Labadee, Haiti – More than Meets the Eye
Labadee is a port on the northern coast of Haiti which is leased to Royal Caribbean until 2050. I wasn’t really sure if I would like this stop on our Caribbean cruise, since the thought of a port built by Royal Caribbean sounds extremely commercialized.
While the port is definitely geared towards selling tours and souvenirs, there is much more to Labadee than meets the eye.
Labadee, Haiti – More than Meets the Eye
My initial reaction to a huge cruise ship company leasing a portion of an untouched paradise is to automatically assume the worst, but it’s important to see the bigger picture and learn how it can actually improve the lives of some of the locals.
According to Wikipedia, “Royal Caribbean International has contributed the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986, employing 300 locals, allowing another 200 to sell their wares, and paying the Haitian government US$6 per tourist.”
Not only that, after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Royal Caribbean donated $1 million to fund relief efforts and to use cruise ships to ferry relief supplies and personnel.
In Haiti, going to school isn’t a birthright. Parents must pay up-front for their children to attend school and it’s not cheap. The boat captain who led our shore excursion in Labadee was extremely grateful to have a job so he could send his children to school that year. Free education for children is something we often take for granted and it surprised all of us to learn this unfortunate fact about the education system in Haiti.
For those of you who are interested, I found a great cause called the Haiti Education Foundation, where you can donate to help put a child through school.
Labadee grew on me, that’s for sure. During our visit, we found one of the best things to do in Labadee, Haiti.
Your Own Private Beach
While most of our fellow cruise ship passengers chose to lounge on the crowded beach just steps away from the dock or zipped through the air on the Dragon’s Breath Zipline (the longest zipline over water), we found a little piece of heaven.
My dad, an extremely generous guy, looked into booking a catamaran for all 14 of us to float away to the privately owned beach of Malfini, just a 20 minute boat ride away from the main beach.
They limit this private beach to 25 people, so we almost had it all to ourselves. When we ask the kids which stop was their favorite, they all unanimously say Haiti because it felt like one of those once in a lifetime moments.
The beach is set up with comfortable chairs in the shade, plenty of rafts for lounging in the water, cheap beer and fresh (straight from the tree) coconut water for the kids. Needless to say, none of us wanted to leave when the boat came back for us three hours later.
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You can also sponsor a child from Haiti through the Compassion organization. You can pick your child form lots of countries also. I sponsor a 10 year old boy and an 8 year old girl who lives in Haiti. I really get a blessing out of it ! I will be in Haiti this Feb. and I am going to call compassion and see if there is a way I can meet them. Keeping my fingers crossed!
That’s amazing, Shiela! Thank you for sharing this info!!
we loved our day in Labadee, Haiti. Such a beautiful island. I would go back anytime.
Going through the straw market was a treat, but the vendors in their booths were pretty insistent. We enjoyed the band, Union Band, so I bought one of their CD’s. When I opened the package, the CD was split in half!
I thought the main port area was a little too crowded, to be honest. We almost lost my four year old niece!
Does Royal Caribbean allow donations to be dropped off at another port to be transported to Labadee to help there? I am currently trying to get some soccer uniforms and then asking NCL if they coud drop them off in Trujillo for the children there. This is an excellent way for guests and the cruiselines to help
Hi Glenp. I wish I had the answer to that question. I would try giving them a call. Cheers.
Looks like you’re enjoying the Prestige Beer – good stuff! Thanks for such a good article. My daughter is spending part of her summer doing volunteer work in Haiti again this year, and it’s good to know that Royal Caribbean is doing good things in a country that is so near and dear to our hearts.
@facebook-1681480131:disqus Oh yes, the beer was yummy! 🙂 Wow… what a great thing for your daughter to do. We really fell in love with the Haitian people we met during our short visit.
Wow! What a paradise! Clear beach and white fine sand. I hope I can visit that lovely place too!
Labadee is a Port of Haiti. It is luxury private resort leased to Royal Caribbean International until 2050. It has suitable weather so people can go here to enjoy their vacation.
Hi, my family and I are traveling to the this location coming July. We origanlly had the Malfini beach booked until I noticed it said 12 and up. My daughter will be 4. I see you might have younger kids by looking at these photos. Did it have an age restriction when you booked it? Did anyone say anything about it when you went?
Hi @disqus_QlDa6LsI5p:disqus. Yes, we did have a couple of young kids, a one year old and three year old. I’m not sure if it makes a difference that we booked the tour once we were already at port. Did you book it through Royal Caribbean?
Yes, we booked through Royal Caribbean. It let us book the excursion under our reservations with her name/age. But when I saw the age thing we canceled. Now I’m thinking maybe we should re-book it.
@disqus_QlDa6LsI5p:disqus I would try giving Royal Caribbean a call if you can. I’m pretty sure we still booked through Royal Caribbean, but maybe they have different rules if you book it while at port. Good luck!
Huh. This sort of blew my mind. And I love that first photo of you!! I truly had no idea that any cruise stopped in Haiti. This information was really fascinating.
I didn’t know it either until our cruise. At first I got really excited thinking I would see the real Haiti, but this was better than nothing. 😉
I agree, my initial thought when you said resort built by a cruise company was not a pleasant one. But it’s really wonderful to see how much they’re actually helping locals who really need it.
Yea, I guess I shouldn’t always assume the worst when it comes to things like this. 😉
You look so cute in that photo. I’ve read some stuff about Haiti and their lack of public education It is really sad. It’s great that the cruise line helps out a bit.
Aww.. thank you, Rease. It was my relaxed face. 🙂 I was glad to hear about Royal Caribbean’s presence there was actually making a good impact. I guess I forget how tourism can help the locals sometimes.
Sorry about your comment however honestly people are in somehow way much more educated in ways one cannot imagine. You know before reading and writing and the degrees days, the peice of paper that equals to nothing called ego and money! I had to say something. I’m not a fan of Trump however when it comes to the media and Haiti he ain’t wrong. It’s feeding people what they want you to know and stay in ignorance of the real Truth! Take a trip and you will see and know!. Nothing sad about That!
Looks like paradise! As winter comes…that water looks better and better.
The water was so warm!
There are sad things that a paradise hides in its beauty like the case of education in Haiti. However, it’s hard to ignore how relaxing and tranquil the private owned beach seemed. What are the contact details of that beach for reservation purposes?
You can click on the link we provided at the bottom of the post. 🙂
Your trip to Haiti was amazing ! Thank you for sharing it with us. I was there for the first time in 2010 after the quake. I never knew this paradise existed, even though I was born in Haiti. I would very much like for to read ” Haiti Beyond The Rubble” I wrote it after the earthquake. This story is more than a retelling of an earthquake; It is the story of how one person can make a difference in the lives of others. I’d like your feedback.
Is the link down now? I am planning a honey moon cruise.
Yes, the link was broken and I was unable to find a replacement. Sorry!
Labadee’s beaches are so relaxation giving. I would love to have sun bath and get refreshed over there!