About Labadee
Day 3 of our Royal Caribbean Cruise on Adventure of the Seas took us to Labadee, Haiti. Labadee is Royal Caribbean’s own private resort with beautiful beaches and lots of attractions. A lunch buffet is provided and included and if you purchased a drink package, those will work on the island as well. This was one of our favorite ports because it provided a large range of activities that appealed to everyone in our family. We hope that sharing our experience helps you plan your day and that you love Labadee as much as we did!
Starting Our Day
We woke up early and went to the Windjammer for breakfast already dressed in our swimsuits with covers ups/clothes over top. Frank and I each took a bookbag so we could easily pack and take:
- 2 Yeti Water Bottles that we asked the Windjammer juice attendant to fill up for us
- Sunscreen – We use Hawaiian Tropic Lotion and Coola Face Sunscreen for us and then Alba Spray Sunscreen and a Neutrogena Face Stick for the kids because it goes on clear and does not need rubbed in. Also high recommend O’Keefe’s Lip Repair 35 SPF for a lip sunscreen.
- Welly First Aid Kit
- Mini Wet Brush, hair ties and It’s a 10 for detangling
- Hammock style floats and electric air pump
- Kids swim googles (we didn’t take snorkel gear since we planned to snorkel at other ports)
- Flip flops (we wore sneaker water shoes but it was nice to wash them out back near the pier and switch to flip flops to get back on the ship)
Full Amazon Shopping List from our 2024 Cruise
After breakfast we swung by Cafe Promenade for lattes to go and got off the ship around 8:30. We were greeted with music, dancing and lots of excitement so took a few minutes to take it all in and grab a map. *Make sure to pick up towels in the main port area so you have them for your beach day. They work the same way they do on the ship – you scan your Sea Pass to check them out and then scan it again to return them on your way back.
Columbus Cove
We took the free tram to Columbus Cove since it is the furthest beach from the pier. The tram does drive through the local marketplace which leads up to Columbus Cove so please expect to be greeted by locals who tell you their name and offer to guide you through the shops. We simply smiled, said no thank you and kept heading for the beach and were not bothered by it. Since we got there early and in the first group we had our pick for seating. Someone offered to brush off our loungers, make sure they were where we wanted them and set-up the umbrella – there is no cost for using them but we did tip him for getting us all set-up. The kids checked out the hammock, swings and played in the sand. It was a lovely, sunny day and the water temp was perfect so we all enjoyed lounging on our floats and swimming.
Activities at Columbus Cove:
- Arawak Aqua Park features floating trampolines, water slides and an obstacle course. The minimum age to participate is 7 and our youngest is 6 so we opted to skip it but I think older kiddos would have a blast!
- Dragon’s Splash Water Slide is a 300 foot long slide that drops you into an 18 foot splash zone. The minimum age for this is also 7 so we skipped it but are looking forward to trying it out next time!
Columbus Cove was beautiful… gorgeous Caribbean water, soft sand and great view of the ship. Perfect Beach Day!
Dragon’s Fire Flight Line Zipline
While the kids and I hung out at Columbus Cove, Frank took the tram to Dragon’s Plaza to check-in for Dragon’s Flight Line which we had booked on the RC App before our trip. This is the zipline that you do “superman style” laying down going head first. They did the safety briefing and then he was transported in an open truck up to the platform entrance. The Zipline Attendants put you into pairs, provide detailed instructions and then clip you into the safety line. He said it was a bit freaky to lean forward (trusting that safety line) to get in position, laying on his belly to finish getting strapped in. Frank liked the adrenaline rush and getting to take in the view. He did mention being limited to only seeing what is underneath you but would still pick Dragon’s Fire Flight Line over Dragon’s Breath Flight Line for the thrill!
Adrenaline Beach
Before our trip, we had booked a day pass for Dragon’s Tail Coaster. We only needed to book a day pass for Frank and myself since the kids could ride with us at no additional cost. Even though we loved our morning at Columbus Cove, we decided to spend the rest of the day at Adrenaline Beach to ride the Coaster, eat lunch and enjoy the beach. At check in for the Coaster, we were each given a wristband and then headed for the entrance. We sat down and watched a safety briefing video and then put our bookbags in cubbies. The kids were nervous as they climbed in and sat in front of us…they got a little more nervous as we started to go up the hill but we reminded them that the hill takes us up and then it winds down (there are no straight drops or steep hills coming down). Once we got to the top and pushed the hand brake forward to start, they felt a little better seeing how we could control the speed. By the time they got to the bottom, they loved it and wanted to immediately do it again. There were only 4 people waiting so we just jumped right back in line. Now that the kids were relieved and excited, we could enjoy the view and have fun as well! After that, we headed right next door to the pavilion for lunch. The food was good; we had Caesar Salads, Cheese Burgers, Hot Dogs and Fresh Fruit. We road the Coaster two more times and then sat down on some loungers at the beach. Adrenaline Beach was much rockier and they didn’t like trying to navigate around the rocks and the Reef balls. We hung out for a little bit and then decided to head back early and go to the pool. We debated heading back to Columbus Cove but didn’t want to do all of the back and forth on/off trams again since it was in the opposite direction of the ship.
I think Adrenaline Beach is probably better suited for adults with the swim up, floating bar and large beach area but to us it wasn’t even comparable to Columbus Cove. Next time we visit Labadee we go straight to Columbus Cove, spend even more on the beach and eat lunch there. We’d save riding the Coaster a few times for the end of our day as we make our way back to the ship. I hope this helps you plan an amazing day in Labadee!
