Labadee Question

[danp2482]

Hey everyone, I understand that Labadee is essentially a secure area but with the state department travel warnings, I just wanted to get some information/advice from everyone. We've never had a stop at Labadee. Has anyone had or heard of any safety issues while a ship was there? Not expecting that we'll be in danger but just doing due diligence for our trip next month. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[ajtaylor29]

Absolutely nothing to worry about! We were there in January, had a great day. The area is secure and well maintained. You won't even know that there's a country in turmoil just over the horizon. Many of the staff on the island are locals, and super nice people. Enjoy!

[cruisegus]

Labadee is a peninsula on the northern portion of the island, it is more of a remote area from population concentrations, it is across from a fishing villiage that is where a lot of the worker live and come from.  The compound has 20 foot high fences and wall around it and is guarded by security.  We have never had a problem of any kind there and i feel perfectly safe.

 

Believe me if there was any threat of a security risk, Royal Caribbean would not dock and you would have a sea day instead.

 

One of my favorite stops

[cruiselvr04]

Royal won’t take you there if it’s unsafe.  
 

 The area is fenced off ( you may not even see the fence). Relax and have a great time.  It’s a lovely place without all the amusement park atmosphere of Coco Caye.  

[4Nathan]

We visited Labadee for the first time this past December.  As 2 women travelling together, we were somewhat nervous but didn’t want to miss the opportunity to experience a port we had never been to.  It turned out to be the best stop on a great cruise! Beautiful scenery, lovely beaches , friendly people.  Just avoid the Artisans Village - the vendors can be very aggressive. Make sure you try the coaster! A huge shout out to JJ (a manager there) who gave us a free private tour and a comprehensive history of Dragons breath and the surrounding area. 

[Cruise5life]

I’d be more worried about the vendors then anything else. Lolol.   
some can be very pushy. 
and don’t settle on the first vendor you see to buy something.    
 

one guy wanted to charge me 50.00 for 5.00 worth of local currency.   
but I knew what it was worth. And just walked away when he told me the price.      Put a bad taste in my mouth and didn’t buy anything there.   
 

And take a ride on the roller coaster.     It’s a blast with a great view. 
 

 

 

[taglovestocruise]

From World Travel...

Labadee

 

What's the Safest Area in Haiti? The safest area for tourists in Haiti is Labadee, a small resort town near the city of Cap-Haïtien in the north. It's far away from the crime and population centers of the south and west, shielding it from the dangers there.Jan 17, 2023

It is a 6 hour drive from Labadee to Port Au prince, way to far for bad guys to travel. 

[TequilaJane]

Labadee AKA The Green Zone

[dianawill]

We visited Labadee for the first time in February. I was so taken with the beauty! After visiting Coco many, many times - Labadee is much more natural and just as safe!

[BirdTravels]

12 hours ago, danp2482 said:

Hey everyone, I understand that Labadee is essentially a secure area but with the state department travel warnings, I just wanted to get some information/advice from everyone. We've never had a stop at Labadee. Has anyone had or heard of any safety issues while a ship was there? Not expecting that we'll be in danger but just doing due diligence for our trip next month. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

You are in a secure area with armed guards with automatic weapons. So long as the guards don't get overrun, you're fine. We have been there once since they reopened and felt perfectly safe (no gun fire near by). 

 

People say it is "far away" from badness,,, but it is really a 4 hour drive from Port au Prince, the heart of the unrest where they assassinated their country's president and kidnaped US missionaries during the pandemic shutdown. 

 

It is "safe" because RCCL saves money by taking you there. 

 

The ship is going to be docked there. Get off and have a wonderful beach day.  

[Tree_skier]

I was just there less than 2 weeks ago.  It was my favorite stop of the cruise. I felt safer there than just about any cruise port I have been in.  Enjoy!

[Toddcan]

8 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

You are in a secure area with armed guards with automatic weapons. So long as the guards don't get overrun, you're fine. We have been there once since they reopened and felt perfectly safe (no gun fire near by). 

 

People say it is "far away" from badness,,, but it is really a 4 hour drive from Port au Prince, the heart of the unrest where they assassinated their country's president and kidnaped US missionaries during the pandemic shutdown. 

 

It is "safe" because RCCL saves money by taking you there. 

 

The ship is going to be docked there. Get off and have a wonderful beach day.  

It's a lot longer than 4hrs driving to get from PaP to Labadee.   I've driven PaP to nearby Cap at least 20 times.    Closer to 6-7 hrs.   You have to dodge goats, cows, chickens on the sides of the roads,  and there are many towns to pass through.   And the mountains.... very slow going.    But it's a beautiful drive!   

[karena1]

We love Ladadee.  Specifically we booked our Oasis in Dec so we could go there, and then they moved us to CocoCay.  So now we are booked to go there in March 2024.  Cannot wait, we love Nellie's Beach.  Just never go to the Artisian area as I don't like the vendors.

 

[brillohead]

9 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

People say it is "far away" from badness,,, but it is really a 4 hour drive from Port au Prince, the heart of the unrest where they assassinated their country's president and kidnaped US missionaries during the pandemic shutdown. 

So you'd avoid traveling to Des Moines because of gang shootings in Chicago?

Yeah, that makes a ton of sense.  🙄

[robmtx]

10 minutes ago, brillohead said:

So you'd avoid traveling to Des Moines because of gang shootings in Chicago?

Yeah, that makes a ton of sense.  🙄

 

I don't know how many times I've had to do an example like this.

[brillohead]

55 minutes ago, robmtx said:

I don't know how many times I've had to do an example like this.

People just don't get it....

[rpp77]

21 hours ago, Cruise5life said:

 

And take a ride on the roller coaster.     It’s a blast with a great view. 
 

 

 

You can see the perimeter fence from the Dragon's Tail if you look at the right time while riding, it has razor wire on the top of it. You can also make it around the entire length of the Dragon's Tail without using the brakes if you time it right & don't get too close to the people in the cart in front of you. 

[Choozin Croozin]

We just returned from Labadee. Loved our day there and never even thought about it being unsafe. The vendors are very pushy if you go to the individual shops. The market people I think are just unfriendly, but I always go in there and buy some of their metal art. It was a beautiful day. 

[Cruise5life]

3 hours ago, rpp77 said:

You can see the perimeter fence from the Dragon's Tail if you look at the right time while riding, it has razor wire on the top of it. You can also make it around the entire length of the Dragon's Tail without using the brakes if you time it right & don't get too close to the people in the cart in front of you. 

I waited till the track was clear on my last run.   The run before my last one 2 girls stopped to take pictures of the ship and screwed up my 3rd run.    
when you have a clear track and are wide open. It’s a blast.   I got air a few times.   

[renza]

My favorite place. Stay away from the vendor area. We love getting off ship around 2-3 pm when everyone is getting back on board. It’s like heaven. I hate coco cay. It’s more like Disney. 

[NO_Member_Name]

Labadee is perfectly safe and if RCCL has any doubts or uncertainty they won't stop there.

 

All the cruise lines take passenger safety very seriously and make sure the local governments know it. I read a story about two or three tourists being mugged in a fairly large cruise port. The cruise line talked to the police chief about it who pointed out that three out of tens of thousands was a pretty low number. The cruise line didn't like that answer, so they rescheduled 3 ships out of something like a hundred to not stop there. That got the police chief's attention and there were no more muggings.

[sfaaa]

Labadee is safe because Haitian gangs decided it is to their benefit to leave the place alone, not because of the flimsy chain-link fence, the odd armed guards or  4 hour drive from their gang hoods.

Edited March 18, 2023 by sfaaa

[pittnh]

Labadee was absolutely beautiful