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| Can't beat the view from Barefoot Beach |
We lucked out with the weather this go round as the forecast of scattered thunderstorms promised for this day all week turned out to be the exact opposite with bright sun but a thick humidity. Prior to the cruise, Smitha offered to reserve a cabana for us on the Star/Sky class suite only (and pinnacle) Barefoot Beach section of Labadee and quoted new higher prices for the various options than I'd read in recent reviews.
Over the Water (or OTW) cabanas are the closest to the water and would have cost us $595.
Next closest is Beachfront (coded as B# on the Labadee maps) at $495. The two were essentially a stone's throw away from each other but the main difference was that OTW meant walking into the cabana from behind and being over the water on stilts while in it versus having a little patch of sand between the water and your cabana. If you have kids, I'd suggest saving the $100 and enjoy being able to sit in your cabana while the kids play in the sand right in front of it.
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| Center of picture is a Beachfront cabana. Right side is Over the Water cabana. Is 20 steps worth an extra $100? |
Hilltop cabanas are also $495 but they are certainly not for anyone with physical limitations and while great for shade, I wouldn't recommend them if you have people in your group that want to be in the water and/or play in the sand that need supervision. You'll get the core workout of your life having to go back and forth.
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| The most easily accessible Hilltop Cabana. The rest looked like wooden steps laid out into the hillside. |
We settled on the last option of a Standard cabana which are the most plentiful and the ones furthest back from the water. These now go for $350 and you do have to pay separately for any cabana. It's one of the few extra charges not included in Star Class. While Half Moon Cay (HMC) doesn't have a separate suites only area, it also allows you to use the beach, the ocean, and the lounge chairs for free. You don't have to have booked a cabana at all to use the less crowded Barefoot Beach and have access to the "upgraded" lunch. There were plenty of lounge chairs to use and any attendant could move them where you wanted and/or fetch any mats or snorkel gear you like. Unlike HMC who will charge you separately for things like snorkels and floating mats if you don't have a cabana, those items are free to Barefoot Beach guests. Also unlike HMC, every drink package works on Labadee! We didn't care about having to walk a little extra to the water since it meant being equidistant to the food and bathrooms. A place to stow our stuff and relax in shade was all we really needed so Smitha reserved Standard (S) cabana #6 pre-cruise for us.
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| Our view of the bar (left) and buffet (right) from our cabana |
We knew we didn't want to spend all day on the beach so we planned to get up in time for a light breakfast and to attend the 10AM trivia. This would give us plenty of time to head back to the cabin, change into our swimsuits and meet up with Smitha at 11AM. We took the time to pack our bag when we first got up and double checked the loop app and the cabin's phone messages before heading down to trivia seeing nothing from Smitha. To be quick, we made a makeshift breakfast from the suite lounge continental breakfast offerings. The Coastal Kitchen manager made a point of coming over to check on us since he was concerned that we weren't enjoying his restaurant now. We assured him that we were choosing simply to eat light before heading out to the beach and he went back to the restaurant side.
Trivia was a good mix of having to fight with my team to keep the answers they felt were gut instincts only to end up missing some other questions because I went against my own gut instinct. Even though we finished trivia by 10:30 AM as expected, we got stuck in the new cruise game known as elevator roulette as everyone, their brother, their brother's sister, and their second cousin twice removed who didn't even come on this cruise picked now to use the elevators to head down to the gangway. We watched several elevators approach our current deck only to keep on going or the numbers would literally skip us on the display. After passing on a few that did stop but were full, we crammed into one that had just enough space left for the two of us. The whole ride was spent with people on the elevator getting confused about which deck they wanted to get off on so as soon as the doors opened on a deck close to ours, we bailed and walked the rest of the way.
Once we got back to our cabin, we discovered that Smitha had left us a phone message minutes after we left. It turns out that she'd sent me a Loop message first thing this morning about meeting down by the medical center by 9ish if we wanted an escort off earlier since she was taking another couple off then. Never saw that message until I looked again after hearing her phone message but then I didn't take my phone with me to breakfast or trivia like I had been throughout the cruise. When we didn't send any sort of response and obviously didn't show up to meet, she left the message on our cabin phone asking to be called back. We immediately picked up the phone to do so just as Smitha actually called us back since it was now close to the 11AM we'd discussed. It turns out that the couple we'd shared the front row with at Cats earlier and were staying in the loft suites on deck 17 was the other passengers who chose an 11AM escort so Smitha asked us to meet them at the deck 8 elevators. Stood there watching one side of the elevators only for Smitha and the couple to ride down the other side.
Our first effort at having the special escort off the ship turned out to be essentially for naught. The other two days we'd taken our sweet time bothering to get off and often there was no line when we arrived to the gangway taking the same route everyone else does. Today, Smitha led us 90% of the same exact way we'd previously taken except that we cut out about 10 feet by walking through the crew hallway after getting downstairs. It was to the point that we would have walked around the line only to come back to it. I guess it was meant to be a way for genies to lead Star Class passengers to merge into the front of the line by approaching it from the opposite side versus having to ask people to physically move aside as you plow straight through the line. At this time of the morning though, the only person "in line" was one lady who'd walked up just as we came back out of the crew hallway. She paused to let us go ahead but we told her it was fine and onto the dock we all were 30 seconds later.
When I read about a golf cart escort that takes you to your Barefoot Beach cabana, I imagined a ship to cabana sort of arrangement. This is not the case so if you have mobility issues please be aware that you'll still be enduring a long walk on the pier to get out of the secure area. As we walked, the other couple monopolized most of the conversation with Smitha but Smitha took a moment to update me on the room service issues. She'd brought the mistakes up to the room service manager questioning whether he'd heeded the changes she sent him and he passed the buck swearing he did pass along the changes and it's the fault of his staff for not following the changes. Way to lead and be responsible for your team. Wonder if they know you are throwing them under the bus when there's an issue. I was also assured my missing platinum pin would be delivered by the end of the day.
Once you're out of the security gates, you encounter the photo op that is a mix of ship photographers asking you to stand behind life preservers posing for an extra cost photo with the ship in the background. We turned them down in favor of joining the masses taking turns standing in front of the Labadee sign posing for their own free pictures with the ship in the background. It was nice to see the consideration at such a popular photo spot for a change. Being a lover of travel photography, I've had more than my fair share of rude and inconsiderate people when it comes to multiple people wanting to take a picture at the same spot. Being nearly body checked because I tried to step up to stand next to a large gentleman who was using his tripod to take multiple pictures off the back of a moving train in Skagway a couple years back comes to mind.
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Photo courtesy of Smitha
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| Of course I snapped a photo of the other couple posing for their photo |
We continued walking under Smitha's lead past the photo spot and us ladies chatted so long, we missed when Smitha, Dad, and the other guy (forgive me if you're reading this but I've forgotten your names) stepped off to the side and ended up walking right past them. They called us back where they'd stopped under the shade at what turned out to be the pickup spot for the Barefoot Beach golf cart transport. Took about 15 minutes of walking in high humidity and hot sun before we got to this point. We stood there amongst a small group standing around in the shade for several minutes before Smitha checked the time and acknowledged that the golf cart driver would have been here by now if he was coming. She asked if we minded continuing to walk as it was only 2 minutes up the path from where we were. Everyone agreed and we soon arrived at the entrance to Barefoot Beach where a local guy who seemed to be directing everyone was sending a couple groups of cruisers off with members of his staff. Smitha announced our cabin to the guy in charge leaving us with him as the other couple did not get a cabana.
We were led across in front of the other standard cabanas over to our cabana. Standard Cabana #6 (known on the map as S6) is right along the path that leads to the bar and buffet. It wasn't until we were close to leaving that I realized there is a secondary exit on the side of Barefoot Beach we were on so that you didn't have to use the main entrance and walk in front of everyone else's cabana after checking in. The way they tell who is supposed to be on Barefoot Beach as you come and go during the day is by wristband. We were dropped off at our cabana by the main guy and told that Mickelson (Mickey) would be our attendant and thus it would be him coming over to bring our wristbands soon.
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| I loved this little tiny tree we had next to our cabana and wish we could have put some Christmas lights on it. |
We took some time exploring the cabana finding towels and a cooler full of large bottles of Evian water already provided. Soon Mickey arrived to introduce himself and pointed out our provided items. He told us that lunch was already ready and to help ourselves, leaving the plates on the small table between the loungers for them to routinely come by and pick up. He offered to get drinks from the bar but we weren't ready for that yet so he left.
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| Nice firm couch for time out of the sun. Towels were provided so no need to bring off the ship. |
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| These are the full liter size water bottles so there's definitely enough for your large group. |
We hung out a little bit enjoying the loungers until we felt hungry enough to try lunch. It was nice to see that they even had Purell dispensers set up at the start of the buffet and a crew member stationed there constantly asking people to sanitize. One lady asked how many times he had to say that and he lamented that it was something he had to say all day long.
The buffet line moved fairly quickly as it was only having to feed 15 versus 500 at the time. The buffet is promoted as "upgraded" but the best I can tell is that you get some shrimp skewers and skirt steak filets in addition to the usual hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, and fruit. There was the usual cookies and brownies out for "dessert" and dispensers for helping yourself to fruit punch and ice water.
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| Lots of fresh tropical fruit. Is this why I keep getting a melon plate delivered with our snacks? |
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| Rice and beans in the back, and a new twist on spaghetti and hot dogs? Mac and cheese with chunks of chicken. |
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| Add peas to this picture and you've got all of the items Dad's willing to admit are in the vegetable food group. |
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| This chicken was quite yummy. Ribs are in the dish behind it. |
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| For the picky eaters, you still have your basic hamburgers and hot dogs. Buns were back at the front of the line though. |
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| The sign said our upgraded steak option was "8 oz. strip loin South Carolina bbq steak." |
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| It was cute that they had to mark these chips and guacamole/salsa with a sign informing that it came from Sabor. |
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| Dessert (and one of the drink dispensers to the right) |
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| I'm standing at the end of the buffet line to take this photo and the woman framed by the covering is at the start of the line so you can see how it's not very long. |
There are tables and chairs between the buffet/bar and back of our cabana row where anyone can take their food to enjoy.
Mr. Meat and Potatoes loaded his plate with steak and a burger only to find that both were still raw inside. The "chefs" I believe were local citizens rather than ship crew and they were neglecting to cook any of the meat for very long in an effort to keep the bins full. I had lucked out in that I filled my plate with so much of the side salads that I chose a hot dog for space constraints. I did get a steak at the last minute but never tried it after seeing it was as pink inside as Dad's steak. The condiments were all fast food style packets. My hot dog, as it comes pre-cooked naturally, and the BBQ chicken pieces seemed to be the only meat cooked beyond medium rare. The rest of the food was filling enough so we didn't go hungry. I even went back a second time later for more pasta salad and by then they were letting the local employees have their turn at the buffet. I was hoping for more chicken but they'd switched both bins to being for ribs instead.
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| Dad's hamburger - Pink and grey make a cute combo for an outfit. Not so much for a burger you're feeding to hundreds of people. |
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My plate
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| I was shocked these stayed on in the water. |
Now armed with a wristband and full bladder (that fruit punch is powerful stuff), I made my way to the restrooms and was pleasantly surprised at the modern look to the facilities. I've used everything from a latrine to a seat stuck over a hole in the middle of Denali National Park to a stall with doors that only covered your midsection in Nicaragua so simple things like a door that properly locks and sinks with working water are thrilling. My fluffy self also appreciated that it wasn't cramped inside the stall as I routinely walk away with leg bruises simply from being wedged under the toilet paper dispenser. My fellow fluffy ladies who have used international airport public restrooms know what I'm talking about. That's not even including the ones who have personal sinks built into each stall as well. You've heard of people getting tossed into the deep end to get rid of their fear of drowning, use one of those bathrooms and you get over your claustrophobia right quick.
The extra room and full size locking door came in handy when I discovered the drawback that is a one piece bathing suit and a hot humid day. What went down to use the bathroom did not want to come back up over my now sweaty self instead bunching like a cummerbund around my torso. I fought with and pulled at and shimmed to but my bathing suit was determined to have me initiate Labadee as the new topless beach of the Caribbean. I had purchased a swim shirt prior to this cruise in hopes of avoiding sunburnt shoulders and back and was seriously tempted to just throw it on overtop to cover what my bathing suit no longer did. Eventually I was able to avoid an international incident by channeling my inner Steve Urkel and hoisting the cummerbund mass up to my bust line which enabled me to unravel bit by bit until I had the straps back over my shoulders. I spent the rest of my beach time inching the roll back down my midsection that day but at least all of my parts were covered once again.
Back to the cabana ready to get in the water I realize that we have no floating mats left for us. Who ya gonna call? Ghost Mickey! Once again, out of sight and nowhere to be found. We stop one of the female attendants wandering by and ask about mats. She heads off to "go find Mickey to help us." Never understood why everything we asked for, especially since our attendant was so often MIA, had to be answered with "Oh let me get Mickey for you." I'd be back on board floating in my cabin bathtub if I waited on Mickey to get a mat on his own. This time though Mickey must have felt we were worthy of his time since he was the one who brought us each a mat.
We had been warned about some beach areas of Labadee being rocky so I brought along water shoes. The water at Labadee is definitely more murky than HMC but both require the physics of having to get on your floating mat back on the sand and pushing yourself into the water. Dad wasn't quite as graceful and ended up just hanging on with his arms to keep his head above water. I on the other hand forgo any chance for style points and got myself on top of the mat before paddling myself out to the buoy line. It gave a nice view of the inflatable water toys down the beach and you could see examples of all the other types of cabanas. After floating for a while, we took a break to reapply sunblock. Simone Biles best watch out because my floating mat dismount once back near the sand was worthy of Olympic cubic zirconium. Swinging legs meets knees in the sand followed by birthing the mat out from between my legs before the big finish of water shoes full of sand!
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| It was so nice of someone to gather all the rocks in one central spot for us. Or perhaps a new sandcastle sacrifice ritual? |
Back relaxing in the cabana I was determined to try the official Labadoozie drink! Another round of Oh Mickey you're so fine, for everyone else as it took another effort of stopping someone else to go find him. This time we waited a longer stretch for him to show which he did just as Dad offered to walk the 15 steps to the bar and get my drink for me. How not to earn a big tip for your services: Step 1) Disappear most of the day, Step 2) Return after making us track you down and greet us with a rude "Oh so you want to get drinks NOW?" Mickey asked if I wanted the Labadoozie in the souvenir cup and I didn't since 1) it wasn't covered in our drink package and 2) We could supply a third world country with all the souvenir cups we've accrued from a lifetime of events. Then the question came about whether I wanted alcoholic or non alcoholic. Since I asked for the drink in a regular cup, it was now covered in our drink package regardless of my choice here. I opted for non alcoholic as by now I was just looking for something wet and cold to cool me down. Dad tacked on an order for a soda and Mickey insisted on taking our card as proof of the package. He came back quickly with both drinks (in case you were wondering, a non alcoholic Labadoozie tastes like a peach flavored slurpee) and joked with Dad mocking me for "not liking the alcohol."
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| If we're very quiet, we might be able to spot the famous Labadoozie in it's natural habitat |
After relaxing in the shade of our cabana for a while debating whether I wanted to return to the water for a second time, the desire to feel sand free from all the wrong places won out and we decided to pack up. While there are paths from the various buildings, you have to step back into the sand to walk over to your cabana. Dad went to the structure in the center full of pull chain shower heads to rinse off his non water shoe wearing feet.
To avoid having to negate the effort, he thought to lay our floating mats down to form a bridge back into our cabana where his sneakers were stowed. This worked out well for me too after I tried washing my water shoes. Didn't avoid all sand as the path by now was covered in sand dragged by others but it eliminated about 70%.
As we gathered our bags, guess who was right where we'd needed him to be all day? Only now of course he was chanting that everything was "Happy Happy!" and holding his hand out for a tip. We had only brought off a little bit of cash not intending to shop so we ended up giving him all of the planned tip regardless of his lack of service.
We walked back over to the main entrance and now the head guy stood blocking the door chanting "Happy Happy!" and all but asking for a tip too. Instead we asked about the golf cart to take us back and he seemed a little surprised that someone actually asked for it. He told us to sit on the bench and wait and then called over the radio for the guy when it took a while. The guy showed up and we hopped on only for about 8 others to come out of nowhere ready for a ride back as well. We rode along the walkway path as the driver honked repeatedly for people to get out of his way. About 100 yards before getting back to the Labadee sign, he pulls off into the trees and we all thought he was doing this to go around the people walking forcing us to play dodgeball with tree limbs as we went. Instead, he'd gone over into the trees because this was where he had decided the ride would end and motioned for us all to get out.
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Piers in this photo really are as long as they appear
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| The Red Hat ladies even brought their bling to the beach. Those pins on their backs say "Red Hat Society." |
One near the front, one more central to midship, and one closer to aft with crew directing you to choose the one closest to your cabin for crowd control and an easier walk.
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| Taking an escalator to get back on board is made even more fun when you catch the elusive Red Hat Lady in triplicate |
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