Labadee, Haiti
The Royal Caribbean Private Cruise Port of Labadee, Haiti is a very unique cruise port and one of the few private cruise ports outside of The Bahamas. Haiti is unfortunately know for the turmoil, poverty and disasters that the country has. Labadee though is a very safe port that not only gives you the chance to see part of a beautiful landscape but to help the locals who have many difficulties in life. We so far have only been to Labadee once on December 31st of 2023 but we plan to go back in the future!
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Island Information
Labadee is located on the Northern Coast of the Island of Hispaniola in the middle of the Caribbean. Its one of the larger Islands in the Caribbean behind Cuba in size. There are only two countries in Hispaniola and those are the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Labadee is the name of a small town of around 6,000 or so people that is near by the private Royal Caribbean Island. This private resort is not really an island but is a peninsula that is secured by the cruise line. Labadee is in a relatively remote area of Haiti with the nearest large city being a little ways away. Cap Haitian is the closest city. For any excursion or tour you will be staying pretty close to Labadee as its not advisable to go out into Haiti. This port has a nice dock so there is no tender boats needed.
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Country Information
Haiti is a country that has had a very troubled past and continues to struggle today. In the past Haiti was a French Colony that was heavily settled by enslaved people working the sugar and other plantations. In the 1800s the enslaved people overthrew the French and created their own nation. They have been heavily in debt due to things such as the French requiring the Haitian to re-pay them for lost “property” after the revolution. They are currently the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and as of 2024 they have no functioning government after their president was assassinated in 2021. Much of the country is run by gangs and there is a lot of violence in Haiti. The people struggle mightily in Haiti. The capital city of Port-Au-Prince is far from Labadee and is where much of the violence occurs. The main language spoken is French and Creole but everyone at the private resort area will speak English pretty well. The currency is Gourde and is worth far less than a one penny in USD. With the low value of their currency they will willingly take the US Dollar and in some cases will give you Gourdes as a souvenir for a few dollars. The country has topical rainforests and is very mountainous. It also has wonderful beaches and a unique culture mixed with French, Caribbean and Voodoo.
Amenities on the Island
With the dangers in Haiti some might ask, Why would you want to go there and is it safe? The answer is its absolutely safe to visit Royal Caribbean’s Labadee Private Resort and its also a way to help the locals who have struggled for years. Labadee is the only cruise stop in Haiti and the main source of tourism for the country. There is a lot to do in the resort area and a lot of history as well. The resort area has multiple nice beaches with plenty of lounge chairs and places to relax. Some of the beaches are in a bay/cove so the waves are calm but there are also beaches that face the open ocean and like days like when we visited when a Winter Front was passing through it was not a swimmable beach with such large waves. The resort has a great buffet area with all food brought from the ship since local food might not have the hygiene that we are used to. There is a tram system similar to Royal Caribbean’s CoCo Cay that will take you all around the island. There are nice hiking trails where you can see great views and tropical landscapes. Towards the back of the property is a craft market and the Flea Market where locals are allowed to sell their crafts and items. While Labadee is a great place to relax you can also have some adventure there as well. You can take the longest zip line over water called “The Dragon’s Breath” in Labadee. You can also ride on a alpine style roller coaster that goes down a mountain through the jungle called “The Dragon’s Tail”. There are also a variety of shore excursions that are mainly water activities. There are a couple that go to areas near the Labadee Town that is also a safe area to go to. There are plenty of kids areas and other places to enjoy in the resort. The locals also perform dances and local music for you while in the resort area.
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What we thought about the Island
On the day we visited (December 31st, 2023) we came on an unfortunate bad weather day for the area. Haiti was getting hit by the same Winter Front that had hit Miami and The Bahamas the days before. We brought rain jackets and umbrellas with us as it was very windy and pretty good rain. The waves were crashing on the dock as we left the ship. Our tour that took us by boat to a secluded beach that included a Haitian Teaching Village where they teach us about their way of life was canceled since the waves where too large to safely get there. Most of the excursions including the Zip Line and the Roller Coaster were canceled. While it was unfortunate we didn’t let it ruin our stay there. We were one of the first off the ship and we headed in the explore the area. It well developed with plenty of area to explore. We headed over to the Flea market were we visited with the locals. As you might expect in a country where people are struggling the pressure to buy items and at least look at their shops was pretty high. They would usher us in politely to see what they had. Much of it was hand made and pretty nice. There you would “haggle” with them on the prices as they would start with a very high price. We bought quite a few things and we knew in some cases the prices were a bit high but we know its helping a struggling people. I got some Haitian Gourdes (currency) as a souvenir. I ran out of cash I had brought and I wanted to buy a local painting. I had never had this happen before but the seller wrapped it up for me and told me I could go back to the ship and get more cash and put it up since he trusted I would come back. As a man of my word I did go back and pay him and was then rushed by quite a few other people desperate for a purchase. Being a rainy day I think they were concerned business would be light. The sellers I believe are not allowed on beaches and guest areas since they would not follow you after a certain point. While the pressure can be intense its worth giving the locals some business to help them out. We were able to go on a second tour that was a historical walk around the resort. A local explained to us about the revolution and about Labadee itself. He said before Royal Caribbean their small fishing village had no electricity or running water. They now have that due to the business they get from tourists like us. Their village has grown in size due to the help. He talked about the Blow Hole that is called the Dragon’s Breath since it sounds like a dragon when the water goes through it. The little area is the shape of a dragon from the sky and is why many of the things are named after dragons. We walked through the tropical plants and got great views of the ship and Labadee. We had to cut our walk short due to strong rains and wind but we also got to see later the ruins of a hundreds of years old trading post. After we hiked the trails and got some hamburgers and other food from the buffet we went for a swim in the nice calm beaches before we headed back onto the ship. We spent almost the entire day at the resort and enjoyed our time there. We also enjoyed the local music and dances that they did even in the rain. I did feel sorry for the locals that were so desperate to sell anything to us due to the struggles of the island. If you go over to the flea market area be prepared for some high pressure selling and for many people coming up to you saying things such as “I like your style! Come over to my shop, I have something to show you!”. On a better weather day there would be even more activities available and some great shore excursions. Its well worth visiting and we would do it again for sure. Its also a small way we can help people who are struggling worse than anyone else in our area of the world so I encourage people to visit Labadee!
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