Day 7: Royal Caribbean | Harmony of the Seas with Labadee
Did you know that Haiti is mountainous and beautiful? When I thought of Haiti, I thought earthquakes, hurricanes, and civil unrest. I had pretty low expectations for this port, and we were considering staying on the ship. It turned out to be the best port on this trip!
After finishing breakfast, we went to my parent’s cabin to watch the crew dock our mega-ship. I was surprised to see so many mountains! The mountains were lush green and the ocean was a pretty blue. Already I was warming up to the idea of Haiti. When we were cleared to disembark, we decided to check it out.
Labadie, or as Royal Caribbean calls it Labadee, is a private resort located in Haiti. What I love about this itinerary is that 2 out of 4 stops are at Royal Caribbean’s private resort. No need to book an excursion, plenty can be enjoyed close to the ship.
We walked off the ship along the dock to the peninsula. We were greeted with Haitians dancing and drumming to what sounded similar to African music. The private resort was much bigger than I anticipated. My son saw some trails off the main area and wanted to explore. My mom found a shady bench while I took my son to explore. The first trail took us to Dragon’s Flight which is one of the zip-line courses. They were still setting up so we didn’t see anyone zip line. The trail circled back to the main drag and we crossed over to another path. This lush path wound to an overview of the ocean and where our ship was docked. We continued along the path and found two old turrets and an old cannon. My son loved that the turret’s had fans inside of them. The fans and electricity seemed out-of-place alongside the 1800s old structures. Further along the path was a pavilion where a group of adults from the ship were painting pottery. This was an excursion option. We circled back to my mom and then we continued on our journey on the main path.
My mom studied the map while we were off exploring and noted the tram stop ahead. We jumped on the next available tram and headed further and further away. It was a nice tour of the island and it gave us a good lay of the land. To our left we passed a beach, another zip-line, and a splash pad area. Then, to our right was a beach area exclusive for some sort of special level that we aren’t. We then passed through a shopping area where locals had several shops for local things. We took the tram to the very last stop.
Columbus Cove sits on a calm beach with a mountainous view. We arrived shortly before lunch. My son and I explored an old bell tower for another view of the area. Unfortunately, the views were obscured by trees so it wasn’t the birdseye view I had in my mind. Nevertheless, my son loved it and climbed back down to show my mom then climbed back down to show my dad. Lunch was served in an open-air cafe and consisted of hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, and Caribbean chicken for the entrees. There were various salads and I chose the watermelon and feta option. For sides there was corn on the cob and Mac n cheese. There were also several desserts. I chose this coconut cookies/cake. Everything was good.
My son hadn’t wanted to go to the beach this morning, but my son often says no to almost everything in the morning. I snuck our swimsuits into my bag because I was sure he would change his mind. Immediately after lunch he asked about swimming at the beach. We changed and then spent the next couple hours at the beach. He made some friends and had a lovely day playing in the shallow-calm water and the nice beach.
To return to the ship, we took the tram back. I stopped to get a closer look at the beach closer to the ship. Columbus Cove was much better in my opinion. The surf here was much rougher although still not too bad.
Back on the ship we watched the ship disembark and we waved goodbye to Haiti. The remaining evening was pretty typical, showered, dinner, and bedtime.
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About the Author
Amaris is the owner of the Ohio-based travel agency, Adventures by Amaris. Her love for travel began at a young age when she traveled to her parents' home countries of England and Mexico. She continued traveling in High School by participating in a People to People program to Italy, France and Monaco. In college, she spent six weeks in Europe studying abroad and traveling. She visited Spain, Portugal, England, Wales, Ireland, Vatican City, and Italy in a whirlwind summer. Through her adult life she continues to make traveling a priority with her family. Her young son is autistic so navigating the world of traveling with an autistic child brings on new adventures. Her travel resume includes Mexico, Turks & Caicos, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica, Colombia, and Cayman Islands. She is an expert in planning family vacations across the world from Disney World to Europe to worldwide cruises.
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