Labadee, Haiti - Two Lane Adventure on the High Seas - Day Seven of the Cruise

On our ninth vacation day, we stopped at our third and final port. On the north coast of Haiti sits a tropical haven of Labadee. It is set amid spectacular mountains and lush foliage it is reserved exclusively for Royal Caribbean guests. Although it is privately owned, this breathtakingly beautiful destination still retains much of its local flavor. In 1492, the island was originally discovered by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the New World. Originally named “La Isla Espanola”, it was later colonized by the French, whose influence is still prevalent in both the culture and the language.

Several members of our group booked different activities to enjoy while on Labadee. Two couple took a leisurely kayak tour off one of the many beaches. Four of the guys in the group signed up to Jet Ski, but just before their start time the water got too rough for the jet skis. So their excursion was cancelled. Instead they decided to drink! Imagine that!

Another group of us decided to do the zip line. To call it a zip line, is a bit of an understatement! It is the Dragon's Breath Flight Line, probably because the warm trade winds are whipping in your face like a fire breathing dragon! We certainly unleashed our sense of adventure as we soared down the side of a mountain. 

We were attached to a 2,600-foot long zip line. We had a weigh-in, information briefing, orientation to the zip line, and we tested our mettle on the shorter "Little Dragon" zip line. After we successfully navigated the “Little Dragon” we climbed onto custom-made safari vehicles and road up the mountain to the take-off point. This, by the way, is 500 feet above the beaches of Labadee, Haiti. The zip line experience literally sweeps you off your feet before we landed at Dragon's Breath Rock at the end of the line. I have to say that it was a once in a lifetime experience!

While we were on the island, we enjoyed a barbeque lunch and a quick trip to the Artisan’s Market. The Artisan’s Market was too intense for me. It was like walking the gauntlet. Every vendor was hollering out to you, trying to get you to look at their items or into their shops. The shops were all built along a cat walk, which Tracy and I did not venture onto. Tracy is a true shopper and she was just as anxious to leave the market as I was. Pete got “caught” by one of the vendors and before he could get out of there he spent twenty bucks on two bracelets and an engraved shot glass.

We got back on the ship and relaxed before our casual dinner service. After dinner we enjoyed some Elvis trivia. Randy is the Elvis trivia king, he got 14 out of 15 song titles right! Another team also had fourteen correct, so there was an Elvis song title lightening round. Randy got that song title correct too and was crowned the winner! It was another great day on our cruise. It is starting to sink in that, in a little over twenty four hours our ship will dock at the Port of Everglades and our cruise will be over. Oh, perish the thought!