Labadee, Haiti, positioned as a private port for Royal Caribbean and occasionally Celebrity Cruises, offers a unique and resort-like experience. Here’s all you need to know about this exclusive destination.
Is Labadee, Haiti a private island?
Labadee is a private port on Haiti’s northern coast, leased by Royal Caribbean until 2050. Despite this, it’s crucial to note that the resort isn’t owned by the cruise line. Nor is it a “private island”. The lease arrangement allows exclusive access for cruise guests, ensuring a secluded and secure environment until potential handover to the Haitian government.
In 2024, is Labadee, Haiti open for public?
Sadly no! As of May 14, 2024, Royal Caribbean has suspended all visits to Labadee, Haiti through September 2024. The cruise line is monitoring the situation in Haiti with their Global Security and Intelligence team and will notify guests of any itinerary changes ahead of their sailings. The suspension is due to months of escalating gang violence in the country, including armed gangs, prison breaks, and thousands of people fleeing their homes.
You can visit the Royal Caribbean website for updates.
Is Labadee, Haiti safe?
Generally, yes! It is safe, while Haiti has faced challenges, Labadee remains a safe resort. The resort is fenced, allowing only cruise guests and employed locals entry. This exclusivity ensures a relaxed atmosphere, with a private security force maintaining a secure environment. Visitors can enjoy attractions, the beaches, and stores without concern. Now, that’s not to say I didn’t doubt this whilst on the resort, but more on that later. And it’s worth noting that you aren’t permitted to leave the resort – but you won’t feel the need too anyways!
What can you do on Labadee, Haiti?
There’s so much fun stuff to do at Labadee – It’s renowned for its serene beaches, exhilarating excursions, and delectable BBQ offerings. Thrill-seekers can experience the ‘Dragon’s Breath’, the world’s longest over-water zip line, or the ‘Dragon’s Tail’ alpine coaster. Alternatively, guests can unwind on sun loungers, explore breathtaking views, and shop for unique handcrafted gifts (more on this later).
Is there shopping on Labadee, Haiti?
Labadee features shops, including the main Artisan’s Market, offering licensed local vendors’ crafts. While vendors operate under the cruise line’s permission, visitors should be wary of pushy sales tactics. (more on this later too)
Free and Paid Activities
While Labadee offers free amenities like beach access and trams, excursions come with a charge. Visitors can enjoy a complimentary BBQ buffet lunch, and those with a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises drinks package can utilise it on the island. However, additional activities, cabanas, and beach chair rentals incur extra costs.
My Personal experience on Labadee, Haiti
I visited Labadee with my partner whilst on our first cruise onboard the Independence of the Seas, and I had a great time. We hadn’t pre-booked any excursions or cabanas as we wanted to just see what the day brought, and we were craving a full beach day.
Firstly, the resort is absolutely stunning and exactly what it looks like in the pictures. Secondly, you will experience the clearest water you’ve ever seen. Seriously, the water was crystal clear and the perfect temperature.
Later in the afternoon, we witnessed people kayaking, and the experience looked too enticing to resist. We decided to treat ourselves, joining the next group and kayaking through the crystal-clear waters – truly stunning. I think the entire duration of the excursion was 60-90 minutes and I can’t remember the exact price, but it was under $100 per person.
We didn’t eat on Labadee, and I cover that in the next section of this blog, and that’s one regret we have. Looking at others instagram photos, the food looks amazing. We did enjoy a few Piña coladas in the sun throughout the day. Luckily, we had a drinks package, and they were included in the cost!
Now, not everything was smooth sailing during our visit to Labadee. There was a few experiences that left a negative impression on me:
1. Coconut gate
We encountered a hiccup during our Labadee beach day, which we’ll fondly refer to as ‘coconut-gate.’ While enjoying the beach, we admired two Americans sipping from coconuts. Intrigued, we approached them, expressing our desire for a similar experience. They claimed their “friend” could hook us up and asked if we were interested. Without hesitation, we agreed.
Moments later, they handed us a coconut, include a brown cardboard box, and mentioning a $20 cash charge, catching us off guard. Confused, overwhelmed, and stuck in a cashless predicament, we declined as we had no cash, but it was too late. The coconut was ours. We had to pack up our belongings, head back to the ship, to our stateroom, and finally to the ATM for cash. And then head all the way back to the same spot to collect said-coconut.
Later in the day, as we were leaving, we discovered a Royal Caribbean bar offering coconut and mango drinks. Dang!
Lesson learned: beware of impromptu transactions and, at the very least, carry some cash to avoid unexpected surprises.
2. The food timings / serving
Now onboard a cruise, you can just wander to the buffet around lunch time and grab a little bite to eat, right? Fairly straight forward. As my partner and I are vegetarians, we always try to get to the buffet as early as possible to have a browse at what options are available for us. Now, we made this mistake on Labadee.
We knew there was going to be a BBQ and we were hoping for some corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw, and maybe some fries. As obviously, we don’t eat meat. When we got there at about 1pm, there was very little left and it had seemed the staff had started to merge foods together into one container, most likely as a way to clean up as you go. Now, this meant that the corn-on-the-cobs were now mixed in with the chicken drumsticks, with the fries to the next of them. Very annoying as a veggie, but maybe this was our mistake for not eating earlier!
3. Upselling
As this experience was during our very first cruise, and first time in the Caribbean, we had no idea what to expect in terms of upselling. And I wish someone had warned us because my gosh it is non-stop Maybe I was a little naive, but I was hopefull: “surely there would be no upselling on a private resort?.”
But alas, I was wrong. As we walked to one of the beaches (I can’t remember which), there were tens of huts with local artwork, decor, and merchandise, and you couldn’t get to the beach without making your way past them. The hollering wasn’t just “hi, how’re you, welcome”, it was begging and shouting, which is a little off-putting.
After about 20 minutes, the instructor announced that we would be heading towards a private beach. I thought, “Wow, a private beach on a private resort.” However, as we approached, I noticed people on the beach sitting around tables, and it dawned on me – another upsell opportunity. This time it was less intense but still a tad awkward. With nowhere to go on the beach, our options were limited to either perusing the merchandise for sale or politely waiting for the instructor to take us back.
Since then, I’ve visited the Caribbean on a land-based holiday, and the same scenario unfolds in towns and during excursions. However, this time I was well-prepared. So, no disrespect towards Royal Caribbean or Labadee, just a reflection on our initial naivety.
Would I recommend Labadee, Haiti?
Yes. 100%. And I would go back in a heartbeat.
It truly is an incredible private-resort, and hopefully after reading this blog you would feel prepared to avoid the mistakes we made during our resort. And even though I moaned about the upselling, I do wish we had some form of physical memento of Labadee, and perhaps we should have atleast bought a “I love Labdee” tshirt.
