S
snorkelman
Guest
I just returned from the Navigator 3 days ago, so I figure that I will post an excerpt from my cruise review so others with questions about what to expect in Labadee will have some recent info.
Okay, this is the only port where you cannot do your own excursion. We paid the $10 per person and rode the banana boat and had a blast. They just charge your card for the cost so you don’t need to even bring cash ashore unless you want to buy something from the locals (crappy art and the typical wood carvings and hair braids).
My wife and I love to snorkel, but the snorkeling in Labadee pretty much sucks.
If you have your own gear then you can still bring your gear ashore and see the airplane wreck. It is easy to find. Labadee has 3 beaches to your left (when you get off the tender). Just go to the second beach (Barefoot beach) and look in the water and you will see an orange buoy floating. That is where the plan wreck is. It is maybe 100 yards from the shore, and an easy swim. Don’t expect to see many fish, but if you swim along the rocks (at the second beach) you will see the best that they have to offer. There were a bunch of small jelly fish in the water, but they didn’t have any stingers so they did not bother anyone.
Although we had our own snorkel gear, when we attempted to get in the water, several guards told us that we had to wear a life vest. I declined, telling one that I prefer to dive down and a life vest hinders that. They were adamant and pointed to a large rock on which were several extra life vests. I grabbed one for my wife and I and we snorkeled for a while. When we were done, we threw them back on the rock and laid out in the sun. We saw hundreds of others renting snorkel gear and I discovered that they also had to rent the vest. I don’t know if people with their own snorkel gear were forced to rent a vest or not, but if they were, it is a big scam.
The locals have a scam going that is as follows. When you get off the tender, you walk to whichever beach you desire. There are thousands of lounge chairs and they are all stacked up in the shade. The locals have tossed a handful of sand on the bottom of the chair and they offer to carry it over from the shade into the sun for you. When they set it down, they make a big show of brushing off the sand. Then they hover around hoping for a tip. The Ship’s newspaper specifically states that the chairs are free and to report anyone who charges you money. The locals do not come out and ask you for money but it is clear that they expect some. Many people felt intimidated and “tipped†the chair man a few bucks.
Finally, I had read all about the market on Labadee and how pushy the locals are. Let’s just say this. Unless you want to buy some wood carvings or local art, then there is no need to even visit the market. It is pretty much a non-air-conditioned building with about 50 booths that resembled a flea market. The funny part is that every single person is selling the same crap. As you walk past each vendor, they try to lure you into their booth. Nothing has any price marked on it. Therefore, if you have any desire to shop at the local market, I suggest doing the following. When you go towards the market, walk to the left and you will pass a building filled with locals selling stuff. You will come to a second building and there is a lot less stuff inside of it and it resembles a store. Everything inside that building has prices marked on it and you can get a feel for what things should cost. THEN go back to the other building and use your knowledge to help you negotiate.
When we had lunch on Labadee we were very hot and were quite excited when we saw all of the food and drinks being set up by RCCL employees. Everything was fresh and excellent. They had a bar-b-que and even the potato salad was good (that is a dish that I would never eat if I wasn’t sure of the sanitation conditions). RCCL allows some locals to sit nearby and play some music and push the sale of their compact disks and local wood carvings (Flutes and other toys/souvenirs). Everything that they had for sale (except for their music) was available cheaper at the shop.
I hope this info helps you get a feel for Labadee.
Okay, this is the only port where you cannot do your own excursion. We paid the $10 per person and rode the banana boat and had a blast. They just charge your card for the cost so you don’t need to even bring cash ashore unless you want to buy something from the locals (crappy art and the typical wood carvings and hair braids).
My wife and I love to snorkel, but the snorkeling in Labadee pretty much sucks.
If you have your own gear then you can still bring your gear ashore and see the airplane wreck. It is easy to find. Labadee has 3 beaches to your left (when you get off the tender). Just go to the second beach (Barefoot beach) and look in the water and you will see an orange buoy floating. That is where the plan wreck is. It is maybe 100 yards from the shore, and an easy swim. Don’t expect to see many fish, but if you swim along the rocks (at the second beach) you will see the best that they have to offer. There were a bunch of small jelly fish in the water, but they didn’t have any stingers so they did not bother anyone.
Although we had our own snorkel gear, when we attempted to get in the water, several guards told us that we had to wear a life vest. I declined, telling one that I prefer to dive down and a life vest hinders that. They were adamant and pointed to a large rock on which were several extra life vests. I grabbed one for my wife and I and we snorkeled for a while. When we were done, we threw them back on the rock and laid out in the sun. We saw hundreds of others renting snorkel gear and I discovered that they also had to rent the vest. I don’t know if people with their own snorkel gear were forced to rent a vest or not, but if they were, it is a big scam.
The locals have a scam going that is as follows. When you get off the tender, you walk to whichever beach you desire. There are thousands of lounge chairs and they are all stacked up in the shade. The locals have tossed a handful of sand on the bottom of the chair and they offer to carry it over from the shade into the sun for you. When they set it down, they make a big show of brushing off the sand. Then they hover around hoping for a tip. The Ship’s newspaper specifically states that the chairs are free and to report anyone who charges you money. The locals do not come out and ask you for money but it is clear that they expect some. Many people felt intimidated and “tipped†the chair man a few bucks.
Finally, I had read all about the market on Labadee and how pushy the locals are. Let’s just say this. Unless you want to buy some wood carvings or local art, then there is no need to even visit the market. It is pretty much a non-air-conditioned building with about 50 booths that resembled a flea market. The funny part is that every single person is selling the same crap. As you walk past each vendor, they try to lure you into their booth. Nothing has any price marked on it. Therefore, if you have any desire to shop at the local market, I suggest doing the following. When you go towards the market, walk to the left and you will pass a building filled with locals selling stuff. You will come to a second building and there is a lot less stuff inside of it and it resembles a store. Everything inside that building has prices marked on it and you can get a feel for what things should cost. THEN go back to the other building and use your knowledge to help you negotiate.
When we had lunch on Labadee we were very hot and were quite excited when we saw all of the food and drinks being set up by RCCL employees. Everything was fresh and excellent. They had a bar-b-que and even the potato salad was good (that is a dish that I would never eat if I wasn’t sure of the sanitation conditions). RCCL allows some locals to sit nearby and play some music and push the sale of their compact disks and local wood carvings (Flutes and other toys/souvenirs). Everything that they had for sale (except for their music) was available cheaper at the shop.
I hope this info helps you get a feel for Labadee.
