Tell me about Labadee

[VeroBeachGirl]

Platinum DCL here and I'm venturing out on our first RC Cruise with the Oasis over Spring Break. Tell me about Labadee.
Is it like Castaway? What are all the different beaches?
How do we get around?
I can't tell how large it is from the map.
What beach is best for families with younger kids (9,7,3)?
Do we need to rush off to find beach chairs?

So many questions! Its hard being a newbie!

 

[KashasMom]

We've been to Labadee twice. Once we stayed at the beach and once we did an excursion. I'm not a really big fan of the private islands (even Castaway Cay) - just too many people (the excursion was great though). I think you'd get better information/answers over on cruisecritic.com.

 

[ldo]

there is a tram to take you around. we walked. areas are much closer than CC. we got clamshells that cover 2 chairs that were free-1st come/served and we gave a $20 tip for attendant to set up 2. We liked the far beach on the Altlantic side, not crowded. there are a few cove beaches on the calm side that get very crowded. we brought our own inflatable raft/rings. we liked L a lot. DH and DS did the dragon coaster all day pass for $24 and rode it 3X.
we did get off @ 8:30am to get chairs and clamshell, but we could have gotten off at 9:30 and been fine. there is a local content vendor area, which you do not have on CC. food is good, not as fancy as CC, chicken, ribs, burgers, beans (?), rice, Kool-Aid, water.
with the set of $20 clamshells right not the beach, dragon coaster, and decent island style lunch it was a very nice day!
wit your ages, I would take a set of sand buckets/toys, some dollar store rings/rafts, and get 1 or 2 clamshells and let the kids play in the sand. the atlantic side has a protective barrier, so the water was not rough, but it has shells/coral, so water shoes are a must. the calmer areas are more popular with young kids.

 

[DnA2010]

I may be biased as we had an over the water bungalow- it was fantastic! The water was so clear and pretty! Can't remember much else other than lounging and swimming but we had a lovely time! There was a vendor area you could wander through also. We didn't check out the coaster or zipline

 

[bigtony777]

I agree with previous post about checking out cruise critic. There are several beaches to choose from and here are a few things to know. The drink package works on the beach just like on the ship. The vendor area pretty much has all the same stuff and the vendors are aggressive to get your business. They all stay in their area and it is away from the beach so you have to walk over to interact with them. There are several activities to do on the island like the zip-line and water park. We just find a spot on the beach and had a nice relaxing day.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Just got off Anthem. Had a stop at Coco Cay. That was a serious eye-opener having only ever been to Disney's private island. Rebooked on Harmony in October with a stop at Labadee. We already booked a couple clamshells for Labadee. Everyone on Cruise Critic touts them as a waste since there's plenty of shade. Those same people said that about Coco Cay, too. The tendering process took forever there and our "shaded" chairs we found were under pine trees. Bird droppings on the chairs & stickers in our feet. So just to be sure on Labadee even though there's no tendering, we booked clamshells. We are freckled pale-skin ladies. Money well spent for peace of mind.

Looked at the bungalows. There's a few available still. I just cannot fathom spending that much on those itty-bitty little basic things knowing what I've paid for cabanas on Castaway. You get more for the money on Castaway.

From all my reading Labadee looks way nicer than Coco Cay. At least there seems to be paved walkways. Trudging through the sand stopping to pick stickers from our feet was not fun.

Still amazed you can bring your own floats. Definitely planning to do the dragon coaster thing.

And a pier. You'll never know how important a pier is until you've experienced the eternal tender wait. You'll also have a new appreciation of how well Disney tenders. Trust me.

 

[HopperFan]

Been twice. Popular areas may fill faster than others.

Food, bathrooms and bars are pretty close to wherever you land.

Can be alot of walking but like PP said there is a shuttle.

If you can get a water bungalow, that is the life! http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/04/11/nellies-beach-cabanas-royal-caribbeans-labadee

Water on Adrenaline Beach will be rougher due to it being exposed, but if you go there go towards the farthest away from ship, not rocky there.

The water on cove side is calmer but can get crowded fast, part is "private".

Nellie's Beach would be a good option with younger kids, and yes I would head out there early.

Much better day when you have a good spot then when you are done with it head back to the ship.

Honestly no need to go through the village and shopping area, especially with small kids.

If you like exploring, going out on the Dragon's Plaza and walking out to Dragon's Breath rocks is pretty, great view all around. Solid paths so not hard.

NELLIES BEACH

 

[msjprincess]

Nellie's Beach and Columbus Cove are good areas with kids. I used to love Barefoot Beach back in the old days before Labadee was built up and that became the suite area.

 

[moericus]

Labadee is much bigger and you don't have to tender.

Tendering is a pain if you leave late, but we didn't have much issue with it. Maybe I'm just used to when Voyager class first came out and every stop was a tender.

For younger kids, Labadee also has an adventure ocean outpost. That worked out great for the wife and I to grab a peaceful lunch after feeding them. I remember Labadee having a nature trail but the last time we went the spa services took over the scenic stop on it.

The Labadee cabanas were awesome but i think RCCL made them much tougher for non-suite guests to reserve. We were lucky a couple years ago and got one over the water.

My biggest complaints with the private beaches are crowds and lunch available. RCCL really upgraded lunch buffet on Labadee and the coco cay food truck for cabana guests was great. We've avoided the crowds with bungalows and cabanas lately.

 

[Laz]

When our daughter was young, we went ashore and had a great deal of fun. Now that it is just my wife and I, we let the rest of the ship go ashore while we enjoy the peace and quiet of a emptier ship.

 

[Pigletpal40]

I second the cabana. We rented one on Nellie's beach. My boys and I would walk back and forth to the mountain coaster while my wife and her dad
stayed in the cabana. We snorkeled and just lounged in the water right off the cabana. My boys (10 and 15) thought it was our best stop out of three. The other two were Grand Cayman and Jamaica. Nice walk up the small village road to buy local goods. They will harass you to buy, but not as bad as Jamaica.

 

[keishashadow]

there is a tram to take you around. we walked. areas are much closer than CC. we got clamshells that cover 2 chairs that were free-1st come/served and we gave a $20 tip for attendant to set up 2. We liked the far beach on the Altlantic side, not crowded. there are a few cove beaches on the calm side that get very crowded. we brought our own inflatable raft/rings. we liked L a lot. DH and DS did the dragon coaster all day pass for $24 and rode it 3X.
we did get off @ 8:30am to get chairs and clamshell, but we could have gotten off at 9:30 and been fine. there is a local content vendor area, which you do not have on CC. food is good, not as fancy as CC, chicken, ribs, burgers, beans (?), rice, Kool-Aid, water.
with the set of $20 clamshells right not the beach, dragon coaster, and decent island style lunch it was a very nice day!
wit your ages, I would take a set of sand buckets/toys, some dollar store rings/rafts, and get 1 or 2 clamshells and let the kids play in the sand. the atlantic side has a protective barrier, so the water was not rough, but it has shells/coral, so water shoes are a must. the calmer areas are more popular with young kids.

Confused, there are 'free' clamshells on Labadee?

Just got off Anthem. Had a stop at Coco Cay. That was a serious eye-opener having only ever been to Disney's private island. Rebooked on Harmony in October with a stop at Labadee. We already booked a couple clamshells for Labadee. Everyone on Cruise Critic touts them as a waste since there's plenty of shade. Those same people said that about Coco Cay, too. The tendering process took forever there and our "shaded" chairs we found were under pine trees. Bird droppings on the chairs & stickers in our feet. So just to be sure on Labadee even though there's no tendering, we booked clamshells. We are freckled pale-skin ladies. Money well spent for peace of mind.

Looked at the bungalows. There's a few available still. I just cannot fathom spending that much on those itty-bitty little basic things knowing what I've paid for cabanas on Castaway. You get more for the money on Castaway.

From all my reading Labadee looks way nicer than Coco Cay. At least there seems to be paved walkways. Trudging through the sand stopping to pick stickers from our feet was not fun.

Still amazed you can bring your own floats. Definitely planning to do the dragon coaster thing.

And a pier. You'll never know how important a pier is until you've experienced the eternal tender wait. You'll also have a new appreciation of how well Disney tenders. Trust me.

We plan on pre booking too, I need shade.

Hoping to get off ship promptly & secure front row' clamshells

Wondering if they are pre-assigned or doled out as you walk up if pre-booked?

 

[VeroBeachGirl]

Thanks for all the useful responses and for the map!

 

[bigtony777]

Just back from a stop at Labadee earlier this month. We decided not to get off the ship right away and it worked out great. We took our girls to the flowrider and there were only 4 people that even tried it from 10 to 11 am. It was almost like they had their own private lessons. We then got off the ship and rode the tram to Columbus Cove. I think that it has the best beach and water for children.