The initiative port for our Royal Caribbean cruise of the western Caribbean was Labadee, Hispaniola which is really a part of Haiti. This particular port is leased out to Royal Caribbean hence entirely their cruiseships get here. Labadee is really a peninsula with a a couple of beaches. Starting to land from the cruiseship is by tender.
There is a limited division for youngsters with swimming fake icebergs to mounting and water skids but they buck an admission fee. Floatation mattresses are also accessible for rent for those who just want to swim in the sea. There are also locals who help with getting beach chairs for you but they expect tips. So affairs here are a money grabber. The cruiseship did have optional tours for snorkelling, paragliding, waverunner and kayaking tours but we idea that they were costly. Most passengers just spent the day loosing around the beaches.
The area around Labadee was grateful enough but the beaches and shores up themselves were fairly rocky so enduring sandals in the water would be suggested. Royal Caribbean had incorporated a beach BBQ at an outdoor picnic facility which was satisfying but nothing special. There is a market there consisting of two constructions. One is a store where the souveniers and items have marked prices and the other building is like your regular market where locals try to fuss you for business. The locals inside the market were bitter but well-mannered. If you don't mind haggle, you could get some pretty good deals but if you disfavor this type of pushy aura, then you best keep off 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 individual beach, you will not be harassed by locals. The vendors coming around with drinks at the beach locations are actually Royal Caribbean staff so if one wants to buy a drink, the cruiseship passcard is all that is required. As for refers about being in Haiti given the poverty and political situation, Labadee was not a problem because the entire site is wrapped by a high steel fence. Other passengers later told us that they wandered off near the margin of the site and saw many Haitians along the fence imploring for handouts and food. The fencing was mostly concealed in the length from the main tourist countries.
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.
There is a limited division for youngsters with swimming fake icebergs to mounting and water skids but they buck an admission fee. Floatation mattresses are also accessible for rent for those who just want to swim in the sea. There are also locals who help with getting beach chairs for you but they expect tips. So affairs here are a money grabber. The cruiseship did have optional tours for snorkelling, paragliding, waverunner and kayaking tours but we idea that they were costly. Most passengers just spent the day loosing around the beaches.
The area around Labadee was grateful enough but the beaches and shores up themselves were fairly rocky so enduring sandals in the water would be suggested. Royal Caribbean had incorporated a beach BBQ at an outdoor picnic facility which was satisfying but nothing special. There is a market there consisting of two constructions. One is a store where the souveniers and items have marked prices and the other building is like your regular market where locals try to fuss you for business. The locals inside the market were bitter but well-mannered. If you don't mind haggle, you could get some pretty good deals but if you disfavor this type of pushy aura, then you best keep off 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 individual beach, you will not be harassed by locals. The vendors coming around with drinks at the beach locations are actually Royal Caribbean staff so if one wants to buy a drink, the cruiseship passcard is all that is required. As for refers about being in Haiti given the poverty and political situation, Labadee was not a problem because the entire site is wrapped by a high steel fence. Other passengers later told us that they wandered off near the margin of the site and saw many Haitians along the fence imploring for handouts and food. The fencing was mostly concealed in the length from the main tourist countries.
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.
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