Is Labadee an Under-rated Cruise Port?

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On my family’s cruise last month on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, we stopped at Labadee, Haiti, which is a private port for the cruise line. I hear so much buzz about CocoCay island, but I don’t hear much about Labadee. This port ended up being our favorite stop on our week-long cruise!

Arrival

I immediately fell in love with the view of Labadee as the ship pulled up to the dock.

Throughout the port, we saw several local Haitian dance groups:

Cabana at Nellie’s Beach

Our big splurge for the cruise was renting an over-the-water cabana at Nellie’s Beach. Now it’s not over-the-water as in Bora Bora, but rather it’s on top of some rocks with stairs and a ladder leading directly into the ocean. I purchased the cabana before the cruise for around ~$500. (They were offering these for $1500 on our port day!)

The cabana had a covered section with a sofa sectional, charging outlet, and a cooler with waters. It also came with four floating mats and beach towels.

In front of the covered area were two lounge chairs, a small table and large umbrella.

Our cabin attendant was a local Haitian. He could serve us drinks to the cabana, but we had to walk to one of two restaurants to get lunch.

The water was incredibly clear and warm.

Aside from walking to lunch, we spent our entire day relaxing in the water and in the cabana. We saw a lot of marine life in and around the rocks, including royal blue tang fish (Dory!)

You don’t have to rent a cabana to enjoy Nellie’s Beach. There were plenty of regular beach chairs available.

Other Things to Do on Labadee

Labadee has several beaches on both sides of the peninsula. Each has a different view and different waves. The port has some more adventurous activities including two zip lines, a mountain coaster, a long water slide and ocean obstacle course. But, most of the port is just natural beach and vegetation. If you’re looking to enjoy the beach, there’s no need to buy any extras.

Bottom Line

Labadee doesn’t get the same press as Royal Caribbean’s other private port stop, CocoCay. However, it is a beautiful destination. I hope to return to Labadee on a future cruise.

Have you been to Labadee?

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