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Labadee Review?


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Will be going to Labadee for the first time in a few weeks on Mariner.  Have been looking for a good review of the island and experience, and didn't find anything on Labadee in @MattYouTube vlogs (maybe I am just missing it).   From what I did locate from other content creators, I believe Labadee is going to be a big disappointment in comparison to Perfect Day. Maybe I will start calling it Blah-badee afterwards?  Does anyone have thoughts/reviews/suggestions to share about the Labadee experience?   @Matt please consider doing a full-island tour and review video on Labadee in the future if you haven't already done one (sorry if I missed it).   Thanks everyone!

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22 minutes ago, mamie said:

I went last week and enjoyed it. I recommend the dragon fly zipline. I have been to perfect day twice and labadee once. It's a beautiful beach and relaxing. I'm not sure why it gets so many bad reviews. In my opinion both of the islands are small and similar. Perfect day has a small water park.  

It does seem that all the good press and kudos go to PDCC (where I've been twice and absolutely loved it).  When I did find reviews about Labadee posted on other sites, and from other content creators, it just seemed lackluster in comparison to PDCC; including "at Labadee, you'd better eat before 12:30 or they will run out of food and there will be no more!", plus a focus on all the things the island doesn't have, sell, or serve.  One vlogger seemed to like the idea of 'the longest zip line over water' at Labadee, but said it was way over-priced.  Based on those online reviews, it seemed Labadee is a cheap knock-off of PDCC and almost not worth the trouble to go ashore.

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Perfect Day is the newer, shinier place. Biggest difference for me is the food is way better at PDCC. I have always enjoyed Labadee as a great relaxing day on the beach. We usually go to Nellies Beach and I go snorkeling on my own over by the cabanas. It's not Hawaii snorkeling but there are colorful fish and it gives me something to do other than sitting on the beach all day. The Labadozee drink of the day was tasty. The food really needs an improvement on the island. Worth getting off and make the best of it. I'm on the Mariner the following cruise after yours.

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13 hours ago, EmptyNestTravels said:

Will be going to Labadee for the first time in a few weeks on Mariner.  Have been looking for a good review of the island and experience, and didn't find anything on Labadee in @MattYouTube vlogs (maybe I am just missing it).   From what I did locate from other content creators, I believe Labadee is going to be a big disappointment in comparison to Perfect Day. Maybe I will start calling it Blah-badee afterwards?  Does anyone have thoughts/reviews/suggestions to share about the Labadee experience?   @Matt please consider doing a full-island tour and review video on Labadee in the future if you haven't already done one (sorry if I missed it).   Thanks everyone!

Don’t think of it as a disappointment at all. Nothing really compares to coco cay so the bar is set so high that basically anything is blah in comparison. Labadee is a great island and offers so many things to do from an awesome zip line (highly recommend) to just relaxing on the beach drinking beverages out of a coconut. I am always happy to see Labadee on the itinerary and cannot wait to go back! 

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14 hours ago, EmptyNestTravels said:

Will be going to Labadee for the first time in a few weeks on Mariner.  Have been looking for a good review of the island and experience, and didn't find anything on Labadee in @MattYouTube vlogs (maybe I am just missing it).   From what I did locate from other content creators, I believe Labadee is going to be a big disappointment in comparison to Perfect Day. Maybe I will start calling it Blah-badee afterwards?  Does anyone have thoughts/reviews/suggestions to share about the Labadee experience?   @Matt please consider doing a full-island tour and review video on Labadee in the future if you haven't already done one (sorry if I missed it).   Thanks everyone!

We absolutely love Labadee!!!  It's nothing fancy but it is a great relaxing beach day...No locals wondering the beach pestering you to purchase trinkets like some other beach stops.   It is like CocoCay used to be before it got commercialized...Except there are no Chickens running around the island like there use to be on CocoCay.   Psycho loves the snorkeling off Nellies Beach.  We have done the zip line a couple of times and loved it and would recommend trying it at least once.  We do agree the food choices could be improved.

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I love Labadee.  A cabana or bungalow for a beach day is great, and the prices are a lot less than Coco Cay.  The lesser quality of the food doesn't bother me.  It's essentially lunch, which I really don't eat much at anyway because I don't want to spoil dinner.  Kids would enjoy Coco Cay better for the pools and water park, but my kids have told me the lines are awful in the water park when there are two ships at Coco Cay, which is pretty often.  Coco Cay is bigger, newer, more amenities, better infrastructure, etc.  Royal is also putting a lot of marketing behind it.    

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Before Coco Cay was overhauled, Labadee was the superior island. Lots of space, clear beautiful beaches, plenty of chairs, a couple buffets, an extra long zipline, blow-up water park, cabanas, self-controlled rollercoaster and plenty of classic water activities, it has a decent amount to offer. No, it's not going to be the same as Perfect Day CocoCay and I have heard the food was less exciting here than PDCC but it's not a disappointment. I think of Labadee as a great, relaxing beach day.

I'm actually VERY excited to return on our trip this fall.

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each location has a number of positives and each has a different experience.

Some of what I like about Labadee is the many walking paths that take you up to the old "Ocean View Spa" ruins.  A must do is to go out to "Dragons Breath Lookout Point" to both listen to "Dragons Breath" and to watch the waves crash in between the rocks, If your lucky one will wet your feet while your still on the path.  You can also with luck feel the salt spray in your face.

These beautiful mostly shaded paths are a nice break in the middle or as an end to what is a relaxing and enjoyable beach day.

Love visiting Labadee

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I’m going to Labadee for the first time this summer. We reserved a kayaking excursion and the covered beach lounger for 2. Considering canceling the lounger since there are free chairs like cococay, but for $50 we initially booked it for fun. I want to do more research on the different beaches there and if the lounger is where I want to be. 

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On 3/15/2022 at 6:17 PM, EmptyNestTravels said:

Will be going to Labadee for the first time in a few weeks on Mariner.  Have been looking for a good review of the island and experience, and didn't find anything on Labadee in @MattYouTube vlogs (maybe I am just missing it).   From what I did locate from other content creators, I believe Labadee is going to be a big disappointment in comparison to Perfect Day. Maybe I will start calling it Blah-badee afterwards?  Does anyone have thoughts/reviews/suggestions to share about the Labadee experience?   @Matt please consider doing a full-island tour and review video on Labadee in the future if you haven't already done one (sorry if I missed it).   Thanks everyone!

What we like best at Labadee is the fixed price souvenir shop.  Not sure if it is still there, but it has good variety and isn't made in China....

Back in the day Labadee was the best spot to find dead coral washed ashore.  Now taking back broken coral or seashells is actively discouraged--buy what you can at gift shops in the US or its territories and save the receipt.

 

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On 3/17/2022 at 10:03 AM, ChessE4 said:

Back in the day Labadee was the best spot to find dead coral washed ashore.  Now taking back broken coral or seashells is actively discouraged

 

Still has lots of dead coral and seashells but your right…If you try and take them back on the ship and they see them on the X-ray, they will confiscate them.   But for some reason if they are in your pockets…No problem's

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  • 10 months later...
On 3/15/2022 at 5:30 PM, Chris Fish said:

Perfect Day is the newer, shinier place. Biggest difference for me is the food is way better at PDCC. I have always enjoyed Labadee as a great relaxing day on the beach. We usually go to Nellies Beach and I go snorkeling on my own over by the cabanas. It's not Hawaii snorkeling but there are colorful fish and it gives me something to do other than sitting on the beach all day. The Labadozee drink of the day was tasty. The food really needs an improvement on the island. Worth getting off and make the best of it. I'm on the Mariner the following cruise after yours.

Do they provide life vests?

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On 3/16/2022 at 9:20 AM, Psycho and Barb said:

We absolutely love Labadee!!!  It's nothing fancy but it is a great relaxing beach day...No locals wondering the beach pestering you to purchase trinkets like some other beach stops.   It is like CocoCay used to be before it got commercialized...Except there are no Chickens running around the island like there use to be on CocoCay.   Psycho loves the snorkeling of Nellies Beach.  We have done the zip line a couple of times and loved it and would recommend trying it at least once.  We do agree the food choices could be improved.

Does anyone know how much it costs to rent snorkel gear on labadee??

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I love Labadee. Yes it is different from PDCC but in a laid back type of way. The only thing I don't enjoy is the open air market but it's a beautiful beach day.  If I had to choose I would actually prefer Labadee but the best is when a sailing visits both private islands. Here I am last March living my best life in Labadee!!

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