My 12-year-old niece, Justina, was my traveling companion for a Western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.At 8 am on Day 3 of our cruise, the Oasis docked at Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private resort on the north coast of Haiti.
I had previously booked us for a zip line adventure on the 2,600 foot long Dragon’s Breath Flight Line while at Labadee.
After we got signed in for our 9:30 am zip line adventure, we walked out to Adrenaline Beach.
Being from Iowa, this was Justina’s first ocean beach, and she was quite excited.
In the background, we could see the Dragon’s Breath zip line.
Those “zipsters” on the 8:30 am departure came flying by us.
They looked like they were having fun.
You are said to travel 40-50 miles per hour on the zip line. The “zipsters” whizzed by, and the hit the stopping point with a thud.
It was time for our “flight.”
We put everything in our rented locker (they cost $8 for the day and you open them with a cool wristband.
Since I had only brought my iPhone to take pictures, I had to leave it in the locker. You can take a camera on the zip line, but only if it can be secured on your wrist with a good strap.
I was disappointed, as the views (and any resulting photos) were amazing.
First, we all got harnessed up into our “chairs”.
Then we headed to a practice course that everyone completes to make sure that they are up for the big “flight.”
People with neck or back problems, or women who are pregnant must avoid this zip line as you land fairly hard.
After completing the training ride, we got in the back of transportation vehicles, and headed to the top of the tree-covered mountain. This is where we took off from as we “flew” down to the beach.
This is one of the most beautiful and fun shore adventures that I have been on in all of my cruise travels. At $95 a person, it’s an expensive ride, but it is a fantastic experience, and one that often sells out.
Justina loved it as well, as you can see in the photo above shot as she was landing.
Spectators can watch from the tables around Dragon’s Cafe. We’d recommend “zipping” in the morning, as it got very hot in the afternoon.
Next we headed up Adrenaline Beach near the Town Square. This area was crowded.
Justina was anxious to swim in the ocean, but the beach is rocky in this area. It is a good spot to watch people on the zip line passing overhead.
We found seats at a picnic table and took turns getting salads and barbecue at the complimentary Cafe Labadee buffet. All of the food served at three different cafes on Labadee is brought out from the ship.
At the Schooner Bar, we were able to get our Coca-Cola® souvenir cups from the ship filled for free under our fountain soda packages bought on the ship. That’s a nice benefit.
After lunch, we shopped in the nearby Artisan’s Market, before setting out to explore more of the private resort.
It can be confusing as there are many different attractions.
Signs like these point you in the right direction, but you need to know what you are looking for.
As we headed back to the pier, we took a detour to check out Nellie’s Beach and the cabanas.
We followed a small path to check out the Arawak Aqua Park, located in Columbus Cove.
The path leads you under the Dragon’s Splash Water Slide.
That looked like fun, but we’d already had our adventure for the day.
We headed to the uncrowded beach near the water slide, and in front of the Arawak Aqua Park.
There is a good view of the ship from here.
Best of all, Justina discovered, the sand is soft and the water is clear and inviting.
She practiced some dance moves as she got comfortable with the ocean water. (Justina is a terrific swimmer.)
A few folks were swimming in this cove.
Soon, Justina was in the water, and loving it.
The water was crystal clear, and warm.
There was some plant life in the water, which may keep this end of Columbus Cove less crowded.
It’s also a significant walk over to the Columbus Cove Cafe.
As a kid that had never swam in the ocean before, Justina had to play in the sand.
We were glad that we discovered this beach. It’s far better for swimming and relaxing than is the Adrenaline Beach on the other side of the resort.
Finally, I was able to drag Justina away from the water, and we headed back to the ship.
We headed to deck 15, where there was a great view of Columbus Cove and Nellie’s Beach.
It was a terrific day at Labadee, Haiti.
Have you visited Labadee on a Royal Caribbean cruise? What did you most enjoy at the private resort? Please share in comments below.
Check out these other posts to follow our entire Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas adventure:
- Cruising With a 12-Year-Old: A Day at Sea on the Oasis
- Traveling With a 12-Year-Old: Boarding Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas
- Traveling With a 12-Year-Old: Driving, Flying and Trying New Foods
- Traveling With a 12-Year-Old: The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel
While we only visited this private resort, Haiti was a new country for me. Check out these interesting points I learned about Haiti before the cruise: