The first port for our Royal Caribbean cruise of the western Caribbean was Labadee, Hispaniola which is actually a part of Haiti. This specific port is leased out to Royal Caribbean, so only their cruise ships come here. Labadee is actually a peninsula with a few beaches. Getting to land from the cruise ship is by tender.
There is a small section for kids with floating fake icebergs to climb and water slides but they charge an admission fee. Flotation mattresses are also available for rent for those who just want to float in the ocean. There are also locals who help with getting beach chairs for you but they expect tips. So things here are a money grabber.
The cruise ship did have optional tours for snorkelling, parasailing, waverunner and kayaking tours but we thought that they were overpriced. Most passengers just spent the day relaxing around the beaches. The area around Labadee was pleasant enough, but the beaches and shores themselves were fairly rocky, so wearing sandals in the water would be advised.
Royal Caribbean had organized a beach BBQ at an outdoor picnic facility which was okay but nothing special. There is a market there consisting of two buildings. One is a store where the souvenirs and items have marked prices and the other building is like your typical market where locals try to hustle you for business. The locals inside the market were aggressive, but polite. If you don't mind haggling, you could get some pretty good deals but if you dislike this type of pushy atmosphere, then you had best avoid the market except for the fixed price store.
One big difference between this port compared to others is that since it is pretty well being used as a private beach, you will not be hassled by locals. The vendors coming around with drinks at the beach locations are actually Royal Caribbean staff so if one wishes to buy a drink, the cruise ship passcard is all that is required. As for concerns about being in Haiti, given the poverty and political situation, Labadee was not a problem because the entire site is enclosed by a high steel fence. Other passengers later told us that they wandered off near the perimeter of the site and saw many Haitians along the fence begging for handouts and food. The fencing was mostly concealed in the distance from the main tourist areas.
We found Labadee in general to be a bit of a waste of time for us. The beaches were too rocky and we didn't have access to inexpensive activities since everything was run by Royal Caribbean. If one wanted to just go lie on the beach all day and not much else, then Labadee would be a suitable place. For those who want to experience some culture, do water sports without going through the cruise ship, or shop duty free, Labadee would not be the place to go. We decided to stay on board the ship after the BBQ lunch for the rest of the afternoon. I like Royal Caribbean and would definitely cruise with them again but would not want to go on an itinerary that included Labadee in the future.
| ©2005 Clint Leung. All rights reserved. |
There's no denying it's a busy world nowadays, and most of us lead lives to match. When it's time to get away from it all, even though many people seem quite prepared to go to the more crowded spots, for my money you can't beat a bit of peace and quiet and a chance to forget about the 21st century altogether.
One of the best places to go if you're looking for this sort of thing is not difficult to get to, though you may not have considered it before. I'm talking about Bonnie Scotland, of course, where despite its size
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Do you remember the line from Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation" movie? Clark, in frustration utters to his wife Ellen, "Worse? How could things get any worse? Take a look around here, Ellen. We're at the threshold of hell." Does that movie remind you of your last family Christmas vacation?
Maybe it is time that you try something unique, different and fun. Try something new, exciting, and romantic. Have some fun in the sun. Vacation at a clothing optional resort this holiday season.
"But, I'm not a nudist," you are thinking. No problem! More and more, nudist resorts have gone
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There I was, sitting in my office, gazing through the window at the falling snow, daydreaming of warmer days. Ever so slowly, an idea began to take form.
Why not leave the cold, dreary winter behind, and head for warmer climes. But where would I go? The southern hemisphere seemed a good option, but I immediately realized that I had to narrow it down a bit, or I might have a problem getting an airplane ticket. A quick internet airline check and I reached a brilliant decision.
I called my wife and told her to pack us a couple of bags and
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One can get a taste of old Europe right in North America when
visiting Québec City in Canada. Québec City is the capital of the
province of Québec. It can be easily reached by a short flight
from points in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada.
It is a three hour drive from Montreal. The high season is the
summer when visitors from all over the world visit. Recently, the
number of tourists from the United States and Europe has
increased dramatically. This may be partly due to the fact that
even some cruise ships originating from eastern US ports are now
including Québec City as a port
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The author only once experienced the Hajj at "first hand" so to speak, although as a non-Muslim he was not allowed to enter Mecca.
The occasion was the early 1990s when doing some work for a Saudia Airlines related to the catering requirements for, on that occasion, some 1.75 million hajji, as the pilgrims are called.
My journey to Saudi Arabia was circuitous for business purposes – UK to Turkey - Istanbul, then to Ankara, then back to Istanbul before finally taking a flight to Jeddah on Saudia.""I was the only non-Hajji on board (I think) and my recollection is that it
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