Labadee, Haiti

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!