A Visit To Labadee In Haiti
by: Clint Leung
The first port for our Royal Caribbean cruise of the western
Caribbean was Labadee, Hispaniola which is actually a part of
Haiti. This specific port is leased out to Royal Caribbean so only
their cruiseships come here. Labadee is actually a peninsula
with a few beaches. Getting to land from the cruiseship is by
tender.
There is a small section for kids with floating fake icebergs to
climb and water slides but they charge an admission fee.
Flotation mattresses are also available for rent for those who just
want to float in the ocean. There are also locals who help with
getting beach chairs for you but they expect tips. So things here
are a money grabber. The cruiseship did have optional tours for
snorkelling, parasailing, waverunner and kayaking tours but we
thought that they were overpriced. Most passengers just spent
the day relaxing around the beaches. The area around Labadee
was pleasant enough but the beaches and shores themselves
were fairly rocky so wearing sandals in the water would be
advised. Royal Caribbean had organized a beach BBQ at an
outdoor picnic facility which was okay but nothing special. There
is a market there consisting of two buildings. One is a store
where the souveniers and items have marked prices and the
other building is like your typical market where locals try to hustle
you for business. The locals inside the market were aggressive
but polite. If you don't mind haggling, you could get some pretty
good deals but if you dislike this type of pushy atmosphere, then
you best avoid the market except for the fixed price store.
One big difference between this port compared to others is that
since it is pretty well being used as a private beach, you will not
be hassled by locals. The vendors coming around with drinks at
the beach locations are actually Royal Caribbean staff so if one
wishes to buy a drink, the cruiseship passcard is all that is
required. As for concerns about being in Haiti given the poverty
and political situation, Labadee was not a problem because the
entire site is enclosed by a high steel fence. Other passengers
later told us that they wandered off near the perimeter of the site
and saw many Haitians along the fence begging for handouts
and food. The fencing was mostly concealed in the distance from
the main tourist areas.
We found Labadee in general to be a bit of a waste of time for us.
The beaches were too rocky and we didn't have access to
inexpensive activities since everything was run by Royal
Caribbean. If one wanted to just go lie on the beach all day and
not much else, then Labadee would be a suitable place. For
those who want to experience some culture, do water sports
without going through the cruiseship, or shop duty free, Labadee
would not be the place to go. We decided to stay on board the
ship after the BBQ lunch for the rest of the afternoon. I like Royal
Caribbean and would definitely cruise with them again but would
not want to go on an itinerary that included Labadee in the future.
About The Author
Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery
http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca, an online gallery specializing in
Inuit Eskimo and Northwest Native American art including
carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous
information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and
Native Indian art as well as free eCards.
by: Clint Leung
The first port for our Royal Caribbean cruise of the western
Caribbean was Labadee, Hispaniola which is actually a part of
Haiti. This specific port is leased out to Royal Caribbean so only
their cruiseships come here. Labadee is actually a peninsula
with a few beaches. Getting to land from the cruiseship is by
tender.
There is a small section for kids with floating fake icebergs to
climb and water slides but they charge an admission fee.
Flotation mattresses are also available for rent for those who just
want to float in the ocean. There are also locals who help with
getting beach chairs for you but they expect tips. So things here
are a money grabber. The cruiseship did have optional tours for
snorkelling, parasailing, waverunner and kayaking tours but we
thought that they were overpriced. Most passengers just spent
the day relaxing around the beaches. The area around Labadee
was pleasant enough but the beaches and shores themselves
were fairly rocky so wearing sandals in the water would be
advised. Royal Caribbean had organized a beach BBQ at an
outdoor picnic facility which was okay but nothing special. There
is a market there consisting of two buildings. One is a store
where the souveniers and items have marked prices and the
other building is like your typical market where locals try to hustle
you for business. The locals inside the market were aggressive
but polite. If you don't mind haggling, you could get some pretty
good deals but if you dislike this type of pushy atmosphere, then
you best avoid the market except for the fixed price store.
One big difference between this port compared to others is that
since it is pretty well being used as a private beach, you will not
be hassled by locals. The vendors coming around with drinks at
the beach locations are actually Royal Caribbean staff so if one
wishes to buy a drink, the cruiseship passcard is all that is
required. As for concerns about being in Haiti given the poverty
and political situation, Labadee was not a problem because the
entire site is enclosed by a high steel fence. Other passengers
later told us that they wandered off near the perimeter of the site
and saw many Haitians along the fence begging for handouts
and food. The fencing was mostly concealed in the distance from
the main tourist areas.
We found Labadee in general to be a bit of a waste of time for us.
The beaches were too rocky and we didn't have access to
inexpensive activities since everything was run by Royal
Caribbean. If one wanted to just go lie on the beach all day and
not much else, then Labadee would be a suitable place. For
those who want to experience some culture, do water sports
without going through the cruiseship, or shop duty free, Labadee
would not be the place to go. We decided to stay on board the
ship after the BBQ lunch for the rest of the afternoon. I like Royal
Caribbean and would definitely cruise with them again but would
not want to go on an itinerary that included Labadee in the future.
About The Author
Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery
http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca, an online gallery specializing in
Inuit Eskimo and Northwest Native American art including
carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous
information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and
Native Indian art as well as free eCards.
 | |  | |  | |  |
FAMILY TRAVEL FUN.COM
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |