]

Having not been to Turks we were looking forward to it, but haven't been to Labadee either so it's all good! Anyone been there and any info to share, pros or cons?

[kywildcatfanone]

I'm curious as well.  Do they do food/lunch on the island, or only stuff you have to pay separately for?

[thebutlerdidit]

Your beverage package carries over to the shore. There’s a buffet offered, or you could return to the ship to eat. When we were there we booked one of the cabanas. It was quite nice, and had a ladder directly down into the water. 

[CruiseMrB]

I'm scheduled for Infinity later in the month. Labadee would be fine, would much rather that than yet another stop in Nassau. Carnival IIRC is using Bimini and Nassau as replacements.

 

Labadee is RCI island / private resort much like Coco Cay, so for more information on what's available, look at the RCCL website. Assuming that Celebrity ships, which don't normally (ever?) go there, would be treated the same as an RCCL ship.

 

Here is a Labadee walkaround video from royalcaribbeanblog.

Edited September 29, 2022 by CruiseMrB

[prmssk]

Labadee is very nice (it is one of RCI's private "islands").  It has a dock so you don't have to tender.  There are plenty of beaches and lounge chairs.  You can pay to do a zip line that I have heard very good reviews about but have not tried myself.

 

It is completely gated off from the rest of Haiti and I'm not sure they ever even offer excursions that go into the rest of Haiti, which I think is still a bit unsettled (ships stopped going there for a while because of political unrest).  

 

When I visited there on a Royal ship,drink packages worked at the bars and the food was included in your fare.  I would assume the same would be true for Celebrity stopping there.

 

Just a word of caution that the venders in the market can be incredibly aggressive.  

[calicakes]

We absolutely hated Labadee.  All the food from the ship was brought out and left sitting there until it was moved to the area where it would be served.   Pregnant stray dogs were roaming around.  The vendors were so, so pushy( We were told they were " vetted")  A member of our roll call had his credit card compromised as soon as he returned to the ship.  My sea pass card was deactivated( I didn't bring any credit cards with me).  Beware.  

[1025cruise]

Unfortunately the dock at Grand Turk suffered major damage from the last hurricane.

[BermudaBound2014]

I suspect the fact that T&C is one of the only islands with protocols remaining factored into this decision. 

[crusinthrough]

I'm a fan on Labadee.  I've been many times on RC cruises and never saw a stray dog or any dog.  Seagulls definitely roam the island.   Vendors like all the Caribbean islands can be pushy.  I avoid them and markets in every port.  

[NC State]

We were just in Labadee back in April. It was so nice and relaxing. Just be aware that the vendors are very pushy selling their goods. We just avoid getting close because they are so pushy. If you are wanting to make a purchase take cash. Your sea pass will work for your drink package. 

[Jim_Iain]

16 hours ago, calicakes said:

We absolutely hated Labadee.  All the food from the ship was brought out and left sitting there until it was moved to the area where it would be served.   Pregnant stray dogs were roaming around.  The vendors were so, so pushy( We were told they were " vetted")  A member of our roll call had his credit card compromised as soon as he returned to the ship.  My sea pass card was deactivated( I didn't bring any credit cards with me).  Beware.  

 

I Have to agree with you.   In Labadee we stay aboard.   Last time we were there the Temps were well over 100 F and most that went ashore were back pretty quickly as even in the shade it was sweltering.   I'm sure it isn't common to have such heat.

 

I have gone ashore in the past and really didn't didn't see much that would want to make me go ashore again.     If I recall they have lots of areas for swimming, Ziplines and the like and a BBQ lunch -  BBQ lunch for 1,000 leads much to be desired but he crew do work hard hauling all that stuff and setting up.

[D C]

On 9/29/2022 at 1:48 PM, kywildcatfanone said:

I'm curious as well.  Do they do food/lunch on the island, or only stuff you have to pay separately for?

Yes. All of the food and drinks for Labadee are unloaded from the ship. A relatively simple buffet is served and they have a selection of drinks that's limited from what's onboard.

[pixiedust777]

Can’t complain since we only booked this cruise 48 hrs ago for a cruise that was cancelled due to hurricane Ian. I

will just be happy to be bobbing on the sea with work unable to connect with me.

I honestly did not know where we were even sailing when I booked it.🤣🤣

Edited September 30, 2022 by pixiedust777

[MILD36]

On 9/29/2022 at 7:28 PM, calicakes said:

We absolutely hated Labadee.  All the food from the ship was brought out and left sitting there until it was moved to the area where it would be served.   Pregnant stray dogs were roaming around.  The vendors were so, so pushy( We were told they were " vetted")  A member of our roll call had his credit card compromised as soon as he returned to the ship.  My sea pass card was deactivated( I didn't bring any credit cards with me).  Beware.  

I agree.. I rather stay onboard then Labadee.  Not for me.

[MILD36]

I have to find out if Puerto Plata is still on our itinerary,

I again will go up to Mt Isabella del Torres.  If the cable car is not working then I will go by car.  Anyone wish to join me?  It cost about $100. by private car and I felt it was worth every penny.  The one hour drive up the mountain is quite interesting.

[D C]

On 9/30/2022 at 6:28 AM, NC State said:

We were just in Labadee back in April. It was so nice and relaxing. Just be aware that the vendors are very pushy selling their goods. We just avoid getting close because they are so pushy. If you are wanting to make a purchase take cash. Your sea pass will work for your drink package. 

Where were there vendors? We were there in 2017 and don't recall seeing any.

[prmssk]

19 minutes ago, D C said:

Where were there vendors? We were there in 2017 and don't recall seeing any.

The market is pretty separated and not right near the pier so if you don't seek them out, they can't bother you.  We discovered them because we are the type to explore the whole island and some of the stuff they were trying to sell looked interesting, they just then wouldn't let you leave!  We had no issues on the beach or on the rest of the island.

[gold1953]

9 hours ago, D C said:

Where were there vendors? We were there in 2017 and don't recall seeing any.

There is a row of vendor huts up behind Columbus Cove. The vendors stay in that area

[gold1953]

8 hours ago, prmssk said:

The market is pretty separated and not right near the pier so if you don't seek them out, they can't bother you.  We discovered them because we are the type to explore the whole island and some of the stuff they were trying to sell looked interesting, they just then wouldn't let you leave!  We had no issues on the beach or on the rest of the island.

 I have been to the vendor area and just walk away.. simple; Yes, they don't stop talking but if they are rude then I can be as well.

[Schmoe38]

On 9/29/2022 at 12:41 PM, JDPCruisers said:

Having not been to Turks we were looking forward to it, but haven't been to Labadee either so it's all good! Anyone been there and any info to share, pros or cons?

Check to see if they are still offering Private Cabanas. When we were there, the swimming area was separate and the lunch offering was separate. We had a private beverage server as well. At the time, there were only 8 private cabanas. There were 8 of us in the cabana that day, so easy to split the cost.

 

Randy

[D C]

12 hours ago, prmssk said:

The market is pretty separated and not right near the pier so if you don't seek them out, they can't bother you.  We discovered them because we are the type to explore the whole island and some of the stuff they were trying to sell looked interesting, they just then wouldn't let you leave!  We had no issues on the beach or on the rest of the island.

 

3 hours ago, gold1953 said:

There is a row of vendor huts up behind Columbus Cove. The vendors stay in that area

Thanks.

We did the roller coaster a couple of times, then pretty much hung out in that general area. Apparently we missed some exploring.

[PTC DAWG]

I’m a fan of Labadee too, nice beaches, nice water, the local vendor area is easily avoided.  I had a very relaxing day there recently while sailing Royal. 
 

Drinks etc carry over..

[JDPCruisers]

We just got off Infinity on Oct 8. Stopped at Labadee, but chose not to get off as our stop before, Puenta Plata, was sweltering. We did a short walk about there, Umbrella Street, and got back on the ship. From those that got off for Labadee they said they enjoyed it, but it was sweltering and they didn't stay as long as they could have. Spoke to staff that was serving on the island and they said the same. 

 

Loved Infinity and all the officers (very visible) and staff!